The Only Goalie to Shut Out the 1976-77 Canadiens? Mike Palmateer

The Montreal Canadiens were a daunting opponent in 1976-77, but a Toronto rookie managed something no other NHL goaltender accomplished against them that regular season. On November 17, 1976, Mike Palmateer stopped all 39 shots he faced at Maple Leaf Gardens, giving the Maple Leafs a 1-0 victory. The goalie known as the “Popcorn Kid” was playing just his ninth NHL game.

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Highlights

• Montreal’s only shutout loss of the 1976-77 regular season.

• Palmateer was playing just his ninth NHL game.

• Toronto won 1-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens on November 17, 1976.

• Lanny McDonald scored at 8:26 of the first period.

• Palmateer stopped 39 shots; Ken Dryden made 29 saves.

• Steve Shutt and Brian Glennie fought in the second period.

• Palmateer had also shut out Vancouver in his previous appearance.

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Lanny McDonald supplied all the offence Toronto needed at 8:26 of the first period. His 14th goal of the season, assisted by Darryl Sittler and Ian Turnbull, beat Ken Dryden and stood as the game winner. Dryden was nearly unbeatable himself, stopping 29 of Toronto’s 30 shots.

Montreal kept Palmateer busy throughout the night, including a 16-shot third period as the Canadiens searched for the equalizer. Guy Lapointe led the visitors with six shots, while Steve Shutt and Réjean Houle contributed five apiece. At the other end, defenceman Börje Salming paced the Maple Leafs with six shots on Dryden.

There was also a second-period confrontation between two former Toronto Marlboros. Shutt and Toronto defenceman Brian Glennie dropped the gloves, receiving fighting majors at 3:41. With the only goal already on the scoreboard, the rest of the evening belonged to the goaltenders.

Remarkably, Palmateer’s performance against Montreal was his second consecutive shutout. Four nights earlier, on November 13, he had stopped all 30 shots in a 3-0 road victory over the Vancouver Canucks at the Pacific Coliseum. Bob Neely, Pat Boutette and Inge Hammarström each scored against Cesare Maniago. Just nine games into his NHL career, Palmateer already had back-to-back shutouts and one came against a Canadiens team nobody else would blank during the regular season.

Top Shelf Trivia: The Toronto Maple Leafs

Test your knowledge of one of hockey’s most storied franchises with this collection of challenging and fun Toronto Maple Leafs trivia covering players, games, and unforgettable moments.

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The Bruins Were Shut Out Just Once in 1970-71and It Took Two Goalies

The 1970-71 Boston Bruins are remembered for their remarkable offensive firepower, but even that powerhouse lineup had one scoreless night. On November 5, 1970, the St. Louis Blues visited Boston Garden and handed the Bruins their only shutout of the regular season. Boston fired 38 shots at the St. Louis net, but two goaltenders combined to turn them all away in a 2-0 Blues victory.

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Highlights

• Boston’s only shutout of the 1970-71 regular season came on November 5.

• St. Louis won 2-0 at Boston Garden.

• Glenn Hall stopped 25 shots through two periods.

• Ernie Wakely added 13 saves in the third.

• Frank St. Marseille scored the winner at 16:57 of the second period.

• Jim Roberts added an empty-net goal with two seconds remaining.

• Wakely recorded three shutouts over his next nine starts.

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Glenn Hall handled the first two periods, stopping all 25 shots he faced. The veteran was coming off a shutout in his previous appearance, a 17-save performance against the Los Angeles Kings on October 31. Ernie Wakely took over for the third period in Boston and finished the job with 13 saves.

With the Blues keeping Boston off the scoreboard, Frank St. Marseille supplied the only goal St. Louis would need. At 16:57 of the second period, he beat Bruins goaltender Ed Johnston with assists from Jim Roberts and Tim Ecclestone. That goal held up as the game winner despite Boston’s continued pressure.

Johnston kept the Bruins within striking distance, making 23 saves and allowing just one goal before heading to the bench for an extra attacker. Roberts finally sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 19:58 of the third period. Bob Wall and Christian Bordeleau assisted, leaving Boston just two seconds away from an unusually quiet finish at the Garden.

For Wakely, those 20 scoreless minutes marked the beginning of an impressive stretch. Over his next nine starts, he recorded three shutouts and held opponents to a single goal on three other occasions. His relief appearance against the Bruins was a fitting introduction to a run in which opposing shooters frequently struggled to beat him.

Wakely delivered another scoreless third period in relief of Hall on January 6, 1971, stopping all five shots he faced against the California Golden Seals. That appearance came under very different circumstances: Hall had surrendered six goals on 28 shots through two periods, and St. Louis lost 6-3. The November performance in Boston remained the standout, a shared shutout against a team that scored in every other regular-season game.

