Joe Nieuwendyk Makes Calgary Flames History With 5 Goals in 1989 Win Over Winnipeg Jets

On January 11, 1989, Joe Nieuwendyk delivered one of the greatest individual performances in Calgary Flames history. Hosting the Winnipeg Jets at the Saddledome, the Flames dominated the game in more ways than one, setting a franchise record at the time with 131 penalty minutes, while Nieuwendyk let his stick do the talking.

In a wild 8-3 victory, Nieuwendyk scored five goals, becoming the only player in Atlanta/Calgary Flames history to accomplish the feat. His performance was highlighted by three goals in just 1:53 during the second period, a franchise record for the fastest hat trick by a single player that still stands.

Nieuwendyk opened the scoring at 11:45 of the first period, followed by a shorthanded goal early in the second. His lightning-fast hat trick followed, and his second-period shorty turned out to be the game-winner.

While chaos unfolded around him, Nieuwendyk remained composed, one of seven Flames players, including goalie Mike Vernon, who didn’t take a penalty that night. He fired 12 shots on Jets goalie Daniel Berthiaume, accounting for one-third of Calgary’s 36.

This was the fifth of 14 career NHL hat tricks for Nieuwendyk, who scored 51 goals in the 1988-89 season, matching his output from the year prior. Though he never hit the 50-goal mark again, he went on to notch 564 goals over 1,257 regular-season games, also winning Stanley Cups with Calgary, Dallas, and New Jersey.

NHL Record: Fastest 3 Goals

By one player, the fastest three goals in an NHL game was recorded nearly 75 years ago and has the staying power to remain an unbroken record. Bill Mosienko of the Chicago Blackhawks scored three in 21 seconds in a game on March 23, 1952, a 7-6 win over the New York Rangers. All three were assisted by Gus Bodnar.

By one team, the fastest is 20 seconds, set by the Boston Bruins on February 25, 1971 in an 8-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. John Bucyk, Ed Westfall and Ted Green each scored for the Bruins in a rapid fire third period.

The fastest three goals by two teams in a game is a mind-blowing 15 seconds. This was set on February 10, 1983 in a game between the Minnesota North Stars and New York Rangers. Mark Pavelich and Ron Greschner scored for the Rangers before Willi Plett replied for the Stars. This was all in the last minute of the second period. The North Stars won the game 7-5.

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.

Bill Barilko’s Forgotten Goal: The Last Tie Game in Stanley Cup Playoff History

Most hockey fans remember Bill Barilko for his legendary overtime goal that won the Toronto Maple Leafs the 1951 Stanley Cup. Immortalized in The Tragically Hip’s “50 Mission Cap,” that goal was not only Barilko’s last but also one of the most iconic in NHL history. It sealed game five against the Montreal Canadiens, capping off a series in which every game went to overtime.

But Barilko’s first goal in the 1950-51 playoffs carries historical weight as well, though it's largely forgotten today. In game two of the semi-final series against the Boston Bruins, Barilko scored Toronto’s only goal in a 1-1 tie at Maple Leaf Gardens. It wasn’t just a clutch goal, it became part of a unique NHL milestone. This match would go down as the last time an NHL Stanley Cup playoff game ended in a tie.

Why? Because of the Ontario Sunday Curfew Law, which forbade starting a new period after midnight. After one overtime period, officials were forced to halt the game. The stats counted, Barilko racked up 21 penalty minutes, but the result stood as a tie.

Toronto, down 1-0 in the series before that game, used it as a turning point. The Leafs bounced back with four straight wins to eliminate Boston and advance to the Finals.

Just months later, tragedy struck. In August 1951, Barilko vanished on a fishing trip in Northern Ontario. The floatplane carrying him and pilot Henry Hudson crashed, and their remains weren’t discovered until 1962, just after the Leafs won their next Stanley Cup.

Barilko’s final, famous goal is etched in hockey history. But his earlier tally in that same playoff run marks the end of an era, the last Stanley Cup playoff tie, forever shaped by curfew laws and forgotten circumstances.

About Bill Barilko

Because of his untimely death, Bill Barilko played a modest 252 regular season and 47 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1946-47 and 1950-51 all with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In four of those five years, Bill helped the Leafs to Stanley Cup championships. In the only season during his time that Toronto didn't win, they took the Detroit Red Wings to the full seven games in the semi-final before being eliminated.

In 1947-48, Barilko led the NHL with 147 penalty minutes, an 18 PIM edge over runner-up Ken Reardon. In 1948-49, two of his five goals were scored shorthanded. In a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on January 8, 1949 at Maple Leafs Gardens, Bill's shortie at 12:17 of the third tied the score at 3-3. The Leafs had been down 3-1 midway through the game before coming back. Interestingly, Toronto's first goal of the game was scored by Ted Kennedy, also shorthanded.