Sept. 26 is the delivery date of 4 present Hockey Corridor of Famers. Additionally, essentially the most notorious worldwide sequence ever performed was evened up in a dramatic style and the Seattle Kraken performed their first-ever preseason recreation within the NHL. Lastly, the final NHL recreation was performed in a historic constructing earlier than its long-time tenants moved throughout the road. So, let’s start our each day journey again in time to revisit all the good moments from this date.
Canada Evens Up Summit Sequence
In Moscow, Group Canada scored their second straight victory over the Soviet Union with a 4-3 victory on Sept. 26, 1972.
Phil Esposito acquired Canada off to a quick begin with a purpose 4 minutes into the sport. Alexander Yakushev took benefit of a misstep by Brad Park to tie up the sport with a breakaway purpose about six minutes later. Vladimir Petrov completed off a 2-on-1 rush whereas on the ability play to offer the Soviet Union a 2-1 lead late within the first interval. Esposito tied the sport, simply over a minute later, by getting his shot by heavy site visitors.
After a scoreless second interval that noticed the Soviets maintain a 13-7 shot benefit, Rob Gilbert gave Canada a 3-2 early within the closing body. The USSR answered three minutes later when Yakushev lit the lamp for a second time whereas on the person benefit. The Soviet Union stored fixed strain on the Canadiens after tying the sport, however goaltender Tony Esposito got here up with a number of huge saves to maintain his crew within the recreation.
Late within the interval, there was extra ugliness between the 2 international locations following Bobby Clarke’s vicious slash within the earlier recreation. Soviet captain Boris Mikhailov and Canadian defenseman Gary Bergman acquired snarled alongside the boards and started to push and shove. Mikhailov used his skate blade to kick Bergman within the shin a number of instances. Bergman responded by ramming Mikhailov’s head into the hen wire atop the boards. Each benches jumped onto the ice throughout this incident, however cooler heads prevailed.
Canada gained a bounce to their step as soon as play resumed, and fewer than 90 seconds later, Paul Henderson scored the game-winning purpose for the second straight contest. He entered the zone on his personal, dealing with each Soviet defenders, and he induced them to get crossed up and skate proper by them each on his strategy to the deciding tally.
The purpose gave the Canadians back-to-back wins to even the sequence up at 3-3-1 with one closing recreation on the schedule.
Lafleur Makes His Return
On Sept. 26, 1988, the New York Rangers satisfied former Montreal Canadiens star, Man Lafleur, to come back out of retirement and play within the 1988-89 season. This transfer got here lower than three weeks after Lafleur was inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame. He grew to become simply the second participant to ever skate in an NHL recreation after his induction into the Corridor of Fame when he took the ice. Gordie Howe was the primary participant to take action in 1980, and Mario Lemieux joined the group in 2000.
Lafleur scored 18 targets and 45 factors in his lone season with the Rangers. His comeback lasted two extra seasons as he scored one other 24 targets and 62 factors with the Quebec Nordiques earlier than retiring for good in 1991.
Boston Says Goodbye to the Backyard
The Boston Bruins performed their closing recreation on the Boston Backyard on Sept. 26, 1995. Appropriately sufficient, they hosted the Canadiens in a preseason recreation to say goodbye to the constructing that was their house since 1928.
In a novel ceremony, Hockey Corridor of Famers Johnny Bucyk, Esposito, Bobby Orr, and Milt Schmidt all lowered their retired numbers to make the journey to the Bruins’ new house throughout the road.
Presumably essentially the most memorable second got here when Normand Leveille took a lap across the rink one final time. Leveille was pressured to retire in 1982 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. His former teammates, Ray Bourque and Terry O’Reilly, helped him skate across the ice whereas native favourite Rene Rancourt sang “Auld Lang Syne.”
Odds & Ends
The New York Individuals crammed out their roster on Sept. 26, 1925, simply earlier than their first season within the league. They bought all of the contracts from the Hamilton Tigers for $75,000. On the identical time, the Pittsburgh Pirates, additionally slated to start play within the 1925-26 season, purchased out the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets of the USA Novice League.
