1974-75 Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur Jersey

The Montreal Canadiens were founded in 1909 as members of the brand new National Hockey Association in order to provide the French fans of Montreal a team to rival the Anglophone Montreal Wanderers.

The first player to ever score a goal for the Canadiens was future Hall of Famer Newsy Lalonde, who would lead the club with 16 goals despite only appearing in 6 games before being traded to the Renfrew Creamery Kings (also known as the Millionaires). Lalonde would add another 22 goals for Renfrew in just five games to lead the NHA in scoring with 38 goals, as assists were not awarded back then. Lalonde would return to Montreal for the 1910-11 season and again led the club with 19 goals in 16 games.

The first goal scorer in Canadiens history, Newsy Lalonde,
picture here in the first ever Canadiens sweater

With Lalonde lured out west by the Vancouver Millionaires for the 1911-12 season, Didier Pitre became the first Canadiens player to reach the 20 point mark when he finished as the runner up in the NHA scoring race with 27 goals in an 18 game schedule.

In 1914-15, Pitre became the first Canadiens player to reach the 30 point mark when he totaled 34 points from 30 goals and 4 assists, which were now credited as of 1913-14. Pitre barely missed out being the first 40 point scorer in 1915-16 when his 24 goals and 15 assists, but his 39 points made him the first Canadien to lead the league in scoring.

Pitre was the first Canadiens player with both 20 and 30 points

For the 1917-18 season, the NHA was disbanded and a new league rose to take it's place, the National Hockey League, of which the Canadiens were charter members. The brand new NHL was led in scoring by Joe Malone, who was on loan from the dormant Quebec Bulldogs. Malone was teamed with Lalonde and Pitre and the trio put on a scoring display unlike any ever seen before, as Malone became the first Canadiens player to top 40 points when he blitzed the league for 44 goals and 4 assists for 48 points in just 20 games. Malone's 44 goals in 1917-18 would stand as the league record for 46 years until 1943-44!

Joe Malone's 44 goals stood as the NHL record for 46 years

Such was the dominance of Malone's season, it would take until the 1927-28 season for Howie Morenz to become the first for Montreal to reach the 50 point barrier when his 33 goals and 16 assists game him 51 points to not only lead the club, but the entire NHL.

Howie Morenz was the first to 50 points

While Toe Blake came oh-so-close to hitting 60 points in 1942-43 with 59, the honors went to teammate Elmer Lach the following season when he vaulted past the 60 point barrier on his way to 72! While it took 16 years for Lach to hit both 60 points and 70 for the first time in team history, it took him just 12 months to become the first member of the Canadiens with 80 when he scored 26 goals and 54 points for exactly 80 in 1944-45, leading a 1-2-3 Canadiens sweep of the NHL scoring race, as Lach's 80 led Maurice Richard's 73 and Blake with 67.

Lach rewrote the Montreal record book in the 1940's,

as he was the first to 60, 70 and 80 points in two seasons

While Jean Beliveau came close with 88 points in 1955-59, it would be left winger Dickie Moore to first reach the 90 point plateau with 41 goals and 55 assists for 96 points, with Beliveau close behind at 91 to finish 1-2 in the league.

Dickie Moore pushed the mark to 90 points

While both Frank Mahovlich (96 in 1972) and Jacques Lemaire (95 in 1973) would take runs to become the first to reach the century mark, it would be Guy Lafleur who would take the honors as the first Canadien in the then 58 year history of the club to ever reach 100 points in a single season when he scored twice and added two assists on this date in 1975 in an 8-4 Montreal win over the Washington Capitals in Montreal.

Lafleur would go on to surpass 110 points later that season as he finished with 53 goals and 66 assists for a total of 119 points.

Just one season later, Lafleur eclipsed the 120 point mark with 125 from 56 goals and 69 points to win the NHL scoring race, a feat he repeated the very next season of 1976-77 as he amassed 136 points from 56 goals and 80 assists to set a team record which still stands to this day.

Guy Lafleur was the first to 100, as well as 110, 120 and

130 points in the span of just three seasons during the 1970's

To put Lafleur's 136 point season into perspective, Max Pacioretty led Montreal in scoring in the 2013-14 season with 60 points, less than half of Lafleur's record setting total.

Today's featured jersey is a 1974-75 Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur jersey as worn during the season Lafleur became the first player in franchise history to score 100 points in a single season.

While the first red Canadiens sweater with a blue band across the chest can be traced back to the 1912-13 season, it underwent a period of evolution, which included a "CA" crest before adopting to the "CH" logo in 1916, until arriving at the today's featured jersey for the 1966-67 season when the sleeve numbers were relocated inside the arm stripes. The 1974-75 season would be the final one for this variation with the lace up collar, which arrived back in 1941, as it would be replaced by a modern v-neck for 1975-76.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Today's video section is a career retrospective of Lafleur in his native French.

1912-13 Quebec Bulldogs Joe Malone Jersey

Joe Malone got his season, and the brand new National Hockey League (NHL), off with a bang when, on the day of the first games in league history, he scored five goals in the Montreal Canadiens 7-4 win over the Ottawa Senators on December 19, 1917.

