Ross Lonsberry's 5-Point Night Leads Flyers To 9-0 Rout Of Vancouver

On March 22, 1973, the Philadelphia Flyers delivered one of the most lopsided victories in franchise history, overwhelming the Vancouver Canucks 9-0 at the Spectrum. While the Flyers featured offensive stars like Bobby Clarke, Rick MacLeish, and Bill Barber, it was Ross Lonsberry who stole the spotlight with the finest performance of the evening.

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Highlights

• Flyers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 9-0

• Ross Lonsberry recorded a hat trick

• Lonsberry finished with 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists)

• Gary Dornhoefer contributed 1 goal and 3 assists

• Rick MacLeish scored twice and added an assist

• Doug Favell made 31 saves for the shutout

• Lonsberry reached the 20-goal mark for the season

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Lonsberry had arrived in Philadelphia midway through the previous season as part of a major trade with the Los Angeles Kings. By the spring of 1973, he had become an important contributor for the Flyers, and against Vancouver he enjoyed one of the biggest nights of his NHL career. Facing Canucks goaltender Dunc Wilson, the Flyers fired 41 shots and found the back of the net nine times.

The winger recorded a hat trick, scoring his 18th, 19th, and 20th goals of the 1972-73 season. He wasn't finished there. Lonsberry also assisted on Gary Dornhoefer's goal just 44 seconds into the game and later picked up another helper on Rick MacLeish's 45th goal of the campaign. By night's end, he had accumulated five points in the dominant victory.

Philadelphia's offense was firing on all cylinders. Dornhoefer contributed a goal and three assists, while MacLeish finished with two goals and an assist. Clarke and Barber each added two points as the Flyers relentlessly pressured Vancouver throughout the contest.

At the other end of the ice, Doug Favell earned the shutout by turning aside all 31 shots he faced. Although the final score suggested an easy evening, Vancouver still generated opportunities, forcing Favell to remain sharp from start to finish.

Lonsberry would go on to enjoy a lengthy NHL career, appearing in 968 regular-season games and another 100 playoff contests between 1966-67 and 1980-81. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, he recorded seven seasons with 20 or more goals and reached a career-high 32 goals during the Flyers' Stanley Cup-winning 1973-74 campaign. His five-point explosion against the Canucks remains one of the standout performances of his career.

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A deep dive into Flyers history filled with stars, records, stats, and unforgettable memories from the ice — perfect for true diehards and history buffs.

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Bobby Smith Explodes For 7 Points As North Stars Destroy Jets 15-2 In 1981

On November 11, 1981, the Winnipeg Jets walked into the Met Center for a road game against the Minnesota North Stars and quickly found themselves trapped in one of the most lopsided games in NHL history.

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Highlights:

• Bobby Smith recorded 4 goals and 3 assists for a 7-point night

• Minnesota defeated Winnipeg by a staggering 15-2 score

• The North Stars scored 8 goals in the second period alone

• Three of Bobby Smith’s goals came on the power play

• Minnesota’s 15 goals remain tied for the second most in NHL history

• Gilles Meloche stopped 40 of 42 shots despite the blowout

• The North Stars also scored two shorthanded goals in the game

• Doug Soetaert faced 51 shots and allowed 15 goals for Winnipeg

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For much of the opening half of the game, things were still relatively close. Winnipeg trailed only 2-1 early in the second period before the North Stars unleashed an offensive explosion that completely buried the Jets. Beginning at the 4:05 mark of the second, Minnesota scored eight goals in the period, turning the game into an unforgettable nightmare for Winnipeg goaltender Doug Soetaert.

The chaos started when Kent-Erik Andersson scored with assists from Bobby Smith and Dino Ciccarelli. That goal sparked a stretch where four goals were scored in just 1:11, three by Minnesota and one by Winnipeg. It narrowly missed the NHL record at the time for the fastest four combined goals in a game.

Bobby Smith became the star of the night. The North Stars captain scored four goals, including three on the power play, while also adding three assists for a massive seven-point performance. Smith factored into goals by Andersson, Dino Ciccarelli and Curt Giles as Minnesota piled up 51 shots on net.

An incredible 15 of those 51 shots beat Soetaert, tying the second-highest single-game goal total ever recorded by one NHL team. Only the Montreal Canadiens scored more, netting 16 goals against the Quebec Bulldogs back in 1920.

Lost in the offensive madness was the workload handled by Minnesota goalie Gilles Meloche. Despite his team winning by 13 goals, Meloche still faced 42 shots and stopped 40 of them. Winnipeg’s only goals came from Morris Lukowich and Bengt Lundholm.

The North Stars even managed a pair of shorthanded goals during the rout, including one by Neal Broten and another from Anders Hakansson that was assisted by Meloche himself. By the final buzzer, the scoreboard read an almost unbelievable 15-2 in favor of Minnesota, one of the greatest offensive outbursts the NHL has ever seen.

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A deep dive into the remarkable season of the Minnesota North Stars — their playoff run, key moments, and legacy.

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Whalers Humiliate Oilers 11-0 in Stunning 1984 Rout

On February 12, 1984, the Hartford Civic Center played host to one of the most stunning results of the 1983-84 NHL season. With Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri absent from the lineup, the Edmonton Oilers were missing two of their most dangerous offensive weapons. Still, few could have anticipated the magnitude of what followed, as the Hartford Whalers delivered an emphatic 11-0 victory that was never in doubt.

Ron Francis set the tone almost immediately, scoring just 1:26 into the opening period. That goal would stand as the game-winner, but it was only the beginning of a historic night for the young star. Francis scored four goals and added an assist for a five-point performance, establishing a franchise record with his fourth goal just eight seconds into the third period. The Whalers also overwhelmed Edmonton on special teams, striking for six power-play goals in a dominant display.

