Game 20: Red Wings 2, Chicago 2

Detroit, MI (11/29/69)- Garry Unger fired a wrist shot over the glove of Tony Esposito with less than four minutes remaining in the third period, and the Red Wings skated to a 2-2 tie with the Chicago Black Hawks at Olympia Stadium Saturday night.

Defenseman Gilles Marotte had given Chicago a 2-1 lead when he pounced on a loose puck between the circles and beat Roger Crozier with a slap shot to the stick side. The goal came at 12:43 of the third period.

The Red Wings outshot Chicago, 31-19.

The Black Hawks' Dennis Hull opened the scoring at 14:11 of the first period, banging a rebound home.

Detroit's Nick Libett tied the game at 2:03 of the third period off a nice feed from Unger.

The Red Wings (10-5-5) are back in action Sunday night, hosting the Oakland Seals.

CHI 1-0-1 = 2
DET 0-0-2 = 2

1st Period
CHI- D. Hull (Nesterenko, McKay) 14:11

2nd Period
No scoring

3rd Period
DET- Libett (Unger, Baun) 2:03
CHI- Marotte (unassisted) 12:43
DET- Unger (Popiel, Harris) 16:09

Shots on Goal
CHI 8-5-6 = 19
DET 6-10-15 = 31

Goalies
Esposito (CHI); Crozier (DET)

Power Plays
CHI 0-for-3; DET 0-for-3

Penalty Minutes
CHI 8; DET 8

Fights
None

Game 19: Red Wings 5, Los Angeles 2

Detroit, MI (11/27/69)- The Red Wings stormed out to a 3-0 lead then cruised to a 5-2 win over the hapless Los Angeles Kings at Olympia Stadium on Thursday night.

It was the Red Wings' first home game since November 8.

Alex Delvecchio, Garry Unger and Gary Bergman (first goal) scored for Detroit (10-5-4) by the 11:37 mark of the second period, and the Red Wings kept the last place Kings at arm's length the rest of the evening.

Roger Crozier made 26 saves for the Red Wings.

The Kings had six power plays, but the Red Wings killed five of them, many times getting more shots on goal than Los Angeles.

"I thought we started fast," said Red Wings coach Sid Abel. "We never let (the Kings) get into the game a-tall."

Gordie Howe and Pete Stemkowski (empty net) rounded out the scoring for Detroit, which hosts Chicago on Saturday.

Bill Flett (PP) and Bob Wall scored for the Kings, who have won just three of their first 20 games.

LA 0-0-2 = 2
DET 1-2-2 = 5

1st Period
DET- Delvecchio (Harris, Popiel) 7:49

2nd Period
DET- Unger (Connelly, Baun) 9:39
DET- Bergman (Brewer, Howe) PPG 11:37

Third Period
LA- Flett (Shack, Cahan) PPG 5:27
DET- Howe (Mahovlich, Harris) 8:02
LA- Wall (Campbell) 9:53
DET- Stemkowski (Ravlich, Karlander) ENG 19:39

Shots on Goal
LA- 6-10-12 = 28
DET- 16-13-11= 40

Goalies
Dejordy (LA); Crozier (DET)

Power Plays
LA 1-for-6; DET 1-for-3

Penalty minutes
LA 6; DET 12

Fights
None

Game 18: Red Wings 1, Philadelphia 1

Philadelphia, PA (11/26/69)- Roy Edwards bounced back from a lackluster start to repel 37 of 38 shots as the Red Wings skated to a 1-1 tie with the Flyers in Philadelphia tonight at the Spectrum.

Edwards, who allowed six goals in Montreal last Wednesday, was very sharp against the Flyers, earning the no. 1 star according to the Philadelphia media.

"He was wonderful tonight," said Red Wings coach Sid Abel. "He kept us in there, no question."

The Red Wings (9-5-4) were outshot, 38-21.

The tie capped a six-game road stretch in which the Red Wings finished 3-1-2.

Billy Dea scored for Detroit at 6:59 of the second period, depositing a wrist shot past Bernie Parent from between the circles.

Defenseman Wayne Hillman fired a slap shot through traffic and past Edwards at 2:07 of the third period. The goal was unassisted as Hillman stopped a clearing attempt at the blue line.

"(The Flyers) got a lot of shots but I actually saw a lot of them," Edwards said of his performance, which improved his GAA to 2.00 and his save percentage to a league best .942.

The Red Wings finally return home to face the Los Angeles Kings on Thanksgiving night, which starts a three-game home stand.

DET 0-1-0 = 1
PHI  0-0-1 = 1

1st Period
No scoring

2nd Period
DET- Dea (Monahan, Baun) 6:59

3rd Period
PHI- W. Hillman (unassisted) 2:07

Shots on Goal
DET 8-6-7 = 21
PHI 14-11-13 = 38

Goalies
Edwards (DET); Parent (PHI)

Power Plays
DET 0-for-2; PHI 0-for-5

Penalty Minutes
DET 17; PHI 11

Fights
L. Hillman (PHI) vs. Harris (DET) @ 3:53, 1st period

Note: The game ended in a 1-1 tie in real life, as well! I love it when that happens.

