Pete Laframboise’s Historic 4-Goal Night Lifts Golden Seals to 11-3 Rout

On January 3, 1973, Pete Laframboise etched his name into California Golden Seals history with a jaw-dropping four-goal performance, the first in franchise history. Incredibly, those four tallies made up 12% of his entire NHL career goals.

The game, played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena against the Vancouver Canucks, was tight after two periods with the Seals holding a 5-3 lead. Then came the third period eruption, six unanswered California goals, sealing an 11-3 rout.

Laframboise opened the scoring at 8:21 of the first period, burying his seventh of the season past Bruce Bullock, assisted by Walt McKechnie and Hilliard Graves. His second came on the power play at 14:36 of the second, with helpers from Graves and Stan Weir.

The real fireworks came in the third. Laframboise struck twice in quick succession, both set up by Graves and Weir, pushing the score to 9-3. Only three players in Seals history would ever match the feat of four goals in a game: Ivan Boldirev, Gary Sabourin, and Dennis Maruk. Boldirev also had a huge night in this game with two goals (including the game-winner) and two assists.

Goaltending was a story of contrasts. Bullock stayed between the pipes for Vancouver the entire night, surrendering 11 goals on 44 shots. Gilles Meloche, meanwhile, earned the win for California with 26 saves, picking up an assist on the final goal and even taking a delay of game penalty late in the second period.

About Pete Laframboise

Pete Laframboise’s NHL career spanned 227 regular season games and nine playoff appearances between 1971-72 and 1974-75, skating for the Golden Seals, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He also played 17 games for the Edmonton Oilers in the WHA during the 1976-77 season. Drafted in the second round by California in 1970, Laframboise made the leap to the pros after a standout junior career with the Ottawa 67’s.

NHL Hockey Trivia: California Golden Seals

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

1. What year did the Oakland Seals join the NHL?
   1965
   1967
   1970
2. Before becoming the California Golden Seals, the team was briefly known as:
   Bay Area Seals
   San Jose Seals
   Pacific Seals
3. Which future Conn Smythe Trophy winner played for the Seals before becoming a star with another team?
   Wayne Gretzky
   Reggie Leach
   Guy Lafleur
4. In 1976, the Golden Seals franchise relocated to which city?
   Denver, Colorado
   Cleveland, Ohio
   Minneapolis, Minnesota
5. What were the Golden Seals’ team colors during most of the 1970s?
   Black and Gold
   Red and White
   Green and Gold

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

Stan Mikita Nets 4 in Chicago’s First-Ever Home Game vs. Penguins

On December 6, 1967, Stan Mikita recorded the first four-goal game of his Hall of Fame career as the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the expansion Pittsburgh Penguins for the very first time at Chicago Stadium.

Despite Pittsburgh being in its inaugural NHL season, both teams entered the contest with nine wins apiece. Mikita wasted no time setting the tone, scoring just 3:58 into the game on Les Binkley with help from Pierre Pilote and Ken Wharram. Though the Penguins answered quickly, Mikita struck again unassisted at 7:36. By the end of the first, it was tied 2-2 but that would be the last time Pittsburgh would find the back of the net.

Mikita completed his hat trick at 11:32 of the second, once again with help from Pilote and Wharram. This marker ultimately stood as the game-winner. In the third period, he added a fourth goal at 8:49, capping off a dominant performance. By then, Pittsburgh had swapped goaltenders, with Hank Bassen replacing Binkley following a Pierre Pilote goal late in the second.

Mikita wasn’t done, he also assisted on Bobby Hull’s second goal of the night, giving him a five-point evening. Hull had a two-goal, one-assist effort while racking up ten shots. Pilote finished with a goal and three helpers in a 7-2 Chicago victory.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks in 1967-68

The Pittsburgh Penguins played the Chicago Blackhawks four times in their inaugural 1967-68 NHL season, two at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena and two at Chicago Stadium. In just their sixth game as a team, the Penguins knocked off the Hawks 4-2 at home on October 21, 1967. After Eric Nesterenko opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal for Chicago, Pittsburgh, powered by a Ken Schinkel hat trick, won their second game of the year and left the Blackhawks with an 0-5 record.

After the above mentioned 7-2 loss, the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw at the Civic Arena in mid-December. Ken Wharram scored for the visitors and Art Stratton scored for the Pens. Their final head-to-head on March 13, 1968 in Chicago was a close one. Chicago went up 3-0 by the midway point of the game but the Penguins made it close with the score ending 4-3 for the Blackhawks.