Lanny McDonald is a Hall of Famer with 500 NHL goals to his name. Known as a good goal scorer, he became a great one during the 1982–83 season, tallying a whopping 66 goals — second only to his Edmonton Oilers rival, Wayne Gretzky. Many factors contributed to McDonald’s incredible season, but one small change to his stick made a big difference…
When it comes to 1980s hockey, there are many cult players still remembered today for their impact on the game — and Lanny McDonald is one of them. He played 1,111 regular season games, scored 500 goals, recorded 506 assists, won a Stanley Cup, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. That résumé says it all. At his peak, Lanny McDonald could compete with the very best — especially in that unforgettable 1982–83 season.
Lanny McDonald stick change
Traded to his native Alberta from the Colorado Rockies during the 1981–82 season, Lanny McDonald made an immediate impact on the Calgary Flames, scoring 34 goals in just 55 games. But it was the following season that truly cemented his status as a fan favorite in Calgary.
During his first year with the Flames, head coach Al MacNeil noticed something unusual about McDonald’s stick:
“When I played in Colorado, I just darkened the blade, just scuffed it up with the side of the old tape to discolor the blade so it was kind of half black and half blond. And then I get to Calgary and Al MacNeil says, ‘No, no, you’ve gotta put tape on that stick. It will hide your shot from the goalie when it comes off the blade.’ I just said, ‘OK, Al, whatever you think.’ Well, it turned out pretty darn good,” Lanny McDonald told the Calgary Herald in 2023.
Five Goals Behind Gretzky
“Pretty darn good” turned out to mean 66 goals in 80 games — good enough for second in the league, just five behind the unstoppable Wayne Gretzky, who scored 71. Kent Nilsson, the Swede who holds the Flames’ single-season points record (131), remembers his old teammate’s amazing run:
“Lanny was so strong. He was like Popeye. He had an unbelievable wrist shot. You could just see it in his eyes, the closer he got to 50 goals. And then he just kept going. As a teammate, he was one of the best,” Nilsson told the Calgary Herald.
Lanny McDonald, What a legend!
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