From 0-to-70: Counting Ron Tugnutt's 70-Save Performance

Counting goaltender Ron Tugnutt's record 70 saves back on March 21, 1991 that earned his Quebec Nordiques an improbable point vs. the Boston Bruins | NOTE: Saves #36-38, 47, and 58 are missing from the game record or due to broadcasting breaks
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[@JuiceThe511]

If anyone played the "save Tugnutt" drinking game, they died that night.

[@robstyles8535]

Or there’re still drunk.

[@kevinstull8552]

I think Brett Hull played that game and he's still drunk to this day lol.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

@@robstyles8535 there’re??????? there, their....THEY'RE! Pick Juan! :P

[@dmonsef]

To me this is one of the greatest NHL goalie performances of all-time! Tugnutt used smaller/heavier equipment. Korpisalo, who broke the record, did it with multiple playoff OT's. Today's goalies are better conditioned and are bigger physically, playing with bigger equipment. This makes what Tugnutt did back then so much greater.

[@ReconstructedYankee1882]

I'm a Columbus Blue Jackets fan and you got that right

[@scottypimpin4257]

That glove save at the end summed it up nicely

[@killerskillet]

Snatched from the air, hot dogged over the bar. Beauty.

[@MrAllthisswamp]

I watched this game with my father I was like this is it ray never misses this and I was like dam lol tugnutt threw up after that shot from dehydration that was an awesome game probably top 10

[@leepetrie1661]

I was at this game.....unbelievable...I had no problem as a Bruins fan giving him that Standing Ovation....what a performance.

[@toptenguy1]

2:25 "One of those great goaltending performances in its infancy stages" Wow, he said that in the 1st period. He had no idea how right he would be!

[@ibefullofme]

Always think it's crazy that Joe Sakic and Guy Lafleur were linemates.

[@thefozzybear]

And Mats Sundin. A team Eric Lindros didn't want to be part of.

[@robstyles8535]

Just think of this Joe Salic played with Peter Stastny and his son Paul

[@OctaneWood919]

Nordiques Defense: Rookie Difficulty Ron Tugnutt: Superstar Difficulty Mad respect for Tugnutt!

[@YOPDTV]

Ray Bourque had 19 shots that game! 19!!!!

[@robstyles8535]

That’s impressive for a forward let alone a defenceman

[@Rometiklan]

I remember watching this game. Bourque took a slapper from the slot at the end of the game...couldn't believe Tugnutt gloved it. At the end of the game, Bourque went over to tap Tugnutt on the goalpads. Respect.

[@dunkydog1676]

He always led NHL in shots

[@wheel6243]

I miss those blueline bombs

[@kdog350]

Let's just say that man was a really Tugnutt to crack

[@kanegarvey3188]

Bless you sir.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

OK, but jou just said it! ;)

[@dmonsef]

Arguably, Tugnutt's performance has to be one the greatest ever by an NHL goaltender.

[@phaggotsigiloccultstatus5592]

Not just goaltenders but any position player.... Even better than Sittlers 10 point game

[@kanegarvey3188]

@@phaggotsigiloccultstatus5592 I'd say Sittler's is more impressive seeing as he's still the only one to accomish that.

[@phaggotsigiloccultstatus5592]

@@kanegarvey3188 what makes tugnutt's performance superior he could not be assisted by teammates nor could they record a save then give credit to tugnutt.... 4-6 of sittlers points was the assist.... Tugnutt stopped 19 shots from hall of fame ray bourque, in the historic Boston Gardens... Thats like pitching a no hitter and batting for the cycle in yankee Stadium... 😳

[@RandomMurderDronesFan.]

Bold statement, and I concur.

[@FritzyBeat]

Run Tugnutt. If there was ever a goalie whom you could say about: "the stats don't tell the whole story", it was this guy. One of the best I ever watched.

[@lethalpeaches5431]

This guy was my goalie coach, him and Jamie storr…both great guys and great goaltenders! They don’t make them like they used too…

[@mr.blackhawk142]

Was he a good RUNner too??? ;)

[@mr.blackhawk142]

@@lethalpeaches5431 Yup, and back then people even knew 'to' from TOO, and TWO!

[@lethalpeaches5431]

@@mr.blackhawk142 preemptive text(which was not correct). I apologize, I was not made aware that my 3rd grade English teacher was present.

[@bb-gc2tx]

@@lethalpeaches5431 jamie storr is a mystery to me his career in the nhl ended when he was only 27 and he had really good career stats up to that point a 2.55 gaa and 9.08 save percentage

[@toptenguy1]

12:29 : Craig Janney drops to his knees behind the net : "I GIVE UP!" LOL

[@toptenguy1]

Another classy moment that wasn't shown here, the Boston crowd gave a standing ovation to Guy Lafleur late in the game.

[@peachman1970]

At 11:08 you can hear the start of the cheers for Guy's last shift...but the idiots Cusick and Sanderson thought the cheering was for Tugnutt...and Sanderson said the cheering was premature...not realizing the standing ovation was in fact for Lafleur.

[@calaabo]

@@peachman1970 cam Neely told tugnutt to take a bow in their stadium after that to which he obliged and did it. And he said he never had an opposing team say that in their own building

[@peachman1970]

@@calaabo I watched the game...Tugnutt stood on his head that game...deserved the standing ovation after the game. My point was with the Bruins announcers Cusick and Sanderson...they thought the crowd was giving Tugnutt a 'premature' ovation. The ovation was in fact the Bruins crowd acknowledging Guy Lafleur being on the ice (it was his last NHL game ever in Boston). Crowd was chanting Guy Guy Guy...but the idiots Cusick and Sanderson thought the ovation was for Tugnutt. Classy of the Bruins fans to cheer for Lafleur and his career...even though he killed the Bruins so often.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

@@peachman1970 Sanderson was probably 'half in the bag' at that time!

