Rod Gilbert’s 4-Goal Night Wasted As Rangers Blow Lead In Wild 5-5 Tie With Red Wings

It should have been a signature win at Madison Square Garden, but instead, it became one of the most frustrating nights of the season for New York Rangers fans.

Game Highlights

• Rod Gilbert explodes for 4 goals — goals #26, 27, 28, and 29 on the season
• Rangers jump out to 4-0 lead early in the second period
• Detroit scores 4 unanswered goals to tie the game 4-4
• Gilbert restores the lead with his fourth goal early in the third
• Bill Hogaboam responds 46 seconds later to force a 5-5 tie
• Jim Rutherford makes 44 saves, including 11 against Gilbert
• Jean Ratelle, Dale Rolfe, Steve Vickers each record 2 assists
• Hank Nowak drops the gloves twice and adds an assist
• Final Score: Rangers 5, Red Wings 5

On February 2, 1975, the Rangers hosted the struggling Detroit Red Wings, a club that had managed just 13 wins through their first 50 games. Meanwhile, New York had been one of the league’s stronger teams, losing only 15 times over that same stretch. Everything pointed toward a comfortable Rangers victory, especially when Rod Gilbert caught fire early.

Gilbert struck twice in the opening period, beating Jim Rutherford for his 26th and 27th goals of the season. Combined with a marker from Jerry Butler, the Rangers jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead. Early in the second period, Gilbert completed his hat trick, scoring his 28th of the year to extend the lead to 4-0, and it looked like the rout was on.

But the game took a dramatic turn.

The Red Wings stormed back with four unanswered goals, stunning the home crowd and tying the game 4-4 heading into the third period. Despite the collapse, Gilbert wasn’t finished. He scored his fourth goal of the night, his 29th of the season, just over five minutes into the final frame to restore New York’s lead.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, the advantage lasted less than a minute.

Bill Hogaboam answered just 46 seconds later with his second goal of the game, sealing a chaotic 5-5 tie. Hogaboam also added an assist, finishing with a three-point night to lead Detroit’s unlikely comeback.

Rutherford stood tall under heavy pressure, stopping 44 of 49 shots, including 11 from Gilbert alone, while Gilles Villemure made 20 saves for New York. Jean Ratelle, Dale Rolfe, and Steve Vickers each chipped in with two assists in the high-scoring affair.

The game also featured plenty of physical play, highlighted by Hank Nowak dropping the gloves twice, once with Ron Greschner in the first period and again with Bert Wilson in the third. Nowak also contributed offensively with an assist on a goal by Pierre Jarry.

In the end, despite one of the greatest individual performances of his career, Gilbert’s four-goal night wasn’t enough. Instead of a decisive win, the Rangers were left wondering how a dominant 4-0 lead slipped away on home ice.

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He Needed Just 19 Seconds: Ted Irvine’s Record-Breaking OT Winner

The 1968-69 opening-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Kings and the Oakland Seals was as tight as they come, stretching the full seven games. Despite advancing, the Kings were actually outscored 25-23 over the series. Oddly enough, only one game required overtime and it happened right at the very beginning.

Quick Facts

• 📅 Date: April 2, 1969
• 🏒 Game: Kings vs. Seals (Game 1, Quarterfinal)
• ⚡ Overtime Winner: Ted Irvine (0:19)
• 🏆 Record: Fastest OT goal in NHL history (at the time)
• 🔁 Previous Record: Syd Howe (0:25, 1940)
• 🔥 Current Record: Brian Skrudland (0:09, 1986)

Game 1, played on April 2, 1969 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, set the tone early. The Seals carried a 2-1 lead after the first period and held a slim 3–2 edge heading into the third. But the Kings clawed back, with Eddie Joyal scoring twice to flip the game in Los Angeles’ favor at 4-3.

Oakland refused to go quietly. Late in regulation, Gene Ubriaco found the back of the net at 17:22 of the third period, knotting the score at 4-4 and sending the game into sudden-death overtime.

It didn’t take long to settle things. Just 19 seconds into the extra frame, Ted Irvine beat goaltender Gary Smith, with help from Jimmy Peters. The lightning-fast goal set a new NHL record for the quickest overtime tally in league history at the time.

The previous mark had stood for nearly three decades. On March 19, 1940, Syd Howe scored just 25 seconds into overtime for the Detroit Red Wings in a win over the New York Americans.

While Irvine’s record didn’t last forever, it remains a remarkable moment in playoff history. It was eventually surpassed by Brian Skrudland, who scored only nine seconds into overtime for the Montreal Canadiens against the Calgary Flames on May 18, 1986, setting the current benchmark for fastest OT goal.

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Mikita & Maki Strike Shorthanded on the Same PK as Blackhawks Demolish Flyers 12-0 (1969)

On January 30, 1969, at the Spectrum, the Philadelphia Flyers endured one of the most lopsided defeats in NHL history. The visiting Chicago Blackhawks unleashed an offensive explosion, piling up 12 goals on 49 shots in a game that spiraled out of control almost immediately.

• Date: January 30, 1969
• Game: Chicago Blackhawks vs Philadelphia Flyers
• Final Score: Blackhawks 12, Flyers 0
• Key Moment: Stan Mikita and Chico Maki score shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill
• Standout Performers: Dennis Hull (5 points), Pit Martin (5 points), Jim Pappin (hat trick)
• Goaltending: Denis DeJordy (37-save shutout)
• Notable Stat: Flyers goalies combine to allow 12 goals on 49 shots

Ironically, the rout began while Chicago was shorthanded. Just 1:56 into the first period, Dennis Hull was sent to the penalty box for holding. Instead of giving the Flyers momentum, the Blackhawks flipped the script. Only ten seconds into the penalty kill, Stan Mikita scored his 18th goal of the 1968-69 season, beating Doug Favell unassisted.

Before Hull’s penalty expired, Chicago struck again. Chico Maki added another unassisted shorthanded goal at 3:07, stunning the home crowd and setting the tone for what would become a historic blowout.

From there, things only worsened for Philadelphia. By the time Dennis Hull netted his second goal of the night late in the first period, the score had ballooned to 6-0. Favell, having allowed six goals on just 15 shots, was replaced by Bernie Parent. Parent fared no better statistically, surrendering six goals of his own on 34 shots over the remaining two-plus periods.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, Chicago goaltender Denis DeJordy was kept busy, turning aside 37 shots to secure the shutout.

The offensive outburst was a full-team effort. Dennis Hull and Pit Martin each recorded five-point nights, while Bobby Hull, Chico Maki, Eric Nesterenko, and Jim Pappin all contributed three points apiece. Pappin stood out with the game’s only hat trick, capping off a night the Flyers would rather forget.

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