The Franchise: St. Louis Blues (A Curated History of the Blues)

A curated history celebrating the St. Louis Blues — their iconic players, historic moments, and lasting impact on hockey culture.

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How Johnny Bower Stole Boston’s Christmas in 1966

On December 24, 1966, Maple Leaf Gardens played host to a special kind of Christmas story, one written by the legendary Johnny Bower between the pipes. Just ten days earlier, Bower had stymied the Boston Bruins with a 30-save performance in a 2-1 Toronto win. But on Christmas Eve, he was downright Scrooge-like, turning aside all 29 shots in a 3-0 shutout victory.

While Gerry Cheevers was nearly as sharp for Boston, stopping 27 of 30, the Leafs finally broke through midway through the second period when George Armstrong scored with help from Larry Hillman. Pete Stemkowski and John Brenneman added insurance tallies to seal the win for Toronto.

The NHL schedule showed little holiday spirit that year, the teams met again the very next day at Boston Garden. And once again, the “China Wall” was unbreakable. Bower stopped 35 of 37 shots in a 4-2 win, completing a remarkable back-to-back holiday sweep.

Jim Pappin scored twice for the Leafs, including the game winner, while Red Kelly chipped in a goal and two assists. The Bruins’ lone bright spots came from John McKenzie and J.P. Parise, who managed to sneak a pair past Bower. But for the most part, Christmas belonged to the old master in blue and white, Johnny Bower.

About Johnny Bower

Between 1953-54 and 1969-70, Johnny Bower played 552 regular season and 74 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. The four-time Stanley Cup champion won the Vezina Trophy twice and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Johnny Bower

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

1. Before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Johnny Bower played parts of 11 NHL seasons with which team?
   A) Chicago Blackhawks
   B) New York Rangers
   C) Detroit Red Wings
   D) Montreal Canadiens
   


2. Johnny Bower won his first Vezina Trophy in which NHL season?
   A) 1957–58
   B) 1960–61
   C) 1964–65
   D) 1966–67
   


3. Bower shared goaltending duties with which other Leafs legend during Toronto’s 1967 Stanley Cup win?
   A) Bruce Gamble
   B) Terry Sawchuk
   C) Ed Chadwick
   D) Cesare Maniago
   


4. Known as “The China Wall,” Johnny Bower was famous for his fearless style and for perfecting which now-rare goaltending move?
   A) Butterfly save
   B) Poke check
   C) Stack the pads
   D) Two-pad slide
   


5. In what year was Johnny Bower inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?
   A) 1973
   B) 1976
   C) 1979
   D) 1982
   

Tony Esposito’s First Shutout with Chicago Comes Against Canadiens

When the Chicago Blackhawks acquired Tony Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens in the 1969 off-season, few could’ve predicted just how quickly he’d begin carving out a legendary career. But on October 25, 1969, the hockey world got its first real glimpse of “Tony-O” in top form and it happened in poetic fashion.

After a rough start to the season, Chicago had gone 0-5-1 in its first six games, Esposito had already suffered losses to St. Louis and Detroit. But the tides shifted in Montreal, where Esposito had once made his NHL debut. Playing against the team that let him go, he shut the door, literally.

Esposito turned aside all 30 shots he faced at the Montreal Forum to earn his first NHL shutout as a member of the Blackhawks. It marked his second career NHL shutout overall, but his first in Chicago colors. At the other end, Canadiens netminder Rogie Vachon gave up five goals on just 20 shots in a 5-0 Chicago victory.

Lou Angotti got things rolling early, scoring the game-winner just over four minutes into the first period with help from Eric Nesterenko and Pat Stapleton. Nesterenko and Dennis Hull also tallied goals and assists in the statement win.

Adding to the historical flavor of the night, rookies Keith Magnuson and Marc Tardif dropped the gloves in the third period. The bout marked the first NHL fight for both players.

Esposito’s shutout was the first of 15 that season, a staggering total that helped earn him the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. It also marked the beginning of one of the greatest goaltending careers in league history.

Tony Esposito's 15 Shutouts In 1969-70

Being that it was just the third season of the post Original 6 era, you might think that this is a watered down record due to weak expansion teams. However, eight of the 15 shutouts for Esposito in 1969-70 came against Original 6 teams. Two were against the Boston Bruins, powered offensively by his brother Phil Esposito. He also had a pair of blanks each against the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The highest scoring was a 9-0 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tony made 23 saves in that one while also assisting on the game winning goal by Lou Angotti. The most saves in a one of his shutouts was 36 in a 1-0 win over the Bruins. His other blank against the Bruins was a 0-0 tie with Ed Johnston also not allowing a goal.