Marcel Dionne Becomes First King to Score 50 Goals in a Season

Marcel Dionne was already on fire heading into the final stretch of the 1976-77 NHL season. Just days earlier, he delivered a two-goal, three-point performance in a 7-5 win over the Colorado Rockies, his 47th and 48th goals of the year.

Dionne Reaches 50 Against The North Stars

Then came April 2, 1977, a historic night for the Los Angeles Kings and a career-defining moment for Dionne. Hosting the Minnesota North Stars in their final home game of the season, Dionne etched his name into franchise history.

He netted the only two goals of the second period, his 49th and 50th of the season, just 1:57 apart. With that, Dionne became the first player in Kings history to reach the coveted 50-goal mark, a milestone not seen in the team’s first ten years of existence. But he wasn’t finished.

Dionne completed the hat trick with his 51st goal at 5:38 of the third period and also recorded assists on first-period tallies by Glenn Goldup and Vic Venasky, finishing the night with five points and eight shots on goal. Pete LoPresti allowed goals 49 and 50, while Gary Smith gave up Dionne’s third in relief during the third period.

Setting The Mark At 53

In the final game of the season in Denver, Dionne added two more goals, numbers 52 and 53 against the Colorado Rockies. While Dionne closed his season with a bang, it was Butch Goring who led the finale with a hat trick and an assist.

Dionne’s 53-goal campaign stood as a Kings franchise record until he broke it himself with 59 goals in the 1978-79 season. That record was later surpassed by Bernie Nicholls, who scored 70 goals in the 1988-89 season, helped in part by the legendary Wayne Gretzky.

About Marcel Dionne

Marcel Dionne could score goals. He finished his NHL career with 731, placing him sixth all-time, ten behind Brett Hull and 24 ahead of Phil Esposito. From his first season with the Detroit Red Wings in 1971-72 until his last full season with the New York Rangers in 1987-88, Marcel scored no less than 24 goals in a single campaign. He reached the 50 goal plateau six times.

Between 1971-72 and 1988-89, Dionne played 1,348 regular season and 49 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. The second overall pick behind Guy Lafleur at the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft won the Art Ross Trophy in 1979-80. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Los Angeles Kings Retired Numbers

The Los Angeles Kings were one of the six new franchises that began play in the 1967-68 NHL season, doubling the size of the league. The Kings went four decades without a Stanley Cup championship but have made up for it with two victories in the last handful of years.

Los Angeles has been home to a number of great hockey players over the past four plus decades. Here’s your chance to test and broaden your hockey knowledge with four trivia questions regarding numbers that have been retired by the Kings.

Q. In 1985, who was the first player to have their number retired by the Los Angeles Kings?

A. Goaltender Rogatien Vachon’s number 30 was the first to be raised to the rafters at the Forum in Los Angeles. Vachon played seven of his sixteen NHL season with the Kings from 1971-72 to 1977-78. Rogie’s NHL career started with the Montreal Canadiens in 1966-67. In just his second season, 1967-68, he shared the Vezina Trophy with Gump Worsley.

Following his stint with the Kings, Vachon played four more years in the National Hockey League, two with the Detroit Red Wings and two with the Boston Bruins. A major injustice, Rogatien Vachon still remains on the outside of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Q. The number 16 was retired by the Los Angeles Kings in honour of what Hockey Hall of Fame player?

A. Marcel Dionne played twelve seasons with the Kings from 1975-76 to 1986-87. Six times, Dionne surpassed the 50 goal plateau and seven times topped 100 points as a member of the Kings. His number was retired by the Kings in 1990 and Marcel was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

Dionne’s NHL career started in 1971-72 with the Detroit Red Wings after the Wings selected him second overall at the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, behind Guy Lafleur who went to the Montreal Canadiens. After four years with the Wings, Dionne was shipped to the Kings. In his last year in Detroit, Marcel scored 47 and totalled 121 points.

Marcel finished out his NHL career with the New York Rangers after a trade sent him across the continent during the 1986-87 season. He played his last games during 1988-89.

