Jerry Toppazzini developed into one of the NHL’s most dangerous penalty killers during his years with the Boston Bruins. Of his 163 career NHL goals, 22 came while his team was shorthanded. His finest season in that department came in 1957-58, when Toppazzini led the NHL with eight shorthanded goals, a league record at the time. Add two shorthanded assists, and 10 of his 48 points that season came while Boston was killing a penalty.
Highlights
Jerry Toppazzini scored 22 shorthanded goals during his NHL career.
He led the NHL with a then-record eight SHG in 1957-58.
His first came against Terry Sawchuk and Detroit on November 10, 1957.
Toppazzini scored just 15 seconds after Boston went shorthanded.
He finished that 4-2 Bruins victory with one goal and two assists.
Toppazzini struck shorthanded against Sawchuk again on Christmas Day.
His eight SHG broke Cecil Dillon’s previous NHL record of six.
The Bruins record lasted until Brian Rolston scored nine in 2001-02.
The first of those eight goals came on November 10, 1957, when the Bruins hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Boston Garden. Early in the second period, Boston defenseman Fern Flaman was sent off for tripping at 1:45. Detroit’s power play lasted only 15 seconds before Toppazzini turned the tables, beating legendary Red Wings goaltender Terry Sawchuk for a shorthanded goal. Fleming Mackell picked up the assist.
Toppazzini wasn’t finished. He added two assists in the game, including a helper on Don McKenney’s game-winning goal as Boston defeated Detroit 4-2. It was an early glimpse of just how dangerous the Bruins could be with Toppazzini on the ice, even when they were supposed to be at a disadvantage.
Detroit and Sawchuk got another look at Toppazzini’s penalty-killing ability when the Red Wings returned to Boston Garden on Christmas Day. With the Bruins facing a five-on-three disadvantage, they survived the first penalty before Allan Stanley scored just three seconds after it expired, with Toppazzini earning an assist. Fleming Mackell was still in the penalty box, leaving Boston shorthanded, when Toppazzini struck again just 59 seconds later. This time he scored unassisted on Sawchuk, giving him two points during the same penalty-killing sequence. Boston went on to win 4-1.
Toppazzini finished 1957-58 with eight shorthanded goals, surpassing the previous NHL record of six set by Cecil Dillon of the New York Rangers in 1934-35. His eight also remained the Boston Bruins single-season record for more than four decades. It finally fell in 2001-02 when Brian Rolston scored nine shorthanded goals, although Rolston had the benefit of an 82-game schedule compared with Toppazzini’s 64-game NHL season.
For Toppazzini, the November 10 goal against Sawchuk was simply the beginning of a remarkable season. By year’s end, few players in hockey were more dangerous when their own team was a man short.
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Dig into the wonderfully strange side of 1970s hockey with a collection of quirky stories, forgotten characters, unusual moments, and offbeat tales from one of the game’s most colorful decades.
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