Who Was In Goal For The Bruins When Darryl Sittler Score His 10 Points?

We All Focus on the Winners, Right?

Darryl Sittler’s record for most points (10) in one game still stands. He scored his amazing six goals and four assists on February 7^th 1976 for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Boston Bruins. This is a legendary record that many hockey fans will never forget. But there is one person who would like nothing more than to forget that night!

Who Else, But the Goaltender for the Bruins?

Dave Reece was in goal for the Bruins as their starter that season, Gilles Gilbert, was injured and they opted not to take the risk with the Gerry Cheevers; who was just back from a stint in the WHA with the Clevland Crusaders. Don Cherry, who was coaching the Bruins at the time, was saving Cheevers for a game versus Detroit the next night in Boston.  Cherry claims he had to hang Reece out to dry because Cheevers hadn’t even practiced with the team since returning.
(Source: Don Cherry video on Sittler’s 10 point game)

Maybe it was Cherry’s decision to leave Reece in goal? Or, maybe it was a matter of chance or coincidence?  Whatever the cause, this chain of events led to Darryl Sittler setting the NHL record for best individual statistical performance in a single game.

Unfortunately, the result of this accomplishment is what Dave Reece became infamous for. In fact, he was even nicknamed “In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time Reece” and is remembered by the moniker to this day.

Reece, a fantastic college and minor league goaltender, did not have any more memorable achievements with either the Boston Bruins or the United States Olympic Team. Certainly, nothing that would overshadow that night.  In fact, Reece never did play another NHL game after that fateful Saturday night in Toronto.

Food For Thought

Reece was allegedly told prior to that game that he would be sent to the minors in order to make a roster spot available for the newly acquired Cheevers. That said, is it possible that Reece was so distraught about the news that he intentionally played poorly? Highly unlikely, but considering the circumstances, it begs the question.

Could this record ever be broken? It’s possible, though highly unlikely, that a player might get 10 points in one game again. But, how probable is it that a goaltender would be left in the game after giving up 6,7,8… goals? Especially if they all came from the stick of the same player?

Kevin Stevens: Power Forward Until Head Injury

Kevin Stevens was a player often overshadowed on a very remarkable Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Championship team. But, in the 1991-92 NHL season, he became the only player in the history of the league to have 50 goals, more than 100 points and 250 penalty minutes. This record remains unbeaten to this day, and is just one of several achievements by the unheralded Pittsburgh Penguins power forward.

Stevens will also be remembered for another remarkable feat during the 1991-92 NHL season – he was the 3^rd person to have more points than the legend Wayne Gretzky in single season. Although teammate Mario Lemieux edged him out for the scoring title, Stevens scored an astounding 123 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins that season.

This achievement was also a record for the most points scored by a US born player in a single season at the time. Stevens 123 point single season has been bettered by only one American since. In the following season Pat LaFontaine scored 53 Goals and 95 Assists for 148pts.

The Injury

Sadly, a most unfortunate facial injury suffered courtesy of the visor of Rich Pilon on May 14,1993. Following the devastating hit, Stevens required reconstructive surgery on his face. In an operation that lasted more than four hours, doctors made an incision below his hairline which stemmed from ear-to-ear. This incision was later repaired with the use of 100 stitches. During the surgery, doctors peeled back Stevens’ skin and reconstructed his facial bones using of metal plates.

Video: Stevens Hits Pilon – Shatters Face.

Post-Injury Career

Stevens returned from the injury the following year and remarkably played quite well. In what would be his last prolific season in the National Hockey League, he managed to score 41 goals and added 47 assists, without missing a single game. Even though he still racked up 155 penalty minutes that season, Stevens wasn’t quite the potent power forward he used to be. Some suspect that the injury may have taken a mental toll on him, making him second guess physical confrontations he would previously have engaged in. Whatever the case, Kevin Stevens was never quite the same player again.

The Most Misspelled Name On The Stanley Cup?

Why would we be interested in such an odd record? Well, for one thing, you have to win the Stanley Cup in order to get your name misspelled on it. And, this Hall of Famer was an instrumental player on a very successful team!

Stanley Cup Engraving Errors

The record belongs to Montreal Canadiens goaltending legend Jacques Plante. His name has been misspelled on hockey’s Holy Grail an amazing five times! Some of the errors include ‘Jack’, ‘Jocko’ and ‘Plant’. Despite this curious fact, the famous Canadiens goaltender has many other numerous achievements to be remembered for.

About Jacques Plante

Jacques Plante, known as “Jake the Snake”, played for the Montreal Canadians for 10 years between 1953 and 1963. He won the Stanley Cup six times (to get his name misspelled five of these). What is even more amazing is that the Montreal Canadiens won 5 cups in a row during his tenure!

Plante’s individual awards are just as impressive. They include numerous selections for the NHL First All-Star Team, being a Vezina Trophy winner 3 times and winning the Hart Memorial Trophy in the 1961-62 NHL season.

The First Goalie Mask

Plante is certainly most famously known as the first goaltender to wear a mask in regular season games. In fact, he was actually one of the inventors and developers of the goalie mask. After receiving seven stitches to the face and a broken cheek bone, courtesy of an intentional shot by Andy Bathgate, Plante began to wear a mask on a regular basis.The original fiberglass goaltender mask that he wore on that famous occasion in November of 1959 is preserved to this day in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Retirement

Jacques Plante was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978 and was selected to the Canadian sports Hall of Fame in 1981. Plante died in Geneva, Switzerland on February 27, 1986 from stomach cancer and was laid to rest in Sierre, Switzerland.

This is one record that will likely never be broken. Not only would a player have to win the Stanley Cup five times or more, engravers with today’s technology would have to be awfully clumsy to make an error that many times.

I think this record is safe. What do you think?

Who Holds The Record For Fastest Two Goals In An NHL Game?

This amazing record was first achieved back in 1931, only to be repeated only in 1995. The first hockey player to score the fastest two goals in an NHL game was Nels Stewart. They were only 4 seconds apart. The date was January 3^rd 1931 and the lethal sniper was playing center for the Montreal Maroons.

This is not the only memorable achievement of Nels “Old Poison” Stewart. He won the Hart Trophy twice – in 1926 and in 1930 and took part in the first ever NHL All-Star Game back in 1934. Stewart also held the record of the NHL’s All-Time leading goal scorer from 1940-1952, when he was surpassed by Maurice Richard. Unfortunately, Stewart passed away in 1957 and was since inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Stewart’s record has not yet been beaten. But, it has been matched! The player that matched it was Deron Quint, some  64 years later! The defenseman, not known for his scoring prowess, scored 2 goals within 4 seconds as an NHL rookie playing for the Winnipeg Jets in the 1995-96 season.  Sadly, this was Quint’s only real flash of glory in the National Hockey League. He played a total of 463 NHL games, but was plagued by injury troubles throughout his NHL career.  

 Quint is still an active player, spending a few seasons playing in Germany during and after the NHL lockout. Currently, he suits up in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik.   

Will this truly amazing record ever be beaten? I’m not sure if anyone will even be able to tie it again!

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