Paul Gagne Shines In Just His 3rd NHL Game With The Colorado Rockies

Paul Gagne arrived in the NHL with plenty of offensive promise. The Colorado Rockies selected the Windsor Spitfires standout 19th overall in the first round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. In his second season with Windsor, Gagne scored 48 goals and finished with 101 points, tying for ninth in the league in goals. The Wayne Maxner-coached Spitfires also reached the league final before being swept by the Peterborough Petes.

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Highlights

• Colorado selected Paul Gagne 19th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.

• He scored 48 goals and 101 points in his final season with the Windsor Spitfires.

• Gagne jumped directly from junior hockey to the NHL.

• He scored his first NHL goal in his second career game.

• Gagne scored twice against Quebec in NHL game number three.

• His first goal against the Nordiques stood as the game winner.

• He finished his rookie season with 25 goals in just 61 games.

• Gagne played 390 NHL games but never appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Gagne made the jump directly from junior hockey to the Rockies for the 1980-81 season without spending any time in the minors. After being held off the scoresheet in his NHL debut, he scored his first career goal in game number two, helping Colorado to a road victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Gagne beat Eddie Mio for the Rockies' first goal of the game, with Lanny McDonald picking up the assist.

Things got even better in his third NHL game. On October 14, 1980, Colorado hosted the Quebec Nordiques at McNichols Sports Arena. Gagne scored at 10:43 of the opening period, beating Michel Plasse with assists going to Walt McKechnie and Rob Ramage. The goal gave the Rockies a 2-0 lead and would stand as the game winner in a 4-1 Colorado victory.

Gagne wasn't finished. He added his second goal of the night to account for Colorado's fourth and final goal, once again assisted by McKechnie and Ramage. Just three games into his NHL career, the 18-year-old rookie had already recorded his first goal, first multi-goal game and first game-winning goal.

Gagne went on to score an impressive 25 goals despite playing just 61 games during his rookie season. He would surpass the 20-goal mark once more, scoring 24 for the New Jersey Devils in 1984-85. From 1980-81 through 1989-90, Gagne appeared in 390 NHL regular season games with the Rockies, Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, but never played in an NHL playoff game. He later spent much of the 1990s playing professionally in Germany and Switzerland.

Stories From The Epic History Of NHL Hockey (Volume IV)

Dive into unforgettable tales from NHL history — the biggest moments, legendary players, and classic rivalries.

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Pierre Jarry Scored His First 2 NHL Goals Just 8 Seconds Apart

There was plenty of history made at Madison Square Garden on November 21, 1971, when the New York Rangers overwhelmed the California Golden Seals 12-1. The 12 goals remain the most ever scored by the Rangers in a single game, while Jean Ratelle enjoyed the only four-goal game of his NHL career. But buried within the blowout was another unusual piece of Rangers history involving Pierre Jarry.

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Highlights

• New York beat the California Golden Seals 12-1 on November 21, 1971.

• The Rangers scored a franchise-record 12 goals in the game.

• Jean Ratelle recorded the only four-goal game of his NHL career.

• Pierre Jarry scored the first NHL goal of his career in the third period.

• His goal chased Gilles Meloche from the California net.

• Jarry scored again on replacement Lyle Carter just eight seconds later.

• The eight-second span established a Rangers record later tied by Don Maloney.

• Jarry scored only three goals as a Ranger, meaning two came within eight seconds of each other.

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Jarry entered the night still looking for the first goal of his NHL career. He finally got it at 11:03 of the third period, scoring with assists from Walt Tkaczuk and Jim Neilson. It was the fifth of an incredible eight Rangers goals in the final period and pushed New York's lead to 9-1.

That goal also ended the night for California goaltender Gilles Meloche, who had allowed nine goals on 42 shots. Lyle Carter came in to finish the game, but he barely had time to settle into the crease. Just eight seconds after scoring his first NHL goal, Jarry struck again, this time against Carter.

The two goals in eight seconds established a Rangers record that would later be matched by Don Maloney. What makes Jarry's accomplishment even more unusual is that the two goals came against two different goaltenders. Scoring twice in eight seconds is rare enough; doing it against two goalies makes the sequence one of the more curious scoring feats in NHL history.

Remarkably, those two goals accounted for two-thirds of Jarry's entire goal total as a Ranger. He scored just once more for New York before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jim Dorey on February 20, 1972.

Jarry went on to appear in 344 NHL regular season games and five playoff contests from 1971-72 through 1977-78 with the Rangers, Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars. He also played 23 WHA games with the Edmonton Oilers in 1977-78 before his professional career came to an end.

Tales from the New York Rangers Locker Room

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One Year After His 6 Goal Game, Red Berenson Lit Up The Flyers Again

When hockey fans think of Red Berenson and the Philadelphia Flyers, one game immediately comes to mind: his unforgettable six-goal performance during the 1968-69 season. While that historic night remains one of the greatest individual performances in NHL history, Berenson wasn't finished tormenting Philadelphia.

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Highlights:

• Red Berenson records a hat trick in an 8-0 win over Philadelphia.

• Scored the first goal in all three periods.

• Added an assist for a four-point night.

• Frank St. Marseille contributed five points (2G, 3A).

• Jacques Plante posted a 23-save shutout.

• Berenson finished with 12 points in seven games against the Flyers that season.

• Also assisted on all four Blues goals in a March 1970 victory over Philadelphia

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Less than a year later, on November 1, 1969, the St. Louis Blues star delivered another memorable performance against the Flyers. This time it was "only" a hat trick, but it helped power the Blues to a commanding 8-0 victory at St. Louis Arena. Berenson opened the scoring in every period, netting his third, fourth and fifth goals of the young 1969-70 campaign.

The first two goals came on the power play against Bernie Parent. Bobby Clarke was serving a tripping penalty when Berenson converted the game's opening goal, with assists from Frank St. Marseille and Larry Keenan. Later, after Earl Heiskala picked up an extra minor for elbowing following a fight with Ray Fortin, Berenson struck again with the man advantage. His third goal came just 29 seconds into the final period, beating Doug Favell after Parent had been replaced to start the third.

Berenson wasn't done there. He also picked up a first-period assist on one of Larry Keenan's goals to finish with four points. Frank St. Marseille enjoyed an even bigger offensive explosion, recording two goals and three assists for a five-point evening. In goal, veteran Jacques Plante turned aside all 23 Philadelphia shots to earn the shutout as the Blues completely dominated from start to finish.

Philadelphia simply couldn't find an answer for Berenson during the 1969-70 season. In seven games against the Flyers, he totaled five goals and seven assists for 12 points. His most remarkable playmaking performance came on March 12, 1970, when he assisted on all four St. Louis goals in a 4-2 victory. Although he didn't score that night, Berenson still led both teams with six shots on Bernie Parent, once again proving that few players enjoyed facing the Flyers more than Red Berenson during that era.

The Franchise: St. Louis Blues (A Curated History of the Blues)

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