This Day in Hockey History
1970 - The expansion draft
On this day in 1970, the NHL holds an expansion draft to allow two new expansion clubs - the Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres - to stock their teams. No player selected by either team in the expansion draft spends more than five years with the team that picked him.
Two Canucks selections, rugged defenseman Pat Quinn and New York Rangers center Orland Kurtenbach, go on to play major roles in the history of the franchise.
1971 - Canadiens draft Le Demon Blonde
The Montreal Canadiens select all-time great, future Hall of Famer, and disco superstar Guy Lafleur with the first overall pick at the 1971 NHL Entry Draft, held on this day in 1971.
Selecting Lafleur with the first overall pick was the culmination of more than a year of scheming by Canadiens general manager Sam Pollock. First, Pollock had to convince the California Golden Seals to swap number one picks in the 1970 and 1971 drafts, but as the 1970-71 season wore on, it became clear that the Los Angeles Kings might be even worse than the Golden Seals.
So Pollock set about giving the Kings a boost, to try and ensure the first overall pick. From Matt Drake over at Habs Eyes on the Prize:
While the Canadiens now had the pick they wanted, the L.A. Kings began to play even more poorly than the Seals. Pollock was in danger of losing his first overall pick, which was unacceptable to the Habs GM. Pollock decided to try and give the Kings a little boost so that they may not wind up "winning" the first pick in the subsequent draft. He offered the aged but valuable Ralph Backstrom to the kings, receiving in return Gord Labossiere and Ray Fortin. You've probably never heard the names Labossiere and Fortin, because they were both completely inconsequential players. Backstrom was instrumental in helping to lead the Kings out of the basement, finishing just ahead of the Seals, giving Montreal the first overall pick.
Great moments in indirect tanking.
1973 - Islanders hire Al Arbour
On this day in 1973, the New York Islanders replace head coach Earl Ingarfield with bespectacled former player Al Arbour, formerly the coach of the St. Louis Blues.
The hire works out. Arbour coaches the Islanders for 19 years and is behind the bench for the Mike Bossy/Bryan Trottier Islanders clubs that won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships and dominated the early '80s.
1996 - Krupp!
The Colorado Avalanche, in their first year in Denver following the relocation of the club, win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Patrick Roy makes 63 saves in Game 4 and German defenseman Uwe Krupp scores the overtime game winner to complete the sweep of the Florida Panthers.
[Warning: the below video includes several seconds of Nickleback prior to the highlights]
2000 - Devils > Heavens
In Game 6 of the 2000 Stanley Cup Final, Jason Arnott scores the game-winning goal in double overtime as the New Jersey Devils defeat the Dallas Stars 2-1 and win the Stanley Cup.
Birthdays
1962 - Brent Sutter
1966 - Brian Benning
1986 - Chad Johnson