Game 17: Red Wings 3, Toronto 1

Toronto, ON (11/22/69)- Bruce MacGregor's power play goal four minutes into the third period snapped a 1-1 tie and the Red Wings bounced back from a bad loss in Montreal to down the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1, in Maple Leaf Gardens.

Wayne Connelly added an insurance tally at 9:38 to help seal the victory for Detroit (9-5-3), which is 3-1-1 on a six-game road trip that concludes in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

"Very pleased with the effort tonight," said Red Wings coach Sid Abel. "Bruce was Johnny-on-the-spot," Abel added about MacGregor's goal, in which he pounced on a loose puck in front of the net and buried it past Toronto goalie Bruce Gamble.

Roger Crozier stopped 33 of 34 Toronto shots to improve to 6-2-2 this season. He was especially sharp late in the third period, when the Maple Leafs buzzed the Detroit net.

"Roger was terrific," Abel said. "He has been from opening night."

Toronto opened the scoring when Bob Pulford tallied a power play goal at 5:18 of the first period, just 25 seconds after Ron Harris was whistled off for holding.

Gary Monahan scored his first goal of the season at 7:20 to tie the game.

The Red Wings are now 4-4-2 on the road.

"You have to win on the road in the National league," MacGregor said. "The boys really responded tonight. We didn't like how we played in Montreal."

DET 1-0-2 = 3
TOR 1-0-0 = 1

1st Period
TOR- Pulford (Keon, Quinn) 5:18
DET- Monahan (Baun, McCann) 7:20

2nd Period
No scoring

3rd Period
DET- MacGregor (Stemkowski, Popiel) PPG 3:52
DET- Connelly (Harris, Popiel) 9:38

Shots on Goal
DET 13-11-12 = 36
TOR 10-8-16 = 34

Goalies
Crozier (DET); Gamble (TOR)

Power Plays
DET 1-for-5; TOR 1-for-3

Penalty Minutes
DET 8; TOR 12

Fights
None

Game 16: Montreal 6, Red Wings 2

Montreal, QC (11/19/69)- Six different Canadiens players scored goals in a 6-2 pasting of the Red Wings at the Forum on Wednesday night.

It was the first meeting of the year between the two Original Six teams.

Red Wings goalie Roy Edwards, whose fast start raised eyebrows around the league, played his worst game of the season, as Montreal scored six goals on 35 shots.

Montreal started fast, scoring three goals in the first period on just 11 shots. Marc Tardif, Yvon Cournoyer and Ralph Backstrom scored in the first 20 minutes.

Jacques Lemaire scored in the second stanza while John Ferguson and Jean Beliveau rounded out the scoring in the third period.

Frank Mahovlich and Nick Libett scored for Detroit (8-5-3).

"We didn't skate," Red Wings coach Sid Abel lamented afterward. "We were one step behind all night. We couldn't get into a rhythm a-tall."

Defenseman Jacques Laperriere had three assists for Montreal.

The loss was the Red Wings' first on their six-game road trip, during which they are 2-1-1.

The trip continues Saturday in Toronto.

DET 1-0-1 = 2
MON 3-1-2 = 6

1st Period
MON- Tardif (Harris) 4:27
DET- Mahovlich (Baun, Howe) 7:03
MON- Cournoyer (Harper, Rousseau) 9:40
MON- Backstrom (Provost) 18:51

2nd Period
MON- Lemaire (Redmond, Laperriere) 5:14

3rd Period
DET- Libett (Connelly, Bergman) 4:15
MON- Ferguson (Savard, Laperriere) 13:23
MON- Beliveau (Tremblay, Laperriere) PPG 17:33

Shots on Goal
DET 13-7-7 = 27
MON 11-12-12 = 35

Goalies
Edwards (DET); Vachon (MON)

Power Plays
DET 0-for-2; MON 1-for-2

Penalty Minutes
DET 11; MON 11

Fights
Harper (MON) vs. Brewer (DET) @ :10 of first period

Game 15: Red Wings 7, Minnesota 2

Bloomington, MN (11/15/69)- On Thursday, it was Frank Mahovlich. On Saturday, it was Garry Unger.

Unger scored a hat trick as the Red Wings routed the Minnesota North Stars, 7-2---two days after Mahovlich tallied four goals in a win at Boston.

The Red Wings (8-4-3) are now 2-0-1 on their six-game road trip, which continues in Montreal on Wednesday.

Unger scored in each period.

The North Stars actually got on the scoreboard first. Bill Goldsworthy deflected a shot by Barry Gibbs past Roger Crozier at 6:19 of the first period.

Four minutes later, Unger scored on a wrist shot from between the circles on a Red Wings power play.

Then the rout was on.

Billy Dea and Nick Libett added first period goals, and Unger scored in the second period as the Red Wings took a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Crozier made 30 saves to move his record to 5-2-2.