Known as "Phantom" Joe Malone because of his ability to seemingly get by opposing defensmen undetected, Malone continued to excel in during the inaugural NHL season, scoring a goal in 14 consecutive games, which still stands to this day as the second longest goal scoring streak in NHL history. Malone would wind up leading the league in scoring that season with 44 goals in what was then just a 20 game schedule.

Malone originally played for the Quebec Bulldogs in the final year of the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) in 1909 and, giving a hint of what was to come, scored eight goals in 12 games.

The Bulldogs would move a new league, the Canadian Hockey Association, which would fold almost immediately, forcing Malone to play a season for Waterloo of the Ontario Professional Hockey League.

Back with the Bulldogs, who had now joined the National Hockey Association (NHA) for the 1910-11 season, Malone would score 9 goals in 13 games, followed by 21 goals in 18 games in 1911-12, leading the Bulldogs to the NHA championship, earning them the right to hold the Stanley Cup. The Bulldogs would face one challenge for the cup that season from the Moncton Victorias. Malone would score five goals in the two games the Bulldogs required to successfully defend the cup.

1912-13 would see a 43 goal explosion from Malone in a 20 game season as Quebec again finished atop the standings to retain the Stanley Cup. The Sydney Millionaires would challenge the Bulldogs for the the cup, but, behind Malone's nine goals in Game 1 alone, the Bulldogs would easily disptach Sydney by a score of 20-5 in the two-games, total-goals series.

The 1912-13 Bulldogs with the O'Brien Cup, as NHA champions, and

the Stanely Cup, as the best team in Canada.

After four more seasons with Quebec in the NHA, the majority of the club owners in the NHA elected to suspend league operations and form a new league, the NHL, in order to distance themselves from unwanted owner Eddie Livingstone. The Bulldogs were invited to participate in the new league but, facing financial difficulties, suspended operations for two seasons. As a result, their players were distributed among the other remaining clubs, and Malone was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens for the 1917-18 season.

Paired with future Hall of Famers Newsy Lalonde and Didier Pitre, Malone would shift to left wing and lead the league in scoring, with 48 points, and goals, with 44 in 20 games. His 44 goals set a single season record that would stand for 27 years until finally surpassed by Maurice Richard during a 50 game season in 1945. When Richard scored his 45th goal to set the new record, Malone was present to congratulate Richard and present him with the record-breaking puck.

In addition to his five goal game on opening night, Malone would repeat the feat twice more during the season and remains the only person to have scored five goals in a game more than once during a single season, let alone three times.

His second season with the Canadiens was limited due to Malone landing a better paying job in Quebec City. Including the playoffs, he would only play 13 games that season, which saw him score 12 times.

With the Quebec Bulldogs franchise revived for the 1919-20 season, Malone returned to Quebec, now renamed the Athletics although many still referred to them as the more familiar Bulldogs. He led the league with 39 goals (89% of the team's 44 goal total for the entire season!) in 24 games, which included his NHL record setting seven goals on this date in 1920 in a game versus the Toronto St. Patrick's, a record which still stands today.

Malone started off the game with his first goal at the 6:50 mark of the first period followed by Reg Noble evening the score at 1-1 with a goal at the halfway mark of the period. Quebec then added a pair of goals at 15:25 and 16:05 before Toronto responded with their second goal at 17:10 as the first period ended with the score at 3-2 for Quebec and Malone having scored just once, giving little indication of what was to follow...

Same has he did in the first period, Malone scored the first goal of the second, needing just 55 seconds to beat Mike Mitchell for the second time. Corb Denneny responded with a St. Patricks goal four minutes later, but Malone completed his hat trick at 10:18 to restore the Bulldogs two goal margin. Noble scored again for Toronto at 13:58 but Malone's fourth goal of the game and third of the period came at 18:18 for a 6-4 Quebec lead after two periods.

Howard Lockhart replaced Mitchell in goal for Toronto, who pulled back to within one yet again when Mickey Roach scored at 2:40. Quebec replied yet again at 4:10 only to have the St. Patricks Cully Wilson score just 30 seconds later to make the score 7-6 for Quebec. Lockhart had managed to keep the red hot Malone off the scoreboard for the first half of the third period, but at exact the 10 minute mark, Malone scored his fifth goal of the night which was followed by completing his second hat trick with his sixth goal just two minutes later. With just 45 seconds left in the game, Malone entered the NHL record books with his seventh goal of the night at third of the period against Lockhart for a final score of 10-6. During the game, Malone actually had an eighth goal negated by an offside call.

Malone also had a six goal night to close out the schedule on March 10th and finished the season with ten assists to lead the NHL in scoring with 49 points.

Unfortunately, the Athletics were a horrible defensive team and gave up an average of over seven goals a game, including an NHL record 16 allowed against Montreal that still stands today, something not even the scoring exploits of the prolific Malone could overcome. With Quebec finishing last in the league with matching 2-10 records in both halves of the season, the struggling team was then sold to an ownership group who relocated the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario and renamed them the Tigers. Malone managed to finish fourth in league scoring while putting up seasons of 28 goals in 20 games in 1920-21 and 24 goals in 24 games the following year despite the Tigers being anchored to the bottom of the standings both seasons.

