Bob Baun’s Other Winner in Detroit: Maple Leafs Close the 1963–64 Season With a Victory

A month before his famous “broken leg goal,” Bob Baun scored another game winner against the Detroit Red Wings. On March 22, 1964, the Toronto defenceman contributed a goal and an assist at Detroit Olympia, helping the Maple Leafs finish their regular season with a 4–1 victory over the team they would eventually face for the Stanley Cup.

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Highlights

• Toronto defeated Detroit 4–1 at Detroit Olympia on March 22, 1964.

• Baun scored the winner at 2:09 of the second period.

• Carl Brewer assisted on Baun’s fourth goal of the season.

• Baun also assisted on Dave Keon’s 23rd goal.

• Frank Mahovlich scored Toronto’s other two goals.

• Pat Rupp made 26 saves in his only NHL appearance.

• A month later, Baun scored his legendary overtime winner in the Stanley Cup Final.

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Baun put Toronto ahead for good at 2:09 of the second period, scoring his fourth goal of the season with an assist from fellow blueliner Carl Brewer. Later in the period, he helped set up Dave Keon’s 23rd goal of the campaign. Frank Mahovlich supplied Toronto’s other two goals as the defending champions headed into the playoffs with a convincing road win.

Offensive contributions like these were uncommon for Baun, whose reputation rested largely on his defensive work and punishing physical play. He scored just 37 goals in 964 regular-season NHL games, adding three more in 96 playoff appearances. Of his four career game-winning goals across the regular season and playoffs, three came during 1963–64: two in the regular season and one that became part of hockey folklore.

That playoff winner came on April 23, 1964, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. With Toronto facing elimination, Baun was carried off the ice after blocking a Gordie Howe shot that injured his right ankle. He returned and beat Terry Sawchuk just 1:43 into overtime, giving the Leafs a 4–3 victory and tying the series at three wins apiece. Baun also played in Toronto’s 4–0 Game 7 victory, helping secure the club’s third consecutive Stanley Cup despite the fracture.

The March meeting had featured a much less familiar name in Detroit’s crease. Pat Rupp stopped 26 of Toronto’s 30 shots in what proved to be his only NHL appearance. Loaned to the Red Wings by the Philadelphia Ramblers of the Eastern Hockey League, Rupp faced Mahovlich, Keon and an unexpectedly productive Baun in his lone opportunity at hockey’s highest level.

Rupp later enjoyed championship success with the Dayton Gems, winning consecutive Turner Cups in 1969 and 1970. He also shared the IHL’s James Norris Memorial Trophy with teammate John Adams in 1968–69. His brief NHL career intersected with a memorable stretch for Baun: a rare regular-season scoring contribution followed a month later by one of the most celebrated goals in Maple Leafs history.

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Mike Bullard’s Four Goals Power Penguins Past Blues in 1984

Mike Bullard had a hand in nearly everything the Pittsburgh Penguins produced on December 5, 1984. With four goals and two assists, he figured in six of Pittsburgh’s seven goals in a 7–4 victory over the St. Louis Blues at the Civic Arena. Three of his goals came on the power play, while his lone even-strength marker stood as the game winner. For a Penguins team seeking just its seventh victory in 24 games, it was a welcome offensive outburst.

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Highlights

• Bullard scored four goals and added two assists on December 5, 1984.

• Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis 7–4 at the Civic Arena.

• Three of Bullard’s four goals came on the power play.

• His hat-trick goal at 5:37 of the third period was the game winner.

• Bullard contributed to six of Pittsburgh’s seven goals.

• John Chabot collected four assists, while Moe Mantha added three.

• Mark Taylor scored twice, and Roberto Romano made 38 saves.

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Bullard opened the scoring at 10:41 of the first period, beating Mike Liut on the power play with assists from John Chabot and Moe Mantha. He then helped Pittsburgh double its lead, assisting on Mark Taylor’s goal with just 40 seconds remaining in the period. The Penguins headed to the dressing room ahead 2–0, with Bullard already contributing a goal and an assist.

St. Louis erased that advantage in the second period. Greg Paslawski scored just 29 seconds after the intermission, and Bernie Federko tied the game at 7:00. Bullard restored Pittsburgh’s lead at 8:59 with another power-play goal, his 12th of the season. Perry Anderson answered for the Blues before Doug Shedden put the Penguins back in front, giving the home team a 4–3 lead through two periods.

Joe Mullen pulled St. Louis even again at 2:36 of the third, but Bullard supplied the decisive response. His hat-trick goal at 5:37 gave Pittsburgh a 5–4 advantage that it would never surrender. He followed that with an assist on Taylor’s second goal at 8:32, then completed his four-goal performance at 18:49. Fittingly, his final tally came on the power play.

Bullard finished with six points, leaving Shedden’s second-period goal as the only Pittsburgh marker without his involvement. Chabot collected four assists, Mantha added three, and Taylor supplied two goals. At the other end, Roberto Romano earned the victory with 38 saves on 42 shots. Federko, Kevin LaVallee and Mullen each recorded two points for St. Louis, while Rob Ramage led all skaters with eight shots on goal.

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Mark Pavelich Scores Five as Rangers Rout Hartford 11-3

Mark Pavelich needed just six shots to score five goals against the Hartford Whalers on February 23, 1983. The New York Rangers forward opened the scoring, finished it and supplied plenty of damage in between during an 11-3 victory at Madison Square Garden. Somehow, none of his five goals stood as the game-winner.

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Highlights

• Pavelich scored five goals in New York’s 11-3 victory on February 23, 1983.

• His five goals came on just six shots.

• He opened the scoring only 1:17 into the game.

• His hat trick was complete by 9:06 of the second period.

• His final two goals came eleven seconds apart.

• Kent-Erik Andersson scored the official game-winner.

• Glen Hanlon made 25 saves for the Rangers.

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Pavelich began his big night just 1:17 into the first period, beating Hartford goaltender Greg Millen with assists from Scot Kleinendorst and Mikko Leinonen. With ten seconds remaining in the period, he struck again. Leinonen and Vaclav Nedomansky assisted on that goal, sending the Rangers into the intermission with a commanding 5-1 lead.

Barry Beck kept New York rolling by scoring just nine seconds into the second period. Pavelich completed his hat trick at 9:06, and the Rangers carried a 9-3 advantage into the third. The result was well in hand, but Pavelich still had a memorable finish waiting.

At 8:40 of the third period, Pavelich scored his fourth goal of the game and 27th of the season, assisted by Rob McClanahan and Tom Laidlaw. Just eleven seconds later, Laidlaw set him up again. Pavelich’s fifth goal, his 28th of the campaign, completed the scoring in New York’s eight-goal victory.

The official game-winner belonged to Kent-Erik Andersson, whose sixth goal of the season had made it 4-1 at 18:36 of the first period. Robbie Ftorek and Nick Fotiu supplied the assists. Millen finished with 26 saves on 37 shots, while Glen Hanlon stopped 25 of Hartford’s 28 attempts. Pavelich owned the night, converting five of his six shots into goals.

O-PEE-CHEE & TOPPS Hockey Card Collectors Guide 1933-1995

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