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

Toronto Maple Leafs Waste Bruce Gamble’s Heroics in 1-0 Loss to Rangers

On October 19, 1969, the Toronto Maple Leafs visited Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers in what would be their fourth game of the 1969-70 NHL season. For Leafs fans, the game felt like a one-man show and that man was goaltender Bruce Gamble.

The Rangers won 1-0 on an early goal from Vic Hadfield at the 7:33 mark of the first period, assisted by Jean Ratelle and Brad Park. That lone tally held up the rest of the way, not because the Rangers went into a defensive shell, but because Gamble stood on his head. He turned aside 44 of 45 shots, keeping the Leafs in the game all night long. Hadfield and Ratelle each had seven shots apiece, while former Leaf Ron Stewart chipped in with six.

On the flip side, Ed Giacomin had one of the easiest shutouts of his career. Toronto managed just 17 shots on net, with Paul Henderson and Bob Pulford accounting for nearly half with four shots each.

The lack of offense became a season-long theme. The Leafs finished last in the East Division, a brutal 21 points behind the next-closest team. They scored a division-low 222 goals and allowed a division-high 242, despite Gamble's solid play. Over 52 games, Gamble had five shutouts and a .915 save percentage, remarkable numbers considering the team's struggles.

Bruce Gamble’s career spanned from 1958-59 to 1971-72, playing with the Rangers, Bruins, Leafs, and Flyers. Though solid between the pipes, he’s often remembered for his heart attack during a game in 1972 while playing for the Flyers, a game he finished despite the medical emergency.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Rangers – October 19, 1969 Trivia

We have much more hockey trivia at our hockey trivia website!

1. Who scored the only goal in the Rangers' 1-0 win over the Maple Leafs on October 19, 1969?

• A) Rod Gilbert
• B) Vic Hadfield ✅
• C) Jean Ratelle
• D) Brad Park

2. How many shots did Bruce Gamble stop in this game?

• A) 35
• B) 40
• C) 44 ✅
• D) 47

3. Which former Leaf had six shots on goal for the Rangers in that game?

• A) Ron Stewart ✅
• B) Dick Duff
• C) Bob Nevin
• D) Phil Goyette

4. What was the Maple Leafs’ shot total in the 1-0 loss?

• A) 14
• B) 17 ✅
• C) 21
• D) 25

5. What serious health event is Bruce Gamble remembered for during a game in 1972?

• A) Concussion
• B) Broken collarbone
• C) Heart attack ✅
• D) Eye injury