Malone was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for the 1922-23 season, but scored but a single goal in 20 games in a backup role. He played 10 games the following season without scoring before retiring on January 23, 1924.

In 15 seasons throughout various leagues, Malone scored 343 goals in 275 games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.

Today's featured jersey is a 1912-13 Quebec Bulldogs Joe Malone jersey. from the Bulldogs back to back NHA championships, which also included a pair of successful defenses of the Stanley Cup. They originally wore the horizontally striped jerseys shown in the hockey card above, followed by a jersey with a large "Q" on the front. If you look closely at the team photo above, that style jersey is being worn by the player in the center of the back row, although it is rather obscured.

The Bulldogs then changed to today's featured jersey with "QUEBEC" boldly emblazoned across the front, which was worn during their greatest successes in 1912 and 1913.

Today's video is a look back at the history of the Quebec Bulldogs.

1920-21 Hamilton Tigers Joe Malone Jersey

After their peak in 1912 and 1913 when they were the holders of the Stanley Cup, the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association ran into hard times. While posting winning records in 1914 and 1915, they failed to qualify for the playoffs both seasons. A losing record of 10-12 in 1916 foreshadowed the downfall that await the club. A dismal first half in 1916-17 saw the Bulldogs at 2-8, only to reverse their fortunes in the second half of the season at 8-2, yet fail to make the postseason once more.

The Quebec Bulldogs in brighter days with the Stanley Cup

After the conclusion of the 1916-17 schedule, the NHA disbanded, only to be reborn as the new National Hockey League, with the Bulldogs as one of the charter members, only with the stress of being the smallest city in the league and the troubled economic times of the World War I, Quebec chose to suspend operations for the inaugural NHL season of 1917-18.

Their situation did not improve in time for the 1918-19 season when the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic erupted, causing the Bulldogs to once again take a pass on the season.

New ownership allowed the club to return to on ice competition for the 1919-20 season. High scoring star Joe Malone was recalled from the Montreal Canadiens and proceeded to lead not only the team, but the league in scoring with 39 goals and 49 points in 24 games. That, however, would prove to be the only highlight of the season for the team, as their defense would prove to be nothing short of hideous, giving up a total of 177 goals in 24 games, an average of 7.4 goals per game. That total was so putrid, it was greater than the Ottawa Senators and Toronto St. Patrick's combined total of 170.

The Bulldogs finished 2-10 in the first half, and there would be no rebound in the second half as another 2-10 record awaited them. Prior to the start of the 1920-21 season, the NHL would take back the franchise and sold it to interests in Hamilton, Ontario.

The club would be christened the Hamilton Tigers and six Quebec players, including Malone, would carry over to the first Tigers roster that would play their first ever game on this date in 1920, a 5-0 shutout of the Montreal Canadiens.

The 1920-21 Hamilton Tigers

The Tigers were led in scoring that night by future Hockey Hall of Famer Babe Dye, who scored the first goal in Tigers history at 12:30 of the first period to give Hamilton a 1-0 lead. Exactly five minutes later he would score his second of the period, both assisted by Joe Matte.

George Carey extended the Tigers lead to three at the four minute mark of the second, assisted by Moylan McDonnell, the only assist of the defenseman's 20 games that season. Matte made it three points on the night with his goal at the 16 minute mark of the period before Goldie Prodgers closed out the scoring at three minutes of the third period.

Howard Lockhart got the unlikely shutout in goal for Hamilton, considering that his only appearance for Quebec the previous season saw him let in no less than 11 goals! Lockhart would eventually play 59 NHL games over six seasons and record exactly one career shutout.

Howard Lockhart

The Tigers opening night shutout remains the one and only time a club has blanked an opponent during it's NHL debut and was arguably the high point in the history of the franchise. Of note, it would be the one and only game opening night star Dye would ever play in a Tigers sweater, as he was recalled from his loan by the Toronto St. Patricks due to an injury suffered by another member of the St. Patricks.

The Tigers would miss Dye dearly, as he would go on to lead the NHL in goal scoring that season with 35 total goals after netting 33 in 23 games following his recall by Toronto. In the absence of Dye, Malone would lead Hamilton with 28 goals and 37 points in 20 games after missing the first four games of the season due to a contract dispute.

Hamilton would go 2-2 before the return of Malone, but his arrival would do little to change the fortunes of the club, as they completed the first half of the season in last place at 3-7 and closed out the second half of the split season in last place with a record of 3-11.

Additional last place finishes followed the next three seasons thanks to records of 7-17, 6-18 and 9-15. Malone would lead the club in scoring again during 1921-22 and Mickey Roach took top honors in 1922-23 before Billy Burch did the same in 1923-24.

Then the unexpected happened, the lowly Tigers rose to the top of the standings with a 19-10-1 record as Burch again led the team with 20 goals and 24 points. Their scoreless tie with Ottawa during mid-December provided the difference over the second place St. Patricks who finished right behind Hamilton at 19-11-0.

