Darcy Rota Lights the Lamp in His First NHL Game

Darcy Rota arrived in the NHL with serious scoring credentials. Drafted 13th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, he was fresh off a massive 73-goal season with the Edmonton Oil Kings. While he would never match those junior numbers at the NHL level, his career high was 42 goals with Vancouver in 1982-83, Rota wasted no time proving he belonged among the pros.

His NHL debut came on October 10, 1973, when the Blackhawks opened their season on the road against the Los Angeles Kings at the famed Forum. The matchup featured two elite goaltenders in Tony Esposito and Rogie Vachon, and for most of the night, both lived up to their reputations. All three goals came in a tight eight-and-a-half-minute stretch of the second period: J.P. Bordeleau opened the scoring at 5:35, Dennis Hull added another at 7:40, and Rota capped the run at 14:13, marking his first NHL goal in his first NHL game and helping seal a 3-0 Chicago win.

Rota’s milestone goal was one of four shots he fired at Vachon that night, with Cliff Koroll and Stan Mikita picking up the assists. It was the first of 21 goals he scored during his rookie campaign, where he totaled 33 points in 74 games. He added three more goals in the postseason, including his first playoff goal, also against the Kings, in his very first playoff game.

Across his NHL career from 1973-74 through 1983-84, Rota was a reliable and consistent scorer. Playing 794 regular-season games and 60 playoff contests with Chicago, Atlanta, and Vancouver, he finished with 256 goals and recorded nine 20-goal seasons. His debut goal was just the opening chapter of a career defined by steady production and timely scoring.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Darcy Rota

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. Which team drafted Darcy Rota 13th overall in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft?

Chicago Blackhawks
Atlanta Flames
Vancouver Canucks
Detroit Red Wings

2. Darcy Rota scored his first NHL goal against which goaltender?

Rogie Vachon
Bernie Parent
Ken Dryden
Tony Esposito

3. How many 20-goal seasons did Darcy Rota record in his NHL career?

Nine
Five
Eleven
Seven

4. With which team did Darcy Rota record his NHL career-high 42-goal season?

Vancouver Canucks
Chicago Blackhawks
Atlanta Flames
Winnipeg Jets

5. How many regular season goals did Darcy Rota finish with in his NHL career?

256
198
311
227

When Denis DeJordy Ruled December: Chicago’s Forgotten Goalie Hero

Between the eras of Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito, Chicago fans were treated to another standout goaltender: Denis DeJordy. Though often overlooked, DeJordy was no mere stopgap; he shared the Vezina Trophy with Hall in 1966-67 before Hall was claimed by the St. Louis Blues in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft.

With Hall gone, DeJordy took over as the Blackhawks’ number one goalie for the 1967-68 season and quickly proved he was up to the task. He posted a 2.71 goals-against average with four shutouts over 50 games, guiding Chicago past the Rangers in the playoffs before bowing out to the powerhouse Montreal Canadiens.

But it was December 1967 that defined his season, a stretch where DeJordy was simply unbeatable.

On December 10, he blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 at the Spectrum, stopping 30 shots as Doug Mohns and Bobby Hull provided the offense. A week later, on December 17, he turned away 29 shots to shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 at Chicago Stadium, with Pit Martin finally breaking through Johnny Bower late in the third.

To cap off the month, DeJordy cruised to a 3-0 New Year’s Eve win over the expansion Oakland Seals, needing just 23 saves as Dennis Hull, Mohns, and Martin took care of the scoring.

His fourth and final shutout of the campaign came on February 29, when he stopped 38 shots in a 1-0 victory over Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens with Bobby Schmautz netting the lone goal.

Though his time as Chicago’s starter was short-lived, Tony Esposito’s arrival soon pushed him out, DeJordy’s December heroics remain a bright chapter in Blackhawks history. After a stint with the Los Angeles Kings, his NHL career began to fade, but for one icy month in 1967, Denis DeJordy was as good as any goaltender in the league.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Denis DeJordy 🏒

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. Denis DeJordy shared the 1966–67 Vezina Trophy with which legendary goaltender?

