This Day in Hockey History

1956 - Habs win first of five straight Stanley Cups

[Courtesy icehockey.wikia.com]

On 10 April 1956, Canadiens forward Jean Beliveau powered the Canadiens to a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game Five of the 1956 Stanley Cup Final, clinching the championship for a loaded Habs team.

The Beliveau-led Canadiens would go on to win a record five-straight Stanley Cups, this one being their first.

Here's a highlight package of the series:

Here's a gif of Beliveau deking Detroit Red Wings defenders out of their skates...

1982 - The Miracle on Manchester

In the first round of the 1982 NHL postseason, Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers were heavily favored against a Los Angeles Kings team that had won half as many games that season, and finished the year with 48 fewer points.

But hockey is a funny game, and never funnier than on an April night in southern California 32 years ago today. Gretzky's Oilers would go on to dominate the 80s, but on this night they were the victims of one of the most historic playoff collapses in NHL history.

The Oilers built a 5-0 lead in the opening 40 minutes only to have players like Steve Bozek, Marcel Dionne and Larry Murphy stage an epic third period comeback. Bozek finally scored with five seconds remaining in the game, sending the contest to overtime.

Ultimately Daryl Evans won the game for the Kings in the extra period, as Los Angeles went on to win the series. 

A complete highlight pack (including interviews with the players) can be found below:

1992 - NHL players strike ends

In 1992 the NHLPA held a 10-day midseason strike that threatened to wipe out the playoffs. After 10 days of labor unrest, however, the owners (led by then-Commissioner John Ziegler) and the NHLPA (led by Bob Goodenow) reached an agreement on 10 April 1992.

The major issue motivating the strike had been licensing revenue from trading cards and other products, and players won major concessions on this front. In return, the NHL was permitted to extend the regular season from 80 to 84 games.

Wayne Gretzky had reportedly become heavily involved in negotiations in the eleventh hour, and along with then-Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall was given a lot of credit for helping the two sides find common ground. "Chalk up another assist to Wayne Gretzky," Ziegler was quoted as saying upon the resumption of usual league business.

Birthdays

1933 - Ron Murphy
1967 - Kay Whitmore
1968 - Rob Brown
1970 - Enrico Ciccone
1980 - Sean Avery
1985 - Dion Phaneuf
1991 - Brandon Pirri