Hockey’s interesting history on Leap Day
Posted February 29, 2012 1:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Some very notable achievements in the game of hockey have taken place on the rarest date possible on a calendar.
Hockey has a fascinating history on Feb. 29 as this date seems to be a good omen for players. Here are some notable hockey events that have occurred on Leap Days past:
Montreal Canadiens legend Henri Richard was born on Feb. 29, 1936 which means he can legally purchase a beer in Ontario today since it’s his 19th birthday. Okay, that a bit of a stretch. The 76-year-old played 1,256 NHL games in his 20-year career, registering 1,046 points.
Leap Day in 1980 saw (Mr. Hockey) Gordie Howe score his 800th NHL goal, becoming the first player ever to do so. Howe scored the goal against the St. Louis Blues, who were playing in their 1,000th regular season game in franchise history.
Also on this day, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Simon Gagne was born. Gagne won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2002.
The world was introduced to a future star in 1984, as Carolina Hurricanes starting goalie Cam Ward was born. The 28-year-old has 175 wins in his 346-game career and won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy in 2006.
Other memorable Leap Day moments include: In 1988, future Cup winner and 1994 Conn Smyth winner Brian Leetch made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers … In 1992, Boston Bruins defenceman Ray Bourque recorded his 1,000 career point … In 1996 Wayne Gretzky played in his first game with the St. Louis Blues … In 2004 Nicklas Lidstrom played in his 1,000th career NHL game.
For some more cool hockey stats that have occurred on Leap Days check out greatesthockeylegends.com.
