Frank Mahovlich and Lou Nanne Trade Hat Tricks at the Forum

When fans looked at a January 27, 1972 matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars, few would have predicted a personal scoring duel between Frank Mahovlich and Lou Nanne. Mahovlich was in the midst of a dominant 43-goal campaign for Montreal, while Nanne was enjoying the best offensive season of his NHL career, scoring 21 goals, the only time he ever reached the 20-goal mark.

That night at the Montreal Forum, both players delivered rare performances. Mahovlich, known as The Big M, recorded the 13th of his 14 career NHL hat tricks. Across the ice, Nanne produced the only three-goal game of his NHL career, making the contest an unexpected showcase of individual offense.

The game itself was evenly matched from the opening faceoff, and the scoreboard reflected it. The first period exploded for seven goals, with Minnesota holding a slim 4-3 lead after 20 minutes. After J.P. Parise gave the North Stars a 2-1 advantage at 5:32, the remainder of the period belonged entirely to Mahovlich and Nanne, who traded goals in rapid succession.

Nanne opened the exchange by scoring his 14th goal of the season at 7:40. Mahovlich answered just over a minute later with his 23rd, then struck again only 51 seconds after that. Not to be outdone, Nanne responded 32 seconds later with his second goal of the night. In the second period, Mahovlich completed his hat trick to make it 5-4 Minnesota, with all three goals set up by his brother, Pete Mahovlich. Frank also assisted on a Guy Lafleur goal, giving him a four-point night.

Lafleur tied the game 5-5 early in the third period with an unassisted goal on Cesare Maniago. But the final word belonged to Nanne, who scored his third of the night and the game-winner at 16:24, beating Phil Myre with help from Murray Oliver and Ted Harris. Nanne also finished with four points, having assisted earlier on a Dean Prentice goal. Between them, Mahovlich and Nanne fired 18 shots, with Mahovlich taking 10 and Nanne eight.

Lou Nanne: Hockey, Community, and Leadership

The story of Lou Nanne — NHL player, executive, and a central figure in Minnesota hockey.

Buy on Amazon

The PDF versions of some of our hockey books are now available for free download: Take a look!

NHL Hockey Trivia: Frank Mahovlich

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

1. Frank Mahovlich spent the largest portion of his NHL career with which team?

Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Canadiens
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Penguins

2. Which nickname was Frank Mahovlich commonly known by during his NHL career?

The Big M
Mr. Hockey
The Golden Jet
Captain Courageous

3. Frank Mahovlich won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in which season?

1958–59
1957–58
1959–60
1960–61

4. Including his time with Montreal, how many Stanley Cups did Frank Mahovlich win during his NHL career?

3
5
6
4

5. Frank Mahovlich was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in which category?

Player
Builder
Contributor
International

Gilles Meloche Faces 58 Shots in Madison Square Garden Showdown

On January 31, 1973, at Madison Square Garden, Gilles Meloche of the California Golden Seals delivered a spectacular goaltending performance, stopping 55 of 58 shots against the powerhouse New York Rangers. Despite the Golden Seals falling 3-1, Meloche’s effort was nothing short of heroic.

It was one of three games that season in which Meloche faced 50 or more shots, and one of 14 games with 40+ shots against. On this particular night, goals from Brad Park, Bobby Rousseau, and Steve Vickers, who also tallied two assists, were the only pucks to beat Meloche. The Seals’ lone goal came off the stick of Walt McKechnie. Meanwhile, Rangers goalie Gilles Villemure had a relatively easy night, needing to stop just 20 of 21 shots.

During the 1972-73 season, Meloche led the NHL in multiple workload categories:

• Games Played: 59
• Minutes Played: 3,467
• Shots Against: 2,041
• Saves: 1,806
• Goals Against: 235

Despite these grueling numbers, Meloche didn’t receive Hart Trophy consideration. That kind of recognition had previously been given to Al Rollins in 1953-54, another goalie who carried a poor team, the Chicago Blackhawks, to modest results.

Gilles Meloche went on to have a lengthy NHL career, playing 788 regular season games (20th all-time among goalies), but just 45 playoff appearances. He suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars, and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1970-71 and 1987-88.

While he never played for a true Stanley Cup contender, Meloche remains a symbol of resilience and determination in net, especially during seasons like 1972-73 when the odds were stacked against him nearly every night.

Gilles Meloche And His One 1972-73 Shutout

It wasn't always a firing range with the California Golden Seals in that 1972-73 NHL season. On March 18, 1973, the Seals hosted the Minnesota North Stars at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena. Meloche had to face just 20 shots in the match, turning them all away in a 2-0 shutout.

Joey Johnston scored what would be the game winner just 50 seconds into the game, assisted by Craig Patrick. Stan Weir sealed the deal with an insurance marker late in the third, assisted by Reg Leach and Pete Laframboise. For Meloche, it was his only blank of the season. Gilles Gilbert made a valiant effort in net for the North Stars, stopping 35 of 37 shots.