Bernie Geoffrion Booms Back with 4-Point Game Against Former Team

When Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion returned to the NHL in 1966-67, it wasn’t in a Montreal Canadiens jersey, but rather in the blue of the New York Rangers. After retiring in 1964 following the Canadiens’ playoff run, Geoffrion made his comeback three seasons later. His first game back at the Forum was quiet, but the second? Pure Boom Boom.

On November 12, 1966, the Rangers rolled into the Montreal Forum and left with a 6-3 victory over the Habs. Geoffrion led the charge with a standout four-point performance. He scored once and set up goals by Rod Gilbert, fellow former Canadien Bill Hicke, and Harry Howell. Interestingly, he only fired two shots on Gump Worsley, taking on a more creative playmaker role in his triumphant return.

Geoffrion wasn’t the only former Hab making waves. Reg Fleming, who briefly suited up for Montreal earlier in his career, brought chaos and contributions. He assisted on both Geoffrion’s and Howell’s third-period goals, but not before logging serious time in the penalty box.

In the opening frame, Fleming dropped the gloves with Terry Harper, earning five for fighting. Then in the second period, he tangled with Dick Duff for another fighting major and picked up a 10-minute misconduct for good measure. All that downtime seemed to recharge him, as he contributed offensively to seal the Rangers' win.

About Bernie Geoffrion 

Bernie Geoffrion played 883 regular season and 132 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1950-51 and 1967-68 with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers. He was the second NHL player to reach the 50 goal plateau, scoring exactly 50 for the Habs in 1960-61.

The six time Stanley Cup champion was the Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's top rookie in 1951-52. He won the Art Ross Trophy twice and the Hart Trophy once. Geoffrion was named a first team All-Star once and was selected to the Second Team twice. Bernie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 and his jersey number 5 was retired by the Canadiens in 2006.

1963-64 NHL PIM Leaders

1963-64 in the National Hockey League brought about one of those unique occurrences worthy of bar room discussion. Stan Mikita of the Chicago Black Hawks led the NHL with 89 points, earning the Art Ross Trophy for the first of four times during his career. Mikita, who would go on to win the Lady Byng Trophy twice later in his career, finished third in the NHL for penalty minutes, just a fighting major behind the leader.

Vic Hadfield – New York Rangers

VicHadfield of the New York Rangers led the NHL with 151 PIM. 1963-64 was Hadfield’s third year in the NHL but his first full season. Later in his career, Hadfield proved he could put up big offensive numbers, as well. In 1971-72, he scored 50 goals for the Rangers and totalled 106 points in 78 games. He placed second in the NHL for goals and fourth for points.

Vic played just over 1,000 regular season games in the NHL between 1961-62 and 1976-77 with the Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. In that time, he sat 1,154 minutes in the penalty box.

Terry Harper – Montreal Canadiens

Terry Harper, a rookie with the Montreal Canadiens, finished second, just a minor penalty behind Hadfield. Although technically a rookie, Terry had appeard in 14 games with the Habs in the previous season. Never an offensive threat, the big defenseman scored just 35 goals over 1,066 regular season games while accumulating 1,362 minutes in penalties. Between 1962-63 and 1980-81, Terry played for the Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Colorado Rockies.

Stan Mikita – Chicago Black Hawks

Then came Mikita. With 146 PIM, Stan finished third in the NHL. Often referred to as one of the greatest turnabouts in pro sports history, within three years, Stan was being awarded consecutive Lady Byng Trophies. After another rough and tumble season in 1964-65, which saw Mikita sit 154 minutes, his box time dropped to just 12 minutes in 1966-67 and 14 the following season.

Mikita played 1,394 regular season games in the NHL from 1958-59 to 1979-80, all with the Chicago Black Hawks. He accumulated 1,270 PIM over that time but it’s his offensive numbers that put him in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He finished his NHL career with 541 goals and 1,467 points. He is the only player to win the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy in consecutive seasons.

Ted Green – Boston Bruins

Tough Boston Bruins defenseman Ted Green finished one minute behind Mikita. 1963-64 was Green’s third season with the Bruins, the only team he would play for during his NHL career. Ted played 620 regular season games with the Bruins between 1961-62 and 1971-72, sitting 1,029 minutes. He jumped to the World Hockey Association for the rebel league’s inaugural season, 1972-73, and remained until the league’s demise after the 1978-79 season.

Reg Fleming – Chicago Black Hawks

Another Chicago player placed fifth with 140 PIM. Reg Fleming was a serious tough guy during his days in the NHL. Fleming played 749 regular season NHL games between 1959-60 and 1970-71 and sat a whopping 1,468 minutes. After just 3 games with the Montreal Canadiens in 1959-60, he went on to play for the Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres before two years in the WHA with the Chicago Cougars.