One of the greatest legends of the National Hockey League had a hat trick of milestones on this date. Also, there are some fond memories in Boston, while both coaches and players alike reached some significant personal accomplishments. There was even a record set for playing for the most teams in one career. So, let’s take our daily trip back in time to revisit all the best moments from this unique date.
Mr. Hockey Rules the Day
Of all dates in Gordie Howe’s long and illustrious career, Nov. 27 ranks up there among the best of them. He reached three major milestones on this date in a nine-season span.
Starting on Nov. 27, 1960, when Howe entered the Detroit Red Wings game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with 999 career points. He picked up an assist on Howie Glover’s first-period goal to become the first player in NHL history to score 1,000 points. It took Howe 938 games to reach this milestone. Goaltender Terry Sawchuk picked up his 83rd career shutout in a 2-0 win.
Five years later, on Nov. 27, 1965, Howe scored his 600th goal in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Just like with 1,000 points, he was the first player to join the 600-goal club.
Finally, on Nov. 27, 1969, Howe had a pair of assists to help the Red Wings earn a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. His two helpers made him the first player ever to score 1,700 career points. He needed 1,567 games to hit the 1,700-point mark.
Bean Town Memories
This date has been a unique one in the history of the Boston Bruins. On Nov. 27, 1941, they tied an NHL record by scoring four goals during overtime to beat the Brooklyn Americans 6-2. This game was played back when overtime was a full 10 minutes and not sudden death like we are used to today.
Five years later, on Nov. 27, 1946, the Bruins defense was hit hard by injuries. When Jack Crawford went down, assistant coach Dit Clapper, who retired at the end of the previous season, put on the uniform again to play defense. Fans at the Boston Garden welcomed him back with a standing ovation when he took to the ice. The Bruins beat the New York Rangers 5-2 on this night. Clapper played six games on defense, despite being a right winger for most of his playing career.
Jumping ahead 46 years, to Nov. 27, 1992, when the Bruins extended their home winning streak over the Hartford Whalers to nine games with a 5-4 overtime victory. Future Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque led the way with a goal and three assists.
400 is the Magic Number for Sundin
Nov. 27 and the number 400 will always be connected for the great Mats Sundin. In 1999, he picked his 400th career point by scoring two goals in the Maple Leafs 5-2 win over the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
Exactly eight years later, on Nov. 27, 2007, Sundin became the first player to score 400 goals while wearing a Maple Leafs sweater. Goal No. 400 came with just 17.6 seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime. However, Toronto lost 4-3, in the shootout, to the rival Canadiens. Sundin scored 420 goals with the Maple Leafs, which are still the most in franchise history.
Coaching Milestones
On Nov. 27, 1991, Paul Coffey scored and added three assists to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to an 8-4 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils. The victory gave head coach Scotty Bowman 750 victories in his legendary career. It was a bittersweet night at the Civic Arena, as the team held a 10-minute candlelight tribute to former head coach Bob Johnson, who died the previous day. Johnson led the Penguins to the 1991 Stanley Cup that spring. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in August before passing away on Nov. 26, 1991.
In a far less somber victory, on Nov. 27, 2015, Dave Tippett earned his 500th career win when the Arizona Coyotes knocked off the Calgary Flames 2-1. Thanks to Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s overtime goal, he became the 22nd head coach in league history to win 500 games.
Odds & Ends
Rod Gilbert played in his first NHL game on Nov. 27, 1960, as the Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks skated to a 3-3 tie at Madison Square Garden. He played 18 seasons with the Rangers and is still the franchise leader with 406 goals and 1,021 points.
Jacques Lemaire had the game-winning goal on Nov. 27, 1974, as the Canadiens beat the Penguins in Pittsburgh, 3-2. This started an NHL-record 23-game road unbeaten streak which saw the Habs go 14-0-9 away from Montreal.
On that same night, Jean Ratelle became the second player to score 300 goals as a member of the Rangers in a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs.
A decade later, on Nov. 27, 1984, the Oilers cruised to a 7-1 road victory in Toronto. Wayne Gretzky led the charge with his 30th career hat trick and two assists for a five-point night. Mike Krushelnykski did his part with two goals and two assists.
Speaking of hat tricks on this night, Alain Lemieux scored the only one of his career to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 6-1 win at the Vancouver Canucks. Alain is the older brother of NHL legend Mario Lemieux. He played 118 games for the Blues and Quebec Nordiques and one with his brother and the Penguins. He scored 28 goals and 72 points in his NHL career.
Related – Brothers in the NHL
History was made on Nov. 27, 1988, when the Rangers beat the New York Islanders 5-3. John Vanbiesbrouck became just the fifth goaltender in Rangers’ team history to win 100 games. Bryan Trottier had two assists in the losing effort to become the eighth player in league history to score 1,300 career points.
The Blackhawks used their star power on Nov. 27, 1992, to roll to an 8-1 win in Edmonton. Steve Larmer, playing in his 824th consecutive game, scored two goals and added four assists. Jeremy Roenick also had four assists while defenseman Chris Chelios scored his 100th career goal.
Larry Murphy had an assist on Nov. 27, 1993, during the Penguins’ 2-2 tie with the Ottawa Senators. This moved him ahead of Bruins legend Bobby Orr for sixth place on the all-time assist list for defensemen, with 646.
When Michel Petit took his first shift for the Coyotes on Nov. 27, 1997, he became the first player in NHL history to play for 10 different teams. The defenseman played in 16 NHL seasons. His longest stint with one team was 224 games, over six seasons, with the Canucks.
Joe Sakic scored a goal and added an assist to become the 34th NHL player to score 1,200 career points on Nov. 27, 2001, as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers 4-1.
Roberto Luongo won his 200th game for the Panthers on Nov. 27, 2017, by beating the Devils 3-2. Thanks to 252 victories with the Canucks, Luongo became just the second goaltender to record 200 wins with two different teams. Patrick Roy won 289 games with the Canadiens before winning another 262 with the Avalanche.
On Nov. 27, 2022, Trevor Zegras posted his fourth three-point game of his career, tying Ryan Getzlaf for the second-most at age 21 or younger in Anaheim Ducks history. Hall of Fame forward Paul Kariya leads the way with 12.
On that same night, Erik Karlsson became the first defenseman in San Jose Sharks history to get at least 20 points in a calendar month.
Happy Birthday to You
A total of 17 current and former NHL players have been able to call Nov. 27 their birthday. The best players of the lot are Pierre Mondou (68), Chris Kotsopoulos (65), Garry Valk (56), Chad Kilger (47), Beau Bennett (32), Anton Forsberg (31), and Filip Zadina (24).
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