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

Who Scored 50 First? The Penguins’ Historic 1975-76 Season

In the 1975-76 NHL season, the Pittsburgh Penguins achieved a franchise first. Not one, but two players reached 50 goals. Pierre Larouche and Jean Pronovost both cracked the milestone, with Larouche finishing at 53 goals and Pronovost close behind at 52. But who hit 50 first?

March 24, 1976: Pronovost Makes Penguins History

On a Wednesday night at the Civic Arena (a.k.a. The Igloo), the Penguins faced off against the powerhouse Boston Bruins. With the game tied in the third period, Jean Pronovost scored his 50th goal of the season at the 11:01 mark. The goal came on Gilles Gilbert, assisted by Lowell MacDonald and Syl Apps.

That moment made Pronovost the first Pittsburgh Penguin ever to reach 50 goals in a single season. Larouche also scored in the game, his 45^th, The match ended in a 5-5 tie.

April 3, 1976: Larouche Follows In A Flash

Just over a week later, Pierre Larouche entered a game against the Washington Capitals with 49 goals. He scored number 50 at 11:16 of the second period, assisted by Ron Stackhouse and Rick Kehoe. With eight seconds left in the same period, he added another, goal number 51.

Despite Larouche’s heroics, the Penguins lost 5-4. It was just the Capitals' 11th win of the year.

A Quick Playoff Exit

Although Larouche and Pronovost combined for 105 goals, the Penguins were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, losing a best-of-three series to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Neither player scored during the series.

Today’s Franchise Benchmark: Lemieux’s 85

While Pronovost was the first to reach 50, and Larouche edged him in total, Mario Lemieux now holds the single-season franchise record with a jaw-dropping 85 goals in 1988-89.

1970's 50 Goal Scorers Quiz

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our Hockey Trivia website!

1. Who was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season during the 1970s?
Phil Esposito (1971)
Phil Esposito (1970)
Bobby Hull (1970)
Guy Lafleur (1971)

2. In the 1970s, which NHL player had the most 50-goal seasons?
Marcel Dionne
Mike Bossy
Guy Lafleur
Rick Martin

3. Which of these players did NOT score 50 goals in a season during the 1970s?
Pierre Larouche
Jean Pronovost
Dave Keon
Ken Hodge

4. Which team had two players reach 50 goals in the same 1975-76 season?
Pittsburgh Penguins
Montreal Canadiens
New York Islanders
Buffalo Sabres

5. Who scored 52 goals in the 1974-75 season for the Buffalo Sabres?
Danny Gare
Gilbert Perreault
Rene Robert
Rick Martin

J.C. Tremblay’s Historic 4-Assist Period vs. Detroit in 1962

On December 29, 1962, Montreal Canadiens defenseman J.C. Tremblay carved out a slice of NHL history with a second-period performance that stood unmatched for more than six decades. In a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at the Montreal Forum, Tremblay notched four assists, all in the middle frame alone.

That burst of playmaking was part of a dominant showing that helped the Canadiens take a 4-0 lead into the final frame. Bill Hicke and Bernie Geoffrion each scored twice in that middle period, with Tremblay assisting on all four goals. Geoffrion completed his hat trick early in the third.

Detroit’s legendary goaltender Terry Sawchuk faced a barrage of 51 shots, while JacquesPlante had a far quieter night at the other end, stopping 25 of 26. The Red Wings’ lone goal came from AlexDelvecchio at 9:08 of the third period.

Tremblay’s four-assist outburst set the NHL record for most assists in a single period by a defenseman, a mark that stood until Kris Letang tallied five in the second period of a 2023 game between the Penguins and Islanders.

Though others would later match Tremblay’s four in a period, names like BobbyOrr, Phil Housley, Rob Blake, and Scott Stevens, none would surpass it until Letang's historic night.

Tremblay’s offensive contributions only grew from there. He recorded back-to-back seasons with 50+ assists in 1970-71 (52) and 1971-72 (51), and led the WHA with 75 assists as a member of the Quebec Nordiques in 1972-73.

About J.C. Tremblay

J.C. Tremblay played 794 regular season and 108 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1959-60 and 1971-72, all with the Montreal Canadiens. Over that time, he helped the Habs to five Stanley Cup championships.

Between 1972-73 and 1978-79, the full duration of the World Hockey Association, Tremblay played 454 regular season asnd 34 playoff games in the WHA, all with the Quebec Nordiques. He helped the team to an Avco World Trophy championship in 1976-77.

Try The Trivia Challenge

Here's a series of trivia questions derived from the content above. Can you get a perfect score?

We have much more hockey trivia at our Hockey Trivia Website.

J.C. Tremblay Hockey Trivia

1. Which Canadiens defenseman recorded four assists in one period in 1962?

B) J.C. Tremblay A) Doug Harvey C) Serge Savard D) Larry Robinson

2. Who broke Tremblay’s record with five assists in one period?

A) Bobby Orr B) Phil Housley C) Kris Letang D) Rob Blake

3. True or False: Tremblay’s four-assist period happened in the first period.

False True

4. Who scored a hat trick in that same game for Montreal?

C) Bernie Geoffrion A) Henri Richard B) Jean Beliveau D) Dick Duff

5. True or False: Jacques Plante faced more shots than Terry Sawchuk in the game.

False True

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.