The 1924-25 Hamilton Tigers

The excitement of their first place finish was quickly dashed in the most complete and utter way, as the entire roster of the Tigers went to their general manager on the train ride home following their final regular season game on March 9, 1925 and demanded the princely sum of $200 each for the six additional games the regular season had been extended that season due to the additions of two new clubs, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Maroons. Management responded with the argument that the player's contacts were based on playing from December 1st to March 30th, without regard to the number of games played.

The players held firm in their demands, refusing to participate in the postseason. The situation remained unresolved while the St. Patricks and Canadiens met in the semifinals. Once the Canadiens prevailed on March 13, league president Frank Calder met with Tigers management, who refused to change their position, and subsequently declared the Canadiens league champions, suspended the entire Tigers roster indefinitely and fined them $200 each, ending not only their season, but as it turns out the franchise itself!

Prior to the following NHL season, New York bootlegger Big Bill Dwyer purchased the Tigers roster for $75,000 to stock his expansion club, the New York Americans. It was a move the players did not mind, as they all received a pay increase, with some earning twice as much as before. The league officially revoked the Hamilton franchise on September 22, 1925, formally bringing to a close the story of not only the Hamilton Tigers, but NHL hockey in Hamilton, as the league has never returned.

Today's featured jersey is a 1920-21 Hamilton Tigers Joe Malone jersey. Their original jerseys feature vertical striping and the bold tiger head on a square patch. This style lasted but one season and was replaced by a new sweater which was adorned with a full-bodied walking tiger and horizontal striping.

The Hamilton Tigers jersey has taken on a legendary status since Sports Illustrated named the Hamilton Tigers jersey as one of "25 Lost Treasures of Sports", as no known surviving examples exist of any of the four different styles that were worn during their five seasons, despite reports that one was sold for $500 in the early 1990's in Hamilton to an unknown American collector and has never been seen since as reported in the documentary "Hunting the Last Hamilton Tiger" in 2009.

The History of the NHL Single Season Scoring Record

The National Hockey League made it's debut in 1917 with a 22 game schedule. Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens (on loan from the dormant Quebec Bulldogs) set the standard by leading the league in scoring with 44 goals and 4 assists for 48 points, an average of two goals per game!

Joe Malone set the first NHL scoring record in 1917-18

Two seasons later in 1919-20, Malone would raise the bar by a point following his 39 goal, 10 assist effort for 49 points in a now 24 game schedule while back with the revived Quebec franchise.

The NHL had changed dramatically by the 1927-28 season, expanding from four clubs to now ten with the additions of the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Cougars and Chicago Black Hawks to the Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. This necessitated a now longer 44 game schedule and Howie Morenz of the Canadiens took over the league record for single season point scoring with 33 goals and 18 assists for 51 points, bettering Malone's eight year old mark of 49.

Howie Morenz

Morenz's record would be obliterated two seasons later when rule changes allowed forward passing in the offensive zone and temporarily removed the offside rule. Players camping out in front of the opponents goal led to the rule being reinstated by mid-season. The Boston Bruins Cooney Weiland was the biggest beneficiary of the new offensive freedom and scored 43 goals and 30 assists in 44 games for a new league record of 73 points, 22 more than Morenz just two seasons earlier.

Cooney Weiland brought the scorning record to the United States

Weiland's mark would remain the standard for over a decade. By the time World War II arrived, the NHL had contracted back to what is now known as the Original 6, while the season schedule had expanded to 50 games. Doug Bentley of the Chicago Black Hawks tied Weiland's record of 73 in 1942-43 with 33 goals and 40 assists.

Doug Bentley equalled the scoring record in 1943

One season later, Herb Cain of the Bruins put together the season of his life with a 36 goal, 46 assist campaign for 82 total points after just 36 the season before and never exceeded 45 in the final two seasons of his career. Despite breaking Weiland's 14 year old record, Cain remains the only eligible former NHL scoring champion not inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Herb Cain

Cain's stellar season would remain the record for seven seasons until Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings, playing in his fifth NHL season, raised the mark to 86 points with 43 goals and 43 assists in 1950-51 in what was now a 70 game schedule, finishing a clear 20 points ahead of second place Maurice Richard,

Howe equalled his 86 points the following year with 47 goals and 39 assists in 1951-52 before beating his own league record with a 49 goal, 46 assist season for 95 points, a dominant 24 points clear of Detroit teammate Ted Lindsay. Howe would lead the league in points again the next season for four consecutive scoring titles and once more in 1957 for five in seven years.

The legendary Gordie Howe raised the scoring record twice

Six seasons after Howe set the record at 95 points, Dickie Moore would return the league record to the Canadiens when his 41 goals and 55 assists in 1958-59 eclipsed Howe by a single point with 96 in what was still a 70 game schedule.

Dickie Moore was the last of three Canadiens to hold the record

Moore's record would stand the test of time for a decade until the game saw it's first 100 point scorer in 1968-69. While Bobby Hull of Chicago set a new goal scoring record with 58, it was Phil Esposito of the Bruins who destroyed the old mark with his record shattering 126 points from 49 goals and 77 assists in a 76 game schedule. Both Hull (107) and Howe (103) also surpassed the 100 point mark that season to usher in a new era of offense in the NHL.

