Terry O’Reilly’s Lone Hat Trick Comes During Career Year in 1977

Terry O’Reilly’s reputation was built on toughness, leadership and intimidation, not hat tricks. But during the finest offensive season of his NHL career, even Boston’s feared enforcer had a night that defied expectations.

The 1977-78 season saw O’Reilly post career highs with 29 goals, 61 assists, and 90 points, production that earned him an eighth-place finish in Hart Trophy voting. It also produced the only three-goal game of his NHL career. That memorable performance came on November 10, 1977, when the Boston Bruins hosted the Los Angeles Kings at Boston Garden.

The evening didn’t start smoothly for Boston. Los Angeles jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the nine-minute mark of the first period on goals by Bert Wilson and Hartland Monahan. From there, however, the Bruins completely shut the door.

Stan Jonathan began the comeback at 16:47 of the opening frame, beating Rogie Vachon for his third goal of the season, with assists from O’Reilly and Jean Ratelle. The Kings would not score again.

O’Reilly took over in the second period, scoring the lone goal of the frame, his third of the season, set up by Ratelle and Brad Park. Just 32 seconds into the third period, he struck again, finishing a play created by Jonathan and Park to give Boston the lead.

After Ratelle extended the advantage to 4-2, O’Reilly completed the hat trick in dramatic fashion, scoring with just 24 seconds remaining. Jonathan and Peter McNab provided the assists on the milestone goal, sealing a 5-2 Bruins victory.

O’Reilly finished the night with four points, while Jonathan matched him with a goal and three assists. Ratelle added three points of his own, recording a goal and two helpers. O’Reilly also led all skaters with seven shots among Boston’s 24 attempts against Vachon.

Considering the Bruins lineup featured the likes of O’Reilly, Mike Milbury, and John Wensink, it’s remarkable that the game produced only three minor penalties, a relatively calm night by Boston Garden standards. Still, the lasting memory remains Terry O’Reilly’s lone career hat trick, achieved during the most productive season of his storied NHL career.

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Pat Lafontaine Finds His NHL Groove in Just His Second Game with the Islanders

Pat Lafontaine wasted little time proving he belonged in the NHL. Less than two weeks after representing the United States at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Yugoslavia, the highly touted rookie was already making his presence felt with the New York Islanders.

Selected third overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, behind Brian Lawton and Sylvain Turgeon, Lafontaine joined a veteran Islanders lineup late in the 1983-84 season. Despite appearing in just 15 regular-season games, he produced an impressive 13 goals and 19 points, an early sign of the elite scoring touch that would define his career.

Lafontaine’s second NHL game, played on March 3, 1984, came at Maple Leaf Gardens against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In classic high-scoring 1980s fashion, the Islanders erupted for an 11-6 road victory and Lafontaine stole the spotlight.

At 11:31 of the first period, he scored his first NHL goal, beating Allan Bester with assists from Bob Bourne and Denis Potvin. Before the opening frame ended, Lafontaine added his first NHL assist, setting up John Tonelli as New York piled on four first-period goals.

The rookie wasn’t finished. In the third period, Lafontaine recorded three more points in a span of just over eight minutes. He scored his second goal at 4:05 against Rick St. Croix, picked up another assist on a Tonelli goal at 11:22, and completed his first NHL hat trick at 12:14. When the dust settled, Lafontaine had five points in just his second NHL appearance.

That explosive night was an early glimpse of what would become a remarkable NHL career. Between 1983-84 and 1997-98, Lafontaine scored 468 regular-season goals while starring for the Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Rangers. He reached the 50-goal mark twice, highlighted by a career-best 54-goal season in 1989-90. In recognition of his achievements, Pat Lafontaine was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

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Guy Lapointe’s Lone NHL Hat Trick Comes in Wild 8–6 Loss to Buffalo

Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lapointe had plenty of monster nights during his Hall of Fame career, but none quite like November 13, 1974. That evening at the Montreal Forum, the smooth-skating defenseman piled up five points, recorded the only hat trick of his NHL career, and still watched his Canadiens fall 8-6 to the high-flying Buffalo Sabres.

Lapointe was in the middle of a career year in 1974-75, finishing with 28 goals and a third-place finish in the Norris Trophy race behind Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin. Against Buffalo, he did everything in his power to drag Montreal back into the game while still finishing with a +2 rating despite the loss.

The Sabres stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first before Lapointe setup Yvon Lambert at 13:47 to put Montreal on the board. After Rene Robert restored Buffalo’s three-goal cushion, Lapointe ripped home his sixth of the season at 18:56, with assists from Guy Lafleur and Jacques Lemaire.

Buffalo opened the second period with another three-goal burst, stretching the lead to 6-1 and then 7-2. Lapointe responded at 14:52, scoring his second of the night to cut the deficit to 7-3. A few minutes later, with Glen Sather in the penalty box, Pete Mahovlich buried a shorthanded marker, set up beautifully by Lapointe and fellow blueliner Serge Savard.

