Hardy Astrom Makes 49 Saves as Colorado Rockies Beat Rangers in 1981

The New York Rangers fired 52 shots at Hardy Astrom on January 15, 1981, but the Colorado Rockies goaltender had an answer for all but three. Facing the team that gave him his NHL start, Astrom made 49 saves while Mike Gillis supplied a hat trick in a 4-3 Colorado victory.

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Highlights

• Astrom stopped 49 of 52 shots on January 15, 1981.

• Colorado defeated the visiting Rangers 4-3.

• Mike Gillis scored three of the Rockies’ four goals.

• Gillis completed his hat trick with the winner at 15:18 of the third period.

• Walt McKechnie scored Colorado’s other goal while shorthanded.

• New York outshot Colorado 52-22.

• Astrom played 83 NHL games with the Rangers and Rockies.

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It was the second time Astrom faced at least 50 shots in a game with the Rockies. On October 13, 1979, he stopped 48 of 50 in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This time, his teammates provided enough offence to turn another exhausting night into a win.

Colorado opened a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Gillis and Walt McKechnie against Rangers goalie Doug Soetaert. McKechnie’s goal came shorthanded with Dave Watson serving a roughing penalty. Dave Silk replied for New York before the intermission, but Gillis struck again early in the second period to restore Colorado’s two-goal cushion.

The Rangers kept coming. Eddie Johnstone scored shorthanded in the second period, and Anders Hedberg tied the game 3-3 at 9:04 of the third. Gillis then completed his hat trick at 15:18, putting Colorado ahead for good. Despite outshooting the Rockies 52-22, New York left with a loss as Soetaert allowed four goals on 22 shots.

The victory improved Colorado’s record to 16 wins, 22 losses and seven ties through 45 games. Unfortunately, Astrom’s standout performance did not mark the beginning of a turnaround. The Rockies won just once in their next 17 games.

Astrom spent most of his professional career in Sweden and appeared in 83 NHL games with the Rangers and Rockies between 1977-78 and 1980-81. He never recorded an NHL shutout, but he did collect an assist in Colorado’s 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on December 17, 1980. Along with stopping 28 of 29 shots, he earned the lone helper on Joel Quenneville’s game-winning goal.

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Rogie Vachon Records His 50th NHL Shutout Against the Surging Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers arrived at Boston Garden on November 16, 1980, riding a 13-game unbeaten streak. The Boston Bruins, meanwhile, had managed just four wins through their first 16 games. It hardly looked like the ideal matchup for a Boston breakthrough, but Rogie Vachon helped deliver one. Making his 10th appearance as a Bruin, the veteran goaltender stopped all 19 shots he faced to record his 50th career NHL shutout in a 1-0 victory.

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Highlights

• Vachon recorded his 50th NHL shutout on November 16, 1980.

• Boston defeated Philadelphia 1-0 at Boston Garden.

• The loss ended the Flyers’ 13-game unbeaten streak.

• Brad Park scored the only goal at 9:35 of the second period.

• Vachon made 19 saves; Phil Myre stopped 29 of 30 shots.

• Vachon’s first NHL shutout came with Montreal on March 5, 1967.

• He retired with 51 regular-season shutouts and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.

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More than 13 years had passed since Vachon’s first NHL shutout. On March 5, 1967, in just his eighth NHL appearance, he made 29 saves as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 2-0. By the time he reached number 50, his career had taken him from Montreal to the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings before bringing him to Boston.

Neither team scored through the opening period or the first half of the second. Finally, at 9:35 of the middle frame, Brad Park beat Philadelphia goaltender Phil Myre with a slapshot from the blue line. Stan Jonathan and Peter McNab earned the assists on what proved to be the game’s only goal.

Myre gave the Flyers every chance to extend their unbeaten streak, turning aside 29 of Boston’s 30 shots. At the other end, Vachon handled a lighter workload without allowing a breakthrough. Tom Gorence was Philadelphia’s busiest shooter, accounting for five of the Flyers’ 19 shots on net.

The milestone performance was Vachon’s only shutout in 53 appearances during the 1980-81 season. He added one more in 1981-82, his final NHL campaign, to finish with 51 regular-season shutouts, the same career total as Dave Kerr, Tomas Vokoun and Curtis Joseph. In 2016, Vachon’s long wait for another milestone ended when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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Number 23 Scores No. 23: Bob Gainey’s Career-Best Goal Total

Bob Gainey built his reputation as one of the NHL’s finest defensive forwards, but Montreal’s number 23 could contribute at the other end of the ice, too. The Peterborough, Ontario native scored 239 regular-season goals during his career and reached the 20-goal mark four times. His personal best came in 1980-81, when he scored 23 times. Fittingly, goal number 23 was a game-winner against the New York Islanders.

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Highlights

• Gainey scored a career-high 23 goals in 1980-81.

• His 23rd came against the Islanders on March 31, 1981.

• Rod Langway and Doug Jarvis assisted on the milestone goal.

• The second-period tally was the winner in Montreal’s 3-1 victory.

• Gainey’s 47 points that season also represented a career high.

• Montreal retired his number 23 on February 23, 2008.

