5 to Score 7 Goals in a Single WHL Game

On five occasions in the history of the Western Hockey League a player has scored seven goals in a single game. Two of the five went on to lengthy NHL careers. One scored all seven of his team’s goals in a 7-4 victory. The last time the feat was accomplished was on October 2, 1990.

Brian Propp – Brandon Wheat Kings

Brian Propp of the Brandon Wheat Kings was the first WHL player to score seven in a game. On January 25, 1977 Propp scored just over half of his team’s goals as they defeated the Portland Winter Hawks 12-6.

Brian was in his first of three seasons with the Wheat Kings. He scored 55 goals that season, then went on to have seasons of 70 and 94 goals. Propp was the fourteenth overall pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1979. His NHL career consisted of over 1,000 regular season games between 1979-80 and 1993-94 with the Flyers, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars and Hartford Whalers.

Ray Ferraro – Brandon Wheat Kings

Ray Ferraro was the next to score seven in a game. Ferraro also played for the Brandon Wheat Kings and scored his seven on January 5, 1984 as the Wheat Kings downed the Prince Albert Raiders 15-4. That year, Ray set the current WHL record for most points in a single season with an incredible 108. Despite the performance in the that 1983-84 season, Ray was denied the CHL Player of the Year honours because of a guy called Mario Lemieux playing in the QMJHL.

Ferraro was a fifth round pick of the Hartford Whalers in 1982, before he’d played a game in the WHL. He proceeded to play 1,258 regular season games in the NHL between 1984-85 and 2001-02 with the Whalers, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues.

Mark Mackay – Moose Jaw Warriors

The following season, Mark Mackay of the Moose Jaw Warriors scored seven on December 19, 1984 as the Warriors downed the Wheat Kings 12-3. 1984-85 was Mackay’s only year in the WHL. He scored 66 goals and assisted on 74 for 140 points in 71 games. Mark was awarded the Jim Piggott Trophy as WHL rookie of the year. The following season, Mackay was in Germany where he played out his professional hockey career.

Dennis Holland – Portland Winterhawks

Dennis Holland of the Portland Winterhawks scored seven on November 23, 1988 as the Winterhawks downed the Kamloops Blazers 10-5. 1988-89 was the fourth of four seasons Holland spent with Portland. He finished the season with 82 goals and 167 points in 69 games and led the WHL in goal scoring and points, earning the Bob Clarke Trophy. He averaged over two points per game during his WHL career with 429 in 209.

Dennis was a third round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 1987 but never played in the NHL. He wrapped up his pro hockey career after the 1997-98 season after stints in the AHL, IHL, ECHL and three seasons in Germany.

Kimbi Daniels – Swift Current Broncos

Kimbi Daniels was the last, and most impressive, of the seven goal club. Daniels scored all seven goals for the Swift Current Broncos on October 2, 1990 as the Broncos beat the Medicine Hat Tigers 7-4. It was the third of five seasons in the WHL for Kimbi and he totalled 54 goals on the year.

The Philadelphia Flyers picked up Daniels in the third round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He played 27 games with the Flyers, all while he was still a junior in the WHL. He never caught on in the NHL but did play 500 games in the ECHL, contributing 504 points.

4 Two-Time Winners of the WHL's Bobby Clarke Trophy

The Bobby Clarke Trophy is presented each season to the WHL player with the highest point total. Originally dubbed the Brownridge Trophy, it was re-named in 1987 to honour Clarke, one of the best to play in the league. The trophy was introduced for the 1966-67 season and Clarke won the scoring title the next season. Four players have won the Bobby Clarke / Brownridge Trophy on more than one occasion.

Bobby Clarke - Flin Flon Bombers

Bobby Clarke, himself, was the first to take the WHL (WCHL at the time) scoring title in consecutive seasons. As a member of the Flin Flon Bombers, Clarke totaled 168 points in 1967-68, 37 points ahead of teammate Reg Leach. Clarke and Leach would, of course, reunite with the Philadelphia Flyers team that won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1973-74 and 1974-75. Clarke led the league the following season with 137 points.

Bobby was a second round pick of the Flyers at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 1,144 regular seasons NHL games between 1969-70 and 1983-84, all with Philadelphia. Three times, Clarke surpassed the 100 point plateau in a season. Three times he was a Hart Trophy recipient as the NHL’s most valuable player. He finished his career with 1,210 points and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

Tom Lysiak - Medicine Hat Tigers

Tom Lysiak was the next WHL player to win the scoring title in consecutive seasons. With the Medicine Hat Tigers, Lysiak led the league in 1971-72 with 143 points, ten more than teammate Stan Weir. The following season, Lysiak led again with 154 points, seven points ahead of Dennis Sobchuk of the Regina Pats.

Tom was the second overall pick at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, going to the Atlanta Flames and behind just Denis Potvin who went to the New York Islanders. The Houston Aeros also picked Lysiak in the second round of the WHA Amateur Draft, 23rd overall. Tom played 919 regular season NHL games between 1973-74 and 1985-86 with the Flames and Chicago Black Hawks.

Brian Propp - Brandon Wheat Kings

Brian Propp put up serious numbers in winning the Brownridge Trophy in 1977-78 and 1978-79. In the first season, Propp finished 22 points ahead of teammate Ray Allison with 182 points. The following year, on 94 goals and 100 assists, Propp led the league with an incredible 194 points, 41 ahead of Allison in the WHL scoring race. The two were part of one of the greatest Canadian junior teams of all-time in 1978-79, as the Brandon Wheat Kings finished with 58 wins, five losses and nine ties for 125 points.

Propp was the fourteenth overall pick at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Bobby Clarke led Philadelphia Flyers. By then, the Broad Street Bullies era had pretty much come to an end but the Flyers were still a great team. Propp played 1,016 regular season games over his NHL career that lasted from 1979-80 to 1993-94. Brian played for the Flyers, Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars and Hartford Whalers.

Brian is known for his hard luck with Stanley Cup finals. Five times over his career, Propp went to the final series without a single victory to show for it. Three times, he played for the Cup with the Flyers and he played once each with the Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars.

Rob Brown - Kamloops Blazers

Rob Brown won the scoring race in 1985-86 and 1986-87 in record setting fashion. With the Kamloops Blazers, Brown led the league with 173 points the first season. In 1986-87, Rob set the present day record with 212 points, 66 points ahead of the next closer contender in capturing the Bobby Clarke Trophy.

Despite the numbers, Brown was drafted way down in the fourth round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played a total of 543 NHL regular season games from 1987-88 to 1999-00 with the Penguins, Hartford Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings. Playing on a line with Mario Lemieux in 1988-89, Brown enjoyed his best NHL season with 115 points in just 68 games.

Brown was a standout in the now defunct IHL, where he played in between NHL stints. On three occasions, he won the Leo Lamoureux Memorial Trophy as the league’s scoring leader. In 1993-94, he led with 155 points as a member of the Kalamazoo Wings. In 1995-96 and 1996-97, he led with the Chicago Wolves, totalling 143 and 117 points.