Gaborik's big game
He became the first player in the team's seven seasons to record five goals in a game and was the first NHL player to record five goals in a game in more than 11 years. The most recent was Sergei Fedorov of the Red Wings, who scored five in a 5-4 Detroit victory over Washington on Dec. 12, 1996.
"It's an honor to be in that kind of company," Gaborik said.
A five-goal game is actually quite a bit more rare than I'd originally thought, as there have only been 42 in NHL history, quite a few of which took place in the league's early, early years.
Here's a look at five-goals games in the expansion era:
| Six Goals | ||
| Red Berenson | St. Louis | 07-Nov-68 |
| Darryl Sittler | Toronto | 07-Feb-76 |
Five Goals | ||
| Yvan Cournoyer | Montreal | 15-Feb-75 |
| Don Murdoch | NY Rangers | 12-Oct-76 |
| Ian Turnbull | Toronto | 02-Feb-77 |
| Bryan Trottier | NY Islanders | 23-Dec-78 |
| Tim Young | Minnesota | 15-Jan-79 |
| John Tonelli | NY Islanders | 06-Jan-81 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton | 18-Feb-81 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton | 30-Dec-81 |
| Grant Mulvey | Chicago | 03-Feb-82 |
| Bryan Trottier | NY Islanders | 12-Feb-82 |
| Willy Lindstrom | Winnipeg | 02-Mar-82 |
| Mark Pavelich | NY Rangers | 23-Feb-83 |
| Jari Kurri | Edmonton | 19-Nov-83 |
| Bengt Gustafsson | Washington | 08-Jan-84 |
| Pat Hughes | Edmonton | 03-Feb-84 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton | 15-Dec-84 |
| Dave Andreychuk | Buffalo | 06-Feb-86 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton | 06-Dec-87 |
| Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh | 31-Dec-88 |
| Joe Nieuwendyk | Calgary | 11-Jan-89 |
| Mats Sundin | Quebec | 05-Mar-92 |
| Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh | 09-Apr-93 |
| Peter Bondra | Washington | 05-Feb-94 |
| Mike Ricci | Quebec | 17-Feb-94 |
| Alexei Zhamnov | Winnipeg | 01-Apr-95 |
| Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh | 26-Mar-96 |
| Sergei Fedorov | Detroit | 26-Dec-96 |
| Marian Gaborik | Minnesota | 20-Dec-07 |
Joe Pelletier has the full list over on his blog.
Marian Gaborik now has scored .62 goals per game, the same pace he kept up last season when he potted 30 in 48 games.
Labels: Gaborik, milestones
by James Mirtle @ 4:03 AM
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11 comments
11 Comments:
Mike Ricci!
Who is this Gretzky guy and why is his name on that list so much?
I think it is interesting that these look like they are bunched together (relatively speaking). Several in the mid/late-90's, mid-80's with lots of them... graphed them here.
I didn't used to take the "we need to increase scoring" arguments very seriously. The overall averages haven't changed that much from what i've seen people talk about, etc.
But having this kind of scoring would certainly help draw hype (read: highlights on the news) and excitement and i could see how that has kinda been missing. Though i'm not sure if changing the rules is the answer...
thanks for the info James
Had the Wild even had a player score four in a game?
Is their six goals a club record too?
Someone watch the first goal and tell me the guy who got the second assist (backwards no look pass between his own legs) didn't do anything deserving of a point.
I'd have to say of all those 5 goal games, Mario's on December 31, 1988 is the most amazing!!! A goal in every freaking situation is pretty scary!!! SHG,PPG,EVSG,Penalty shot,and I believe the OT winner as well!!! Now that is an achievement that will NEVER be matched just due to the fact that most ace goal scorers don't see penalty killing time anymore!!!
I think it is interesting that these look like they are bunched together
This was the first 5-goal game in the NHL in 11 seasons. To this lucky fan who witnessed in person no fewer than five of those 5-goal games in the 1980s, it's the gap after those bunches which is alarming. What used to be a difficult feat is now next to impossible.
Hats off to Gaborik, in fact a hat doesn't quite seem enough, does it?
had the wild team ever scored 5 in a game?
mark pavelich was my favorite player when i was a youngster.
cheers
Grabam, the fifth situation wasn't an OT winner, it was an empty-net clincher. So in his truly amazing performance, Lemieux got one goal with no designation (at evens), and a PP, SH, PS and EN.
As for how ace scorers are or aren't being used, that's a cyclical thing. There's a reason Gretzky, Messier and Lemieux have all the major shorthanded scoring records. (Most SHG career, most playoff SHG career, and most SH goals in one season respectively) The greatest of the great play in all situations.
(But I agree Mario's accomplishment will never be matched. Nobody would have even thought of it until he actually did it.)
I started reading that list, and immediately said "How the fuck did Mike Ricci score 5 goals?"
WOW
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