July 10 saw a big trade between two “Original Six” franchises that saw one of them obtain the greatest goal scorer in their team’s history. Also, a current star inked a new contract, and one of the greatest goaltenders of all time came out of retirement. The THW time machine is warmed up and ready to take on our daily journey through the years.
A Legendary Swap
On July 10, 1957, the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings made a one-for-one trade for two future Hall of Famers. The Bruins traded goaltender Terry Sawchuk back to the Red Wings, just over two years after acquiring him in a big nine-player trade. In return, they received Johnny Bucyk and cash.
Sawchuk was traded to Boston in 1955 because the Red Wings had a young goaltender named Glenn Hall looking to get more playing time. The trade did not go over well with Sawchuk, and it affected his play. He posted a 2.60 goals-against average (GAA) during the 1955-56 season, by far, the highest of his career.
The 1956-57 season was a disaster. Sawchuk missed two weeks, early in the season, after coming down with mononucleosis. He announced his retirement in January of 1957 due to nervous exhaustion. When he was ready to return to the ice, the Bruins shipped him back to the Red Wings. He played the next seven seasons in Detroit before being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1964 NHL Intra-League Draft. He won the fourth and final Stanley Cup of his career with them in 1967.
Meanwhile, Bucyk became one of the greatest players in Bruins’ franchise history after scoring just 11 goals and 30 points in 104 games with the Red Wings. He was a fixture in the Boston lineup for the next 21 seasons. He scored 51 goals and 116 points in 1970-71 at 35 years old before playing another seven seasons.
Bucyk was a big part of two Stanley Cup championships in 1970 and 1972. He retired in 1978 and still owns numerous franchise records. He is the team’s all-time leader with 545 goals and is the only player to score 500 goals in a Bruins sweater. He is second to only Ray Bourque in games played (1,436), assists (794), and points (1,506).
Superstars Get Paid
The New York Rangers re-signed goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on July 10, 2007. His new deal is for just one year, at $4.24 million, after he won a total of 67 games in his first two seasons in the league.
Lundqvist started…
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