Phil Esposito was the first man to reach 100 points in an NHL season

Esposito easily broke his own record in 1970-71 when he set new records for goals and points with 76 goals and 76 assists for 152 points in a 78 game schedule, 13 clear of teammate Bobby Orr, who took away the MVP honors despite Esposito's scoring record.

Esposito was the third Bruin to set the scoring record

It would be another 10 years before the arrival of The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, would seize the record, first with a 164 point season from 55 goals and 109 assists in his second season in the NHL, 1980-81, in an 80 game schedule. Gretzky's 109 assists broke Orr's record of 102 set back in 1970-71.

Wayne Gretzky rewrote the record books

Gretzky broke his own record the following season of 1981-82. He announced his intentions of setting a new record when he scored 50 goals in just 39 games! He eventually finished the season by defeating Esposito's record of 76 goals with a new mark of 92 goals, which still stands to this day and remains the only 90 goal season in NHL history. Gretzky also blew away his record of 109 assists with 120 for a total of 212 points, shattering his own record for single season points by an amazing 47 points and becoming the first, and still only, player to ever reach 200 points.

Gretzky led the Oilers to four Stanley Cups

After two more 200 point seasons, Gretzky then set the NHL record on this date in 1986 when the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 with Gretzky picking up an assist, his 163rd of the season to break his own single season assist record. He also added 52 goals for a combined 215 points, a single season points scoring record which remains unbeaten now 29 seasons later, as the wide open, firewagon hockey of the 1980's has given way to improved goaltending and defensive systems, which has resulted in no player leading the league with even 130 points since 1996 and as few as 94 points in a full 82 game season in 2003-04.

Gretzky with the Art Ross Trophy (left) as the scoring champion

along with the Stanley Cup and Hart Trophy as league MVP

**********

The Evolution of the NHL Single Season Scoring Record

Joe Malone - 1917-18 - 48 points

Joe Malone - 1919-20 - 49

Howie Morenz - 1927-28 - 51

Cooney Weiland - 1929-30 - 73

Doug Bentley - 1942-43 - 73

Herb Cain - 1943-44 - 82

Gordie Howe - 1950-51 - 86

Gordie Howe - 1951-52 - 86

Gordie Howe - 1952-53 - 95

Dickie Moore - 1958-59 - 96

Phil Esposito - 1968-69 - 126

Phil Esposito - 1970-71 - 152

Wayne Gretzky - 1980-81 - 165

Wayne Gretzky - 1981-82 - 212

Wayne Gretzky - 1985-86 - 215

Today's featured jersey is a 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky jersey as worn the season Gretzky set the NHL single season scoring record, which has now stood the test of time for nearly 30 years.

The Oilers changed the colors of their crest to a higher contrast and much more pleasing blue letters on a white background, rather than the orange background of their final WHA jerseys, in 1979-80 when they entered the NHL. In 1981-82 the shade of blue became lighter and the jerseys remained unchanged through the 1995-96 season, which included the team's dynasty of five Stanley Cups in seven seasons.

1974-75 Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur Jersey

The Montreal Canadiens were founded in 1909 as members of the brand new National Hockey Association in order to provide the French fans of Montreal a team to rival the Anglophone Montreal Wanderers.

The first player to ever score a goal for the Canadiens was future Hall of Famer Newsy Lalonde, who would lead the club with 16 goals despite only appearing in 6 games before being traded to the Renfrew Creamery Kings (also known as the Millionaires). Lalonde would add another 22 goals for Renfrew in just five games to lead the NHA in scoring with 38 goals, as assists were not awarded back then. Lalonde would return to Montreal for the 1910-11 season and again led the club with 19 goals in 16 games.

The first goal scorer in Canadiens history, Newsy Lalonde,
picture here in the first ever Canadiens sweater

With Lalonde lured out west by the Vancouver Millionaires for the 1911-12 season, Didier Pitre became the first Canadiens player to reach the 20 point mark when he finished as the runner up in the NHA scoring race with 27 goals in an 18 game schedule.

In 1914-15, Pitre became the first Canadiens player to reach the 30 point mark when he totaled 34 points from 30 goals and 4 assists, which were now credited as of 1913-14. Pitre barely missed out being the first 40 point scorer in 1915-16 when his 24 goals and 15 assists, but his 39 points made him the first Canadien to lead the league in scoring.

Pitre was the first Canadiens player with both 20 and 30 points

For the 1917-18 season, the NHA was disbanded and a new league rose to take it's place, the National Hockey League, of which the Canadiens were charter members. The brand new NHL was led in scoring by Joe Malone, who was on loan from the dormant Quebec Bulldogs. Malone was teamed with Lalonde and Pitre and the trio put on a scoring display unlike any ever seen before, as Malone became the first Canadiens player to top 40 points when he blitzed the league for 44 goals and 4 assists for 48 points in just 20 games. Malone's 44 goals in 1917-18 would stand as the league record for 46 years until 1943-44!

Joe Malone's 44 goals stood as the NHL record for 46 years

Such was the dominance of Malone's season, it would take until the 1927-28 season for Howie Morenz to become the first for Montreal to reach the 50 point barrier when his 33 goals and 16 assists game him 51 points to not only lead the club, but the entire NHL.