Montreal kept pushing in the third, and Lapointe completed his hat trick at 10:25, trimming Buffalo’s lead to 7-5 and capping off his remarkable five-point showing. But the Sabres answered back as Robert completed his own hat trick, and Bob Gainey closed the scoring shortly after. Savard also had a standout game with three assists and a +5 rating.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Guy Lapointe

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

1. Which trio was Guy Lapointe part of during the Canadiens’ 1970s dynasty?

The Lucky Seven
The Big Three
The Flying Frenchmen
The Blue Line Battalion

2. In which NHL season did Lapointe score his career-high 28 goals?

1972–73
1974–75
1976–77
1978–79

3. Which NHL team did Guy Lapointe finish his career with?

St. Louis Blues
Boston Bruins
Minnesota North Stars
Quebec Nordiques

4. In 1979, Lapointe helped the Canadiens win their fourth straight Stanley Cup. How many Cups did he win in total?

Four
Five
Six
Seven

5. Before becoming director of player personnel in Minnesota, Lapointe worked in which role?

Assistant coach
Goaltending consultant
Salary arbitrator
Team broadcaster

Danny Grant’s First NHL Hat Trick Set the Stage for His Calder Trophy Triumph

Danny Grant’s path to NHL stardom didn’t begin in Montreal, but the seeds were planted during his brief time with the Canadiens in 1967-68. In just 22 games, he scored three goals, and despite contributing during Montreal’s successful Stanley Cup run, he remained Calder-eligible heading into the next season. A major step came over the summer when he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars along with Claude Larose in exchange for a first-round pick that became Dave Gardner.

The move proved transformative. Grant burst out of the gate with Minnesota, scoring three goals and adding three assists in his first five games. And on November 9, 1968, he delivered a defining early milestone, his first NHL hat trick, scored fittingly against the Detroit Red Wings, the team he would later join. In the North Stars’ 6-4 win, Grant found the net once in each period, including two power-play markers, showcasing the scoring touch that would come to define his career.

His first goal, scored at 8:16 of the opening frame with assists from Danny O’Shea and Bill Collins, chased Red Wings starter Roger Crozier from the game after just five shots. Detroit turned to Terry Sawchuk, but Grant wasn’t done. His second goal, at 11:54 of the middle period, stood as the game-winner, the first of 21 he would record over his NHL career. Ray Cullen played a major supporting role, assisting on two of Grant’s tallies while enjoying a five-point night of his own.

By the time the 1968-69 season wrapped up, Grant had firmly established himself as one of the league’s brightest young talents. His 34 goals and 65 points earned him the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in a tightly contested race with Oakland’s Norm Ferguson. Brad Park, Gerry Desjardins, and Andre Lacroix also received strong consideration, but it was Grant who stood tall.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Danny Grant

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

1. With which NHL team did Danny Grant win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year?

Minnesota North Stars
Montreal Canadiens
Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings

2. How many goals did Danny Grant score during his Calder-winning 1968-69 season?

27
34
41
52

3. Which team did Danny Grant score his first NHL hat trick against?

Boston Bruins
Oakland Seals
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues

4. Danny Grant later became a 50-goal scorer with which NHL team?

Minnesota North Stars
Detroit Red Wings
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs

5. Danny Grant was traded from Montreal to Minnesota in a deal involving which future first-round pick?

Pierre Mondou
Chuck Arnason
Dave Gardner
Doug Jarvis

Oh Brother! The Hull Brothers Dominate the Minnesota North Stars in 1971

The Minnesota North Stars and rookie goalie Gilles Gilbert were in tough on February 6, 1971, when the Chicago Blackhawks came to town. On this night, it wasn’t just one superstar causing havoc, it was two. Brothers Bobby and Dennis Hull teamed up for five of Chicago’s six goals in a convincing 6-2 win.

Minnesota actually held the lead early. Bill Goldsworthy opened the scoring in the first period, giving the Stars a 1-0 edge. But the game quickly turned in the second when, in a furious three-minute span, Bobby Hull netted his 31st of the season and Dennis followed with his 26th to flip the score in Chicago’s favor.

The third period sealed Minnesota’s fate. Stan Mikita scored the eventual game-winner on a power play just 2:29 in, with Dennis Hull earning an assist. From there, the Hull brothers went back to work. Dennis scored again, his 27th of the year, while Bobby completed his hat trick with goals 32 and 33 of the season.

By night’s end, each Hull had five shots on Gilbert, combining for 36% of Chicago’s total attempts. Mikita played the perfect complement, chipping in a goal and two assists to fuel the offensive surge.

The Hulls weren’t done making headlines. Just two weeks later, on February 21, 1971, the brothers overwhelmed the Los Angeles Kings with a combined four goals and seven points in a 7-5 win. Once again, Bobby Hull recorded a hat trick, this time adding two assists, while Dennis contributed a goal and an assist.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: The Hull Brothers

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

1. Bobby Hull was nicknamed “The Golden Jet” because of his speed and...

His bright blonde hair
His powerful slapshot
His flashy gold skates
His Olympic sprinting background

2. Dennis Hull spent the majority of his NHL career with which team?

Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues
Chicago Blackhawks
Kansas City Scouts

3. Bobby Hull became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season twice. In which season did he set the record with 54 goals?

1959-60
1961-62
1965-66
1968-69

4. Dennis Hull represented Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

True
False

5. Bobby Hull shocked the hockey world in 1972 when he signed with which team in the WHA?

Houston Aeros
Winnipeg Jets
Quebec Nordiques
New England Whalers