Q. Who is the number 18 retired by the Los Angeles Kings for?

A. Dave Taylor played seventeen seasons with the Kings from 1977-78 to 1993-94. It was the only NHL team he played for during his career. In his early days he was featured on the Triple Crown Line with Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer. Taylor’s number was retired in 1995.

Q. What ‘lucky’ fellow has his number 20 retired by the Los Angeles Kings?

A. ‘Lucky’ Luc Robitaille is a Hockey Hall of Fame member who played a total of fourteen seasons with the Kings over three different periods. Robitaille surpassed the 50 goals plateau three times and topped 100 points on four occasions with the team. His highlight season was 1992-93 when he scored 63 goals and totalled 125 points while leading the Kings to the one and only visit to the Stanley Cup finals.

Luc’s number is the last to be retired by the Kings, raised to the roof in 2007. Two years later, in 2009, Robitaille was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Along with the Kings, he also played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings over a NHL career that spanned from 1986-87 to 2005-06.

 

New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Playoff History

The New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings will meet in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in NHL history. The Rangers entered the National Hockey League for the 1926-27 season and are four time Stanley Cup winners. The last time the Rangers won the championship was 1993-94. The Kings entered the NHL in 1967-68 and are one time winners of the Stanley Cup, last winning in 2011-12.

Not only have New York and Los Angeles not met in the Stanley Cup finals prior to 2013-14, the two have rarely met at all in the post season. In fact, the teams have played off against each other on just two occasions. Both times, it was in a preliminary round series. Both times, the Rangers were victorious.

Rangers vs. Kings 1978-79

New York and Los Angeles met in the preliminary round of the 1978-79 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Rangers sweeping the series in two games. New York easily won the first game 7-1 at Madison Square Garden while the second game was decide in overtime at The Forum in Los Angeles with the Rangers coming out on top 2-1.

Despite the offensive threat that the Triple Crown Line provided, the Kings only had goals from Charlie Simmer and Syl Apps on the series. Marcel Dionne was silenced after an outstanding regular season. Dionne’s 59 goals placed him second in the NHL behind Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders. His 71 assists placed him third behind Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders and Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens. Marcel was second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 130 points, four behind Bryan Trottier.

New York was led by Anders Hedberg, Phil Esposito and Pat Hickey during the regular season and it was Esposito that led the club with 20 points through the playoffs. New York went on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the quarter-finals and the New York Islanders in the semi-finals to earn a showdown with the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals. Montreal came out on top in five games.

During the regular season, the Fred Shero coached Rangers placed third in the Patrick Division with 91 points. The Bob Berry coached Kings finished third in the Norris Division with 80 points.

Rangers vs. Kings 1980-81

Two years later, Los Angeles and New York met again in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This time, the series was a best of five affair. This time, it was the Rangers winning again with the series decided in four games. New York won game one by a score of 3-1, game three by a whopping 10-3 score and the deciding fourth game by a 6-3 count. The Kings won game two 5-4. On the series, New York outscored the Kings 22-8.

Through the 1980-81 playoffs, the Rangers were led by Ron Duguay, Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg. It had been Hedberg, Ed Johnstone and Ron Greschner that led the club offensively through the regular season. Playing the bulk of the playoffs in net was the forgettable Steve Baker. New York went on to the beat the St. Louis Blues in the second round before being swept by the Islanders in the semi-finals. The Rangers would muster just eight goals against their cross-town rivals.

The series was certainly a disappointment for the Kings with the Triple Crown Line at their pinnacle. During the regular season, Marcel Dionne scored 58 and assisted on 77 for 135 points, Dave Taylor scored 47 and assisted on 65 for 112 points and Charlie Simmer scored 56 and assisted on 49 for 105 points. Dionne once again finished second in the NHL for goals behind Mike Bossy. He also once again finished third for assists, this time behind Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers and Kent Nilsson of the Calgary Flames. His 135 points was second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy behind Gretzky’s 164.