Howie Morenz was the first to 50 points

While Toe Blake came oh-so-close to hitting 60 points in 1942-43 with 59, the honors went to teammate Elmer Lach the following season when he vaulted past the 60 point barrier on his way to 72! While it took 16 years for Lach to hit both 60 points and 70 for the first time in team history, it took him just 12 months to become the first member of the Canadiens with 80 when he scored 26 goals and 54 points for exactly 80 in 1944-45, leading a 1-2-3 Canadiens sweep of the NHL scoring race, as Lach's 80 led Maurice Richard's 73 and Blake with 67.

Lach rewrote the Montreal record book in the 1940's,

as he was the first to 60, 70 and 80 points in two seasons

While Jean Beliveau came close with 88 points in 1955-59, it would be left winger Dickie Moore to first reach the 90 point plateau with 41 goals and 55 assists for 96 points, with Beliveau close behind at 91 to finish 1-2 in the league.

Dickie Moore pushed the mark to 90 points

While both Frank Mahovlich (96 in 1972) and Jacques Lemaire (95 in 1973) would take runs to become the first to reach the century mark, it would be Guy Lafleur who would take the honors as the first Canadien in the then 58 year history of the club to ever reach 100 points in a single season when he scored twice and added two assists on this date in 1975 in an 8-4 Montreal win over the Washington Capitals in Montreal.

Lafleur would go on to surpass 110 points later that season as he finished with 53 goals and 66 assists for a total of 119 points.

Just one season later, Lafleur eclipsed the 120 point mark with 125 from 56 goals and 69 points to win the NHL scoring race, a feat he repeated the very next season of 1976-77 as he amassed 136 points from 56 goals and 80 assists to set a team record which still stands to this day.

Guy Lafleur was the first to 100, as well as 110, 120 and

130 points in the span of just three seasons during the 1970's

To put Lafleur's 136 point season into perspective, Max Pacioretty led Montreal in scoring in the 2013-14 season with 60 points, less than half of Lafleur's record setting total.

Today's featured jersey is a 1974-75 Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur jersey as worn during the season Lafleur became the first player in franchise history to score 100 points in a single season.

While the first red Canadiens sweater with a blue band across the chest can be traced back to the 1912-13 season, it underwent a period of evolution, which included a "CA" crest before adopting to the "CH" logo in 1916, until arriving at the today's featured jersey for the 1966-67 season when the sleeve numbers were relocated inside the arm stripes. The 1974-75 season would be the final one for this variation with the lace up collar, which arrived back in 1941, as it would be replaced by a modern v-neck for 1975-76.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Today's video section is a career retrospective of Lafleur in his native French.

1920-21 Hamilton Tigers Joe Malone Jersey

After their peak in 1912 and 1913 when they were the holders of the Stanley Cup, the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association ran into hard times. While posting winning records in 1914 and 1915, they failed to qualify for the playoffs both seasons. A losing record of 10-12 in 1916 foreshadowed the downfall that await the club. A dismal first half in 1916-17 saw the Bulldogs at 2-8, only to reverse their fortunes in the second half of the season at 8-2, yet fail to make the postseason once more.

The Quebec Bulldogs in brighter days with the Stanley Cup

After the conclusion of the 1916-17 schedule, the NHA disbanded, only to be reborn as the new National Hockey League, with the Bulldogs as one of the charter members, only with the stress of being the smallest city in the league and the troubled economic times of the World War I, Quebec chose to suspend operations for the inaugural NHL season of 1917-18.

Their situation did not improve in time for the 1918-19 season when the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic erupted, causing the Bulldogs to once again take a pass on the season.

New ownership allowed the club to return to on ice competition for the 1919-20 season. High scoring star player Joe Malone was recalled from the Montreal Canadiens and proceeded to lead not only the team, but the league in scoring with 39 goals and 49 points in 24 games. That, however, would prove to be the only highlight of the season for the team, as their defense would prove to be nothing short of hideous, giving up a total of 177 goals in 24 games, an average of 7.4 goals per game. That total was so putrid, it was greater than the Ottawa Senators and Toronto St. Patrick's combined total of 170.

The Bulldogs finished 2-10 in the first half, and there would be no rebound in the second half as another 2-10 record awaited them. Prior to the start of the 1920-21 season, the NHL would take back the franchise and sold it to interests in Hamilton, Ontario.

The club would be christened the Hamilton Tigers and six Quebec players, including Malone, would carry over to the Tigers first roster who would play their first ever game on this date in 1920, a 5-0 shutout of the Montreal Canadiens.

The 1920-21 Hamilton Tigers

The Tigers were led in scoring that night by future Hockey Hall of Famer Babe Dye, who scored the first goal in Tigers history at 12:30 of the first period to give Hamilton a 1-0 lead. Exactly five minutes later he would score his second of the period, both assisted by Joe Matte.

George Carey extended the Tigers lead to three at the four minute mark of the second, assisted by Moylan McDonnell, the only assist of the defenseman's 20 games that season. Matte made it three points on the night with his goal at the 16 minute mark of the period before Goldie Prodgers closed out the scoring at three minutes of the third period.

