One of the greatest lines in National Hockey League history was put together for the first time on this date. Also, one of Montreal’s biggest legends hits two personal milestones, 12 years apart, and perhaps hockey’s most famous family sets a league record.
A Punchy Day in 1943
The puck dropped on the 1943-44 season, on this date, with a very memorable game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.
Earlier in the day, future Hall of Fame goaltender Bill Durnan signed his first NHL and made his league debut versus the Bruins that night. This was the same game head coach decided to have Elmer Lach center a line between wingers Toe Blake and Maurice Richard. This line eventually became known as the “Punch Line.”
Blake had the game-tying goal, late in the third period, as the two rivals skated to a 2-2 draw. This started Durnan’s rookie-record 14-game unbeaten streak to start his career, going 12-0-2 before losing his first NHL game.
The “Punch Line” stayed together until Blake suffered a career-ending injury in 1948. They played a big part in the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup championships in 1944 and 1946. During the 1944-45 season, Richard became the first player to score 50 goals in a season, in just 50 games, while Lach set a new single-season scoring record with 80 points.
On that same night, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gus Bodnar scored just 15 seconds into his first, setting a league record for the fastest goal scored by a player making his debut. He added a second goal and an assist as the Leafs beat the New York Rangers 5-2.
A Pair of Milestones for Beliveau
On Oct. 30, 1957, Canadiens’ legend, Jean Beliveau scored a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win at the Maple Leafs. This gave him 300 career points in just 267 games.
A dozen years later, on Oct. 30, 1969, Beliveau picked up an assist, in a 2-2 tie at the St. Louis Blues, for his 1,100th point in 1,001 regular-season games. He retired following the 1970-71 season with 1,219 points in 1,125 games for the Habs.
A Big Date for the Sutter Family
The Sutter family has etched their place in hockey history with six brothers combining for over 5,000 NHL games and three of their sons making the league as well.
On Oct. 30, 1982, Brian Sutter scored his fifth career hat trick and added an assist as the and the Blues lost 6-5 to the visiting Blues.
One year later, on Oct. 30, 1983, the family made history as four brothers play in the same game for the first time ever. The New York Islanders, with Brent and Duane, beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2, with twin brothers Rich and Ron. Brent led the way with a pair of goals and an assist.
A Busy Day in 1988
The eventful day of Oct. 30, 1988, began with the Winnipeg Jets firing John Ferguson, who had been their only general manager since they joined the NHL in 1979. He was replaced by Mike Smith, who held the job until 1994. He drafted future stars Keith Tkachuk, Alex Zhamnov and Nikolai Khabibulin.
Later that night, rookie Tony Granato scored four goals, including his first NHL hat trick, to lead the Rangers to a 9-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The night closed out with Doug Wilson and Dirk Graham each scoring shorthanded goals, 24 seconds apart in the second period, to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-2 win at the Edmonton Oilers.
Odds & Ends
On Oct. 30, 1962, goaltender Glenn Hall played in his 500th consecutive regular-season game as he led the Blackhawks to a 5-3 win over the Rangers on home ice.
Future Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke scored his first career NHL goal, on Oct. 30, 1969, in a 3-3 tie against the Rangers. This was the Flyers’ fourth straight home game that ended in a draw.
Fred Glover became the first person in NHL history to coach two different NHL teams in one season. He was named coach of the Los Angeles Kings just 12 days after being fired by the Oakland Seals. He made his debut behind the Kings’ bench, on Oct. 30, 1971, and lost 5-1 to the visiting Blackhawks.
Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk became the seventh player in league history to score 500 career goals, on Oct. 30, 1975. His milestone came with a first-period goal in a 3-2 win over the Blues.
On that same day, the Blues acquired Bucyk’s former teammate and two-time Stanley Cup winner, Derek Sanderson, from the Rangers for their 1977 first-round draft pick. He played in 97 games with St. Louis, scoring 32 goals and 88 points, before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 1977.
Vincent Damphousse scored three times for his seventh career hat trick to give him 200 career NHL goals, on Oct. 30, 1993, as the Canadiens beat the Maple Leafs 5-2. Exactly six years later, now as a member of the San Jose Sharks, Damphousse scored his 350th career goal in a 1-1 tie with the Penguins.
The Penguins made history, on Oct. 30, 1998, in a 2-2 tie with the Canucks. Both goals came on the power-play to give them 10 straight goals while on the man advantage. This broke the previous record of eight consecutive power-play conversions by the Buffalo Sabres during the 1991-92 season.
Speaking of Buffalo, Miroslav Satan became the 10th player in team history to score 200 goals while wearing a Sabres sweater. He also added an assist in a 5-3 win over the visiting Maple Leafs.
On Oct. 30, 2008, Steven Stamkos scored the two goals of his NHL career. He also had an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Sabres 5-2. Stamkos, who was the first overall pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, scored a total of 23 goals during his rookie season.
Marian Hossa became the 80th player in league history, on Oct. 30, 2014, to score 1,000 career points. He reached the plateau with a third-period goal in a 5-4 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators. It was the Senators who originally drafted Hossa in the first round (12th overall) of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He scored the first 390 points of his career with Ottawa.
Happy Birthday to You
Oct. 30 is the birth date of 23 current and former NHL players. The most notable of this group are Andy Greene (38), Drew Stafford (35), Chris Stewart (33), Artemi Panarin (29), Dennis Gilbert (24), Tage Thompson (23), Cale Maker (22), Jesper Boqvist (22) and the late Cal Gardner.