This Day in Blackhawks History: Blackhawks Defenseman Sets Franchise Record in First Period of 1973 Stanley Cup Final
On this day in 1973, Pat Stapleton set a franchise record for most assists in a Stanley Cup Final game by passing the puck for all 3 of the Blackhawks' first period goals in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against Montréal.
Unfortunately, those 3 goals were the only goals the Hawks got in the entire game, as they ended up losing 8-3, even with then future Hall of Famers Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito on the team. They managed to fend off the Canadiens enough to make to 6 games, but ended up losing the series 4-2.
In their previous Stanely Cup match-up, just two years prior, Chicago made it all the way to Game 7 before losing to Montréal.
Stapleton, who passed away just over 2 years ago in April of 2020, was the captain of the 1969-70 Blackhawks, and played 8 seasons in Chicago, giving him 41 goals and 286 assists in 545 games. He made it to the playoffs 7 times, including the two above-mentioned Cup Finals. In 2017, when NHL celebrated its centennial season, the Chicago Tribune put him at #44 on the 100 Most Important People in Blackhawks History list.
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