Anders Hedberg’s 4-Goal Night Powers Wild Rangers Comeback

The Detroit Red Wings of the 1970s and early 1980s had an unfortunate knack for finding ways to lose games that appeared to be theirs. On October 26, 1980, at Madison Square Garden, that tendency was on full display. Detroit held a 6-5 lead with just 1:14 remaining, only to watch Anders Hedberg take over and lead the New York Rangers to a stunning 7-6 victory.

---

Highlights

• October 26, 1980 at Madison Square Garden

• New York Rangers defeated Detroit 7-6

• Anders Hedberg recorded 4 goals and 2 assists

• Detroit led 6-5 with only 1:14 remaining

• Hedberg tied the game at 18:46 of the third

• He scored the winner just 33 seconds later

• Reed Larson and Mike Blaisdell scored seven seconds apart for Detroit

• Hedberg led all players with 7 shots on goal

---

Hedberg opened the scoring just 4:50 into the first period, beating Detroit goaltender Gilles Gilbert on the power play for his third goal of the season. Ulf Nilsson and Rangers goalie John Davidson picked up the assists. Later in the period, Hedberg added an assist on a Steve Vickers goal as New York and Detroit settled into what would become a high-scoring battle.

The second period featured a remarkable burst from the Red Wings. Reed Larson and Mike Blaisdell scored just seven seconds apart, nearly matching a Detroit franchise record. The Rangers battled back, however, with Mike Allison scoring with an assist from Hedberg before Hedberg added another goal of his own. By the end of the second, the teams were deadlocked at 4-4.

Detroit struck quickly again to open the third. George Lyle scored just 58 seconds into the period, and Mike Foligno followed only 55 seconds later to give the Red Wings a 6-4 advantage. Ron Greschner cut the lead to one at 11:45, but as the clock wound down, it appeared Detroit was finally going to escape Madison Square Garden with a 6-5 victory.

Then Hedberg took over. With just 1:14 remaining, he scored the tying goal with assists from Phil Esposito and Tom Laidlaw. Only 33 seconds later, Hedberg struck again, this time unassisted, completing the Rangers' remarkable comeback and giving New York a 7-6 lead. In the span of 33 seconds, Detroit went from being on the verge of victory to trailing for good.

Hedberg finished the night with four goals and two assists for six points, while leading all skaters with seven of New York's 37 shots on Gilles Gilbert. At the other end, John Davidson allowed six goals on 30 shots but still walked away with the victory. It was a wild night at Madison Square Garden and one of the biggest offensive performances of Hedberg's NHL career.

Tales from the New York Rangers Locker Room

A collection of the greatest Rangers stories ever told — insider tales featuring legends past and present.

Buy on Amazon

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

1974-75 WHA Goal Scoring Leaders

In the short-lived seven year history of the World Hockey Association, 1974-75 was one of the more significant as far as individual performances go. Bobby Hull of the Winnipeg Jets scored 77 goals, the most any player would score in a single WHA season.

Bobby Hull – Winnipeg Jets

Hull, a five time 50 goal scorer in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Blackhawks, once owned the NHL record for a short time with the 58 goals he scored in 1968-69. He played in each of the seven WHA seasons, all with the Jets. In his first four years in the league, he surpassed the 50 goal plateau. He scored 303 goals over his WHA career and 610 in the NHL. Including playoff goals, Bobby scored over 1,000 goals during his professional hockey career.

Wayne Rivers – San Diego Mariners

Wayne Rivers of the San Diego Mariners finished second with 54 goals, 23 less than Bobby Hull. This proved to be the pinnacle of his professional hockey career that lasted from 1961-62 to 1978-79. Rivers played five years in the WHA, scoring 158 goals in 357 regular season games. Between 1961-62 and 1968-69, Rivers played 108 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, scoring just 15 goals.

Serge Bernier – Quebec Nordiques

Serge Bernier of the Quebec Nordiques also finished the 1974-75 season with 54 goals and actually should get the tie-breaker nod over Rivers because he played two less games. Serge was in his second of six years in the WHA, all with Quebec. He made the jump back to the NHL with the Nordiques in 1979-80 but his career was over after the following season.

Bernier was the fifth overall pick at the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft, taken from the Sorel Eperviers and going to the Philadelphia Flyers. He was the only player of the first fifteen picked in that draft to play in the NHL. Before jumping to the WHA for the 1973-74 season, Serge played for the Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. In total, he played 302 regular season games in the NHL, scoring just 78 goals while appearing in 417 in the WHA and scoring 230.

Anders Hedberg – Winnipeg Jets

Anders Hedberg of the Winnipeg Jets played his first of four seasons in the World Hockey Association in 1974-75. He finished fourth with 53 goals in just 65 games. As a bit of hockey trivia, Hedberg followed Mark Howe as only the second of five recipients of the Lou Kaplan Trophy as WHA rookie of the year. Hedberg scored more than 50 and totalled more than 100 points in each of his four years in the WHA. He topped out in 1976-77 with 70 goals and 131 points while only playing 68 games.

Hedberg moved to the National Hockey League in 1978-79, a year before the demise of the WHA. He signed with the New York Rangers and played with the club until retirement after the 1984-85 season. He played a total of 286 regular season games in the WHA and scored 236 goals. In 465 NHL regular season games, his goal total was a much lower and still respectable 172.

Tom Simpson – Toronto Toros

Finishing fifth with 52 goals was Tom Simpson of the Toronto Toros. Simpson was in his third of five years in the WHA. Tom was drafted in the sixth round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft by the St. Louis Blues but chose to jump from the Oshawa Generals directly to the WHA for the inaugural 1972-73 season. Simpson began with the Ottawa Nationals and continued with the franchise as it moved to Toronto then on to Birmingham, Alabama where they became the Birmingham Bulls. He also played 15 games with the Edmonton Oilers in his final season.