THIS DATE IN HISTORY: APRIL 23
1997: Wayne Gretzky gets his NHL-record ninth hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he scores three goals in a span of 6:23 during the second period, powering the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
''Things like that happen," says Gretzky, 36, who would finish his career with 10 playoff games of three or more goals. "I guess they used to happen more when I was younger."
Gretzky ties the game 1-1 by scoring a power-play goal at 3:07 and puts the Rangers ahead 2-1 when he beats John Vanbiesbrouck with a slap shot at 6:46, finishing off a 2-on-1 break. His third goal, which proves to be the game-winner, comes when he takes a low slap shot that goes through a screen and past Vanbiesbrouck at 9:30.
''It's nice to have Wayne Gretzky on your team,'' defenseman Brian Leetch says after the Rangers take a 3-1 lead in the series. ''We're lucky to have him.''
MORE MOMENTS
1950: In the first Game 7 of the Final to be decided in overtime, Pete Babando scores at 28:31 of OT to give the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 victory against the Rangers at the Olympia. Detroit's Jim McFadden ties the game with 4:03 remaining in regulation, and each team has plenty of chances before Babando beats Rangers goaltender Chuck Rayner for the Cup-winning goal. No other Game 7 in the history of the Final has reached a second overtime.
1964: Defenseman Bobby Baun scores one of the most famous goals in playoff history when he beats Detroit goaltender Terry Sawchuk 1:43 into overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory in Game 6 of the Final at the Olympia. Legend has it that Baun scored the goal with a broken ankle, though he says in 2011 that it was actually a broken leg. He is injured blocking a shot by Gordie Howe midway through the third period and starts overtime in the dressing room getting treatment. A few seconds into his first shift of OT, he gets a pass from Bob Pulford and takes what he later calls a "triple-flutter blast with the follow-up" from just inside the blue line that hits the stick of Detroit defenseman Bill Gadsby and deflects past Sawchuk for the win.
1985: Michel Goulet scores three goals and Dale Hunter gets the winner at 18:36 of overtime to give the Quebec Nordiques a 7-6 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of the Adams Division Final at the Colisee. Goulet scores once in each period, then gets the primary assist on Hunter's game-winner.
1992: Scotty Bowman becomes the NHL's all-time leader in playoff coaching victories when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Washington Capitals 6-4 in Game 3 of the Patrick Division Semifinals at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. The victory is Bowman's 115th in the postseason, moving him past Al Arbour. Mario Lemieux powers the Penguins to victory with three goals and three assists. He also ties a playoff single-period record with four points, scoring twice and setting up goals by Joe Mullen and Jaromir Jagr in the second.
1997: Future uncertain, Super Mario scores on a breakaway vs. the Flyers in his last home game before beginning cancer treatment. The Penguins won the game 4-1 but lost the series in five games. Lemieux added a goal and an assist in a 6-3 loss days later in Game 5.
2002: Brent Johnson of the St. Louis Blues becomes the first goaltender in NHL history to earn a shutout in each of his first three career playoff victories. Johnson makes 27 saves in a 1-0 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Pavol Demitra scores the game's only goal at 18:43 of the second period.
2002: Less then a month after his return from a battle with cancer, Montreal's Saku Koivu scores the game-winning goal against Boston Bruins. The Canadiens beat the Bruins in six games, with Koivu contributing seven points in the series.
2012: Mike Smith makes 39 saves and the Phoenix Coyotes defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 at United Center to clinch their Western Conference Quarterfinal series in six games. It is the first series victory for the Coyotes since moving to Arizona in 1996, and the first for the franchise since 1987, when the then-Winnipeg Jets defeated the Calgary Flames in the Smythe Division Semifinals. Game 6 is the only one in the series not decided in overtime.
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