THIS DATE IN NHL HISTORY, APRIL 2:
1939: Mel Hill, a 25-year-old forward in his first full NHL season, earns the nickname "Sudden Death" by scoring his third overtime goal for the Boston Bruins in their Stanley Cup Semifinal series victory against the New York Rangers to win Game 7.
After scoring 10 goals in 44 games during the regular season, Hill scores the overtime winner in Games 1 and 2 against New York. The Bruins win Game 3, but the Rangers rally with three consecutive victories to push the series to a deciding Game 7.
Ray Getliffe of the Bruins and the Rangers' Muzz Patrick score less than two minutes apart late in the second period at Boston Garden, but goaltenders Frank Brimsek of the Bruins and Bert Gardiner of the Rangers keep the game tied 1-1 through the rest of regulation time and two overtime periods.
However, Hill strikes again at 8:00 of the third overtime when he takes a pass from Bill Cowley in front of the Rangers' net, holds the puck for a second and flips it past Gardiner on the short side to win the series. More than 75 years later, Hill is still the only player in League history to score three overtime goals in one playoff series.
Ironically, Hill has the chance to be the hero against the Rangers because New York general manager Lester Patrick decided years earlier Hill is "too frail" to make it in the NHL.
Hill also excels in the Final, when the Bruins defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games to win the Cup. It's the first of three for Hill, who plays on championship teams with the Bruins in 1941 and the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1945 but never scores again in overtime.
MORE MOMENTS:
1927: Lorne Chabot of the Rangers becomes the first rookie goalie in NHL history to earn a shutout in his playoff debut. Neither Chabot nor Boston's Hal Winkler allow a goal in a scoreless tie in Game 1 of the Semifinals.
1969: Ted Irvine's goal 19 seconds into overtime, a playoff record for fastest OT goal at the time, gives the Los Angeles Kings their first postseason overtime victory, a 5-4 win against the Oakland Seals.
Irvine, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, plays his first NHL game for Boston in 1963-64. But with few jobs available in the days of the Original Six, he spends much of the next four seasons in the minors before the expansion Kings claim him in 1967, setting him on the path of a decade-long stay in the League.
Irvine finishes his NHL career in 1977 with 154 goals and 331 points in 724 games with the Bruins, Kings, Rangers and St. Louis Blues. His son, Chris, better known as Chris Jericho, finds fame as a World Wrestling Entertainment headliner and the lead singer for the heavy metal band Fozzy.
1972: Bobby Hull scores his 604th and final goal as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks in a 6-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Stadium. It is the 50th goal of the season for the "Golden Jet," making him the first NHL player to reach the 50-goal mark five times. Hull spends the next six seasons in the World Hockey Association before returning to the NHL in 1979. He finishes his career with the Winnipeg Jets and Hartford Whalers, scoring six times in 27 games.
1977: The Montreal Canadiens break their own single-season record for victories when they defeat the Washington Capitals 11-0 at the Forum for their 59th win, one more than the mark they set in 1975-76. Guy Lafleur and Bob Gainey each have a goal and three assists to help Montreal extend its NHL-record home undefeated streak to 34 games (28 wins, six ties). Ken Dryden makes 24 saves for his 36th career shutout in the Canadiens' penultimate game of the season. They defeat the Capitals 2-1 in Landover, Md., the next night and finish 60-8-12 for 132 points, still an NHL record.
1980: Edmonton Oilers rookie Wayne Gretzky becomes the first teenager to score 50 goals in an NHL season. Gretzky, 19, scores in a 1-1 tie against the Minnesota North Stars at Northlands Coliseum.
1988: Imagine those poor folks lined up for a hot dog in the concourse of the Forum who miss seeing the Canadiens score a club-record three goals in 37 seconds in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres. Montreal wins 9-4.
1989: Kelly Hrudey becomes the first goaltender in NHL history to win 10 or more games with two teams in one season when he gets his 10th victory with the Kings, a 5-4 road win against the Vancouver Canucks. Hrudey has 18 wins with the New York Islanders before he is traded to Los Angeles on Feb. 22.
2004: The Maple Leafs set a franchise record by earning their 101st point of the season with a 2-0 road win against the Sabres. Ed Belfour gets the 74th shutout of his career.
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