Bob Berry was still the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings. However, Fred Shero was replaced midseason behind the New York bench by Craig Patrick. Phil Esposito was still with the Rangers but now behind the bench as an assistant coach. During the regular season, Los Angeles finished second in the Norris Division with 99 points while the Rangers placed fourth in the Patrick Division with just 74 points.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Guy Lafleur

Guy Lafleur was a huge part of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty during the 1970’s in the National Hockey League. He played with the Canadiens from 1971-72 until 1984-85. He came out of retirement and played three more seasons from 1988-89 to 1990-91.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of Guy Lafleur with the following four trivia questions.

Q. How many times did Guy Lafleur win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading point-getter?

A. Lafleur won the Art Ross three times consecutively, 1975-76, 1976-77 and 1977-78. His point totals in those seasons were 125, 136 and 132 respectively. This was right in the middle of a six year stretch of 100+ point season for Guy that spanned from 1974-75 to 1979-80.

In 1975-76, Lafleur finished with a six point edge over Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers. That year, he neither led the league in goals or assists. The following year, Guy’s cushion over second place increased to 14 points, this time finishing ahead of Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings. He once again did not lead the NHL in goals but did lead in assists. In 1977-78, Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders was second best, nine points behind. Lafleur led the National Hockey League in goals with 60.

Q. Guy Lafleur finished his NHL career off playing for what team?

A. When Lafleur made his three year comeback from 1988-89 to 1990-91, he played his first year with the New York Rangers and his final two with the Quebec Nordiques. In the two seasons in Quebec, Lafleur managed just 39 and 59 games with twelve goals in each season.

Q. When Guy Lafleur was taken first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, who was second overall?

A. Always a rival of Lafleur’s in the scoring race, Marcel Dionne was selected second overall in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. Lafleur came out of the QMJHL where he played for the Quebec Remparts. Dionne was a Quebec born hockey dissident, playing in the OHA for the St. Catherines Black Hawks. When Guy won his three Art Ross Trophies, Marcel Dionne was never very far behind. The bulk of Dionne’s success came while playing for the Los Angeles Kings. The two played together for the Rangers in 1988-89.

Q. What was the highest single regular season goal total during Guy Lafleur’s NHL career?

A. He scored 103 and 130 goals in his final two seasons with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Guy Lafleur’s NHL single season best was not nearly as high as those totals but still quite respectable. Lafleur scored 60 goals in 1977-78. At the time, Guy was just the fourth player in NHL history to reach 60 goals in a single season. He was the second Montreal Canadien to reach the plateau with Steve Shutt scoring 60 the year before.

The 130 goals stood as a QMJHL single season record until 1983-84. That year, Mario Lemieux of the Laval Voisins topped the mark with 133 goals. Lemieux played in seven more games.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Los Angeles Kings Retired Numbers

In the 40+ year history of the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings, five jersey numbers have been retired by the club. The Los Angeles Kings retired numbers feature some of hockey’s greatest players of the past four decades and all are well deserving of the honour.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the Los Angeles Kings and the numbers that the NHL club has retired with the following four questions.

Q. Number 16 is retired by the Los Angeles Kings in honour of what player?

A. Marcel Dionne played for the Kings from 1975-76 until 1986-87. In that time, he won an Art Ross Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy and two Lester B. Pearson Trophies. He remains the all-time team leader in assists with 757 and points with 1307.

After dominating the OHA with the St. Catherines Black Hawks for three years from 1968-69 to 1970-71, Dionne’s National Hockey League career started with the Detroit Red Wings in 1971-72 after the Wings took him second overall at the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft. Marcel played four years with Detroit before moving to Los Angeles, where he played the bulk of his career. Dionne finished his Hockey Hall of Fame career with the New York Rangers, after being traded from Los Angeles near the end of the 1986-87 season.

Q. Who is the only goaltender to have his number retired by the Los Angeles Kings?

A. Rogatien ‘Rogie’ Vachon’s number 30 was retired by the Kings in 1985. Vachon played between the pipes for Los Angeles from 1971-72 to 1977-78. Rogatien remains the all-time leader amongst Los Angeles Kings goalies for games played, minutes played, wins, losses, ties and shutouts.

