Goals are great to see in hockey, but sometimes the play that preceeds it trumps anything (even a great goal) that happens after it. I've seen my share. Here's my little Top 5.
(Disclaimer: There are more, perhaps many more brilliant assists that you have seen that I haven't. This is really just a personal list. And it's limited to NHL games. Got another assist that I should know about? Feel free to write to me and maybe I'll include them in a future post!)
5) Guy Lafleur, May 10th, 1979
Okay, this is the famous game where Lafleur scores the tying goal against the Bruins and goalie Gilles Gilbert. But lost in that famous game is how Lafleur helped the Habs come back from an 3-1 deficit to start the third. He actually made 2 nice assists in that period to tie the game at 3. But one of them in engraved in my mind forever.
Lafleur circled the net, controlling the puck for a while with just one hand on the stick. Then he and passed it back to Napier who buried it! It was just done so fluidly, it seemed almost unfair that it was a play that only Guy could make. And later in the period, with time winding down, The Flower tied the game with his dramatic never-to-be-forgotten goal. Simply put, when guys like Lafleur were "on", there was no stopping them.
4) Guy Lafleur, April 11th, 1982
Guy may have been a little older at this point. And his Habs were simply not the team they had been three seasons earlier. But these all-time greats can still put on a show. It was the first ever Battle Of Quebec, and this is one play that I will never forget.
The Canadians trailed 2-1 in this best-of-5 opening round matchup. But this series had the feeling of a Stanley Cup finals, believe me. Game 4 featured umpteen melees that saw a parade to the penalty box by both teams. Yet, when the dust had settled down, Lafleur put on another show.
With the score 4-1 in favour of visiting Montreal (who need a win here to extend this best of five), Lafleur broke down the right side at the old Coliseum. He passed the blueline. He faked a slapshot that, honestly, seemed to fool Quebec's goalie Pierre Bouchard and everyone else on the ice. Lafleur then did an imitation of Magic Johnson, the great basketball player. The Flower then passed the puck in between his skates. Mark Napier scored, and Quebec was done for the night.
Alas, Quebec took the deciding game 5. Kinda sad watching this. There is no more Battle Of Quebec's, and Danny Gallivan, who called this goal, is also no longer around. Chalk those two facts up as a reason that hockey lacks the excitement it once had!
3) Bobby Orr, March 22nd, 1973
He changed the game forever. He scored The Goal in the 1970s Stanley Cup finals. He's the only defencemen ever to lead the league in scoring, and he did it twice. Injuries brought this all to an end far too soon. We'll never know what more Orr could have done had he not had all those injuries.
But I choose to remember something else he did that will not be forgotten. In a game against the Minnesota North Stars (who, like Quebec, are no longer where they used to be) and with Boston up 2-1 in the second period (Bobby having scored Boston's second goal), Orr carried the puck to left of Gilles Gilbert (Am I picking on him, here?), only to get some lumber across his back by Fred Barnett. Orr went down.
But was not out.
Orr, who shot left-handed, dished the puck behind his net to Johnny Bucyk, who tucked it in behind Gilbert. Amazing, isn't it? These guys are so good, that even on their behind, they are so dangerous. But then again, there has never been anyone like Orr, right?
2) Wayne Gretzky, May 30th, 1985
The Edmonton Oilers were looking for a second straight Stanley Cup, and took a three games to one lead over the Philadelphia Flyers. Up 2-1 in game five in the first, Gretzky just made it happen as always.
Grant Fuhr, the Oilers goalie, had played the puck up the ice, and eventually it came to Gretzky. Wayne skated to the right side of center and then darted to the left. Paul Coffey was trailing. After crossing the blue line, Gretzky passed the disc behind his back, but it actually ended up being a forward pass to the streaking defencemen. Coffey beat the bewildered Flyer goalie Bob Frosse, and then exclaimed, "What a pass!"
It's plays like these that will ensure that The Great One will never be forgotten.
1) Wayne Gretzky, April 24, 1983.
The Oilers had a nice comfortable lead of 6-1 over the Hawks early in the third period of game 1 of the 1983Campbell Conference Finals (as it was called in the day). But the Chicago Blackhawks scored a goal. When Dave Semenko of the Oilers got a 5 minute major for a spear, the Hawks pressed again, then scored to make it 6-3. There was still plenty of time on the powerplay. Edmonton had blown a 5-goal lead in game three of the first round series vs. Los Angeles in 1982. Would history repeat itself?
Gretzky was suddenly on the ice, and a fine feed to Kurri made it 7-3. However, the Oilers were still shorthanded. But Gretzky never stopped thinking offence, even in these situations. Skating to the Oilers' bench and flanked by three Chicago defenders, Gretzky whirled around and fed Kurri a breakaway backhand pass. Jari broke in on Tony Esposito and beat him with a shot. Gretzky had turned a short-handed situation to his own unfair advantage!
The information used herein was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by The Hockey Summary Project. For more information about the Hockey Summary Project please visit:
http://hsp.flyershistory.com
or
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/hockey_summary_project/
References
Hockey Summary Project (Hockey Summary Project) http://hsp.flyershistory.com/
Hockey-Reference.com (Hockey-Reference.com) http://www.hockey-reference.com/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/
(Disclaimer: There are more, perhaps many more brilliant assists that you have seen that I haven't. This is really just a personal list. And it's limited to NHL games. Got another assist that I should know about? Feel free to write to me and maybe I'll include them in a future post!)
