Feb. 17: Richard ties NHL single-season record for goals

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Feb. 17

1945: Maurice Richard ties the NHL single-season record with his 44th goal when he scores for the Montreal Canadiens in a 4-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens.

"The Rocket" scores the winning goal with 4:50 remaining in the third period when he takes a pass from Elmer Lach, swings around Reg Hamilton and shoots from close range. Toronto goalie Frank McCool appears to make the save, but the puck pops into the air, drops and rolls into the net.

Richard equals the mark set by Joe Malone, whose 44 goals come in 1917-18, the NHL's first season. The victory extends Montreal's undefeated streak to 16 games (15 wins, one tie).

MORE MOMENTS

1923:Cy Denneny scores his 143rd NHL goal to help the Ottawa Senators to a 2-0 victory against the Canadiens. He passes Malone as the League's all-time goal-scoring leader and holds the record for the next 11 years.

1927:The newly renamed Toronto Maple Leafs play their first game under the ownership and direction of Conn Smythe and defeat the New York Americans 4-1 in Toronto. George Patterson scores the first goal for the Maple Leafs.

1951:Gordie Howe upstages Richard by scoring his 100th NHL goal and assisting on another for the Detroit Red Wings in a 2-1 victory in Montreal. The win comes on a night when Richard is honored with a car and other gifts in a ceremony at the Forum.

1960:Trainer Joe Schaefer, 35, becomes the first New York native to play goal for the New York Rangers when he takes over after Gump Worsley is injured during the second period of a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. Schaefer enters the game with a 1-0 lead but allows five goals on 22 shots.

1979: Montreal's Ken Dryden earns his 46th and final NHL shutout when the Canadiens defeat the Washington Capitals 2-0 at the Forum. The win gives Dryden a record of 22-1 with four ties in a 27-game span.

1993:Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder has his 91st NHL game with Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder to help the Los Angeles Kings to a 10-5 win against the Minnesota North Stars at Met Center. Gretzky scores a goal in the first period and assists on four others, two each by Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder and Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder.

1994:Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder, tying a team record, to lift the visiting Quebec Nordiques to an 8-2 win against the San Jose Sharks. It's the only five-goal game of the 1993-94 NHL season.

2013: The Chicago Blackhawks Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder at United Center to extend their season-opening point streak to 15 games (12-0-3). The Blackhawks match the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers for the second-longest streak from the start of a season in NHL history. They are one shy of the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks, who get points in each of their first 16 games.

2015:Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder for his first NHL hat trick in a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. It comes after Benn has 17 two-goal games in the NHL.

2018:Patrick Kane gets his 500th NHL assist, helping the Blackhawks end their eight-game losing streak with a Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder at United Center. Kane becomes the fifth player to have 300 goals and 500 assists with the Blackhawks. The loss comes in the 1,500th game for Capitals coach Barry Trotz; he's the fifth coach in NHL history to reach that milestone.

2019:Alex Ovechkin reaches the Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder when he scores for the Washington Capitals in a Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder at Honda Center. Ovechkin joins Gretzky (12), Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder (10) and Video: Ken Dryden won Conn Smythe before he won Calder (10) as the only players to do so. He's also the first to score 40 goals in a season for the eighth time in his career, the most first-to-40 seasons in NHL history.