Vachon’s NHL career started with the Montreal Canadiens in 1966-67, leading the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 1968-69.After playing 70 of 80 games for the Kings in 1977-78, he was shipped off to Detroit for the following season. Rogie played two years with the Red Wings and two years with the Boston Bruins before retiring. For some unknown reason, Rogie Vachon is still not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Q. Number 20 is retired by the Kings for what ‘lucky’ player?

A. Luc Robitaille wore number 20 for the Kings over three different tenures during his NHL career. He first was a King from 1986 until 1994. He returned for 1997 until 2001 then finished off his career with Los Angeles from 2003-04 to 2005-06. Robitaille was the first and only Calder Trophy winner for the Kings. Luc was a lowly ninth round pick at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, 171^st overall, after just his first of three years as a star in the QMJHL with the Hull Olympiques. With Hull, Robitaille would total 148 points in his second year and an amazing 191 points in his final season.

Q. Drafted 210^th overall by the Kings in 1975, what player overcame the odds and had his number 18 retired by the team?

A. Dave Taylor is the lowest drafted player in National Hockey League history to record more than 1,000 points in a career. The Los Angeles Kings were the only team Taylor played for during a career that stretched from 1977-78 to 1993-94. He served as team captain for the Kings from 1985-86 to 1988-89 before relinquishing the ‘C’ to Wayne Gretzky. Taylor was part of the Triple Crown Line that consisted of himself, Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer.

Hockey Trivia: Los Angeles Kings Individual Single Season Records

The Los Angeles Kings entered the National Hockey League for the 1967-68 season in what was the first of several rounds of expansion. The Kings have been host to several players with a talent for offence. The team’s individual single season scoring records can be considered unsurpassable in today’s defensive minded NHL game.

Test and expand your hockey knowledge of the Los Angeles Kings with these four trivia questions focused on the team’s individual single season records.

Q. What player holds the Los Angeles Kings record for most points in a single regular season?

A. Wayne Gretzky became a Los Angeles King for the 1988-89 season and he impressed his new fans with a 168 point season. The second highest point total in history also belongs to Gretzky when he contributed 163 in 1990-91. The highest non-Gretzky single season point total in Los Angeles history is the 150 of Bernie Nicholls in 1988-89.

Q. Who holds the Los Angeles Kings single season record for most goals?

A. With the influence of Wayne Gretzky in 1988-89, Bernie Nicholls went over and above his talents and scored 70 goals. The next best goal scoring output by a King was Luc Robitaille with 63 in 1992-93. Nicholls and Robitaille are the only two L.A. players to top the 60 goal plateau. When it comes to scoring 50 goals, just Marcel Dionne, Charlie Simmer, Jimmy Carson and Gretzky can be added to the list.

Q. Two Los Angeles Kings players have led the team in goals scored on eight occasions. Who was the latest to accomplish this feat?

A. Luc Robitaille first led the team with 45 goals in 1986-87. The last occasion was the 1999-00 season when he scored 36. His best was 63 in 1992-93 and he surpassed the 50 goal plateau on two other occasions. Marcel Dionne is the other Los Angeles King to lead the team in goals on eight occasions.

Q. What Los Angeles King holds the team record for most penalty minutes in a single regular season?

A. Marty McSorley surpassed Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams’ team record of 358 PIM with 399 of his own during the 1992-93 season. McSorley came to Los Angeles from the Edmonton Oilers along with Wayne Gretzky for the 1988-89 season and led the Kings in PIM a total of five times.

For Tiger, 1987-88 was his second last season in the NHL and his final full season, playing just 28 games in 1988-89. His 358 PIM placed him second in the NHL in 1987-88, three minutes behind leader Tim Hunter of the Calgary Flames.

McSorley’s 399 PIM led the NHL in 1992-93, 29 more than second place Gino Odjick of the Vancouver Canucks. In over 961 regular season NHL games between 1983-84 and 1999-00, Marty sat 3,381 minutes in the penalty box. This total ranks him fourth all-time, behind Tiger Williams, Dale Hunter and Tie Domi. The group are part of an exclusive nine NHL players to accumulate more than 3,000 PIM in a career.