5) Guy Lafleur, May 10th, 1979
Okay, this is the famous game where Lafleur scores the tying goal against the Bruins and goalie Gilles Gilbert. But lost in that famous game is how Lafleur helped the Habs come back from an 3-1 deficit to start the third. He actually made 2 nice assists in that period to tie the game at 3. But one of them in engraved in my mind forever.
Lafleur circled the net, controlling the puck for a while with just one hand on the stick. Then he and passed it back to Napier who buried it! It was just done so fluidly, it seemed almost unfair that it was a play that only Guy could make. And later in the period, with time winding down, The Flower tied the game with his dramatic never-to-be-forgotten goal. Simply put, when guys like Lafleur were "on", there was no stopping them.
4) Guy Lafleur, April 11th, 1982
Guy may have been a little older at this point. And his Habs were simply not the team they had been three seasons earlier. But these all-time greats can still put on a show. It was the first ever Battle Of Quebec, and this is one play that I will never forget.
The Canadians trailed 2-1 in this best-of-5 opening round matchup. But this series had the feeling of a Stanley Cup finals, believe me. Game 4 featured umpteen melees that saw a parade to the penalty box by both teams. Yet, when the dust had settled down, Lafleur put on another show.
With the score 4-1 in favour of visiting Montreal (who need a win here to extend this best of five), Lafleur broke down the right side at the old Coliseum. He passed the blueline. He faked a slapshot that, honestly, seemed to fool Quebec's goalie Pierre Bouchard and everyone else on the ice. Lafleur then did an imitation of Magic Johnson, the great basketball player. The Flower then passed the puck in between his skates. Mark Napier scored, and Quebec was done for the night.
Alas, Quebec took the deciding game 5. Kinda sad watching this. There is no more Battle Of Quebec's, and Danny Gallivan, who called this goal, is also no longer around. Chalk those two facts up as a reason that hockey lacks the excitement it once had!
3) Bobby Orr, March 22nd, 1973
He changed the game forever. He scored The Goal in the 1970s Stanley Cup finals. He's the only defencemen ever to lead the league in scoring, and he did it twice. Injuries brought this all to an end far too soon. We'll never know what more Orr could have done had he not had all those injuries.
But I choose to remember something else he did that will not be forgotten. In a game against the Minnesota North Stars (who, like Quebec, are no longer where they used to be) and with Boston up 2-1 in the second period (Bobby having scored Boston's second goal), Orr carried the puck to left of Gilles Gilbert (Am I picking on him, here?), only to get some lumber across his back by Fred Barnett. Orr went down.
But was not out.
Orr, who shot left-handed, dished the puck behind his net to Johnny Bucyk, who tucked it in behind Gilbert. Amazing, isn't it? These guys are so good, that even on their behind, they are so dangerous. But then again, there has never been anyone like Orr, right?
2) Wayne Gretzky, May 30th, 1985
The Edmonton Oilers were looking for a second straight Stanley Cup, and took a three games to one lead over the Philadelphia Flyers. Up 2-1 in game five in the first, Gretzky just made it happen as always.
Grant Fuhr, the Oilers goalie, had played the puck up the ice, and eventually it came to Gretzky. Wayne skated to the right side of center and then darted to the left. Paul Coffey was trailing. After crossing the blue line, Gretzky passed the disc behind his back, but it actually ended up being a forward pass to the streaking defencemen. Coffey beat the bewildered Flyer goalie Bob Frosse, and then exclaimed, "What a pass!"
It's plays like these that will ensure that The Great One will never be forgotten.
1) Wayne Gretzky, April 24, 1983.
The Oilers had a nice comfortable lead of 6-1 over the Hawks early in the third period of game 1 of the 1983Campbell Conference Finals (as it was called in the day). But the Chicago Blackhawks scored a goal. When Dave Semenko of the Oilers got a 5 minute major for a spear, the Hawks pressed again, then scored to make it 6-3. There was still plenty of time on the powerplay. Edmonton had blown a 5-goal lead in game three of the first round series vs. Los Angeles in 1982. Would history repeat itself?
Gretzky was suddenly on the ice, and a fine feed to Kurri made it 7-3. However, the Oilers were still shorthanded. But Gretzky never stopped thinking offence, even in these situations. Skating to the Oilers' bench and flanked by three Chicago defenders, Gretzky whirled around and fed Kurri a breakaway backhand pass. Jari broke in on Tony Esposito and beat him with a shot. Gretzky had turned a short-handed situation to his own unfair advantage!
The information used herein was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by The Hockey Summary Project. For more information about the Hockey Summary Project please visit:
http://hsp.flyershistory.com
or
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/hockey_summary_project/
References
Hockey Summary Project (Hockey Summary Project) http://hsp.flyershistory.com/
Hockey-Reference.com (Hockey-Reference.com) http://www.hockey-reference.com/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/
Where's the Canada Cup in Hamilton?
ReplyDeleteNothing since 1985?