Orland Kurtenbach Records First Hat Trick in Vancouver Canucks History

On December 12, 1970, in just their inaugural NHL season, the Vancouver Canucks made a bit of franchise history and it was their captain who led the charge. Orland Kurtenbach, the gritty veteran and first-ever Canucks captain, notched the first hat trick in team history in a 5-2 win at home over the California Golden Seals.

Kurtenbach, selected from the New York Rangers in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft, was a steadying presence both on the ice and in the locker room. That night against the Seals, he was simply dominant. He scored three of Vancouver’s five goals and assisted on another, a second-period marker by Wayne Maki. Goalie Charlie Hodge earned the win, while California's Gary Smith did his best under fire, stopping 31 of 36 shots.

For Kurtenbach, it was a career milestone. These were his 10th, 11th, and 12th goals of the season and the only three-goal game of his NHL career. He’d go on to finish the 1970-71 campaign with 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in just 52 games, setting new personal bests. He'd top those numbers the very next year with 24 goals and 61 points across a full 78-game schedule.

The Canucks, despite being newcomers to the league, saw four hat tricks in that first season. Rosaire Paiement recorded two, including the club's first-ever four-goal game on February 9, 1971, in a 6-3 win over Buffalo. Wayne Maki added the other.

About Orland Kurtenbach

Orland Kurtenbach played 639 regular season and 19 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1960-61 and 1973-74 with the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. He would go on to serve as head coach of the Canucks after retiring as a player.

Never a Stanley Cup champion, Kurtenbach helped the WHL Canucks to two titles prior to his NHL career. He also played a major role in the San Francisco Seals WHL championship in 1962-63. He was WHL rookie of the year in 1957-58, totaling 54 points over 52 games with the Canucks. Orland was the recipient of the Jake Milford Trophy as CHL coach of the year in 1975-76, leading the Tulsa Oilers to a title in his second year of coaching.

Marcel Dionne Becomes First King to Score 50 Goals in a Season

Marcel Dionne was already on fire heading into the final stretch of the 1976-77 NHL season. Just days earlier, he delivered a two-goal, three-point performance in a 7-5 win over the Colorado Rockies, his 47th and 48th goals of the year.

Dionne Reaches 50 Against The North Stars

Then came April 2, 1977, a historic night for the Los Angeles Kings and a career-defining moment for Dionne. Hosting the Minnesota North Stars in their final home game of the season, Dionne etched his name into franchise history.

He netted the only two goals of the second period, his 49th and 50th of the season, just 1:57 apart. With that, Dionne became the first player in Kings history to reach the coveted 50-goal mark, a milestone not seen in the team’s first ten years of existence. But he wasn’t finished.

Dionne completed the hat trick with his 51st goal at 5:38 of the third period and also recorded assists on first-period tallies by Glenn Goldup and Vic Venasky, finishing the night with five points and eight shots on goal. Pete LoPresti allowed goals 49 and 50, while Gary Smith gave up Dionne’s third in relief during the third period.

Setting The Mark At 53

In the final game of the season in Denver, Dionne added two more goals, numbers 52 and 53 against the Colorado Rockies. While Dionne closed his season with a bang, it was Butch Goring who led the finale with a hat trick and an assist.

Dionne’s 53-goal campaign stood as a Kings franchise record until he broke it himself with 59 goals in the 1978-79 season. That record was later surpassed by Bernie Nicholls, who scored 70 goals in the 1988-89 season, helped in part by the legendary Wayne Gretzky.

About Marcel Dionne

Marcel Dionne could score goals. He finished his NHL career with 731, placing him sixth all-time, ten behind Brett Hull and 24 ahead of Phil Esposito. From his first season with the Detroit Red Wings in 1971-72 until his last full season with the New York Rangers in 1987-88, Marcel scored no less than 24 goals in a single campaign. He reached the 50 goal plateau six times.

Between 1971-72 and 1988-89, Dionne played 1,348 regular season and 49 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. The second overall pick behind Guy Lafleur at the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft won the Art Ross Trophy in 1979-80. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.