On January 3, 1973, Pete Laframboise etched his name into California Golden Seals history with a jaw-dropping four-goal performance, the first in franchise history. Incredibly, those four tallies made up 12% of his entire NHL career goals.
The game, played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena against the Vancouver Canucks, was tight after two periods with the Seals holding a 5-3 lead. Then came the third period eruption, six unanswered California goals, sealing an 11-3 rout.
Laframboise opened the scoring at 8:21 of the first period, burying his seventh of the season past Bruce Bullock, assisted by Walt McKechnie and Hilliard Graves. His second came on the power play at 14:36 of the second, with helpers from Graves and Stan Weir.
The real fireworks came in the third. Laframboise struck twice in quick succession, both set up by Graves and Weir, pushing the score to 9-3. Only three players in Seals history would ever match the feat of four goals in a game: Ivan Boldirev, Gary Sabourin, and Dennis Maruk. Boldirev also had a huge night in this game with two goals (including the game-winner) and two assists.
Goaltending was a story of contrasts. Bullock stayed between the pipes for Vancouver the entire night, surrendering 11 goals on 44 shots. Gilles Meloche, meanwhile, earned the win for California with 26 saves, picking up an assist on the final goal and even taking a delay of game penalty late in the second period.
About Pete Laframboise
Pete Laframboise’s NHL career spanned 227 regular season games and nine playoff appearances between 1971-72 and 1974-75, skating for the Golden Seals, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He also played 17 games for the Edmonton Oilers in the WHA during the 1976-77 season. Drafted in the second round by California in 1970, Laframboise made the leap to the pros after a standout junior career with the Ottawa 67’s.
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