Joe Corvo Meet Ian Turnbull

Joe Corvo’s feat of scoring three times on his former team while leading the Carolina Hurricane’s to victory was truly amazing for a defenseman.  However, a former Leaf blueliner trumped that accomplishment over 21 years ago.

On February 22, 1977 Ian Turnbull of the Toronto Maple Leafs scored five times in leading the team to a 9-1 trouncing of the Detroit Red Wings. While you may think that a defenseman scoring five goals in one game is amazing, Turnbull managed to score five goals on five consecutive shots!

Just to put Turnbull’s amazing feat into perspective, no defenseman has even scored 4 goals in a game since Paul Coffey managed the feat way back in 1984.

In 1984, Paul Coffey also equaled another amazing feat that happened in 1977. On December 11, 1977 Tom Bladon of the Philadelphia Flyers scored 4 goals and added 4 assists for an 8 point effort. Coffey managed 2 goals and 6 assists in his 8 point outing on March 14, 1984 in a victory over Detroit.

*Important Note
Ian Turnball is not to be confused with former Winnipeg Jet, Pery Turnbull, who made headlines in 1987 during a Winnipeg road trip to New York when he was swindled out of $150 by a con man claiming to sell him a VCR in the lobby of the New York Sheraton. When Turnbull opened the box, he found a rock inside.