We’re normally starting up another hockey season, but we’re in a different world. Last Word on Hockey is still 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 October 29th, featuring Jean Beliveau.
Today in Hockey History
Jean Beliveau Plays Game No. 1,000
1969: The Montreal Canadiens great plays in his 1,000th career game in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota North Stars. He’s the first Habs player to reach the milestone. Beliveau has a quiet year by his standards with 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points in 63 games.
The Montreal legend ends his career in style with 25 goals and 51 assists for 76 points. Beliveau also wins his final Stanley Cup as a player to make it No. 10 when he calls it a career. He enters the Hall of Fame in 1972 after the waiting period is waived.
Other Notable Events
1951: Floyd Curry has a performance fit for a future queen with a hat trick for the Canadiens. He scores three goals in front of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in attendance at the Forum. Montreal downs the New York Rangers, 6-1.
1952: The Canadiens’ Maurice Richard scores career goals 323 and 324 to tie Nels Stewart for the top spot. Richard adds a pair of assists in a 7-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
1970: Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings is the first player to get 1,000 career assists. Howe gets a pair of assists in a 7-5 win over the Boston Bruins. Red Wings teammate Alex Delvecchio also makes history with his 400th career goal. He joins Howe, Beliveau, Richard and Bobby Hull as the only players to get 400 goals.
2001: The New York Rangers Theoren Fleury gets two assists to reach the 1,000-point club. He helps the Blueshirts to beat the Dallas Stars, 4-2.
2009: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin ties a record for the most multiple-goal games in the month of October. Ovechkin gets two goals or more for the sixth time in a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers.
2011: Dwayne Roloson makes 28 saves for his 29th shutout of his career in the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s 1-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The 42-year-old goalie moves his mark to 10-0-0 against the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise.
2017: Winnipeg scores a franchise-record five goals in the opening period to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 7-1. Blake Wheeler scores three of those goals in a span of 4:20.
Happy Birthday to You
1918: Hank Goldup
1944: Stan Gilbertson
1953: Denis Potvin
1959: Mike Gartner
1961: Joel Otto
1984: Eric Staal
1990: Dmitri Kulikov
1991: Nikita Zaitsev
1992: Colin Miller
1996: Vince Dunn; Mikko Rantanen