Howard Lockhart got the unlikely shutout in goal for Hamilton, considering that his only appearance for Quebec the previous season saw him let in no less than 11 goals. Lockhart would eventually play 59 NHL games over six seasons and record exactly one career shutout.

Howard Lockhart

The Tigers opening night shutout remains the one and only time a club has blanked an opponent during it's NHL debut and was arguably the high point in the history of the franchise. Of note, it would be the one and only game opening night star Dye would ever play in a Tigers sweater, as he was recalled from his loan by the Toronto St. Patricks due to an injury suffered by another player on the St. Patricks roster.

The Tigers would miss Dye dearly, as he would go on to lead the NHL in goal scoring that season with 35 total goals in 24 games after netting 33 in 23 games following his recall by Toronto. In the absence of Dye, Malone would lead Hamilton with 28 goals and 37 points in 20 games after missing the first four games of the season due to a contract dispute.

Hamilton would go 2-2 before the return of Malone, but his arrival would do little to change the fortunes of the club, as they completed the first half of the season in last place at 3-7 and closed out the second half of the split season in last place with a record of 3-11.

Additional last place finishes followed the next three seasons thanks to records of 7-17, 6-18 and 9-15. Malone would lead the club in scoring again during 1921-22 and Mickey Roach took top honors in 1922-23 before Billy Burch did the same in 1923-24.

Then the unexpected happened, the lowly Tigers rose to the top of the standings with a 19-10-1 record as Burch again led the team with 20 goals and 24 points. Their scoreless tie with Ottawa during mid-December provided the difference over the second place St. Patricks who finished at 19-11-0.

The 1924-25 Hamilton Tigers

The excitement of their first place finish was quickly dashed in the most complete and utter way, as the entire roster of the Tigers went to their general manager on the train ride home following their final regular season game on March 9, 1925 and demanded the princely sum of $200 each for the six additional games the regular season had been extended that season due to the additions of new clubs, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Maroons. Management responded with the argument that the player's contacts were based on playing from December 1st to March 30th, without regard to the number of games played.

The players held firm in their demands and refused to participate in the postseason. The situation remained unresolved while the St. Patricks and Canadiens met in the semifinals. Once the Canadiens prevailed on March 13, league president Frank Calder met with Tigers management, who refused to change their position, and subsequently declared the Canadiens league champions, suspended the entire Tigers roster indefinitely and fined them $200 each, ending not only their season, but as it turns out the franchise itself.

Prior to the following NHL season, New York bootlegger Big Bill Dwyer purchased the Tigers roster for $75,000 to stock his expansion club, the New York Americans. It was a move the players did not mind, as they all received a pay increase, with some earning twice as much as before. The league officially revoked the Hamilton franchise on September 22, 1925, formally bringing to a close the story of not only the Hamilton Tigers, but NHL hockey in Hamilton, as the league has never returned.

Today's featured jersey is a 1920-21 Hamilton Tigers Joe Malone jersey. Their original jerseys feature vertical striping and the bold tiger head on a square patch. This style lasted but one season and was replaced by a new sweater which was adorned with a full-bodied walking tiger and horizontal striping.

The Hamilton Tigers jersey has taken on a legendary status since Sports Illustrated named the Hamilton Tigers jersey as one of "25 Lost Treasures of Sports", as no known surviving examples exist of any of the four different styles that were worn during their five seasons, despite reports that one was sold for $500 in the early 1990's in Hamilton to an unknown American collector and has never been seen since.

There was a documentary about a search for any Tigers sweater called "Hunting the Last Hamilton Tiger" in 2009, but frustratingly, we were unable to find any clips of it online, youtube or otherwise, despite it having been shown on the CBC. If anyone has any links to video of this documentary, please share them in the comments or email us at Spyboy1@gmail.com.

1912-13 Quebec Bulldogs Joe Malone Jersey

Joe Malone got his season, and the brand new National Hockey League (NHL), off with a bang when, on the day of the first games in league history, he scored five goals in the Montreal Canadiens 7-4 win over the Ottawa Senators on December 19, 1917.

Known as "Phantom" Joe Malone because of his ability to seemingly get by opposing defensmen undetected, Malone continued to excel in during the inaugural NHL season, scoring a goal in 14 consecutive games, which still stands to this day as the second longest goal scoring streak in NHL history. Malone would wind up leading the league in scoring that season with 44 goals in what was then just a 20 game schedule.

Malone originally played for the Quebec Bulldogs in the final year of the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) in 1909 and, giving a hint of what was to come, scored eight goals in 12 games.

The Bulldogs would move a new league, the Canadian Hockey Association, which would fold almost immediately, forcing Malone to play a season for Waterloo of the Ontario Professional Hockey League.

Back with the Bulldogs, who had now joined the National Hockey Association (NHA) for the 1910-11 season, Malone would score 9 goals in 13 games, followed by 21 goals in 18 games in 1911-12, leading the Bulldogs to the NHA championship, earning them the right to hold the Stanley Cup. The Bulldogs would face one challenge for the cup that season from the Moncton Victorias. Malone would score five goals in the two games the Bulldogs required to successfully defend the cup.