Greg Malone enjoyed a career night of his own. The offseason acquisition from the Pittsburgh Penguins recorded a hat trick and added two assists for five points. Malone assisted on goals by Francis and Bob Crawford, turning what had been a modest offensive season into a memorable personal highlight. His production, paired with Francis’ explosion, powered Hartford’s relentless attack.

The game also featured a classic Gordie Howe Hat Trick from Ray Neufeld, who picked up an assist on Francis’ first goal, scored in the second period, and engaged in a first-period fight with Randy Gregg. In goal, Greg Millen completed the effort with a 28-save shutout, turning aside every Edmonton opportunity to preserve the lopsided final score.

While the Oilers would go on to capture the Stanley Cup that spring, this February night belonged entirely to Hartford. Even accounting for the absence of Gretzky and Kurri, an 11-0 result spoke volumes. For one remarkable evening, the Whalers showcased their full offensive firepower and secured one of the most decisive victories in franchise history.

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Dive into unforgettable tales from NHL history — the biggest moments, legendary players, and classic rivalries.

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Dean Prentice’s Six-Point Explosion Leads Bruins to Stunning 11–0 Rout at Maple Leaf Gardens

When the Boston Bruins hammered the Toronto Maple Leafs 11-0 on January 18, 1964, it wasn’t just another lopsided scoreline, it was a full-blown shocker. Boston entered the game buried in the basement of the six-team NHL, while Toronto was powering toward what would become its third straight Stanley Cup championship. Yet on this night at Maple Leaf Gardens, the underdog Bruins delivered one of the most astonishing road victories of the Original Six era.

Dean Prentice was at the heart of the upset, turning in one of the finest performances of his career. The veteran winger notched the fifth of his six NHL hat tricks and added three assists, giving him a six-point night. Remarkably, four of those points came in the opening period as Boston stormed out to a 6-0 lead. Prentice scored his three goals on just three shots, while linemate Andy Hebenton completed a hat trick of his own on six attempts at Don Simmons.

Murray Oliver led all skaters with nine shots, contributing two goals and two assists in the offensive explosion. John Bucyk also chipped in a four-point night with a goal and three helpers, adding even more punch to a Bruins attack that seemed unstoppable. At the other end, goaltender Ed Johnston stopped all 26 Toronto shots, including six from the always-entertaining Eddie Shack, to secure the shutout.

The victory extended Boston’s modest winning streak to three games, including a 6-3 triumph over Toronto just two games earlier. Although the Bruins managed only a tie against Montreal the following day before sliding back into their struggles, this run briefly lifted them out of an 0-10-1 slump. In fact, five of Boston’s 18 wins in the 1963-64 season came against the Maple Leafs, making Toronto their most generous opponent in an otherwise tough campaign.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Dean Prentice

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

1. Dean Prentice began his NHL career with which team?
New York Rangers
Boston Bruins
Pittsburgh Penguins
Detroit Red Wings

2. Which team was Dean Prentice playing for during the mid-1960s, when he came closest to reaching the Stanley Cup Final?
Detroit Red Wings
Boston Bruins
Chicago Black Hawks
Minnesota North Stars

3. Which major milestone did Dean Prentice surpass during his NHL career?
300 career NHL goals
1,000 career NHL assists
600 penalty minutes
100 power-play goals

4. Dean Prentice was selected to the NHL All-Star Game how many times?
Three
Five
Six
Seven

5. Dean Prentice scored a memorable shorthanded penalty shot goal in 1964 while injured. Which team was he playing for at the time?
Boston Bruins
Detroit Red Wings
New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins

Dave Keon’s Six-Point Explosion Powers Leafs Over First-Place Red Wings in 1964

On December 5, 1964, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against the league-leading Detroit Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens. Though Detroit sat comfortably atop the NHL standings, 13 points ahead of the fourth-place Leafs, the night belonged to Dave Keon.

Keon, a cornerstone of the Leafs dynasty, delivered one of the most dominant performances of his career, scoring two goals and adding four assists for a total of six points. That single game accounted for 12% of his total points for the 1964-65 season, in which he finished with 50.

Toronto opened with a modest 2-1 lead after the first period, with Keon held off the scoresheet. But the second period turned into a Blue and White clinic. The Leafs scored four more before Detroit’s Norm Ullman, a future Maple Leaf himself, added the Wings’ second and final tally of the night. Keon assisted on goals by Jim Pappin and Ron Ellis during the frame.

In the third period, Keon put on a show. Just 21 seconds in, he and Red Kelly assisted on Andy Bathgate’s goal. Then came two goals of his own before assisting on Ellis’s second of the game at 13:06.

Bathgate had a four-point night himself (1G, 3A), leading the team with six shots on goal. Toronto outshot Detroit 41-36, with rookie Roger Crozier under siege in the Wings’ net. At the other end, former Red Wing Terry Sawchuk made 34 saves in his third appearance against his former club since joining the Leafs in the off-season. Only Pit Martin and Ullman managed to beat him.

About Dave Keon

Dave Keon played 1,296 regular season and 92 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1960-61 and 1981-82 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Hartford Whalers. The four-time Stanley Cup champion was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1966-67.

Starting with his Calder Trophy winning 1960-61 NHL season, Keon scored at least 20 goals eleven times. His career best of 38 was scored in 1970-71 with the Maple Leafs, placing him tied for sixth in the league with Gilbert Perreault of the Buffalo Sabres.

Between 1975-76 and 1978-79, Dave played an additional 301 regular season and 36 playoff games in the WHA with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, Indianapolis Racers and New England Whalers. Keon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.

NHL Hockey Card Legends: Dave Keon