Tony Esposito
Glenn Hall
Gerry Cheevers
Eddie Giacomin

2. During December 1967, how many shutouts did DeJordy record for the Chicago Blackhawks?

Two
Three
Four
Five

3. Which future Hall of Famer replaced Denis DeJordy as Chicago’s starting goalie in 1969–70?

Ken Dryden
Bernie Parent
Tony Esposito
Ed Belfour

4. After leaving Chicago, which NHL team did Denis DeJordy play for as their number one goaltender?

Los Angeles Kings
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues
Pittsburgh Penguins

5. DeJordy was part of the Blackhawks organization between two of the greatest goalies in NHL history. Who were they?

Terry Sawchuk and Ken Dryden
Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito
Jacques Plante and Bernie Parent
Johnny Bower and Rogie Vachon

December 16, 1970: Cliff Koroll’s Four-Assist Period Ties NHL Record

On December 16, 1970, second-year forward Cliff Koroll carved his name into NHL history. In an 8-3 Chicago Blackhawks win over the St. Louis Blues at Chicago Stadium, Koroll recorded four assists in a single period, tying an NHL record that had stood since 1920-21.

The Blues entered the second period with a 3-1 lead, paced by Jim Lorentz’s two goals and an assist. But Chicago stormed back with five unanswered goals in the middle frame. Koroll set up two goals by Stan Mikita, one by Pit Martin, and one by Dennis Hull to etch his name into the record books. All five Blackhawks goals in that period came against St. Louis goalie Ernie Wakely, who faced 42 shots on the night.

Mikita had an unforgettable game himself. He scored Chicago’s first goal in the opening frame, then added three more in the second for a four-goal outing. He also picked up an assist on Dennis Hull’s goal, finishing with five points.

Koroll went on to play his entire NHL career with the Blackhawks, appearing in 814 regular season and 85 playoff games between 1969-70 and 1979-80. Known for his consistency, he reached the 20-goal plateau in five straight seasons, peaking with 33 goals in 1972-73.

Though Dale Hawerchuk eventually raised the bar to five assists in a period in 1983-84 (later matched by Kris Letang in 2023), Koroll remains part of an exclusive group of players who made NHL history in just one period of play.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Cliff Koroll

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. Cliff Koroll played his entire NHL career with which team?

Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues
Minnesota North Stars

2. How many career regular season games did Koroll play in the NHL?

612
814
929
740

3. What was Cliff Koroll’s highest single-season goal total in the NHL?

20
27
33
38

4. Which Hall of Fame linemate did Koroll often skate with during his Chicago years?

Stan Mikita
Bobby Orr
Guy Lafleur
Jean Ratelle

5. After retiring as a player, what role did Cliff Koroll hold with the Blackhawks?

Assistant Coach
General Manager
Team President
Play-by-Play Broadcaster

Hull and Hall Power Blackhawks Past Red Wings in 1962 Olympia Showdown

Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings were underachieving going into a February 1, 1962 match-up in Motown. The defending Stanley Cup champs from Chicago were one game over .500. The Wings, despite an all-star lineup that included Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Norm Ullman and Terry Sawchuk, were six games below even.

Detroit jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period with Delvecchio assisting on the first two and scoring the third. However, Bobby Hull and the Blackhawks burst out of the gates in the second and the score was tied at four after two. Hull scored his 27^th and 28^th of the season in that second frame.

In the third, it was all Chicago. Reggie Fleming scored the game winning goal while Hull scored two more, his 29^th and 30^th of the 1961-62 campaign, for a four goal game in the 7-4 win. Bill Hay assisted on three of the four.

But, if it wasn't for goalie Glenn Hall, the game could have ended up quite different. Detroit pounded Mr. Goalie with 55 shots, with Hall turning away nearly 93%. Delvecchio led the way with eight while Warren Godfrey, Claude Laforge and Len Lunde each had six. At the other end of the ice, Terry Sawchuk faced a modest 27 shots while allowing the seven goals.

For Bobby Hull, 1961-62 was the first of five times he would reach the 50 goal plateau. At the time, just Maurice Richard and Bernie Geoffrion had accomplished the feat. That year, Bobby was a First Team All-Star while Glenn Hall made the Second Team.

Hockey Trivia Quiz: Hull and Hall vs. the Red Wings – February 1, 1962

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. Who scored four goals for the Chicago Blackhawks in this game?
   Gordie Howe
   Bobby Hull
   Reggie Fleming
2. How many shots did Glenn Hall face from the Red Wings?
   37
   45
   55
3. Which Detroit player had a goal and two assists in the first period?
   Norm Ullman
   Alex Delvecchio
   Claude Laforge
4. Who scored the game-winning goal for Chicago?
   Reggie Fleming
   Bill Hay
   Glenn Hall
5. In 1961-62, Bobby Hull reached the 50-goal plateau for the first time. Before him, how many players had done so?
   1
   2
   3