The 1967-68 NHL season featured its share of high-scoring games, but most of them came against the league’s brand new expansion clubs. On December 17, 1967, however, two Original Six rivals combined for 14 goals in a wild showdown at Detroit Olympia. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Montreal Canadiens 8-6 in a game highlighted by hat tricks from both Norm Ullman and Jean Beliveau.
Highlights:
Norm Ullman recorded a hat trick for Detroit
Jean Beliveau answered with a hat trick of his own
The Red Wings defeated the Canadiens 8-6 at Detroit Olympia
Gordie Howe scored just 34 seconds after Montreal opened the scoring
Henri Richard scored twice for Montreal in the high-scoring affair
Montreal scored two goals eight seconds apart in the second period
Gary Marsh scored the game-winning goal, the only NHL goal of his career
The game featured 14 total goals between two Original Six rivals
Montreal opened the scoring on a power play at 6:10 of the first period when Henri Richard converted a setup from Beliveau and Dick Duff. Detroit answered almost immediately, with Gordie Howe tying the game just 34 seconds later. Late in the opening period, Ullman scored his first of the night to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead heading into intermission.
Beliveau struck only 52 seconds into the second period to even the score again, but Ullman took over from there. The Detroit center scored twice more in the middle frame to complete his hat trick and put the Wings ahead 4-2. Montreal refused to go away, though, as Beliveau and Henri Richard scored eight seconds apart before the period ended to tie the game once more.
The offensive fireworks continued in the third. Gary Jarrett scored early for Detroit, prompting Montreal to pull veteran goalie Gump Worsley in favor of Rogie Vachon. The move did little to slow the Red Wings attack, as Detroit added three more goals in the period. Beliveau completed his own hat trick at 8:18 of the third, but the Canadiens could not keep pace in the 8-6 defeat.
The most unlikely hero of the night ended up being Gary Marsh. The little-known Red Wings forward scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, the only NHL goal of his career. Marsh appeared in just six games for Detroit that season and one more for the Toronto Maple Leafs the following year, finishing with a seven-game NHL career and a permanent place in one of hockey’s wildest Original Six games.
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