The players who had big days on Jan. 3 read like a list of who’s who in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Some of the greatest names in the history of the National Hockey League set new records, reached personal milestones, and added to their impressive resumes. Let’s buckle in for our daily trip through the decades.
Howe & Armstrong Make History
Gordie Howe and George Armstrong became the first NHL players to appear in four different decades on Jan. 3, 1970, as the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs played their first games of the new year.
Howe had a big night with four assists to help lead the Red Wings to a 6-1 victory at the Philadelphia Flyers. Alex Delvecchio scored his third and final career hat trick and added an assist, while Frank Mahovlich chipped in with a goal and three helpers.
Armstrong had two goals and an assist as the Maple Leafs beat the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 6-2. Linemate Norm Ullman assisted on both of his goals as Toronto got the best of goaltending legend Tony Esposito this evening.
Jagr Sets Two All-Time Marks
Jaromir Jagr scored three times on Jan. 3, 2015, to become the oldest player in NHL to score a hat trick as the New Jersey Devils beat the Flyers 5-2. At 42 years and 322 days old, Jagr was more than a year older than Howe, the previous record holder.
Latest News & Highlights
He also broke Howe’s record for the longest amount of time between a player’s first and last hat trick. He scored his first for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 2, 1991. The 23 years, 11 months, and one day were much longer than the 19 years and 264 days between Howe’s first and last hat trick.
Old School Memories
On Jan. 3, 1929, defenseman Eddie Shore made two great individual efforts. First, he drove from Boston to Montreal in blizzard conditions and arrived just in time for puck drop. He then scored the only goal in the Bruins’ 1-0 victory over the Maroons. Rookie goaltender Tiny Thompson earned his fifth shutout of the season.
Nels Stewart scored a pair of goals four seconds apart in the third period on Jan. 3, 1931, to set an NHL record for the fastest two goals by one player. His two tallies were the difference in the Maroons’ 5-3 win versus the Bruins.
The Blackhawks made family history on Jan. 3, 1943, in their 3-3 tie with the New York Rangers. Reg Bently scored the opening goal of the game, with his brothers Doug and Max getting credit for the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…