It’s leap day! Feb. 29 only comes every four years, so there’s not a whole lot of NHL history that has happened on this date. Having said that, some significant events have occurred, including a huge milestone for Mr. Hockey, NHL debuts for a couple of future Hall-of-Famers, and the first game for the Great One donning the Blue Note. The number 1,000 also makes an appearance for a couple of legends in Boston and Detroit. So, with that said, let’s fire up the THW time machine and take a look back at what this rare date has given us over the years!
Gordie Howe Scores No. 800
On Feb. 29, 1980, Gordie Howe scored the 800th goal of his NHL career at the ripe age of 51. Playing for the Hartford Whalers, the milestone came at 1:27 of the third period as Howe buried his 14th of the season assisted by Greg Carroll and Bernie Johnston. The Whalers went on to win 3-0 over the St. Louis Blues with Al Smith recording the 14-save shutout.
Howe only scored one more goal that season to finish his career with a gaudy 801 goals and 1,850 points in 1,767 games. He ended up playing 26 years in the NHL and six years in the defunct WHA to finish with a 32-year hockey career. The legend passed away in 2016 at the age of 88 and still holds down the third spot on the all-time goals list. He was the first player to hit 800 goals and only Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin have joined him in that club since.
2 Future Hall of Famers Make Their NHL Debuts
Feb. 29 was definitely a day to remember for a couple of future Hall-of-Famers. First, in 1984, after competing in the Olympics for Team USA, Pat LaFontaine made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders in a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He was held off the scoresheet but was credited with two shots on goal. The 18-year-old finished with an impressive 13 goals and 19 points in 15 games and then had 19 goals and 54 points in his rookie season in 1984-85.
Then, four years later in 1988, Brian Leetch made his debut with the New York Rangers and picked up his first NHL point (an assist on Kelly Kisio’s second-period power-play goal) to help guide the Blueshirts to a 5-2 win over the Blues. He finished with two goals and 14 points in 17 games and won the Calder Trophy the next season on the strength of 23 goals and 71 points in 68 games.
Big Date For Bourque & Lidstrom
Ray Bourque and Nick Lidstrom hit major milestones on this date in 1992 and 2004 respectively. First, on Feb. 29, 1992, Bourque scored a goal and two assists to give him 1,000 points in his career as the Boston Bruins tied the Washington Capitals 5-5.
Related: ‘Mr. Hockey’ Gordie Howe
Then, more than a decade later, Lidstrom played his 1,000th game in the NHL to become the fourth player and first defenseman to hit the 1,000-game mark with the Detroit Red Wings. He didn’t get any points in his milestone game, but played his customary workhorse 27:28 of ice time as the Red Wings beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2.
Odds & Ends
On Feb. 29, 1984, Patrik Sundstrom scored a goal and six assists as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 9-5. He was just the third player in NHL history to record six assists in a road game (Billy Taylor and Bobby Orr were the others).
Gretzky of course had to make an appearance on Feb. 29. After being traded on Feb. 27, 1996, by the Los Angeles Kings to the Blues for Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, a 1996 fifth-round pick and a 1997 first-round pick, he made his debut and scored a goal in a 2-2 tie at the Canucks.
The Carolina Hurricanes’ Ron Francis also was prominent on Feb. 29 as he became just the second player in NHL history to score 10 (or more) goals for 23 straight seasons. He tied the record set by Howe, as the 40-year-old scored his 10th of the season on Feb. 29, 2004, against the Minnesota Wild to tie the game at three.
On Feb. 29, 2016, Eric Staal made his debut with the Rangers after being acquired from the Hurricanes for two second-round picks and prospect Aleksi Saarela. He was held at bay, but the Rangers managed to prevail over the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Patrik Stepan’s shorthanded goal with 2:48 left in the game.
Brayden Schenn will always remember Feb. 29, 2016, as the date he scored his first hat trick in the NHL. The then-Philadelphia Flyer’s third goal was his career-high (at the time) 21st of the season as the Flyers beat the Calgary Flames 5-3.
Not to be outdone, Patric Hornqvist also scored his first hat trick in 2016, when he was responsible for half of the offense in the Penguins’ 6-0 drubbing of the Arizona Coyotes. Marc-Andre Fleury recorded the 43rd shutout of his career, too.
Leon Draisaitl hit the century mark on this date in 2020 when he factored into all the scoring in a 3-2 win over the Jets. He scored two goals and three points and finished the game with 102 points on the season. It was the 12th time since 1993-94 that an NHL player had reached 100 in 65 or fewer games.
Happy Birthday To You
Only nine players in the history of the NHL were born on Feb. 29. But one stands above the rest: Hall-of-Famer Henri Richard. The iconic Montreal Canadien played 1,258 games in the league and posted 688 goals and 1,046 points. He was only 5-foot-7, but he sure packed an offensive punch. The “Pocket Rocket” was part of the dynastic days of the Canadiens when they won a ridiculous 11 Stanley Cups. He passed away at the age of 84 on March 6, 2020.
Other former NHLers who were born on this rare date include, Kari Eloranta (68), Jim Dobson (64), Dan Daoust (64), Landon Byers (60), Darryl Williams (56), 601-point man Simon Gagne (44), 2006 Stanley Cup winner Cam Ward (40), and Bobby Sanguinetti (36).
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