It was around this time last year where the Calgary Hitmen
were getting set for the “Corral Series.” It was a three-game set at the old
Stampede Corral, as a way to say goodbye to the former junior hockey home as it
is slated for demolition.
As it turns out, this week marks an anniversary that many
fans of the old Calgary Wranglers probably want to forget. And it comes
courtesy of the Lethbridge Broncos.
On February 19, 1986, the two teams hooked up for a midweek
contest. Fans barely had the chance to grab a beer and hot dog before getting
to their seats to see visitors go up 1-0.
Buffalo Sabres draft pick Trent Kaese scored just six seconds into the game, tying the
league record for fastest goal to start a game.
You would think that would be a dominating piece of the
story, but it was relegated after the Broncos just kept filling the net.
Terry Houlder made headlines that night by potting five
goals en route to the 11-1 victory. For Houlder, he ended up one short of the
team record for goals in a game, which is held by Gord Williams with six. We’ll
tell that record-setting story another day.
Steve Nemeth scored twice for the Broncos on Kaese’s
record-setting night while Dwight Mullins had a goal and five helpers. Jay More
and Doug Quinn also tallied in the victory.
As for the record, Kaese became the fifth player to score
six seconds into a game. But it would fall nearly a year later.
Dean Sexsmith now holds the mark after scoring five seconds
into a game for the Seattle Thunderbirds in a 7-6 win over the Victoria
Cougars.
Kaese scored 24 goals for the Broncos that season, then
followed the team to Swift Current but his stay didn’t actually last that long.
In a bit of irony, he spent the majority of the 1986-1987 season with the Calgary
Wranglers.
Interestingly, the player who led the Wranglers in scoring
that season was none other than the five-goal man himself, Terry Houlder.
No comments:
Post a Comment