Trottier’s Two-Goal Night Sinks Kings On February 14, 1978

On February 14, 1978, the New York Islanders hosted the Los Angeles Kings for a Valentine’s Day showdown and there was no love shown by Bryan Trottier.

The Kings struck first. Dave Taylor opened the scoring early in the first period, beating goaltender Glenn Resch with assists from Gary Sargent and Randy Manery. The Islanders didn’t wait long to answer.

Less than two minutes later, Bryan Trottier tied the game with his 36th goal of the 1977-78 NHL season. He beat Rogie Vachon with helpers credited to Jude Drouin and Clark Gillies, setting the tone for what would become a memorable night for the Islanders’ star center.

The second period saw L.A. regain the lead thanks to Butch Goring, sending the Kings into the intermission up 2-1. But the third period belonged to the Islanders. Just 1:18 into the final frame, Denis Potvin fired home his 20th of the season to even the score at 2-2. Trottier picked up the primary assist, with Bill Harris drawing the secondary helper.

Midway through the period, with Kings forward Mike Murphy serving a tripping penalty, Trottier delivered the dagger. At 10:50, he scored his second of the night, his 37th of the season, on the power play. Potvin and Stefan Persson assisted on what stood as the game-winner in a 3-2 Islanders victory.

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Trottier’s Monster Season

The Valentine’s Day heroics were just part of a remarkable campaign. Trottier finished 1977-78 with:

• 46 goals

• 77 assists

• 123 points

• 6 game-winning goals

He finished runner-up to Guy Lafleur for the Hart Trophy that season, an award Trottier would capture the following year.

All Roads Home: A Life On and Off the Ice

The autobiography of Bryan Trottier — his journey through hockey greatness and life beyond the rink.

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Bryan Trottier’s Historic 8-Point Night Against Rangers in 1978

The New York Islanders were already a powerhouse in the 1978-79 season, dropping only four games by the time they hosted the rival New York Rangers on December 23, 1978. On that night, Bryan Trottier gave Islanders fans an unforgettable early Christmas gift with one of the greatest single-game performances in franchise and NHL history.

Trottier recorded eight points on five goals and three assists, breaking his own Islanders record of five points in a game, set just a year earlier in 1977. His six points in the second period alone still stand as an NHL record for most points in a single period, later tied by Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers decades later.

The scoring started modestly, with Trottier netting one in the first period before the game stood tied 1-1. Then came the Islanders’ second-period explosion. New York’s goalie Wayne Thomas was overwhelmed as Trottier scored three goals in the frame and set up Mike Bossy twice and Garry Howatt once. By the end of the period, the Isles had buried seven goals, with Trottier firmly in the spotlight.

Trottier capped off his incredible night with his fifth goal early in the third period. While the Rangers clawed back with a pair of late goals, the Islanders skated off with a 9-4 victory. Bossy chipped in five points of his own, and Garry Howatt completed the Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, an assist, and a third-period fight. For the Rangers, Ron Greschner did his best to keep things respectable, scoring twice in the loss.

About Bryan Trottier

Bryan Trottier played 1,279 regular season and 221 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1975-76 and 1993-94 with the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won six Stanley Cup championships, four with New York and two with Pittsburgh.

Trottier was the Calder Trophy winner in 1975-76 as NHL rookie of the year. Other accolades include an Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy. Bryan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Bryan Trottier

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

1. Bryan Trottier won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in which season?

A) 1973-74
B) 1974-75
C) 1975-76
D) 1976-77

2. How many Stanley Cups did Bryan Trottier win during his playing career?

A) 4
B) 6
C) 7
D) 8

3. Trottier won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in which season?

A) 1977-78
B) 1978-79
C) 1979-80
D) 1980-81

4. Which superstar winger formed a legendary scoring duo with Trottier on the Islanders?

A) Mike Bossy
B) Clark Gillies
C) Pat LaFontaine
D) Denis Potvin

5. How many career NHL regular season points did Trottier finish with?

A) 1,280
B) 1,425
C) 1,565
D) 1,704

NHL Hockey Trivia: New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a National Hockey League that began play in 1972-73 along with their expansion partners, the Atlanta Flames. The Islanders reached their pinnacle less than a decade later when they ruled the NHL with four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. Since, the organization has fallen into disarray but a move to Brooklyn may change the fortunes of the franchise.

Test and expand your knowledge of the NHL’s New York Islanders with these four hockey trivia questions.

