Darryl Sittler says the sixth goal he scored during his record-breaking 10-point game in 1976 is the one that sticks out the most to him.
Sittler recounted that he was trying to “pass the puck out to Errol Thompson in the slot and Brad Park stuck his leg to block and it reflected off his leg or skate into the net, through Dave Reece’s leg.”
“So, I threw my hands up to say, ‘You know, it was just magical.’”
Ahead of its 50th anniversary, the Hockey Hall of Famer and retired Toronto Maple Leafs star broke down the game in an interview with CP24 on Tuesday.
Sittler scored six goals and made four assists, earning him 10 points and helping to beat the Bruins on Toronto ice.
Speaking at Scotiabank Arena, Sittler walked through some of the unusual circumstances from the 1976 legendary game between the Boston Bruins and the Maple Leafs.
Sittler explained how his wife was eight months pregnant and not at home, so he “spontaneously got off the road, jumped in and grabbed some Swiss Chalet.”
He said he ate his pre-game meal in the front seat of his car before going to have a nap.
“At the end of the second period, we were ahead 8-4, and there was real excitement,” Sittler said, adding that the Bruins were ahead of the Leafs, “so the fact that we were ahead at home, scoring all these goals, was a lot of fun.”
The Leaf’s statistician came down to tell Sittler that if “you get one more, you tie ‘Rocket’ Richard’s record.” Maurice “Rocket” Richard was a 14-time All-Star icon for the Montreal Canadiens, who retired in 1960 with a record for most goals scored.
Sittler went on to score three more goals in the third period to set a new record.
He said he didn’t realize the magnitude of what happened until later, when he went on to “Hockey Night In Canada” after the game.
“They asked me if you did anything special, and I mentioned the Swiss Chalet story,” Sittler recounted.
Swiss Chalet will celebrate the anniversary of the game with a 10-point chicken special, “which is awesome,” he said.
He added that it was “kind of cool too” how OVO, Drake’s clothing brand, is creating a clothing line to celebrate the event.
The jersey Sittler played in was discarded after the 1976 season. “At the end of the year, you never thought of keeping them,” he said.
But then about six months ago, he said that some of his buddies “paid a couple hundred grand” to get the jersey back so he could wear it for the anniversary.
“Stories within a story to me are meaningful,” Sittler said, adding that “celebrating the game with the fans couldn’t be any better.”
On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs will honour Sittler and the 50th anniversary of the 10-point game when they play against the Buffalo Sabres at the Scotiabank Arena.
