On this day, in 1972, one of the greatest classes in the history of the Hockey Hall of Fame was inducted. Also, NHL history was made when two brothers defected in Europe on their way to stardom. Let's jump aboard the THW time machine and discuss all the best that can be had on August 24th.
Elite class is introduced
The Hockey Hall of Fame is filled with the greatest players and most famous players in the sport. There have been memorable masterclasses throughout the decades, but it's hard to argue that 1972 was the greatest.
On the 24th of Aug. In 1972, the Hall opened its doors to Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, Hooley Smith, and longtime Boston Bruins executive Weston Adams. These four players combined for 1,901 goals, 4,317 points, and 22 Stanley Cup wins.
Howe and Beliveau were at the top of the list. Their performances were so impressive that the Hall of Fame waived its mandatory three-year waiting period for induction as both were inducted a few months after their retirements.
At the time of his retirement, Howe was the NHL's leading goal scorer with 786 goals and 1,809 points. He did not last long in retirement. He returned to the ice in 1973 with the Houston Eros of the new World Hockey Association (WHA). When the WHA folded in 1979, and the Hartford Whalers were among the teams joining the NHL, Howe was back in the league where he became a star. He was the first of three Hall of Famers to play in the NHL after their induction. Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux are the other two.
Beliveau spent all 20 of his NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. He scored 507 goals and 1,219 points in 1,125 games. He was the second of three players to score 500 goals with the Canadiens; Maurice Richard (544) and Lefleur (518) are others. He won an incredible 10 Stanley Cups, second only to his former teammate, Henri Richard, who won 11.
Geoffrion was Beliveau's teammate in six of those Stanley Cup championships. He scored 393 goals and 822 points in 883 games between 1950 and 1968. He got the nickname “Boom Boom” because of his slap shot, which he is considered to be the inventor of.
Smith played 717 games in 17 NHL seasons between 1924 and 1941. He scored 200 goals and 426 points playing both center and right wing. He won his first Stanley Cup with the first Ottawa Senators in 1927 and his second in 1935 with the Montreal Maroons. He also spent time with the Bruins and New York Americans.
In a final interesting fact about this day, this was the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony where women were allowed.
The Stastny Brothers are making history
Brothers Peter and Anton Stastny changed the world of hockey forever when they traveled to North America on August 24, 1980. After a 4-3 loss to the Soviet Union in Innsbruck, Austria, the Stastny brothers left the Czechoslovakian national team. and returned to Canada. With the help of Quebec Nordiques owner Marcel Aubut, Peter, Anton, and Peter's wife Dariana left Vienna and settled in Montreal.
Both brothers signed with the Nordiques and were on their opening night roster for the 1980-81 season. Peter won the Calder Trophy, for being the NHL's top rookie, with 39 goals and 109 points. Anton matched his brother's 39 goals and added 85 points. The following season, Marian, the eldest of the Stastny brothers, joins them in Quebec. The trio combined for 753 goals and 1,346 points during their time with the Nordiques.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
Peter went on to play for the New Jersey Devils and the St. Louis Blues before retiring in 1995. His two sons. Jan and Paul both played in the NHL. Yan played 91 games for the Edmonton Oilers, Bruins, and Blues. Paul has enjoyed a very successful NHL career after being drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in 2005. He is currently an unrestricted free agent after spending the 2022-23 season with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Odds & Ends
On August 24, 1992, the San Jose Sharks traded Brian Mullen, younger brother of Hall of Famer Joe, to the New York Islanders for the rights to Marcus Thuresson. Mullen scored 18 goals and 32 points for the Islanders in the 1992-93 season, 11 of his own.th and last in the NHL. Thuresson has never played in the NHL.
Veteran free agent defenseman Gerald Diduck signed with the Whalers on Aug. 25, 1995. This was his fifth stint with a different team after spending the 1994-95 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. He played a total of 135 games for Hartford before being traded to the Phoenix Coyotes on March 18, 1997, for right wing Chris Murray. Diduck played 932 career games, over 17 NHL seasons, with eight different teams before retiring in 2001.
The Avalanche signed free agent Alex Kerfoot on Aug. 24, 2017. He was originally drafted by the Devils in the fifth round (150).th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, but they failed to sign him after he finished his college career at Harvard University.
(Amy Irvin / Hockey Writers)
Kerfoot scored 34 goals and 85 points in two seasons with the Avalanche. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, 2019, as part of the Tyson Barrie deal for Nazem Kadri and is now a member of the Arizona Coyotes.
happy Birthday to you
A total of 28 current and former NHL players were born on Aug. 24. The first was Red Spooner, who was born on this day back in 1910. He played one game for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1930. The most recent is the Philadelphia Flyers. striker Olle Lycksell born in 1999 played 18 games last season.
The most successful player born on Aug. 24 Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, celebrates his 36th birthday today. He has been an expert for the Kings, in attack and defence, since he was 11 years old.th The overall pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He has played 1,292 games, scoring 393 goals and 1,141 points. Kopitar also played a major role in both of the Kings' Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014.
(Amy Irvin / Hockey Writers)
Andrew Brunette was born on August 24, 1973, and has played many games for this team. He played 1,110 NHL games, between 1996 and 2012, with the Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, Avalanche, and Blackhawks. He scored 268 goals and 733 points in his career and became the last player to score against Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy. He is now the head coach of the Predators under new GM Barry Trotz.
Other famous 24-year-olds are Alain Daigle (70), Benoit Brunet (56), Ian Moran (52), Derek Morris (46), Marcel Goc (41), Brad Hunt (36), and the late Murray Balfour Bill Goldsworthy.
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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