Al Secord Torches Maple Leafs for Four Goals at Chicago Stadium

The 1981-82 season was Al Secord’s first full campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks after he was acquired from the Boston Bruins on December 18, 1980, in exchange for Mike O’Connell. It would become a remarkable season for the rugged winger. Secord finished with 44 goals and 303 penalty minutes, becoming just the second player in NHL history to record at least 30 goals and 300 penalty minutes in the same season. Tiger Williams had accomplished the feat a year earlier with 35 goals and 343 penalty minutes.

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Highlights

• November 1, 1981: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

• Secord scored the first NHL hat trick of his career

• He finished with four goals

• His second and third goals came just 11 seconds apart

• Chicago defeated Toronto 9-4

• Denis Savard recorded five points with a goal and four assists

• Secord finished 1981-82 with 44 goals and 303 penalty minutes

• He became the second NHL player with 30+ goals and 300+ PIM in one season

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Secord began building toward that 44-goal total early. On November 1, 1981, in Chicago’s 12th game of the season, the Blackhawks hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Stadium. Secord opened his account for the night at 13:14 of the first period, beating Toronto goaltender Michel Larocque with Denis Savard picking up the assist. The goal gave Chicago a 2-0 lead.

Secord was held off the scoresheet during the second period, while Toronto battled back. The Maple Leafs eventually pulled even at 3-3 before the Blackhawks took control in the third. At 3:46, Secord scored his second of the night and eighth of the season on the power play. The goal put Chicago ahead 5-3 and would stand as the game-winner in an eventual 9-4 victory.

Just 11 seconds later, Secord struck again. Assisted by Savard and Greg Fox, the goal completed the first hat trick of Secord’s NHL career. Three goals apparently weren’t enough. Later in the third, he scored again for his fourth of the game and 10th of the season, with Savard and Tim Higgins earning the assists.

Secord finished the night with four goals, while Savard enjoyed a huge game of his own with a goal and four assists for five points. For Secord, the performance was an early sign of what was to come during a season that combined elite goal scoring with the physical edge that became a defining feature of his career.

The Big 50: Chicago Blackhawks (The Men and Moments that Made the Chicago Blackhawks)

Relive the greatest players, personalities, and turning points in Blackhawks history in this countdown of the 50 most influential figures and moments that shaped the franchise.

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Lorne Ferguson's Rare Two-Shorthanded Goal Hat Trick Powers Red Wings Past Rangers

Lorne Ferguson was never known as a prolific shorthanded scorer during his NHL career. In fact, the Palmerston, Ontario native scored just four shorthanded goals over 422 regular season games. Remarkably, half of that career total came in a single period against the New York Rangers.

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Highlights

• Lorne Ferguson scored a hat trick against the New York Rangers on February 2, 1957.

• Detroit won the game 5-4 at Madison Square Garden.

• Ferguson scored two shorthanded goals in the first period.

• Both shorthanded goals were assisted by Metro Prystai.

• Ferguson scored only four shorthanded goals during his entire NHL career.

• His third goal completed the hat trick and proved to be the game-winner.

• Ferguson finished with three goals and one assist for four points.

• He scored 13 goals and 23 points during the 1956-57 season.

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On February 2, 1957, Ferguson and the Detroit Red Wings visited Madison Square Garden for a matchup with the Rangers. New York opened the scoring, but Ferguson answered at 7:05 of the first period with a shorthanded goal assisted by Metro Prystai. Detroit's Ted Lindsay was serving a high-sticking penalty at the time, but Ferguson's goal evened the score at 1-1.

Ferguson wasn't finished. At 17:14, he assisted on an Alex Delvecchio goal that gave Detroit a 3-1 advantage. Then, with Warren Godfrey in the penalty box for slashing, Ferguson struck again. With just 14 seconds remaining in the opening period, he scored his second shorthanded goal of the night, once again assisted by Prystai. Ferguson had scored half of his career shorthanded goals in less than 13 minutes.

He completed the hat trick at 11:10 of the second period, beating Rangers goaltender Gump Worsley with Delvecchio picking up the assist. That third goal proved especially important. New York battled back, but Detroit held on for a 5-4 victory, making Ferguson's hat trick goal the game-winner. He finished the night with three goals and an assist for a four-point performance.

The offensive explosion represented a significant chunk of Ferguson's production during the 1956-57 season. He finished the year with 13 goals and ten assists for 23 points over 70 games. Between 1949-50 and 1958-59, Ferguson appeared in 422 NHL regular season games and another 31 playoff contests with the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. His best goal-scoring season came with Boston in 1954-55, when he reached the 20-goal mark.

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Explore the storied history of the Detroit Red Wings — legends, moments, rivalries, and the culture that made Hockeytown iconic.

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Ron Lalonde Scores First Hat Trick in Washington Capitals History (In an 8-5 Loss)

The expansion Washington Capitals endured a historically difficult debut season in 1974-75. Washington won just eight of 80 games, scored an NHL-low 181 goals and surrendered a staggering 446. Yet, even in a season filled with losses, there were milestones to celebrate. One of those came courtesy of Ron Lalonde, who became the first player in franchise history to record a hat trick.

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Highlights

• March 30, 1975: Washington hosted Detroit in its 77th game of the season.

• Ron Lalonde scored the first hat trick in Washington Capitals history.

• Lalonde scored Washington's third, fourth and fifth goals.

• Bob Gryp assisted on all three goals.

• Washington held a 5-2 lead before Detroit mounted its comeback.

• Marcel Dionne scored twice late in the second period.

• Bill Hogaboam scored twice just 12 seconds apart in the third.

• Detroit ultimately won 8-5.

• It was the only hat trick of Lalonde's NHL career.

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Lalonde had arrived in Washington on December 15, 1974, when the Capitals acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Lew Morrison. He wasn't expected to suddenly transform one of the NHL's weakest offences, but on March 30, 1975, he provided a glimpse of what the young franchise desperately needed.

Hosting the Detroit Red Wings in their 77th game of the season, the Capitals surprisingly built a 5-2 lead past the halfway point. Lalonde scored Washington's third, fourth and fifth goals, giving him his ninth, tenth and eleventh goals of the season. All three came against Detroit goaltender Terry Richardson, and remarkably, Bob Gryp assisted on each of Lalonde's goals.

Unfortunately for Washington, the historic hat trick wasn't enough. Marcel Dionne began Detroit's comeback at 17:33 of the second period, just 31 seconds after Lalonde completed his hat trick. Dionne scored again before the intermission, cutting Washington's advantage to 5-4. The Red Wings then scored four unanswered goals in the third period to turn what had looked like a rare Capitals victory into an 8-5 defeat. Bill Hogaboam contributed two of those goals just 12 seconds apart.

Lalonde would never record another NHL hat trick, making his historic performance against Detroit the only three-goal game of his career. He appeared in 397 NHL regular season games between 1972-73 and 1978-79 with Pittsburgh and Washington, scoring 45 goals and 123 points without appearing in a Stanley Cup playoff game. Originally selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft after playing junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes, Lalonde secured a permanent place in Capitals history on an otherwise forgettable night for the expansion club.

Washington Capitals: Team History

A look back at the history of the Washington Capitals — from expansion years to modern success.

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