March 31: Gordie Howe born in Floral, Saskatchewan

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: March 31
1928:
Gordie Howe
is born in Floral, Saskatchewan.

Howe scores the first of his 801 NHL goals as an 18-year-old with the Detroit Red Wings and goes on to play in 1,767 NHL games during 25 seasons with the Red Wings and one with the Hartford Whalers.
He wins the
Hart Trophy
and
Art Ross Trophy
six times apiece, plays on four Stanley Cup-winning teams, and sets numerous NHL records.
Howe is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, but returns to the ice in 1973 to play with his sons Mark and Marty in the World Hockey Association. All three Howes come to the NHL in 1979 when the Whalers are one of four teams admitted from the WHA; he finishes with 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists) and plays all 80 games before retiring for good.
If anything, Howe becomes an even more beloved figure in the years after his retirement, earning the nickname "Mr. Hockey" from generations of fans who never saw him play, before he
dies at age 88 on June 10, 2016
.

MORE MOMENTS
1923:
King Clancy
of the Ottawa Senators plays all six positions, including goalie for two minutes after
Clint Benedict
is assessed a penalty, in a
1-0 victory against Edmonton
in Game 2 of the Final in Vancouver to win the Stanley Cup. Clancy, then 18, goes on to referee in the NHL and later enjoys a long career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, serving as coach and then as an executive in various capacities.
1927:
Howie Morenz
scores at 12:05 of overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a
1-0 win against the Montreal Maroons
in the first all-NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs game to be decided in OT. Rookie George Hainsworth gets his first playoff shutout.
1942: The Maple Leafs become the first team in NHL history to win 50 playoff games when they
defeat the New York Rangers 3-2
in Game 6 of the Semifinals at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Nick Metz
scores the winning goal with five seconds remaining in the third period.
1951:The Boston Bruins and Maple Leafs play the last playoff game to end in a tie. They're even at
1-1 after one overtime
in Game 2 of the Semifinals at Maple Leaf Gardens when Ontario's Sunday curfew law would have made it illegal to begin another period after midnight.
1973:
Bobby Orr
has his third NHL hat trick, giving him 100 points for the fourth straight season. The milestone comes in
Boston's 7-3 loss
to Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens.

On the same night, the Philadelphia Flyers tie the NHL record for most goals in a period when they score eight times in the second period against the New York Islanders at the Spectrum. The Flyers
win 10-2
.
1984:
Mike Bossy
of the Islanders becomes the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in seven consecutive seasons. Bossy gets his 50th and 51st goal in New York's
3-1 win against the Washington Capitals
at Capital Centre. He breaks the mark of six straight 50-goal seasons he's shared with
Guy Lafleur
.
1989:
Sergei Priakin
becomes the first player permitted by the Soviet Hockey Federation to play in the NH when he makes his debut for the Calgary Flames in a
4-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets
at Olympic Saddledome. Priakin, a forward, wears No. 16; he has no points and is plus-1.
Joe Mullen
becomes the fourth player in Calgary/Atlanta Flames history to have 50 goals in a season when he scores early in the third period.
1990:
Joe Sakic
of the Quebec Nordiques becomes the first player in NHL history to get 100 points in a season while playing on a last-place team when he scores a goal in a
3-2 loss
to the visiting Hartford Whalers. Sakic finishes the season with 102 points; the Nordiques go 12-61-7 and end up with 31 points, by far the fewest in the NHL.
1994:
Jeremy Roenick
scores two goals to become the first player in Chicago Blackhawks history to get 100 points in three consecutive seasons. The milestone comes in a
6-3 loss to the Capitals
at Chicago Stadium.
2004:
Mark Messier
says goodbye to the NHL by scoring a goal in his final game, the Rangers'
4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres
at Madison Square Garden. Ten years after Messier delivers the Stanley Cup to the Rangers in 1994 to end their 54-year drought, he scores his final NHL goal with 57 seconds left in the first period. It is the 1,887th point of his NHL career, now third in League history (his 694 goals are eighth). Though Messier doesn't officially announce his retirement until Sept. 12, he certainly acts as if he knows he's calling it a career. He skates around the Garden ice after the game, waving to the sellout crowd and shedding more than a few tears. Messier doesn't play in New York's season finale on April 4 at Washington.

2015: Alex Ovechkin becomes a six-time 50-goal scorer when he beats Cam Ward at 11:02 of the first period in the Capitals'
4-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes
at PNC Arena. He is the sixth player in NHL history to reach the 50-goal mark at least six times, joining Bossy and
Wayne Gretzky
(nine times each), as well as Lafleur,
Mario Lemieux
and
Marcel Dionne
(six times each).
2018:The Vegas Golden Knights become the first modern era expansion team in any of the four major North American team sports to start from scratch and finish first in its division when they
defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2
at T-Mobile Arena to clinch the Pacific Division title. A spectacular between-the-legs goal by William Karlsson breaks a 2-2 tie in the third period and gives the Golden Knights their 50th win, extending their record for first-year NHL teams.
2019: The Calgary Flames clinch their first conference title since 1990 by
defeating the San Jose Sharks 5-3
at SAP Center. Calgary becomes the 10th team since 1974-75 to finish first in its conference after failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the previous season. The Flames also win their first division title since 2005-06.