Ron Francis Torches His Cousin Mike Liut in Their First NHL Matchup

Ron Francis began the 1981-82 season playing junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. Just 25 games in, he was called up to the NHL by the Hartford Whalers and quickly made an impact, producing better than a point per game over 59 contests that season. In just his 11th game with Hartford, Francis faced off against the St. Louis Blues and his second cousin, goaltender Mike Liut, for the first time in the NHL.

The matchup took place on December 9,1981, at the Hartford Civic Center, and it was a rough night for Liut and the Blues. Francis assisted on a Blaine Stoughton goal at 8:02 of the second period, which would stand as the game-winner in a dominant 5-1 victory. Later that period, Francis added two power-play goals of his own to stretch the Whalers' lead to 4-0.

He capped off his four-point night with another assist on Stoughton's second goal of the game and 20th of the season at 15:53 of the third period. Liut made 35 saves on 40 shots, including six from Stoughton and four from Francis himself. At the other end, GregMillen stopped 33 of 34 shots to earn the win for Hartford.

The cousins would eventually become teammates. On February 21, 1985, the Whalers acquired Liut and Jorgen Pettersson from St. Louis in exchange for Millen and Mark Johnson. Liut remained in Hartford until late in the 1989-90 season, when he was dealt to the Washington Capitals for Yvon Corriveau. Francis stayed with the Whalers until near the end of the 1990-91 season, when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

NHL Hockey Card Greats: Mike Liut [Video]

1979-80 NHL Goal Scoring Log Jam

1979-80 was the first year of the WHA expansion in the National Hockey League. When the World Hockey Association ceased operations after the 1978-79 season, the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques joined the NHL with depleted rosters.

It was the first year since Phil Esposito scored 55 goals in 1972-73 that the league leader finished the season with less than 60. It also marked the only time in NHL history that three players tied for the goal scoring lead, all with 56.

Charlie Simmer – Los Angeles Kings

Today, the Rocket Richard Trophy is awarded to the player in the NHL with the most goals during the regular season. Previous to 1998-99, the goal scoring leader was not honoured with any hardware. In 1979-80, the Rocket Richard Trophy would have went to Charlie Simmer of the Los Angeles Kings. Although there were three tied atop the NHL, Simmer scored his 56 in just 64 games.

Playing on the Triple Crown Line with the great MarcelDionne and Dave Taylor helped Simmer reach the same goal total in the following season. These were the only two 50 goal seasons in Simmer’s injury hampered career. Between 1974-75 and 1987-88 played just 712 of a possible 1,200 regular season games and scored 342 goals. Simmer was originally drafted by the California Seals. Although with the Seals and Kings, Charlie also played for the Cleveland Barons, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins during his career.

 

Danny Gare – Buffalo Sabres

Danny Gare of the Buffalo Sabres scored his 56 goals in 76 games. It was the second of two times that Gare would reach the 50 goal plateau over his 13 year NHL career, scoring exactly 50 for the Sabres in 1975-76. Danny finished his career with 354 goals in 827 regular season games. He was a second round pick of the Sabres in 1974 and also played for the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.

Blaine Stoughton – Hartford Whalers

Blaine Stoughton played the full 80 schedule for the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80. It was his first of two 50 goal seasons, scoring 52 for the Whalers in 1981-82. Stoughton was originally the seventh overall pick at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played just 34 of 526 NHL games with the Penguins.

Blaine played major league pro hockey from 1973-74 to 1983-84. In the NHL, he played for the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Whaler and New York Rangers. Stoughton had a three year stint in the WHA from 1976-77 to 1978-79, playing for the Cincinnati Stingers, Indianapolis Racers and New England Whalers. Blaine scored 52 goals for the Stingers in his first year in the World Hockey Association.

Hockey Trivia: Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black Hawks

Perhaps the greatest goal scorer in the history of the National Hockey League, Bobby Hull, along with Stan Mikita, wowed them in Chicago throughout the 1960’s. There were two distinctive parts to the Golden Jet’s professional hockey career:  The National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association. As an indicator of his success and popularity, the Bobby Hull rookie card from the 1958-59 Topps series is worth a whopping $3000.

This article deals with Bobby Hull’s career in the National Hockey League. Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of Bobby Hull’s NHL accomplishments with these four trivia questions.

Q. Despite having eleven more total points in his rookie season, who did Bobby Hull finish second to in the 1957-58 Calder Memorial Trophy voting?

