Hockey is back! Normally we’d be closing in on the NHL trade deadline for the final push of the season. However, 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 February 18th, featuring Wayne Gretzky.
Today in Hockey History
Wayne Gretzky Scores Five Goals in a Game
1981: The Edmonton Oilers centre nets his first five-goal game of his career in a 9-2 rout of the St. Louis Blues. Gretzky even scores four goals in less than eight minutes in the third period.
[pickup_prop id=”4234″]
It’s the first of four five-goal games in his NHL career. He becomes the first player to score at least three goals in a game five times before the age of 21.
Other Notable Events
1918: Montreal Canadiens goalie Georges Vezina earns the first shutout in NHL history. He backstops Montreal to a 9-0 win over Toronto in the league’s third month of play.
1926: Ottawa Senators goalie Alec Connell gets his sixth straight shutout with a 1-0 win over the Habs. It’s Connell’s 12th shutout of the season and the 47th of his NHL career.
1968: The New York Rangers christen the “new” Madison Square Garden with a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Philadelphia’s Wayne Hicks gets the first goal, but tallies by Bob Nevin, Donnie Marshall and Orland Kurtenbach lead New York to victory.
1970: Boston Bruins defender Bobby Orr gets his 22nd goal of the season in a 5-5 tie with the Los Angeles Kings. Orr breaks his own record for most goals by a defenceman en route to finishing with 33 goals.
1990: Ray Bourque finishes with a career-high six points in a 7-2 road win over the Vancouver Canucks. Bourque gets five assists as he becomes the seventh blueliner to get 600 assists.
1999: Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Paul Coffey becomes the first defender to get 1,100 assists. Coffey gets the milestone in a 2-2 tie with the Washington Capitals.
2006: Martin Gerber stops all 49 shots as Switzerland upsets Canada, 2-0, in the group stages at the 2006 Winter Olympics. It’s the first victory by the Swiss over Canada in the Olympic play.
2019: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov hits 99 points for the season in a five-point night. Kuceherov gets two goals and three assists in Tampa’s 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane extends his point streak to 18 games in an 8-7 win over Ottawa. Alex DeBrincat gets five points in the victory.
[pickup_prop id=”3377″]
Happy Birthday to You
1928: Tom Johnson
1936: Dick Duff; Ab McDonald
1956: Thomas Gradin
1960: Andy Moog
1962: Moe Lemay
1966: Kris King
1969: Alexander Mogilny
1980: Nik Antropov
1986: Blake Comeau
1990: Cody Hodgson
1994: Slater Koekkoek
