Dan Maloney’s Gordie Howe Hat Trick Helps Red Wings Beat Blues

Dan Maloney contributed a little of everything when the Detroit Red Wings visited the St. Louis Blues on January 27, 1976. A goal, an assist and a fight gave him a Gordie Howe hat trick, while his involvement in two second-period goals helped Detroit leave St. Louis Arena with a 3–2 victory.

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Highlights

• Detroit defeated St. Louis 3–2 on January 27, 1976.

• Maloney scored his 18th goal at 15:01 of the second period.

• He assisted on Michel Bergeron’s eventual winning goal.

• A third-period fight with Pierre Plante completed his Gordie Howe hat trick.

• He had also accomplished the feat against Vancouver on January 4.

• Maloney finished the season with 27 goals and a career-high 203 penalty minutes.

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Maloney struck at 15:01 of the second period, beating Blues goaltender Ed Johnston for his 18th goal of the season. Walt McKechnie supplied the assist as Detroit opened a 2–0 lead. That cushion lasted just 44 seconds before Chuck Lefley answered for St. Louis.

With two minutes remaining in the period, Maloney helped restore Detroit’s two-goal advantage. Michel Bergeron scored with assists going to Maloney and Rick Lapointe, putting the Red Wings ahead 3–1. Bergeron’s goal proved to be the winner in the eventual 3–2 decision.

The final piece of Maloney’s Gordie Howe hat trick came at 12:50 of the third period, when he dropped the gloves with Pierre Plante. It was his second such performance that January. On January 4, he had recorded a goal and an assist and fought Vancouver’s Chris Oddleifson during a 4–3 home loss to the Canucks.

That combination of scoring and physical play defined Maloney’s first season in Detroit after arriving from the Los Angeles Kings. He finished 1975–76 with 27 goals for the second consecutive year and a career-high 203 penalty minutes. Maloney would reach the 20-goal mark once more in his NHL career, scoring exactly 20 for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1980–81.

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Paul Gardner Scores Colorado Rockies’ First Hat Trick in Loss to Toronto

Paul Gardner gave the Colorado Rockies a milestone to celebrate on January 5, 1977, even if the final score spoiled the occasion. The rookie centre scored the first hat trick in the team’s Colorado history, but the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied from a two-goal third-period deficit to win 6–4 at Maple Leaf Gardens. For Gardner, it was the first of four NHL hat tricks: two with the Rockies and two with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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Highlights

• Gardner scored the first hat trick in Colorado Rockies history on January 5, 1977.

• Toronto won the game 6–4 at Maple Leaf Gardens.

• Gardner’s third goal gave Colorado a 4–2 third-period lead.

• The Maple Leafs finished with four unanswered goals.

• Gardner recorded 10 shots; Doug Favell made 40 saves.

• Gardner scored 30 goals in each of his first two NHL seasons.

• His four career NHL hat tricks were split between Colorado and Pittsburgh.

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Playing their first season in Denver after relocating from Kansas City, the Rockies fell behind on the only goal of the opening period, scored by Toronto defenceman Bob Neely. Colorado took control in the second. Gary Croteau tied the game at 1:53, and Gardner followed with two goals to give the visitors a 3–1 lead. Jack Valiquette answered with a shorthanded goal against Doug Favell, bringing the Maple Leafs within one heading into the third.

Gardner completed his hat trick with an unassisted goal against Wayne Thomas in the final period. His 15th goal of the season restored Colorado’s two-goal cushion at 4–2, but the Rockies would not score again. Toronto responded with four unanswered goals to turn Gardner’s milestone night into a frustrating defeat.

The goaltending totals reflected a busy evening for Favell, who stopped 40 of the 45 shots he faced. Toronto added an empty-net goal to complete the scoring. Gardner, meanwhile, generated 10 shots himself, giving the Rockies both their biggest offensive threat and a memorable individual performance.

Selected 11th overall by the Kansas City Scouts at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, Gardner never played for the club in Missouri. The franchise moved before his rookie season, and he made an immediate impression in Colorado with 30 goals in 60 games in 1976–77. He scored another 30 in just 46 games the following season, a pace that would have topped 50 over a full 80-game schedule.

Gardner went on to play 447 regular-season games and 16 playoff games in the NHL between 1976–77 and 1985–86. His career included stops with the Rockies, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres. On this particular night, though, his place in Colorado hockey history was secured, even as Toronto walked away with the victory.

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Denis Potvin’s 1981 Playoff Hat Trick Put Him Alongside Bobby Orr

A playoff hat trick was rare enough for a defenseman. Denis Potvin made his even more remarkable by scoring all three goals on the power play. On April 17, 1981, the New York Islanders captain added two assists to his three goals in a 6–3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

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Highlights

• Potvin scored a hat trick against Edmonton on April 17, 1981.

• All three goals came on the power play.

• His third goal broke a 3–3 tie and stood as the winner.

• Two assists gave him five points in the Islanders’ 6–3 victory.

• He joined Georges Boucher and Bobby Orr as the first three NHL defensemen with playoff hat tricks.

• Potvin scored six goals in the six-game Edmonton series.

• He finished the 1981 playoffs with 25 points in 18 games.

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The five-point performance came in Game 2 of the quarterfinals and made Potvin just the third defenseman in NHL history to score a playoff hat trick. Georges “Buck” Boucher had accomplished the feat with the Ottawa Senators in 1921. Bobby Orr followed with the Boston Bruins in 1971. Ten years after Orr’s performance, Potvin joined the club.

Edmonton held a 1–0 lead when Potvin scored his first goal at 2:26 of the second period, beating Andy Moog with assists from Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier. He struck again at 9:44, this time with Mike McEwen and Butch Goring collecting the assists. Those were Potvin’s third and fourth goals of the postseason, but his most important contribution was still ahead.

With the teams tied 3–3 entering the third period, Potvin completed his hat trick at 3:47. Bossy and Clark Gillies assisted on the goal, which put New York ahead to stay. Potvin also helped set up goals by Goring and Bossy, giving him a hand in five of the Islanders’ six goals.

Special teams shaped almost the entire evening. New York scored four power-play goals, while Edmonton scored twice with the man advantage. Bryan Trottier added a shorthanded empty-net goal, meaning seven of the game’s nine goals came on special teams. Potvin supplied three of them himself.

The Islanders eliminated Edmonton in six games, with Potvin scoring six goals in the series. His only other goals that postseason came in another 6–3 victory, this time against the Minnesota North Stars in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. He finished the championship run with eight goals and 17 assists in 18 games. His 25 points ranked third on the Islanders behind Bossy’s 35 and Trottier’s 29, a productive spring highlighted by one extraordinary night against Edmonton.

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Explore the fierce rivalry between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, featuring legendary figures, unforgettable clashes, and the moments that defined one of hockey’s most intense matchups.

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