Jan. 9: Boucher earns NHL-record fifth straight shutout

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Jan. 9
2004:Phoenix Coyotes goalie
Brian Boucher
is unbeatable for the fifth game in a row.

Boucher
makes 21 saves
for his fifth consecutive shutout, a 2-0 victory against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. He also breaks the record set by
Bill Durnan
of the Montreal Canadiens in 1949 for the longest shutout streak in modern NHL history.
Boucher's shutout streak ends at 332:01 two days later when
Randy Robitaille
scores for the Atlanta Thrashers 6:16 into the first period of a 1-1 tie.
MORE MOMENTS
1918: Less than three weeks after beginning play, the NHL announces a rule change that permits goalies to leave their feet while making a save. Before that, it's a penalty for goalies to sit or lie on the ice to stop the puck. Before the change, teams combine to score 12.2 goals per game; after the rule change, that number drops to 8.9.
1930:The Boston Bruins win their NHL-record 14th consecutive game,
a 4-3 road victory
against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Boston's streak remains a record until the 1981-82 New York Islanders win 15 in a row.
1954: Canadiens forward
Bert Olmstead
scores four goals and has four assists
in a 12-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Forum to tie the NHL single-game record for points. Olmstead's eight-point night equals the mark set by teammate
Maurice Richard
on Dec. 28, 1944. Olmstead has a goal and an assist in the first period, two goals and an assist in the second, and a goal and two assists in the third; the record-tying point is an assist on
Ken Mosdell
's third goal of the game at 17:39 of the third period.

1981:
Phil Esposito
plays in his final NHL game, a 3-3 tie for the New York Rangers against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden. Esposito, 38,
gets an assist
on a first-period goal by
Dean Talafous
and retires with 717 goals and 1,590 points, second to
Gordie Howe
in each category.

1992:
Dominik Hasek
, a 27-year-old rookie goalie, gets his first NHL shutout by
making 21 saves
for the Blackhawks in a 2-0 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Stadium. Hasek finishes his NHL career with 81 shutouts among his 389 victories.
1998:
Dale Hunter
has three assists
for the Washington Capitals in a 4-1 victory against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Hunter becomes the first player to have 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes in an NHL career. He finishes with 1,020 points (323 goals, 697 assists) and 3,565 penalty minutes.
2007:
Miikka Kiprusoff
becomes the first NHL goalie born in Finland to win 100 games. Kiprusoff also earns his 22nd NHL shutout in the Calgary Flames' 3-0 victory against the visiting Minnesota Wild.

2016:Alex Ovechkin scores his second goal of the game and the 499th of his NHL career
at 1:25 of overtime
to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 win against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It's Ovechkin's 20th goal against Henrik Lundqvist, the most he's scored against any goalie.