April 5: Orr becomes first defenseman to win scoring title

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: April 5
1970:
Bobby Orr
has a second-period assist in the Boston Bruins' final game of the season, a
3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs
at Boston Garden, to become the first defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring.

Orr finishes with 120 points (33 goals, 87 assists) in 76 games, then scores the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 4 of the Final to give the Bruins their first championship since 1941.
He leads the NHL in scoring again in 1974-75 with 135 points (46 goals, 89 assists) in what turns out to be his last full season in the NHL. Knee injuries limit him to 36 games before he retires in 1978; he is elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.
MORE MOMENTS:
1919: The death of
Joe Hall
during an influenza epidemic brings an end to the Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. The best-of-5 series ends 2-2, and the Cup is not awarded.
1932:
Busher Jackson
of the Toronto Maple Leafs becomes the first player to score three goals in one period of a playoff game. He gets a hat trick in the second period of a
6-4 win against the Rangers
in Game 1 of the Final at Madison Square Garden.
1955:
Ted Lindsay
ties Stanley Cup Final records with four goals in a game and three in a period, helping the Red Wings to a
7-1 victory
against the Canadiens at Olympia Stadium in Game 2. Lindsay scores once in Detroit's four-goal first period and three more times in the second period. He's the first player to score four goals in a Final game since the NHL takes control of the Cup in 1926.

1970: The New York Rangers pass the Canadiens for fourth place and the final Stanley Cup Playoff berth in the East Division on one of the wildest season-ending days in NHL history. The Rangers enter their season finale against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden needing not only a win and a Montreal loss to the Chicago Blackhawks that night, but also having to outscore the Canadiens by at least five goals (under the rules then in effect, the first tiebreaker for teams with identical records is goals scored). They bombard goalie
Roger Crozier
with 65 shots and
win 9-5
. Montreal can still make the playoffs with a win, a tie or by scoring five goals against Chicago. But when a 3-2 deficit becomes 5-2 in the third period, the Canadiens pull goalie
Rogie Vachon
. The strategy backfires; the Blackhawks score five empty-net goals and
win 10-2
. It's the only season between 1948-49 and 1994-95 that the Canadiens miss the playoffs.
1980:
Marcel Dionne
wins his only NHL scoring title by getting two assists in the Los Angeles Kings'
5-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks
. Dionne finishes the season with 53 goals and 137 points. Edmonton Oilers'
Wayne Gretzky
also has 137 points, but Dionne wins the
Art Ross Trophy
because he scores two more goals.
1991:
Jaromir Jagr
scores at 8:52 of overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a
5-4 win against the New Jersey Devils
in Game 2 of the Patrick Division Semifinals. It is the first of Jagr's 78 playoff goals.

1997:
Mario Lemieux
announces he will retire after the end of the 1996-97 season. The news comes after months of speculation; at the time of his announcement, the Penguins center leads the NHL in scoring with 117 points. He returns to the Penguins in December 2000 and doesn't retire for good until 2006.
2007:
Martin Brodeur
of the New Jersey Devils sets an NHL record with his 48th win of the season, a
3-2 road victory
against the Philadelphia Flyers. Brodeur breaks the mark set by
Bernie Parent
of the Flyers in 1973-74.
2018: On a day when 11 of 12 games are decided by one goal, the most in NHL history,
Henrik Sedin
sets up brother
Daniel Sedin
for the overtime winner that gives the Vancouver Canucks a
4-3 victory against the Arizona Coyotes
. It's the final home game for the twins, who announce earlier in the week that they're retiring at the end of the season.
On the same night, the Nashville Predators
defeat the Washington Capitals 4-3
at Capital One Arena. Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi score third-period goals for the victory. Nashville wins the
Presidents' Trophy
for the first time since entering the NHL in 1998.
Also, the Devils qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2012 by
defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1
at Prudential Center.
Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers becomes the third goalie in NHL history to play in 1,000 games and makes 26 saves in a
3-2 win against the Boston Bruins
at BB&T Center. Luongo joins Brodeur and
Patrick Roy
as the only goalies to play in 1,000 games.
2019: The Columbus Blue Jackets complete the 16-team field for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a
3-2 shootout win against the Rangers
at Madison Square Garden. It's the third consecutive trip to the playoffs for the Blue Jackets and their fifth since entering the NHL in 2000.