Before Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita became household names, Ed Litzenberger was the offensive engine of the Chicago Blackhawks.
From 1956-57 through 1958-59, Litzenberger recorded three straight 30-goal seasons (32, 32, and 33 goals), finishing among the NHL’s top four goal scorers in each campaign. When he replaced Gus Mortson as team captain at the start of the 1958-59 season, Litzenberger responded with the best year of his career.
One of the defining moments came on February 7, 1959, at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.
Litzenberger recorded the second of his two career NHL hat tricks, adding an assist for a four-point night as Chicago earned a 6-3 victory. After setting up Tod Sloan for the game’s opening goal, the Blackhawks captain took over offensively.
He scored his 25th and 26th goals of the season during the second period, both assisted by Ted Lindsay. The second of those goals, scored at 9:53 of the period on Gump Worsley, stood up as the game-winning goal. Litzenberger completed the hat trick at 18:34 of the third, once again finishing a Lindsay setup.
Lindsay matched Litzenberger’s point total with four assists, while Glenn Hall stopped 23 of 26 shots to earn the win in goal.
The game also featured a memorable third-period melee that resulted in five players penalized, including three Blackhawks and two Rangers. The highlight of the scrum was a fight between two rising young players, Bobby Hull and Eddie Shack.
