Don Marcotte Lights Up Christmas Day 1970 With Two Shorties and the Game Winner

On December 25, 1970, the Pittsburgh Penguins visited the Boston Garden for a rare Christmas Day NHL matchup against the powerhouse Boston Bruins. It was a true holiday mismatch. The Penguins entered with just eight wins in 34 games, while the Bruins had dropped only five of their first 33.

Don Marcotte made the night unforgettable with a pair of shorthanded goals, two of his seven that season and the game-winner in an 8-4 Bruins victory.

The first came midway through the second period. With Derek Sanderson serving a tripping minor, Marcotte struck at 6:32, assisted by Ed Westfall and Ted Green, to make it 5-2 Boston. It was all the Bruins would need.

Marcotte wasn’t done. Late in the third, with Ace Bailey in the box for hooking, he fired home his second shorty of the game at 18:32, again set up by Ted Green. Amazingly, they were the only two shots Marcotte took that night.

Johnny Bucyk and Phil Esposito also had strong performances, each notching two goals and an assist, while Gerry Cheevers turned aside 28 of 32 shots to secure the win.

About Don Marcotte 

Between 1965-66 and 1981-82, Don Marcotte played 868 regular season and 132 playoff games in the National Hockey League, all with the Boston Bruins. He played his first game with the Bruins in 1965-66 while still a junior with the Niagara Falls Flyers. He would not play his first full season until 1970-71.

A winner no matter the level of play, Marcotte won a Memorial Cup with Niagara Falls, followed by a CPHL championship with the Oklahoma City Blazers. With the Hershey Bears in 1968-69, he was part of a Calder Cup winning team in the AHL. Of course, he also won the Stanley Cup twice with the Bruins.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Don Marcotte

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

1. Don Marcotte spent his entire NHL career with which team?

Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs

2. Known as one of the NHL’s top defensive forwards of the 1970s, Marcotte was often part of a checking line with which teammate?

Terry O’Reilly
Ed Westfall
Wayne Cashman
Peter McNab

3. Marcotte scored a career-high how many goals in the 1974-75 NHL season?

21
27
31
36

4. How many Stanley Cups did Don Marcotte win with the Boston Bruins?

One
Two
Three
None

5. Marcotte was part of Team Canada during which famous international hockey series?

1987 Canada Cup
1979 Challenge Cup
1976 Canada Cup
1981 Canada Cup

John McKenzie Fires Up Boston Garden With Hat Trick And Fight (1970)

On December 20, 1970, the Boston Garden crowd was treated to a classic Johnny McKenzie performance. Known for his grit and scoring touch, McKenzie delivered a Gordie Howe Hat Trick Plus in a 7-2 Boston Bruins win over the Minnesota North Stars.

The night before in St. Louis, McKenzie had two goals and an assist in a 7-1 victory over the Blues. He carried that momentum home, scoring his 12th, 13th, and 14th goals of the 1970-71 season against Minnesota. He also set up a goal by Phil Esposito, capping a four-point night.

True to form, McKenzie also dropped the gloves, scrapping with ex-Bruin Barry Gibbs just 25 seconds into the second period. Gilles Gilbert, who later went on to play for Boston, faced 47 shots and stopped 40, including four off McKenzie’s stick. Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito led the barrage with eight shots each.

The 1970-71 campaign proved to be McKenzie’s best NHL season, as he finished with 31 goals and 77 points. The hat trick against Minnesota was the third of his career and the only one not scored against the Detroit Red Wings.

About John McKenzie

John McKenzie played 691 regular season and 69 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1958-59 and 1971-72 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He won two Stanley Cup championships with the Bruins.

In the WHA, McKenzie played an additional 477 regular season and 33 playoff games between 1972-73 and 1978-79 with the Philadelphia Blazers, Vancouver Blazers, Minnesota Fighting Saints, Cincinnati Stingers and New England Whalers.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Johnny McKenzie

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

1. In which NHL season did Johnny McKenzie score his career-high 31 goals?

• 1968-69
• 1969-70
• 1970-71
• 1971-72

2. Which team did Johnny McKenzie score his famous hat trick and fight performance against on December 20, 1970?

• St. Louis Blues
• Detroit Red Wings
• Minnesota North Stars
• Chicago Blackhawks

3. How many career NHL hat tricks did Johnny McKenzie record?

• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

4. Johnny McKenzie was part of the Boston Bruins’ Stanley Cup–winning team in which year?

• 1968
• 1970
• 1972
• Both 1970 and 1972

5. Before joining the Bruins, McKenzie played for which NHL team?

• New York Rangers
• Detroit Red Wings
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Philadelphia Flyers

Bill Collins Torches Leafs with Back-to-Back Hat Tricks in 1970

When the Minnesota North Stars reached game 59 of the 1969-70 season, Bill Collins had just 13 goals to his name. That all changed on March 1, 1970, when the Toronto Maple Leafs came to town.

At the Met, Collins exploded for a hat trick, his 14th, 15th, and 16th of the season, all against Leafs netminder Bruce Gamble. Minnesota dominated the night with an 8-0 blowout, outshooting Toronto 40-41. Cesare Maniago was rock-solid, turning away all 41 shots for the shutout. Bill Goldsworthy and J.P. Parise chipped in with two goals and two assists each, but Collins set the tone with his relentless play and seven shots on goal.

Less than a week later, the two teams met again at Maple Leaf Gardens. And once more, Collins found his magic. This time he struck for another three goals, numbers 18, 19, and 20 on the year, with the first two coming shorthanded. Remarkably, he scored on all three of his shots, again at the expense of Bruce Gamble, who was pulled in favor of Marv Edwards after the second period. Minnesota rolled to an 8-3 win as Gump Worsley turned aside 44 of 47 shots.

Though Collins didn’t pick up a single assist in either game, that reflected his style during the 1969-70 campaign: pure goal-scoring. He finished the season with a career-best 29 goals, paired with just nine assists. It was the first of three seasons where he crossed the 20-goal mark, later tallying 21 with the Detroit Red Wings in 1972-73 and 22 with the St. Louis Blues in 1974-75.

About Bill Collins

After several years in the minors, Bill Collins got his NHL start after the Minnesota North Stars drafted him from the New York Rangers organization in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. Originally a prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Rangers on February 22, 1964, along with Arnie Brown, Dick Duff, Bob Nevin and Rod Seiling for Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney.

Collins played 768 regular season and 18 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1967-68 and 1977-78 with the North Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Bill Collins

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

1. Which team did Bill Collins score consecutive hat tricks against in March 1970?

Detroit Red Wings
Toronto Maple Leafs
St. Louis Blues
Boston Bruins

2. Which Toronto goalie did Collins score his goals on during those games?

Johnny Bower
Marv Edwards
Bruce Gamble
Gerry Cheevers

3. How many goals did Bill Collins finish the 1969–70 season with?

21
25
29
33

4. How many of Collins' goals in the second hat trick were scored shorthanded?

0
1
2
3

5. Who recorded the shutout for Minnesota in the 8–0 game (stopping 41 shots)?

Gump Worsley
Cesare Maniago
Tony Esposito
Ken Dryden