Hockey: The Golden Goal

The only thing that stood between Chicago Black Hawk Bobby Hull and goal No. 51 was the entire National Hockey League. By rights, even that should not have been enough. Hull, 27, has muscles (biceps: 171 in.) bigger than Cassius Clay's, a top speed of 23 m.p.h. and a lefthanded slap shot that is quicker (118 m.p.h.) than Sandy Koufax's fastball. By early this month he had used all three to easily tie the N.H.L.'s season record of 50 goals scored-but then the drought set in.

Every team in the league double-teamed, brutally body-checked him out of plays, and all but filed down his skates. Moaned Hull: "You turn away from one man and there's still another on you." With Chicago's hopes for its first N.H.L. pennant riding on him, it looked as if the 51st were a quintessential jinx.

Even the ragtag New York Rangers refused to lie down. After handing the Hawks a third straight shutout in New York, they skated into Chicago hellbent on making it four. The 20,000 home-town fans who had sardinepacked themselves into the 17,100-capacity Chicago Stadium sat in mute agony as the Hawks fell behind 2-0. Hull could do nothing. Then in the third period, Chicago warmed the ice. And minutes later, with the score 2-1, the Rangers were penalized a man. It looked like Hull's chance. Up went an expectant, hopeful cheer.

A pass to Hull, and gently he took it back over his own blue line, looking for a way. Then the Golden Jet swooped, legs pumping, speed building. For halt an instant, the four Ranger skaters were split, leaving a momentary alley to the goal. Hull never paused, fired a stinging slap shot down the 40-ft. slot. The puck skipped under the goalie's stick, under his right leg-into the nets. Number 51. For nearly ten minutes, hats rained down onto the ice. Bobby picked up one and put it on, then went to the bench and sat acknowledging the din with a toothless smile.

Hardly anyone realized that it was also the 21st time this season that Hull had scored while his opponents were short a man-another new N.H.L. rec ord. Bobby had still more in mind. In addition to that first Chicago pennant, there was the overall individual scoring record of 96, tallied by totaling both assists and goals. By week's end, after scoring his 52nd and 53rd goals and making one assist, Hull was only three points away from the overall record.