Red Berenson's Final Year In The NHL

Both O-Pee-Chee and Topps thought Red Berenson was good for another year in the NHL, featuring him on hockey cards in their 1978-79 sets. However, Red decided to call it a career as a player and his final action came during the 1977-78 season with the St. Louis Blues.

Captain Berenson played all 80 games for the Blues in his final campaign at 39 years old. He put up respectable numbers with 13 goal and 25 assists for 38 points. Three of those thirteen came in a February 28, 1978 game against the Minnesota North Stars at the Checkerdome. It was the last of his six NHL hat tricks, the final two coming against the Stars.

Red didn't get on the board until 15:14 of the second period, scoring on Minnesota goalie Paul Harrison with assists going to Bob Hess and goalie Phil Myre. This put the Blues up 4-1 in the game. Just 47 seconds into the third period, Berenson had his second of the night, assisted by Bill Fairbairn. The hat trick goal was scored at 10:09 of the third period, unassisted. That goal was the last of the game in a 7-1 win for the home team.

Over the season, Red also had seven two point games to go with the hat trick. He had two game winning goals, both against the Los Angeles Kings. Both those goals were scored on L.A. goalie Rogie Vachon. In a 3-2 win over the Kings at the Great Western Forum, Berenson broke a 2-2 tie with just 39 seconds left in the match.

Between 1961-62 and 1977-78, Red Berenson played 987 regular season and 85 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Habs in 1964-65.

Phil Goyette's First NHL Game Winning Goal

Phil Goyette went into the 1957-58 NHL season technically still a rookie. He played 14 regular season games the previous year and all ten in the playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens, hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first of four times during his NHL career.

1st Of 36 Career NHL GWG

Playing all 70 regular season games for the Habs, Goyette scored nine goals. On February 27, 1958 in a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Montreal Forum, Phil put in his sixth of the year and it turned out to be the game winning goal.

At 13:08 of the second period, he put one past Toronto goalie Ed Chadwick to put Montreal up 2-0. With the final score ending in a 3-1 win for the Canadiens, Goyette's goal stood as the game winner. He also assisted on the first of the game, scored by Claude Provost in the first period.

Also scoring for Montreal were Marcel Bonin and Don Marshall. Jacques Plante stopped all but one of 30 shots put his way. The only one to get past Jake the Snake was off the stick of Brian Cullen early in the third period, assisted by Bob Pulford and Ron Stewart.

Phil Goyette's NHL Career

Goyette played 940 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1956-57 and 1971-72 with the Canadiens, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres. Over that time, he scored 207 goals. Of those 207, 36 were game winners.

His performance with Montreal in 1957-58 got him a look for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Phil finished third in voting, a distance behind a tight battle between winner Frank Mahovlich of the Toronto Maple Leafs and runner-up Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Phil Esposito as a New York Ranger

Phil Esposito is best known for his time in the NHL with the Boston Bruins but he had some productive years with the New York Rangers at the end of his career. In his four full seasons with the Blue Shirt, he scored no less than 34 goals.

The Trade

On November 7, 1975, Phil and Carol Vadnais were sent to the Rangers from Boston for Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi. Esposito had started the 1975-76 NHL season playing 12 games, putting up six goals and ten assists for 16 points - pretty decent numbers. 

The was the second blockbuster trade involving Esposito over his career. After starting out with the Chicago Blackhawks, he was traded to the Bruins on May 15, 1967 with Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield for  Gilles Marotte, Hubert "Pit" Martin and Jack Norris.

Arrival In The Big Apple

Phil had always worn number seven during his NHL career with both the Blackhawks and Bruins. When he arrived in New York, Rod Gilbert was wearing and had long worn the number. Esposito started with the Rangers wearing number 12 - he is shown on the front of his 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee card with that on his jersey. He also wore 5 for a time before settling into 77.

In his first game with the Rangers, Esposito scored two goals and added an assist for three points in a game against the California Golden Seals. Despite the effort, New York lost the game 7-5. The Seals were propelled by a four goal performance put in by Gary Sabourin and 31 saves made by Gilles Meloche. 

His best season as a Ranger came in 1978-79 when he scored 42 goals. This total led the team and placed him eighth overall in the NHL. In the post season, Esposito contributed 20 points over 18 games, leading New York to the Stanley Cup final before losing to the Montreal Canadiens.

After another decent year in 1979-80, Esposito's numbers dwindled and he called it a career 41 games into the 1980-81 season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.