The next 12 months, throughout the NHL’s annual Board of Governors assembly, the league determined that the blue traces could be moved to 60 toes away from the purpose traces. Beforehand, the blue traces had been simply 20 toes away from both aspect of the pink line at middle ice. This variation widens the impartial zone and results in far fewer offside calls, thus giving the sport a greater tempo and move.
Sept. 26, 1931, was a busy day within the NHL. First, the Board of Governors elevated the regular-season schedule from 44 video games to 48. Secondly, they introduced the suspension of operation for each the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Quakers.
The gamers from the Senators and Quakers had been shortly put right into a dispersal draft. A number of the extra notable choices included Frank Finnigan and Syd Howe by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Harold Starr by the Montreal Maroons.
The Philadelphia Flyers signed free-agent defenseman Terry Murray on Sept. 26, 1975. He performed 115 video games in two stints with the Flyers. He returned in 1994 as head coach and took them to the Stanley Cup Remaining in 1997.
The Rangers signed free-agent middle Mike Ridley on Sept. 26, 1985, out of the College of Manitoba. He scored 22 targets and 65 factors for the Rangers throughout the 1985-86 season. He was traded to the Washington Capitals on Jan. 1, 1987, the place he spent eight seasons. After stints with the Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, he retired in 1997 with 292 targets and 758 factors in 866 profession video games.
On Sept. 26, 2008, the Atlanta Thrashers signed veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider after spending the earlier season with the Anaheim Mighty Geese. He performed 44 video games for the Thrashers, scoring 4 targets and 15 factors earlier than being traded to the Canadiens for a pair of draft picks. A kind of picks was used to pick out Jeremy Morin, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 to accumulate Dustin Byfuglien.
The Kraken performed their first-ever preseason recreation within the NHL once they defeated the Canucks 5-3 on Sept. 26, 2021. Riley Sheahan had the glory of being the primary participant to attain in a Kraken uniform, whereas Ryan Donato, Jared McCann, and Morgan Geekie (two) recorded the opposite targets. The sport was performed in Spokane, Washington on the house enviornment of the Spokane Chiefs.
Completely satisfied Birthday to You
A complete of 24 present and former NHL gamers have been born on this date. The primary participant to make his league debut was Raymie Skilton, born on Sept. 26, 1889. He performed in only one recreation for the Montreal Wanderers in 1918. The latest is Maple Leafs defenseman Mac Hollowell, turning 26 at this time, who made his debut in 2022-23.
There have been two Corridor of Fame goaltenders born on this date. Clint Benedict, born on Sept. 26, 1892, appeared in 362 video games between the pipes for the Senators and Maroons. He received 189 video games between 1918 and 1930, successful three Stanley Cups alongside the way in which.
Frank Brimsek was born on this date in 1915. He made his NHL debut with the Bruins in 1939 and performed in 514 video games earlier than retiring with the Blackhawks in 1950.
Brimsek received the 1939 Calder Trophy for being the perfect rookie within the league. He was a two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy, which was given to the goaltender who allowed the fewest targets. He helped the Bruins to Stanley Cup championships in 1939 and 1941.
Benedict and Brimsek had been joined within the Hockey Corridor of Fame by Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 2022. The gifted twin brothers had been born in Sweden on Sept. 26, 1980, and are turning 44 at this time. They spent their complete careers with the Canucks and rewrote the franchise file e book. The Sedins mixed for two,636 video games with 633 targets and a couple of,111 factors. They’re now a part of the group in a participant improvement/teaching position.
Different notable birthday boys at this time embrace Garry Howatt (72), Craig Janney (57), Paul Laus (54), Chris Kunitz (45), Brooks Orpik (44), John Scott (42), Nick Shore (32), and Karson Kuhlman (29).
*Initially constructed by Greg Boysen
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