During the NHL’s hiatus, we at the Last Word on Hockey are going to look back at each date’s historical significance to the game. We’ll remember the moments that shaped the sport of hockey that happened on this day. Here’s our look at this date in hockey history for May 8th, featuring Mark Messier.
Today in Hockey History
Mark Messier Nets 100 Post-season Goals
1995: The New York Rangers captain scores his 100th playoff goal in an 8-3 win over the Quebec Nordiques in Game 2 of the first round. Messier scores on the power-play in the second period for the milestone goal. New York scores seven goals across the final two periods to tie the series.
The defending champions would eliminate the top-seed in the East in six games. Messier would finish with 109 post-season goals to finish his career. He joins former Edmonton Oilers teammates Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri with 100 playoff goals.
Other Notable Events
1970: Bobby Orr wins the Hart Trophy for league’s MVP for the first of the three in a row. The Boston Bruins blueliner is the first at his position to win the award since Babe Pratt in 1944.
1973: The Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks combine for the most goals in a Stanley Cup Final game. Stan Mikita scores two goals and two assists in an 8-7 win in Game 5 of the Final.
1975: The Buffalo Sabres clinch their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a Game 6 win over Montreal. Jim Lorentz gets the winner as the Sabres take the semifinal series with a 4-3 victory.
1982: Mike Bossy scores with two seconds left in the first overtime as the New York Islanders get a 6-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Bossy completes a hat trick as the Isles win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
1993: Tom Fitzgerald scores a pair of shorthanded goals 42 seconds apart in the Islanders’ 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fitzgerald gives the Isles the Game 4 win in the Patrick Division Final.
2000: The New Jersey Devils hold the Toronto Maple Leafs to a modern record of six shots. New Jersey clinches the series in six games with a 3-0 triumph.
2006: Rookie Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward is the first to win his first six playoff starts. He stops 21 saves in a Game 2 win over the Devils in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
2013: David Krejci‘s second playoff hat trick of his career leads the Bruins to a 4-3 Game 4 OT-win over the Maple Leafs in the East quarterfinals.
Happy Birthday to You
1891: Herb Gardiner
1916: John Mariucci
1924: Ken Smith
1940: Eddie Joyal
1972: Ray Whitney
1989: Lars Eller; Matt Martin
1992: Kevin Hayes
