Barry Gibbs Records Five of His Career-Best 40 Points in One Game

The 1974-75 NHL season was a career year offensively for Barry Gibbs. The veteran defenseman finished with 40 points split between the Minnesota North Stars and Atlanta Flames, the highest single-season total of his NHL career. Remarkably, five of those 40 points came in one wild night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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Highlights

• December 21, 1974

• Minnesota North Stars 8, Pittsburgh Penguins 7

• Gibbs: 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points

• Minnesota trailed 4-1 in the first period

• Gibbs helped the North Stars tie it 4-4 before the first intermission

• Assisted on Blake Dunlop's eventual game-winner

• Five points represented 12.5% of Gibbs' 40-point season

• Traded to Atlanta just two weeks later

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On December 21, 1974, the North Stars hosted Pittsburgh and eventually escaped with an 8-7 victory. Early on, however, things looked bleak for Minnesota. The Penguins jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead on first-period goals from Bob Kelly, Rick Kehoe, Ron Schock and Syl Apps.

Gibbs helped lead the North Stars back. At 10:40 of the opening period, he scored his fourth goal of the season to cut into Pittsburgh's lead. Before the period was over, Minnesota had erased the deficit and tied the game at 4-4. Gibbs was involved throughout the comeback, adding three assists on two goals by Murray Oliver and another by Bill Goldsworthy.

His night wasn't finished. Gibbs picked up his fourth assist and fifth point on Blake Dunlop's goal at 17:59 of the third period. Fred Stanfield also assisted on the goal, which gave Minnesota an 8-7 lead and ultimately stood as the game-winner. Gibbs finished the night with a goal and four assists in one of the biggest offensive performances of his NHL career.

The game was Gibbs' 33rd of the season with Minnesota, but his time with the North Stars was nearing an end. After four more appearances, he was traded to the Atlanta Flames on January 4, 1975 in exchange for Dwight Bialowas and Dean Talafous. Gibbs finished the season with 40 points overall, although his production slowed considerably after the move to Atlanta.

Gibbs went on to play 796 regular-season and 36 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1967-68 and 1979-80. His NHL career included stops with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars, Atlanta Flames, St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings. While never known primarily for his offense, his five-point performance on December 21, 1974 remains an impressive snapshot from his career-best offensive season.

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"Scoreless Wonder" Jim Thomson Ends 31-Month Goal Drought With a 1-0 Game Winner

Jim Thomson arrived in Chicago before the 1957-58 NHL season under circumstances that went well beyond hockey. Like former Detroit Red Wings star Ted Lindsay, Thomson had been a prominent supporter of efforts to establish an NHL players’ association. Neither man’s involvement sat particularly well with the league’s owners, and both found themselves with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 1957-58 season.

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Highlights

• Jim Thomson joined Chicago for the 1957-58 season, his final NHL campaign.

• Thomson and Ted Lindsay had both been involved in efforts to establish a players’ association.

• On October 29, 1957, Chicago hosted Detroit at Chicago Stadium.

• Thomson scored at 12:56 of the third period, assisted by Jack McIntyre and Bobby Hull.

• The goal was the only one in a 1-0 Blackhawks victory.

• Glenn Hall recorded the shutout against Terry Sawchuk and the Red Wings.

• Thomson had not scored since March 20, 1955, more than two and a half years earlier.

• “The Scoreless Wonder” finished his NHL career with just 19 goals in 787 games, but was a two-time Second Team All-Star and four-time Stanley Cup champion.

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For Thomson, it would be his final year in the NHL. The veteran defenseman had never been known for his scoring. In fact, his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates had dubbed him “The Scoreless Wonder.” Yet, on October 29, 1957, Thomson became the unlikely offensive hero when Chicago hosted Lindsay’s former Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Stadium.

The game remained scoreless deep into the third period, with Glenn Hall and Terry Sawchuk matching each other at opposite ends of the ice. Finally, at 12:56 of the third, Thomson broke through. He beat Sawchuk for his first goal as a Blackhawk, with Jack McIntyre and a young Bobby Hull picking up the assists. Nobody scored again, giving Chicago a 1-0 victory and Hall the shutout.

The goal was especially remarkable considering how rarely Thomson found the back of the net. He finished his NHL career with just 19 goals in 787 regular-season games, including four game winners and one shorthanded marker. Before scoring against Sawchuk that night, Thomson had gone more than two and a half years without an NHL goal. His previous one had come on March 20, 1955, while playing for Toronto against the New York Rangers.

Of course, scoring goals was never what made Thomson valuable. The dependable blue liner was twice named a Second Team NHL All-Star and helped the Maple Leafs win four Stanley Cup championships during his first five full seasons with the club. He also briefly served as Toronto's captain during the 1956-57 season.

Thomson would finish his lone season in Chicago with four goals, matching his career high. But perhaps none better suited “The Scoreless Wonder” than the one he scored on October 29, 1957. After going 31 months without a goal, the defensive defenseman finally scored again and fittingly, it was the only goal anyone scored all night.

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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)

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