A. Frank Mahovlich of the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Calder in 1958. Ironically, both players were still in their teens and straight out of junior. Typically, back in the day, a player spent several years in the minor pro leagues before behind brought up to take one of the scarce NHL jobs.

With the Black Hawks in that first year, at the age of just 18, Hull scored 13 goals and assisted on 34 for 47 points while playing the full 70 game schedule. Mahovlich, a year older than Hull, totalled 36 points on 20 goals and 16 assists over 67 games for the Maple Leafs.

Q. Bobby Hull was a five time 50+ goal scorer in the National Hockey League. In which year did Bobby score his NHL career high 58 goals?

A. 1968-69 saw Hull create a new NHL goal scoring record. Bobby’s 58 goals would stand as a record for just two seasons before Phil Esposito shattered the mark in 1970-71 with 76. Hull was on pace for 58 in 1965-66 but missed five games and scored just 54.

His last 50 goal season in the NHL came in 1971-72 when he scored exactly 50 for the Blackhawks. In the WHA, Bobby exploded for 77 goals over 78 games with the Winnipeg Jets in 1974-75.

Q. From 1957-58 until the end of 1971-72, Hull played exclusively with the Chicago Black Hawks. Which two teams did he play for in his final NHL season?

A. After the WHA merged with the NHL for the 1979-80 season, Hull followed the Winnipeg Jets as they switched leagues. After 18 games with the Jets, Bobby jumped ship to the Hartford Whalers where he played another nine games before retiring.

Q. Better known for his offensive abilities, in what year was Bobby Hull awarded for his gentlemanly play with the Lady Byng Trophy?

A. Hull won the Byng in 1964-65 while sitting 32 minutes in the penalty box over 61 regular season games. He was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy that same year as the NHL’s most valuable player.

In a five year stretch from 1963-64 to 1967-68, Chicago dominated the Lady Byng. Ken Wharram won the trophy the year before Hull. Stan Mikita went from king of the sin bin early in his NHL career to a two time winner of the Lady Byng in 1966-67 and 1967-68.

Hartford Whalers in the Hockey Hall of Fame

I can hear Hartford Whalers fans crying foul at the title of this article, already. Indeed, there were six Hockey Hall of Fame members that skated for the Whalers but two didn’t stay long enough to work in their blades.

Bobby Hull, inducted in 1983, played nine games for the Whalers in 1979-80, the last nine games of his NHL career. Paul Coffey began the 1996-97 season with Hartford but was shipped to the Philadelphia Flyers after just 20 games. Then there’s Emile Francis who is in the Hall as a builder. Francis was General Manager of the Whalers from 1983 to 1989.

Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe entered the Hall five years before playing his first game with the WHA’s New England Whalers. In a strange twist of fate, Howe retired after the 1970-71 season and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972. He was coaxed back into professional hockey by the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association so that he could play with his sons, Mark and Marty, for the 1973-74 season. After four years in Houston, the Howe family moved to New England for the last two years of the WHA’s existence. Gordie played one full season with the NHL’s Hartford Whalers in 1979-80 before retiring for good.

Dave Keon

Dave Keon played with the WHA Whalers for three seasons and the NHL Whalers for three more. After a long NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Keon jumped ship to the WHA for the 1975-76 season. He played with the Minnesota Fighting Saints and Indianapolis Racers before joining New England. Dave Keon is the only player in history to win the Lady Byng Trophy in the NHL and the Paul Deneau Trophy in the WHA. Both awards honour the most gentlemanly player. Keon won two of each. After Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe retired from the Whalers after 1979-80, Keon became the oldest active player in the NHL.

Ron Francis

Ron Francis was the fourth overall pick at the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, taken by the Hartford Whalers. Francis spent the better part of ten seasons with the Whalers from 1981-82 to 1990-91. After a stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins that put his name on the Stanley Cup twice, Francis made a homecoming of sorts, returning to the Carolina Hurricanes, the team formerly known as the Hartford Whalers. Like Keon, Francis was a gentleman, winning the Lady Byng on three occasions. Ron was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.

Mark Howe

The WHA career of Mark Howe mimicked his father’s. He began in Houston and ended up in New England. Howe played three years with the NHL Whalers before moving on to the Philadelphia Flyers. Mark’s NHL career came to an end after the 1994-95 season with the Detroit Red Wings. Howe is a member of the most recent Hall of Fame class, inducted in 2011.