Blues Stun Red Wings with Third Period Rally on Opening Night 1978-79

On October 11, 1978, at Detroit’s historic Olympia, the Red Wings looked poised to start the 1978-79 NHL season with a win. Dale McCourt was the star early, assisting on a second-period goal by Reed Larson before netting his first of the year just 90 seconds later to give Detroit a 4-2 lead. Brian Sutter struck late in the period for St. Louis, keeping the Blues within reach.

Garry Unger and Curt Bennett Lead Blues Third Period Rally

McCourt fired a game-high 11 shots at St. Louis goalie Phil Myre, who stood tall with 38 saves on 42 shots. At the other end, Detroit netminder Rogie Vachon faced only 14 shots but the Blues made them count. Curt Bennett tied the game 4:30 into the third, assisted by Garry Unger and Larry Giroux. Then, at 12:17, Unger scored the game-winner with help from Bennett and Doug Palazzari.

For Unger, it was the first of 30 goals in what would be his final season with the Blues, including three game-winning tallies. Both he and Bennett would join the Atlanta Flames the following year.

Detroit stuck with Vachon despite his rough opener, starting him in 50 games that season. After Jim Rutherford took the next start (a loss to Philadelphia), Vachon bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Buffalo, stopping 25 of 27 shots.

Hockey Trivia: Garry Unger

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. Garry Unger famously held the NHL ironman streak for consecutive games played. How many straight games did he play?
   814
   902
   914
   936
2. Which NHL team did Garry Unger start his career with?
   St. Louis Blues
   Toronto Maple Leafs
   Detroit Red Wings
   Atlanta Flames
3. Unger was traded from Detroit to St. Louis in 1971 in a blockbuster deal involving which star player going the other way?
   Red Berenson
   Phil Esposito
   Marcel Dionne
   Bernie Federko
4. What was Garry Unger’s highest single-season goal total in the NHL?
   38
   41
   50
   54
5. Unger’s consecutive games streak ended in 1979 when he was benched by which coach?
   Al Arbour
   Don Cherry
   Al MacNeil
   Bernie Geoffrion

NHL Hockey Card Greats: Garry Unger