This date in 2005 saw a major trade that forever changed two franchises. Also, one of the greatest players in National League Hockey history hit a significant milestone. In addition, Nov. 30 was a very busy date on Long Island and for some of the biggest names in the game. So. let’s hop aboard the THW time machine and relive all the great best moments from this date.
A Huge Date in 2005
Nov. 30, 2005, is a date that makes Boston Bruins fans cringe and San Jose Sharks fans give high fives. This is when the Bruins traded team captain Joe Thornton to the Sharks for forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart.
Thornton had nine goals and 33 points in the first 23 games of the season before the trade. He had taken a ton of criticism after going pointless during the Bruins’ seven-game loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the previous postseason. The team got off to a rough start and decided to make a jumbo change.
The move west did not affect Thornton in the least. He scored 20 goals and picked up 72 assists in 58 games with his new team. He finished the 2005-06 season with 29 goals and a league-leading 125 points to earn him the Art Ross Trophy. He was also the only player to ever win the Hart Trophy for being voted as the league’s MVP after switching teams during the season.
Thornton’s time with the Sharks just came to an end in October of 2020 when he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played in 1,104 games in San Jose, scoring 251 goals and 1,055 points. Meanwhile, the trio of players that shipped out to Boston combined for 136 goals and 260 points in 506 total games.
On this same date, Sergei Fedorov made history during the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild. He became the first Russia-born player to ever play in 1,000 NHL games. He played in the third-most games of all Russian NHL players with 1,248 games, trailing only Alexei Kovalev and Sergei Gonchar. Alex Ovechkin is the only Russian-born player to have scored more than Fedorov’s 1,179 points.
Mario Has a Super Day
Mario Lemieux had big performances on this date in back-to-back years. First, on Nov. 30, 1995, he scored four goals for his 34th career hat trick. Markus Naslund added four assists for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they beat the Bruins 9-6 in Boston.
Exactly one year later, Lemieux became just the ninth player in league history to score 1,400 points. He hit this major milestone by scoring a goal and adding three assists in a 6-2 win over the Bruins. His teammate, Ron Francis, picked up two helpers during the second period to become the ninth player ever to record 900 career assists.
Hall of Fame Moments
On Nov. 30, 1977, Phil Esposito scored a hat trick to lead the New York Rangers to a 4-0 road win at the St. Louis Blues. The three-goal night gave him 605 in his career and moved him ahead of Bobby Hull for the second-most in league history, behind only Gordie Howe. He retired with 717 goals, which still has him in sixth place on the all-time goals list.
Peter Stastny made history on Nov. 30, 1980, in the Quebec Nordiques’ 7-3 loss to the New York Islanders. With his assist in the defeat, he became the first rookie ever to have at least one point in each of his first 16 NHL games.
Bryan Trottier played in his 1,200th career NHL game on Nov. 30, 1991, as the Penguins won 5-1 at the Philadelphia Flyers to extend their undefeated streak to six games (5-0-1).
Grant Fuhr became the 11th goaltender in league history to win 300 games on Nov. 30, 1995, when he led the Blues to a 4-1 win at the Winnipeg Jets. He finished his career with 403 total wins, the 12th most on the all-time list.
Related – Grant Fuhr’s Historic 1995-96 Season
One year later, on Nov. 30, 1996, Ed Belfour became the third goaltender in Chicago Blackhawks team history to win 200 games with a 5-3 win at the Los Angeles Kings. Tony Amonte was the difference-maker on offense with the third hat trick of his career.
Mats Sundin became the 13th player to score 200 goals as a member of the Maple Leafs on Nov. 30, 2000, when he scored in a 6-4 win against the Islanders.
Good Times on Long Island
The Islanders were a very busy team on this date. Starting on Nov. 30, 1979, when Duane Sutter made his NHL debut, becoming the second of five Sutter brothers to play in the league. He scored the first two goals of his career. He was inserted into the lineup after Billy Harris was scratched after playing in all 576 games in franchise history.
Billy Smith became the first goaltender to earn 200 victories as a member of the Islanders on Nov. 30, 1982, in a 3-2 win at St. Louis.
Two years later, on Nov. 30, 1984, John Tonelli scored a goal and added three assists to lead the Islanders to a 5-2 win at the Jets.
Rookie goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick recorded the first shutout of his NHL career on Nov. 30, 1989, with a 2-0 win in Chicago. Alan Kerr had a goal and an assist to lead the offense.
Pierre Turgeon scored his third career hat trick, and first with the Islanders on Nov. 30, 1991, in a 6-1 blow out of the Capitals. Steve Thomas chipped in with four assists. Five years later, on Nov. 30, 1996, Thomas scored his 300th career goal as a member of the New Jersey Devils.
Finally, on Nov. 30, 1993, former Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green scored the only hat trick of his playing career to lead the Islanders to a 6-4 win over the Capitals.
Odds & Ends
The Blackhawks and the Canadiens skated to a 3-3 tie, on Nov. 30, 1954, in a game played in Omaha, Nebraska. The Blackhawks played six “home” games in different sites this season, with two games in Omaha, St. Louis, and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Val Fonteyne played in his 185th straight game without a penalty on Nov. 30, 1968, in the Penguins’ 4-2 win at the Kings. His NHL-record streak ended the following evening when he was called for a minor penalty during a game at the Oakland Seals.
The Buffalo Sabres snapped the Bruins’ 31-game unbeaten streak on Nov. 30, 1976, with a 6-2 victory. Andre Savard scored a goal and added two assists to lead the offense.
Former first-overall pick Bobby Smith scored his 1,000th NHL point on Nov. 30, 1991, with an assist. He later added a goal in the Minnesota North Stars’ 4-3 road win at the Maple Leafs.
Later that night, the Sharks won their first road game in franchise history with a 2-1 victory at the Calgary Flames. Steve Bozek and David Bruce scored while goaltender Jeff Hackett made 26 saves.
Rick Tocchet scored a goal for his 700th career NHL point on Nov. 30, 1995, in the Kings’ 3-2 win over the Capitals.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist led the Rangers to a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 30, 2015, by making 33 saves. This was his 352nd career victory, which moved him ahead of Terry Sawchuk for the third-most wins with one franchise.
Daniel Sedin had a goal and two assists on Nov. 30, 2017, to lead the Canucks to the 5-3 road win at the Nashville Predators. He became the 87th player in league history to score 1,000 points less than a year after his brother, Henrik, accomplished this same feat. They are the only brothers to both score 1,000 NHL points.
Rick Bowness became the first to coach 2,500 NHL games as either an assistant, associate, or head coach when he got behind the bench on Nov. 30, 2021, for a game between the Stars and Hurricanes. He has since moved on from the Stars and is now coaching the Jets.
On that same night, the Red Wings became the fourth NHL team with 3,000 regular-season wins when they came away with a 2-1 victory over the Bruins. They joined the Canadiens, Bruins, and Maple Leafs in the feat.
Patrick Kane recorded his 764th assist on Nov. 30, 2022, to pass Chris Chelios for fourth among United States-born players behind Phil Housley (894), Mike Modano (813) and Brian Leetch (781). Unfortunately, it came in a loss as his Blackhawks fell to the Oilers 5-4.
Happy Birthday to You
A total of 19 current and former NHL players have been born on this date. The best of this group are Curt Giles (65), Dave Barr (63), Jason Pominville (41), and the late Sweeney Schriner and Tod Sloan.
*Originally constructed by Greg Boysen
Sign up for our NHL History Substack newsletter
