When fans looked at a January 27, 1972 matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars, few would have predicted a personal scoring duel between Frank Mahovlich and Lou Nanne. Mahovlich was in the midst of a dominant 43-goal campaign for Montreal, while Nanne was enjoying the best offensive season of his NHL career, scoring 21 goals, the only time he ever reached the 20-goal mark.
That night at the Montreal Forum, both players delivered rare performances. Mahovlich, known as The Big M, recorded the 13th of his 14 career NHL hat tricks. Across the ice, Nanne produced the only three-goal game of his NHL career, making the contest an unexpected showcase of individual offense.
The game itself was evenly matched from the opening faceoff, and the scoreboard reflected it. The first period exploded for seven goals, with Minnesota holding a slim 4-3 lead after 20 minutes. After J.P. Parise gave the North Stars a 2-1 advantage at 5:32, the remainder of the period belonged entirely to Mahovlich and Nanne, who traded goals in rapid succession.
Nanne opened the exchange by scoring his 14th goal of the season at 7:40. Mahovlich answered just over a minute later with his 23rd, then struck again only 51 seconds after that. Not to be outdone, Nanne responded 32 seconds later with his second goal of the night. In the second period, Mahovlich completed his hat trick to make it 5-4 Minnesota, with all three goals set up by his brother, Pete Mahovlich. Frank also assisted on a Guy Lafleur goal, giving him a four-point night.
Lafleur tied the game 5-5 early in the third period with an unassisted goal on Cesare Maniago. But the final word belonged to Nanne, who scored his third of the night and the game-winner at 16:24, beating Phil Myre with help from Murray Oliver and Ted Harris. Nanne also finished with four points, having assisted earlier on a Dean Prentice goal. Between them, Mahovlich and Nanne fired 18 shots, with Mahovlich taking 10 and Nanne eight.
Lou Nanne: Hockey, Community, and Leadership
The story of Lou Nanne — NHL player, executive, and a central figure in Minnesota hockey.
Buy on AmazonNHL Hockey Trivia: Frank Mahovlich
1. Frank Mahovlich spent the largest portion of his NHL career with which team?
2. Which nickname was Frank Mahovlich commonly known by during his NHL career?
3. Frank Mahovlich won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in which season?
4. Including his time with Montreal, how many Stanley Cups did Frank Mahovlich win during his NHL career?
5. Frank Mahovlich was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in which category?
