Today in Hockey History: November 23

A pair of Hockey Hall of Famers scored 600 points^NS goals on this day in National Hockey League history. There are also countless memories for both teams in New York City, and the hockey world mourns the passing of one of the greatest head coaches of all time. So let’s hop on a THW time machine to revisit all of the best moments from November 23.

Get number 600

Two years and one day later Wayne Gretzky scores 500^NS scored, the Great One has reached its next major milestone. On November 23, 1998, Gretzky scored for 600^NS time in his legendary career in the Los Angeles Kings’ 8-3 road win at the Detroit Red Wings. He also had five assists to get through a six-point night in Motor City.

Gretzky took 565 games to score his first 500 goals. He needed 153 more games to go from 500 to 600. At the time, he was only the fifth player in NHL history to score 600 career goals. From this date, 15 other players have reached the 600 target plateau.

One of those 15 players is Dave Andreychuk. He scored his 600th and 601th goals on November 23, 2002, to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3–1 win over the New Jersey Reds. He is 14 years old^NS player in league history joining the 600-goal club.

Rangers Legends Complete

Rod Gilbert played his last NHL game on November 23, 1977, a 6-3 home win for the New York Rangers against the Colorado Rockies. The right winger spent his entire 18-season career with Blue Shirt. He played 1,065 games, scored 406 goals and 1,021 points, these are still the most numbers in franchise history. Only Brian Leetch has more assists in a Rangers shirt than Gilbert.

When you do something that only Gordie Howe can do, you have really achieved a great feat. Mark Messier joined Howe as the only players to appear in 1,700 NHL games on November 23, 2003, in Rangers’ 6-3 win over visiting Ottawa Senators. Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis and Patrick Marleau have since added their names to this list. Marleau broke Howe’s all-time record of 1,767 games played on April 19, 2021.

Henrik Lundqvist was retired on November 23, 2014, to lead New York to a 5–0 win over the Montreal Canadianiens. This happened after his backup, Cam Talbot, eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in the team’s previous game. This marks the first time since 1977 that Rangers have consecutively received shots from two different home goals. Back then, Wayne Thomas and John Davidson eliminated the St Louis Blues and Minnesota North Stars, three days apart, respectively.

A wild night for the islanders

The New York Islanders played one of the toughest games in team history on November 23, 1982, when they drew 8-8 with the away team’s North Stars. Bryan Trottier is the only member of the Islanders to score a double when seven different players light up the lights. They burned Minnesota goalkeeper Gilles Meloche to 8 goals after only 27 shots. Neal Broten and Steve Payne both had hat tricks for the North Stars.

On November 23, 2009, the Toronto Maple Leafs threw everything but the kitchen sink at Islanders goalkeeper Dwyane Roloson. They broke the 33-year-old franchise record with 61 shots on target but lost 4-3 in extra time. The 61 shots allowed is the most New York has ever given up in a game. kt Roloson’s 58 saves are still ranked 10th^NS-substance made in a regular season game.

Odds & Ends

November 23 is an important day for legendary goalscorer George Hainsworth. In 1926, he marked his first career end, leading the Canadian team to a 2–0 victory over the New York Americans. He went on to earn 14 appearances during the 1926-27 season, which was a new record until Tony Esposito broke it in 1969-70 with 15 games for the Chicago Blackhawks. Hainsworth finished her career in the Hall of Fame with 94 appearances, the third most of all time behind Martin Brodeur and Terry Sawchuk.

Esa Tikkanen’s crazy month continued on November 23, 1995, when he was traded by the New Jersey Devils to the Vancouver Canucks for a second-round draft. This is the second time Tikkanen has been traded in the month. He was first traded by the Blues to the Devils on 1 November 1995, to be selected in the third round. So New Jersey went up one round in the draft for 11 games under Tikkanen’s service. He played 100 games with the Canucks, scoring 25 goals and 64 points, before being transferred to Rangers in 1997. The Devils used the draft plan to select striker Wes Mason, who had never played in the NHL.

The Boston Bruins made history on November 23, 2002, when they defeated the Buffalo Sabers 4-1. The win makes them only the second team, after the Canadianiens, to win 2,500 NHL games. It’s also 1,500^NS win at home in franchise history.

Bruce Boudreau made his NHL head coach debut on November 23, 2007, in the Washington Capitals’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Birthday boy Nicklas Backstrom scored in extra time to give Boudreau his first career win. He replaces Glen Hanlon, who was sacked after 21 games. He led the Hershey Bears, the Washington branch of the American Hockey League (AHL), to the 2006 Calder Cup championship. As of this date, he has earned 567 wins, out of a total of 984 games, for Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wilds.

Speaking of successful adult coaches on November 23, 2014, the hockey world mourned the passing of Pat Quinn, who passed away at the age of 71 after a long illness. He played 606 NHL games in his career, as a guard, for the Maple Leafs, Canucks and Atlanta Flames. His most memorable match may have been the open-ice strike he threw at Bruins legend Bobby Orr during the 1969 season, knocking him unconscious and starting a scuffle on the bench. .

Related – Pat Quinn: The Legacy of Hockey Greatness

An ankle injury forced Quinn to retire in 1977, and he was quickly added to the Flyers organization as head coach of the AHL branch, the Maine Mariners. He was promoted to head coach in Philadelphia during the 1978-79 season. He has coached 1,400 games in the NHL, earning 684 wins, with the Flyers, Kings, Canucks, Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, also spending time in the Toronto and Vancouver main offices. He took the Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup final.

Two-time Jack Adams Award winner, for being the league’s best coach, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just six days before his death. He was unable to attend the ceremony.

On November 23, 2018, Joe Thornton provided an assist in Timo Meier’s goal in the San Jose Sharks’ 4–0 win over the Canucks. The helper gave him 1,034 career assists, taking him 11th^NS put on all time leader board.

Happy Birthday

A total of 14 current and former NHL players share their birthdays today. The most successful in this group are Simon Nolet (80), Brian Glynn (54), former Canada captain Saku Koivu (47), Colby Armstrong (39), Backstrom (34), Garnet Hathaway (30), and the team. Chief Gabriel of the Colorado Avalanche. Landeskog (29).

Greg Boysen has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks since 2010 and is a venue manager for both FanSided and SB Nation. He has been published in The Hockey News and is fully endorsed for the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. Among his various roles with The Hockey Writers have included the Blackhawks, AHL, columnist “Days of the Day”. now in hockey history” daily, serving as a copy editor, appearance and host many YouTube shows, including the Blackhawks Banter. He has certifications with the Chicago Wolves, Rockford IceHogs and Milwaukee Admirals, and is a regional scout for the NAHL. And, just because his plate isn’t full, Greg hosts quizzes in the Chicago area two nights a week. For interview requests or providing topic suggestions, follow Greg on Twitter and access.