1912-13 would see a 43 goal explosion from Malone in a 20 game season as Quebec again finished atop the standings to retain the Stanley Cup. The Sydney Millionaires would challenge the Bulldogs for the the cup, but, behind Malone's nine goals in Game 1 alone, the Bulldogs would easily disptach Sydney by a score of 20-5 in the two-games, total-goals series.

The 1912-13 Bulldogs with the O'Brien Cup, as NHA champions, and

the Stanely Cup, as the best team in Canada.

After four more seasons with Quebec in the NHA, the majority of the club owners in the NHA elected to suspend league operations and form a new league, the NHL, in order to distance themselves from unwanted owner Eddie Livingstone. The Bulldogs were invited to participate in the new league but, facing financial difficulties, suspended operations for two seasons. As a result, their players were distributed among the other remaining clubs, and Malone was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens for the 1917-18 season.

Paired with future Hall of Famers Newsy Lalonde and Didier Pitre, Malone would shift to left wing and lead the league in scoring, with 48 points, and goals, with 44 in 20 games. His 44 goals set a single season record that would stand for 27 years until finally surpassed by Maurice Richard during a 50 game season in 1945. When Richard scored his 45th goal to set the new record, Malone was present to congratulate Richard and present him with the record-breaking puck.

In addition to his five goal game on opening night, Malone would repeat the feat twice more during the season and remains the only person to have scored five goals in a game more than once during a single season, let alone three times.

His second season with the Canadiens was limited due to Malone landing a better paying job in Quebec City. Including the playoffs, he would only play 13 games that season, which saw him score 12 times.

With the Quebec Bulldogs franchise revived for the 1919-20 season, Malone returned to Quebec, now renamed the Athletics although many still referred to them as the more familiar Bulldogs. He led the league with 39 goals (89% of the team's 44 goal total for the entire season!) in 24 games, which included his NHL record setting seven goals on this date in 1920 in a game versus the Toronto St. Patrick's, a record which still stands today.

Malone started off the game with his first goal at the 6:50 mark of the first period followed by Reg Noble evening the score at 1-1 with a goal at the halfway mark of the period. Quebec then added a pair of goals at 15:25 and 16:05 before Toronto responded with their second goal at 17:10 as the first period ended with the score at 3-2 for Quebec and Malone having scored just once, giving little indication of what was to follow...

Same has he did in the first period, Malone scored the first goal of the second, needing just 55 seconds to beat Mike Mitchell for the second time. Corb Denneny responded with a St. Patricks goal four minutes later, but Malone completed his hat trick at 10:18 to restore the Bulldogs two goal margin. Noble scored again for Toronto at 13:58 but Malone's fourth goal of the game and third of the period came at 18:18 for a 6-4 Quebec lead after two periods.

Howard Lockhart replaced Mitchell in goal for Toronto, who pulled back to within one yet again when Mickey Roach scored at 2:40. Quebec replied yet again at 4:10 only to have the St. Patricks Cully Wilson score just 30 seconds later to make the score 7-6 for Quebec. Lockhart had managed to keep the red hot Malone off the scoreboard for the first half of the third period, but at exact the 10 minute mark, Malone scored his fifth goal of the night which was followed by completing his second hat trick with his sixth goal just two minutes later. With just 45 seconds left in the game, Malone entered the NHL record books with his seventh goal of the night at third of the period against Lockhart for a final score of 10-6. During the game, Malone actually had an eighth goal negated by an offside call.

Malone also had a six goal night to close out the schedule on March 10th and finished the season with ten assists to lead the NHL in scoring with 49 points.

Unfortunately, the Athletics were a horrible defensive team and gave up an average of over seven goals a game, including an NHL record 16 allowed against Montreal that still stands today, something not even the scoring exploits of the prolific Malone could overcome. With Quebec finishing last in the league with matching 2-10 records in both halves of the season, the struggling team was then sold to an ownership group who relocated the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario and renamed them the Tigers. Malone managed to finish fourth in league scoring while putting up seasons of 28 goals in 20 games in 1920-21 and 24 goals in 24 games the following year despite the Tigers being anchored to the bottom of the standings both seasons.

Malone was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for the 1922-23 season, but scored but a single goal in 20 games in a backup role. He played 10 games the following season without scoring before retiring on January 23, 1924.

In 15 seasons throughout various leagues, Malone scored 343 goals in 275 games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.

Today's featured jersey is a 1912-13 Quebec Bulldogs Joe Malone jersey. from the Bulldogs back to back NHA championships, which also included a pair of successful defenses of the Stanley Cup. They originally wore the horizontally striped jerseys shown in the hockey card above, followed by a jersey with a large "Q" on the front. If you look closely at the team photo above, that style jersey is being worn by the player in the center of the back row, although it is rather obscured.

The Bulldogs then changed to today's featured jersey with "QUEBEC" boldly emblazoned across the front, which was worn during their greatest successes in 1912 and 1913.

Today's video is a look back at the history of the Quebec Bulldogs.