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On March 31, 1981, the Canadiens hosted the Islanders at the Montreal Forum. The teams exchanged first-period goals, then remained tied at 1-1 through much of the second. With two of the league’s top clubs locked in a tight contest, Gainey supplied the breakthrough.

At 16:52 of the second period, Gainey beat Islanders goaltender Roland Melanson for his 23rd goal of the season. Rod Langway and Doug Jarvis earned the assists as Montreal moved ahead 2-1. The Canadiens went on to win 3-1, leaving Gainey’s milestone goal as the deciding tally.

Gainey also established a career high with 47 points that season. Montreal finished first in the Norris Division and third in the NHL’s overall standings, behind the Islanders and St. Louis Blues. That regular-season success did not carry into the playoffs, however. The Edmonton Oilers swept the Canadiens in their opening-round series.

From 1973-74 through 1988-89, Gainey played 1,160 regular-season games and another 182 playoff contests, all with Montreal. His career included five Stanley Cup championships and four Selke Trophy wins, followed by induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. The Canadiens retired his number 23 on February 23, 2008, another fitting numerical connection for a player whose best goal-scoring season peaked at 23.

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Phil Esposito Records 3 Points In His Final Game Against The Bruins

Phil Esposito had been gone from the Boston Bruins for more than five years by the time he entered his final NHL season in 1980-81. Still, Boston was where Esposito enjoyed the greatest years of his legendary career, winning two Stanley Cups, five Art Ross Trophies and two Hart Trophies with the Bruins. Even late in his career with the New York Rangers, a matchup with his former club undoubtedly carried a little extra meaning.

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Highlights

• Phil Esposito's final NHL game against Boston came November 26, 1980.

• The Rangers defeated the Bruins 6-4 at Madison Square Garden.

• Esposito recorded one goal and two assists.

• He assisted on both of Ron Greschner's first two goals.

• Esposito's goal was his fifth of 1980-81 and the third-last of his NHL career.

• Greschner and Steve Vickers each scored twice for New York.

• Esposito's final game at Boston Garden came October 9, 1980.

• He assisted on the Rangers' opening goal in that final Boston appearance.

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Esposito faced the Bruins for the final time on November 26, 1980 at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers entered the game struggling badly but came away with a 6-4 victory, just their fifth win through the first 23 games of the season. Esposito played a major role in the victory, recording a goal and two assists before the game was even half over.

Ron Greschner opened the scoring at 10:05 of the first period, beating Boston goaltender Rogie Vachon with assists going to Esposito and Don Maloney. Just 40 seconds into the second period, Greschner struck again, this time with helpers from Esposito and Dave Silk. At 7:54, Esposito got a goal of his own, scoring his fifth of the season with Greschner picking up the assist.

That goal turned out to be the third-last of Esposito's NHL career. Greschner and Steve Vickers each scored twice in the 6-4 Rangers victory, while Esposito finished his final appearance against his former team with three points.

Esposito's final game at Boston Garden had come earlier that season, on October 9, 1980 in the 1980-81 season opener. The Bruins won that game decisively, 7-2, but Esposito still made his presence felt. He assisted on Mike Allison's goal just 2:44 into the first period, giving the Rangers an early lead. It was the final appearance in Boston for a player whose years with the Bruins had established him as one of the greatest goal scorers of his generation.

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Crazy 8’s on Long Island: Mike Bossy Scores Four in Historic 8–8 Tie With Oilers

On March 3, 1981, the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders delivered one of the wildest offensive showcases in NHL history. Sixteen total goals lit up the Nassau Coliseum scoreboard as the two clubs skated to an 8-8 tie, the NHL’s first 8-8 draw in 45 years.

The last time a game ended with that score was February 16, 1936, when the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans battled to a similar deadlock. Nearly half a century later, two teams that helped usher in hockey’s modern offensive era revived the rare result.

Mike Bossy was at the center of the madness. The Islanders’ superstar scored four goals on just four shots, netting goals No. 58 through 61 of his remarkable 1980-81 season. Despite the goal explosion, Edmonton goaltender Eddie Mio faced only 24 shots, while Islanders netminder Billy Smith was tested far more frequently, turning aside shots among the 41 he faced.

After forty minutes, New York appeared to be in control, holding a 6-4 lead. But the Oilers exploded in the third period. In a blistering 4:09 span, Edmonton scored four times to seize an 8-6 advantage. Wayne Gretzky tallied his second goal of the night, his 44th of the season, as part of a four-point performance. He was joined on the scoresheet by Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier, each finishing the night with four points.

The Islanders weren’t finished.

Just 47 seconds after Kurri gave Edmonton its two-goal cushion, Bossy struck again to pull New York within one. With time winding down, Anders Kallur completed the comeback, tying the game at 18:14 of the third period with helpers from Héctor Marini and Wayne Merrick.

Bossy also added an assist earlier in the game on Steve Tambellini’s second-period goal, giving him a five-point night in one of the most unforgettable regular-season games of the era. The final horn sealed an 8-8 tie, a fitting result for a night that perfectly captured the free-wheeling, high-octane style that defined early-1980s NHL hockey.

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