1953 - Terry Sawchuk sets playoff shutout record
Detroit Red Wings goaltender Terry Sawchuk won the Stanley Cup three times in five years with the winged wheel in the early 50s. Despite all of that team's playoff success, one of Sawchuk's finest individual performance came in the 1953 postseason during one of the seasons where the Red Wings fell short.
On this day 61 years ago, Sawchuk was perfect and the Red Wings were dominant in a 7-0 lambasting of the Boston Bruins that opened the semifinal series between the two teams. It was Sawchuk's third straight playoff shutout - the Red Wings goaltender had shutout the Montreal Canadiens in the final two games of the 1952 Stanley Cup Final - which tied an NHL record.
The Bruins would storm back to defeat the Red Wings 4-2 in the series, but Sawchuk's record still stands, although it's shared with goaltenders Brent Johnson, Patrick Lalime, J.S. Giguere and Frank McCool.
1977 - Mike Milbury breaks Bruins Eddie Shore's PIM record
On March 24, 1977 former Colgate Red Raider and Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Milbury broke a 50-year-old team record when he was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct in a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. That penalty minute haul pushed Milbury to 166 PIM on the season, and past Eddie Shore's 165 team record "penalties in minutes" mark set in 1927.
Milbury retired following the 1987 NHL season. He'd go on to become a relatively successful head coach, a disastrous general manager and somehow an even worse broadcast analyst.
2003 - Mats Sundin's 1000th career game
On this date 11 years ago, beloved Toronto Maple Leafs power forward and captain Mats Sundin played in his 1000th game, a 3-2 Leafs loss to the the Boston Bruins.
Sundin would go on to play four more productive seasons in Toronto, and one less successful campaign in Vancouver before eventually hanging up his skates in the summer of 2009.
Birthdays
1955 - Doug Jarvis
1955 - Pat Price
1973 - Philippe Boucher
1981 - Ron Hainsey
1983 - P.A. Parentheau
