By: Evan Michael | Follow me on Twitter @00EvanMichael
On this day in Bruins history, March 8th, 1983, Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque tallied three goals on the road against Quebec to record his first –and only– career hat trick.
The milestone goal came on the power play when his point shot beat Nordiques goalie Daniel Bouchard at the 12:32 mark of the second period (seen below in the “Ray Bourque Career Highlights” video).
Bourque joined Bobby Orr at the time as the only B’s defenseman in team history to score three goals in a game. Orr impressively accomplished the feat ten times for the Black N’ Gold, the first coming against the Chicago Blackhawks in 1968 and the last scored against the Washington Capitals in 1975.
Since then, two other Boston blueliners have had a “hats off” moment like the one celebrated above: Glen Wesley against the New Jersey Devils in 1993. And Zdeno Chara nearly twenty years after that against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2011.
Fun fact: the term “hat trick” as it relates to ice hockey can be traced, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame, back to a Canadian businessman “named Sammy Taft [who] promoted his business by offering a hat to any player who scored three goals during an NHL game in Toronto.”
It’s too bad those “free hats” would soon be thrown back onto the ice in celebration of said three goals, first starting with fedoras and now including anything and everything from cowboy hats to winter toques to logo caps.
For more fun and informative Bruins history articles including memorable moments and milestone celebrations, check back in weekly with the BN’G Hockey Blog!
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