Matt Ravlich had three assists for Detroit.

The Red Wings scored two more power play goals, giving them 10 such goals in their last 25 opportunities after a 1-for-24 start.

DET 3-1-3 = 7
MIN 1-0-1 = 2

1st Period
MIN- Goldsworthy (Gibbs) 6:19
DET- Unger (Ravlich, Baun) PPG 10:37
DET- Dea (Monahan) 12:27
DET- Libett (Ravlich, Connelly) PPG 17:14

2nd Period
DET- Unger (Baun, Libett) 4:38

3rd Period
DET- Karlander (Stemkowski, MacGregor) 4:40
DET- Unger (Ravlich) 10:51
DET- Karlander (MacGregor, Harris) 13:28
MIN- Grant (Goldsworthy, Johnston) 17:37

Shots on Goal
DET 10-15-16 = 41
MIN 13-9-10 = 32

Goalies
Crozier (DET); Maniago, Rivard* (MIN) *10:51 3rd

Power Plays
DET 2-for-4; MIN 0-for-4

Penalty Minutes
DET 16; MIN 16

Fights
NONE

Game 14: Red Wings 6, Boston 5

Boston, MA (11/13/69)- Frank Mahovlich scored four goals, including the game-winner with 32 seconds left in the third period, and the Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 6-5, at Boston Garden.

The victory avenged a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Bruins at Olympia Stadium on Saturday night.

As the Bruins did in Detroit, the Red Wings scored three power play goals, giving them eight PP goals in their last 21 opportunities.

The Bruins scored two power play goals.

Ken Hodge scored twice for Boston.

The Bruins scored three goals in a 4:17 span during the third period to take a 5-4 lead.

But Nick Libett tied the game with seven minutes to play, and Mahovlich scored his game-winner as he raced down the left wing before blasting a slap shot past Boston goalie Ed Johnston.

The Bruins managed to pull Johnston with 20 seconds to play, but John McKenzie's slap shot from the circle was stopped by Detroit goalie Roger Crozier.

The Red Wings (7-4-3) continue their six-game road trip on Saturday in Minnesota.

DET  1-2-3 = 6
BOS  1-1-3 = 5

1st Period
BOS- McKenzie (Esposito) 4:37
DET- Stemkowski (Baun, McGregor) 11:44

2nd Period
DET- Mahovlich (Howe) PPG 3:14
DET - Mahovlich (unassisted) PPG 8:51
BOS - Hodge (D. Smith) PPG 16:32

3rd Period
DET - Mahovlich (Howe, Bergman) PPG 2:50
BOS - Orr (unassisted) PPG 6:11
BOS - Hodge (Doak) 7:08
BOS - Bailey (R. Smith, Lorentz) 10:28
DET - Libett (Connelly, Harris) 13:00
DET - Mahovlich (Delvecchio, Harris) 19:28

Shots on Goal
DET 4-16-9 = 29
BOS 18-14-13 = 45

Goalies: Crozier (DET); Johnston (BOS)

Power Plays
DET 3-for-5; BOS 2-for-4

Penalty Minutes
DET 15; BOS 17

Fights
Ravlich (DET) vs. Harrison (BOS) @8:01, 2nd period

Welcome!

I am trying something for the first time in my 40+ year gaming history: a real-time replay of a team's hockey season.

My selection is the 1969-70 Red Wings. They went 40-21-15 and the season is noteworthy for a few reasons.

1. Owner Bruce Norris fired coach Bill Gadsby after a 2-0 start. Yes, after two games. I actually talked to Gadsby about it several years ago and to this day he has no idea why he was fired. He said Norris (who was drinking something alcoholic during their meeting---he was an alcoholic) told him the team was looking for a "more modern coach," whatever the hell that was. GM Sid Abel went behind the bench, where he'd been for many years before hiring Gadsby in 1968. Gadsby had a bunch of fun stories to tell, like how Norris had a telephone installed behind the Red Wings bench so the owner could call Gadsby during games (can you imagine such a thing today?). Eventually Gadsby had the phone torn out.

2. It was the last playoff season for the Red Wings until 1978, which was the last one until 1984. So this season was just before "Darkness with Harkness," referring to new coach Ned Harkness, hired out of Cornell in 1970. Harkness lasted about half a season before being promoted to GM after the players revolted (culminating in a non-effort, 13-0 loss in Toronto on January 2, 1971). Harkness was constantly hammering Garry Unger for the length of Unger's hair. Abel wanted to fire Harkness but Norris wouldn't allow it, so Abel quit. Harkness was GM for 3 years and he was less than brilliant.

3. The Wings lost in the first round of the playoffs, being swept by Chicago. The score of every game in the series was 4-2.

The 1969-70 calendar perfectly matches 2014-15, so it makes it even easier to know when to play the games. So far the Red Wings are 6-4-3 and have a tilt tonight (Thursday) in Boston, who beat them 4-3 on Saturday night.