Today in Hockey History: June 6 – Hockey Writers – Hockey History

Yesterday in Hockey History: June 5th

Tomorrow in Hockey History: June 7

June 6 was the busiest day in the entire history of the National Hockey League. A pair of extended drafts were held on this day, including the first. Lord Stanley called California home for the first time, and Bean Town got one of its most beloved players. It’s time to start our daily journey through the years to relive all the high moments from this date.

Expansion is the Word of the day

Just one day after the NHL officially announced that it was doubling from six teams to 12, it held the first Expansion Draft on June 6, 1967. Representatives from the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues gathered at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal; to fill the list of their groups.

The six new teams each selected 20 players (two goal scorers and 18 midfielders) from the current “Original Six” club system, who were allowed to protect one goalkeeper and 11 other players. Others excluded from the program are “junior” players, players who are not young enough to be playing junior hockey but are already playing at a high level. Players traded to the minor league Western Hockey League and Central Professional Hockey League prior to June 1, 1966, were not eligible to be drafted.

After drawing the draft order, teams got down to business, and the first 12 players selected were all goaltenders. The first three selections were future Hall of Famers: Terry Sawchuk (Kings), Bernie Parent (Flyers), and Glenn Hall (Blues). The first skater taken was center Gord Labossiere by the Kings with 13^th choose.

Five years later, on June 6, 1972, the New York Islanders and Atlanta Flames were in Montreal for another Expansion Draft. They selected 21 players in total, with 14 teams losing three players each. They are allowed to defend two goals and 15 skaters. First-year pros are also exempt from the draft.

As in 1967, each team’s first two picks were goals. Phil Myre of the Montreal Canadiens went first for the Flames. The Islanders acquired Billy Smith from the Kings as their second goaltender. He was their starting goaltender in all four Stanley Cup wins between 1980 and 1984.

Ducks Win One for California

The Anaheim Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators 6-2 on June 6, 2007, in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals to win their first championship in franchise history. Besides being the last team from California to join the NHL, they are the first to win the Stanley Cup.

Andy McDonald’s power play goal, assisted by Ryan Getzlaf, gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Travis Moen scored twice, including the game-winner, with Corey Perry adding a goal and an assist. Daniel Alfredsson scored twice for the Senators in the losing effort. Goalkeeper Jean-Sebastien Giguere had to face just 13 shots on the night.

Defenseman Scott Niedermayer was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s most valuable player. This was the fourth Stanley Cup win of his career after winning three with the New Jersey Devils.

Odds & Ends

On June 6, 1956, the NHL made a major rule change at their annual Board of Governors meeting. The new rules state that a player serving a minor penalty must return to the ice after the opposing team scores a goal. Before this change, teams would get a full power play opportunity for two minutes regardless of how many goals were scored.

On the same day as the 1967 Expansion Draft, the Blues made the first trade in their franchise history. They traded defenseman Rod Seiling back to the New York Rangers after selecting him on the roster in exchange for Tim Ecclestone, Gary Sabourin, Bob Plager and Gordon Kannegiesser. Seiling ended up playing for the Blues after signing as a free agent in 1976.

The Canadiens acquired Pete Mahovlich from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Garry Monahan on June 6, 1969. Mahovlich played 580 games in Montreal, scored 223 goals and 569 points, and won four Stanley Cups. Meanwhile, Monahan had just three goals and seven points for the Red Wings before being traded to the Kings.

Wayne Gretzky won the ninth and final Hart Trophy of his career, as the NHL’s most valuable player, on June 6, 1989. He scored 54 goals and 168 points for the Kings. He won his nine Hart Trophies in a 10-year span, with 1988 being the last year of the 1980s in which he did not win the award.

A year later, Gretzky’s teammate, Mark Messier of the Edmonton Oilers, won the Hart Trophy with 45 goals and 129 points. He is the first person other than Gretzky or Mario Lemieux to win the award since 1979. Gretzky didn’t go home empty-handed as he won the Art Ross Trophy, leading the league in scoring, for the eighth time in his career.

On June 6, 1995, Vladimir Konstantinov scored the game-winning goal in double overtime as the Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Keith Primeau, Stu Grimson, and Paul Coffey all scored in regulation as the Red Wings took a 3-0 series lead.

Peter Forsberg scored his only playoff hat trick on June 6, 1996. The three goals came as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers 8-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. All of Forsberg’s goals came in the first half, along with Rene Corbet’s own powerplay goal, which proved to be the game-winner. Joe Sakic had four assists on the night.

The Blackhawks beat the Kings 3-2 on June 6, 2013, in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Marian Hossa broke a 2-2 tie just over a minute into the third period. The Blackhawks held the Kings to just two shots on goal in the final frame and took a 3-1 series lead without the help of defenseman Duncan Keith, who was suspended for one game for a rough incident in Game 3.

Two years later, on June 6, 2015, the Blackhawks lost Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, 4-3, to the Tampa Bay Lighting. Goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy relieved the injured Ben Bishop twice and sat back in the second, less than eight minutes into the third period. He was in net when Jason Garrison broke a 3-3 tie for the win. Vasilevskiy became just the fourth goaltender to win a Stanley Cup Final without starting and the first since Frank Pietrangelo did it for the Penguins in 1991.

On June 6, 2021, Jonathan Marchessault became the first player in Vegas Golden Knights history to score 20 playoff goals when he scored a hat trick in a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of their second round playoff game.

The Avalanche advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals on this day in 2022 with a 6-5 victory over the Oilers. Cale Makar had five points to lead the way and Artturi Lehkonen scored his second Stanley Cup Final goal with the game-winner in overtime. With his few points, Makar became the first defenseman in NHL history with five points in a series-winning game. He also tied the Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques record for points in a playoff game, joining Forsberg (1998) and Risto Siltanen (1987).

happy Birthday to you

Hall of Famer and current president of the Boston Bruins, Cam Neely, was born on June 6, 1965. He scored 396 goals and 694 points in 726 games during 13 seasons. He was a powerful forward, big and devastating, with a strong and accurate shot that went hand in hand with physical play.

Neely became a Bruin at age 21^St birthday, June 6, 1986. The Vancouver Canucks traded him, along with their first round pick (third overall) to Boston for Barry Pederson. The Bruins used a draft pick to select Glen Wesley. It’s easy to say that the Bruins won that trade.

Other players also born on this day include Jean Hamel (74), Wayne Babych (68), Anson Carter (52), Niklas Sundstrom (51), Niklas Hjalmarsson (39), Markus Nutivaara (32), Caleb Jones (29), Yegor Sharangovich (28), and the late Hall of Famer Ed Giacomin.

*Originally created by Greg Boysen