Highest Scoring NHL Games & Little Known Facts About the Cup
Also, some "Today in Hockey History", revisiting the Alexei Yashin trade, a forgotten piece of the Wayne Gretzky blockbuster, and more.
Welcome to the THW Hockey History Substack newsletter, with all the best from our extensive archives.
In today’s edition, we have a couple “Today in Hockey History” posts, looking at the top 10 highest-scoring games of the modern era, little-known facts about the Stanley Cup, revisiting the Alexei Yashin and Wayne Gretzky trades, and more.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Today in Hockey History: Jan. 5
It is time for our daily look back and the big events in National Hockey League history. Jan. 5 has given us many memories, including some NHL firsts, major personal milestones, and brand-new all-time records. Let’s get the journey back through time started!
Little Known Facts About the Stanley Cup
Every hockey fan knows what the Stanley Cup is and hopes that their team will bring it home. Some even hope to be able to lift the coveted silver cup above their heads.
What a lot of people don’t think about is the history behind the Cup. Most hockey fans know that Lord Stanley of Preston purchased the Cup and that every year one team wins it and now gets to take it back to their hometowns. But what about little-known facts. Like the fact that two babies were baptized in the Cup. Or how many women have their names on the Cup? And which team forgot they even won the Cup?
If you’re into visuals then check out this infographic that is all about Stanley. For the rest of you, here’s some new knowledge for you to dole out next time you converse about the chalice. Let’s start out with the basics.
Top 10 Highest Scoring NHL Games of the Modern Era
Offense is making a comeback in the NHL. Games are finishing with higher scores, as the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets displayed in a 15-goal affair a couple of years ago. The average of goals per game has gone up over the last few seasons, and the number of 100-point scorers each season has increased, too.
With teams becoming savvier and finding better ways to create shots and scoring chances, it doesn’t seem like goal-scoring is going away any time soon. So we figured it’d be a good time to go back and look at the 10 highest-scoring games of the modern NHL (1967-present).
Today in Hockey History: Jan. 4
Jan. 4 has been quite the busy day in National Hockey League history. The greatest player of them all had four huge nights for three different teams. Some of his fellow members of the Hockey Hall of Fame joined him in having big-time performances. It is time for a daily trip through time as we look at all the great moments on the ice from this date.
Alexei Yashin Trade Revisited
Long before he became one of the biggest and most disappointing contracts in New York Islanders franchise history, Alexei Yashin was traded to the Islanders from the Ottawa Senators back on June 23, 2001.
While Yashin spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career with the Senators, the team shipped the forward to the Islanders following two 85-plus point seasons for Bill Muckalt, Zdeno Chara and a first-round pick that turned into Jason Spezza at second overall in 2001.
But how did the trade play out for both teams? Let’s have a look.
Nick Stajduhar: The Forgotten Piece of the Wayne Gretzky Trade
There’s a single day in Edmonton Oilers history that remains one of the darkest days in the organization’s history – Aug. 9, 1988. It was the day that fans of the Oilers found out that their hero and NHL great — Wayne Gretzky — had been moved and sold by Peter Pocklington.
The dynasty in Edmonton was over. The king of hockey was now a King in Los Angeles. The remnants of the trade now scattered across the organization. As for the image of Gretzky at the podium, tears in his eyes, it’s one that has become iconic amongst hockey circles.
However, we’re not here to discuss the Gretzky trade as a whole, rather a singular piece that came to the Oilers before his hockey career fizzled out. This is the story of Nick Stajduhar — a junior star. A first-round NHL pick. The forgotten piece of the Gretzky trade.