Game of the Week – April 1, 2006.
Featured this week is arguably the most exciting and well played game so far this season. The powerful, lead leading Montreal Canadiens with scoring leaders Jean Beliveau and John Ferguson were up against the upstart Oakland Seals. The Canadiens needed a win in this game to maintain their first place status over the Bruins. The Seals had come back from last place to clinch a playoff spot in the West Division. The one meeting between these teams this year saw the Canadiens, after spotting the Seals a first period one to nothing lead, score thirteen unanswered goal to crush Oakland 13 to 1.
The first period saw wild action at both ends but both Oakland’s Charlie Hodge and Montreal’s Gump Worsely were sensational in goal. The Ferguson to Beliveau combination came close several times but Hodge was always in position. The period ended scoreless.
If the action in first period was wild, the second period raised the temperature at Kew Gardens a few more degrees. Both teams played with similar wide open offensive play with solid defense. Early in the second Billy Harris stole the puck from JC Tremblay fired a shot at the net that Worsely kicked out and then picked up his own rebound and dumped it behind the Gumper. Oakland was up 1 – 0. Not long after, the Seals went up 2 – 0 after Harris bagged his second goal after tipping in a shot by Bill Hicke from the right wing. Beliveau finally broke Hodge’s perfect goaltending with a tip in from a pass from John Ferguson just seconds before the buzzer. After two periods, the Seals lead 2 to 1.
Both teams showed in the third that they had the stamina to play a full fifteen minutes of all out, hard hitting hockey. Play was so intense that at times it seemed the entire arena was moving. Both goalies again were superb but near the half way point of the third period, Oakland got a very much needed insurance goal on a slap shot from the point by Carl Vadnais. The Canadiens then threw everything they had at Hodge and eventually it paid off as Beleveau took a pass from Yvon Courneyer and flipped the puck past Hodge. The score was 3 to 2 for the Seals and despite many more great opportunities at both ends that’s how it remained. The Seals won the game and tied the season series against the Habs.
Final Score: Seals 3 Canadiens 2
First Star – Charlie Hodge
Second Star – Gump Worsely
Third Star – Billy Harris
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Game of the Week – Feb. 5, 2006.
The 2005 – 2006 All Star game between the East and West divisions is this week’s featured game. Last year, the first All Star game in Toronto, the West easily defeated the East 6 to 1. This foreshadowed the Stanley Cup playoffs as both finalists were from the West.
This year in Montreal, the East was represented by Jean Beliveau of Montreal at center, Johnny Bucyk of the Bruins on left wing, Gary Dornhoffer of the Flyers on right wing, Pittsburgh’s Leo Boivin on left defense, Barcley Plager of St. Louis on right defense and in goal Ed Giacomin of the Rangers.
The West had Murray Oliver of Minnesota at center, the Leaf’s Frank Mahovlich on left wing, Detroit’s Gordy Howe on right wing, Elmer Vasko of Chicago on left defense, Dale Talon of Vancouver on right defense and Oakland’s Charlie Hodge in net.
Despite being an All Star game that had no bearing on the standings, it turned out to be one of the most exciting TOSTHL games since last year’s game seven of the Stanley Cup finals.
As soon as the puck was dropped it was clear that this was going to be an intense game. The East controlled the game early on and soon were up 1 to 0 on a goal by league scoring leader Jean Beliveau assisted by Gary Dornhoffer. The West, however, came right back and tied it up with an unassisted goal by the North Star’s Murray Oliver. As the clock was running down in the first period, the East reclaimed the lead on a goal by Boston’s Johnny Bucyk and Dornhoffer picked up his second assist. The East lead two to one after the first.
Early in the second period the East put heavy pressure on Charlie Hodge but he kept his team in with several spectacular saves. Then Dale Talon intercepted a pass from Barcely Plager and fired a shot past Giacomin to tie the game at two. The checking became tighter in the second half of the second period but after a penalty by Mahovlich, with less than a minute to go Beliveau bagged his second goal from Johnny Bucyk. After two periods the East was up three to two.
The tight checking continued into the third. Again Hodge had to come up with some big saves to keep his team in but near the midway point of the third period Murray Oliver took a pass from Howe and fired a shot from the slot past Giacomin and the score was tied. Things tightened up even further in the second half of the third as neither team was willing to give up the crucial goal and when the buzzer went off the score was tied three to three.
During the first overtime period the noise of the crowd was deafening. The tight checking was abandoned and the play went from end to end. Both Hodge and Giacomin had to make spectacular save after spectacular save. The pace was furious but nobody could beat the two star goalies and the score remained three to three after the first over-time period.
The fast pace continued in the second over-time period as the eastern home crowd’s tension increased. Again Hodge and Giacomin kicked out puck after puck but as the half way point of the period approached, Frank Mahovlich stole the puck from Barcley Plager and fired a hard drive past Giacomin on the short side. It was over. The crowd moaned. The West had won their second straight All Star game.
Final Score: East 3 West 4
First Star: Frank Mahovlich
Second Star: Jean Beliveau
Third Star: Charlie Hodge