Q. Which player is the New York Islanders all-time leader in regular season points?

A. Bryan Trottier contributed 1,353 points over his fifteen seasons in an Islanders jersey. Trottier was an essential part of the formula during the Stanley Cup streak of the 1980’s. Mike Bossy comes in second with 1,126 points. However, Bossy played just 752 games for the Islanders, compared to 1,123 for Trottier. Denis Potvin is the only other player in NYI history to top 1,000 points with 1,052 over 1,060 games.

Q. Who was the first team captain of the New York Islanders?

A. Ed Westfall was taken away from the Boston Bruins in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft. Westfall had played eleven seasons with the Bruins before coming to New York. He served as captain until the end of the 1976-77 season. At the point, the ‘C’ was transferred to Clark Gillies. Westfall remained with the team for two more seasons and retired after the 1978-79 season, missing the New York’s first Stanley Cup victory by one year.

Q. What New York Islander holds the team record for the most goals in a single regular season?

A. Mike Bossy scored 69 goals in 1978-79. Bossy surpassed the 60 goal plateau on five occasions and scored less than 50 in only one season during his career, his last. Bossy is one of just four players in Islanders history to top the 50 goal plateau. Bryan Trottier scored 50 in 1981-82, Pat Lafontaine scored 54 in 1989-90 and Pierre Turgeon netted 58 in 1992-93.

Q. The number 9 is retired by the New York Islanders in honour of what player?

A. Clark Gillies was the fifth of six players to have their number retired by the Islanders.  Clark was a fourth overall pick of the Islanders at the 1974 NHL Entry Draft. Gillies played twelve seasons with the Islanders and two additional seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before retiring.

As metioned, he took over the captaincy of the Islanders from Ed Westfall for the 1977-78 season. That responsibility was transferred to Denis Potvin two years later. Gillies sits fourth all-time for the Islanders in goals, assists and points behind Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin. Clark was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Darryl Sittler

Darryl Sittler is one of the greatest legends in the history of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Sittler is a Hockey Hall of Fame member that has certainly left his mark on the game. His record of ten points in a single game that was set in 1976 against the Boston Bruins still stands today. Test and expand your hockey knowledge with the following four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. When Darryl Sittler was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Detroit Red Wings for the start of the 1984-85 season, what player, who would play over 1,000 career NHL games, went in the other direction?

A. Sittler was traded to Detroit for an unproven youngster named Murray Craven. Philadelphia got the best of the deal with Sittler playing just 61 games with Detroit before retiring. Craven played 1,071 regular season NHL games with the Red Wings, Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.

Joe Paterson also went to the Flyers in the deal. Joe played just six games for Philadelphia in 1984-85 and five more with the club in 1985-86 before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Paterson, who played his junior hockey for the same OHL team as Sittler, appeared in 291 NHL regular season games between 1980-81 and 1988-89 with the Red Wings, Flyers, Kings and New York Rangers.

Captain: My Life and Career

The memoir from Darryl Sittler — available on Amazon.

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Q. In 1977-78, Darryl Sittler finished third in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 117 points. Who finished first in the NHL that season?

A. Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens won the Art Ross Trophy with 132 points. Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders took second spot with 123 points. The three were the only ones to surpass the 100 point plateau that season.

It was the second and last time Darryl would reach the 100 point plateau. He totalled exactly 100 in 1975-76 over 79 games with the Maple Leafs. The 100 points placed him ninth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.

Q. With what OHA team did Darryl Sittler record 99 points for in 1968-69?

A. Darryl was a member of the London Knights for three years from 1967-68 to 1969-70. 99 points was his highest single season total in the junior league and was accomplished over 53 games on 34 goals and 65 assists. He finished third in the OHA that season behind only Rejean Houle of the Montreal Junior Canadiens and Marcel Dionne of the St. Catherines Black Hawks.

In his third and final year with London, Sittler scored 42 and assisted on 48 for 90 points over 54 regular season games. He was the team’s leader by far with 24 more points than Dan Maloney. He tied Bobby Lalonde of the Montreal Junior Canadiens for sixth in goal scoring. Darryl was also tied for seventh in assists and held the sixth spot for total points.

Q. In what year was Darryl Sittler inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

A. Sittler entered the Hall of Fame in 1989. The only other two players to be inducted that season were Herbie Lewis, a member of the Detroit Cougars / Falcons / Red Wings in the late 1920’s and 1930’s and Vladislav Tretiak, the great Russian goaltender.