[@mr.blackhawk142]

@@peachman1970 Yup, I visited Montreal New Years of 1980, and wore my Mitchell&Ness Blackhawks jacket in Richard's Tavern. Claude Richard was bartending, Henri was sitting at a nearby table nursing a beer. Me and GF sat at the bar, ordered 2 Exs, and Claude slapped 2 tix on the bar for the game that night at the Forum! What a CLASSY move! Little did he know how much I HATED the Habs for BEATING my Hawks so many times over the decades! We sold our Standing Room tix at a profit outside The Forum, and enjoyed the game sitting down! IIRC, Habs beat L.A. 4-0 that night.

[@1madmaxx80]

What a classic! So many greats! Love the "old time" hockey 👍👍

[@mr.blackhawk142]

I'm NOT gonna love it and jou can't make me! ;)

[@kranibal]

A great goalie. He was tremendously appreciated in Ottawa.

[@marktantorelli3446]

yet still insufficiently

[@BillyRamirez]

Save 69 was the best. Nice.

[@heliumtrophy]

"Are ya tired yet, Ron?" What a performance! Can't say any more than that.

[@davidbarton1806]

Bruins fans will never forget the night Ronnie tugnutt stood on his head that night in Boston garden! What a performance Ron! 👏🏼

[@mattgrant57]

I have a white Nordique #1 Tugnutt jersey that I wear to NHL games and it's always a hit. I loved this guy back in the day.

[@DarthABBA]

I remember his time in Ottawa, better times for the sens to be sure...

[@A-man-Capitals301]

What a classic, great performance by tugnutt

[@zlobaplays]

First time i bought a pack of NHL trading cards when i was young, Ron Tugnutt was on top of that pack. It was the year when Quebec transitioned into Colorado. I've instantly became a fan. Great memories and nice to see him in action.

[@matthewhorst5239]

Met him at Roger Neilson hockey camp. What a great goalie and an even better guy. Always enjoyed watching him in the playoffs.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

It's a SHAME that Quebec folded! I wonder WHO was responsible for that?

[@DG-BB]

Quebec Nordiques dark jersey...best in the history of Hockey. Fight me.

[@hoskins666]

They'd beat it later with the Avalanche dark jersey

[@bradleyking1242]

Goaltending at its best right there, why I was a big fan of his in the day when he played for “Les Nordiques” and all the other teams he played for too, bought my first Team Jersey and had Tugnutt and his No.1 (away jersey, Nordiques) and he did it again lateron with the Pittsburg Penguins with a 70save performance but lost that game 2-1

[@chewitewi6282]

What a crazy performance!

[@andyholland2130]

The best part of this video is it's a NESN broadcast pre Jack Edwards.

[@1JackTorS]

I was just going to comment how good it was to hear Fred Cusick and Derek Sanderson call the play-by-play again. I'm a big Bruins fan but I cannot stand Jack Edwards. Andy Brickley is ok, but if we had to sacrifice Edwards to the hockey gods for another Stanley Cup, I'd be fine with that.

[@Chupacvabra]

The professionalism was far better with this crew.

[@ChristopherBowenSuperbus]

Hold up. Was this NESN, or was this a WSBK-38 game?

[@carparthero]

@@1JackTorS agreed about jack edwards. going into 2021 30 yrs after the fact, i still think he's an idiot announcer! 🤣 cheers from southern ontario 🇨🇦

[@1JackTorS]

@@carparthero Agreed. He's the only play-by-play guy I know who gets excited when the other team scores.

[@Pistol1783]

Those Quebec jerseys though. F. I. N. E.

[@lionelpuri4559]

This was amazing!

[@ronniehockey8814]

Back when the size of the goalie didnt matter. I played goalie growing up and im 5'9" . I tried out for junior "a" in Saskatchewan when i was 18. I was the shortest goalie there. There was 24 goalies trying out and all were over 6'. I tried hard but i didnt get a call back. That was it for me. I play for fun now. I have my own kids now. 2 boys, my youngest likes hockey but my oldest like music. Hopefully my youngest plays goalie. Lol

[@adamdesanti6713]

"SAVE TUGNUTT" and "Bourque with the shot" seem to be a recurring theme.

[@jakefr5150]

Tug-Tug-Tugernutts! I remember watching this live when I was a kid!

[@mystique0417]

Watching this in 2020. I had no idea of the year this game was played but it didn't take long to notice he wasn't playing the modern style. Refreshing.

[@julesme2167]

He was with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Loved him ❤🏒

[@ReconstructedYankee1882]

Same here fellow Blue Jackets fan

[@Kaynos]

That's what being in "The zone" is. When your so confident, you just know it inside your being.

[@erickisel8668]

Look at the fans behind the glass on the replay of the save on Bourque in OT, hysterical. Also, did Bruins have 15 shots in OT? That is amazing in itself.

[@robins5798]

They had 12 in OT.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

@Jessie Yup, the 3 on 3 is a nice game to watch with all that room out there!

[@mr.blackhawk142]

@@robins5798 WHO had 12 ... WHAT?

[@pomerlain8924]

12 shots in the OT after having 44 in the second and third periods. 73 shots in 65 minutes of play, about 1.12 shots a minute.

[@r3dl0g1c]

Great video showing all the saves as well as goals. I wonder how many modern goalies could have a 70 save game playing hybrid butterfly/standup with tiny equipment

[@busupshot83]

I remember playing in the 80s and 90s the equipment was so heavy and you couldn’t move efficiently. Makes you appreciate performances like this.

[@johnfoote1264]

Amazing

[@roccostefanovski4215]

I love hockey

[@ThePainLife]

What a match.

[@alexandrebertrand-lafleur3114]

12:29 Fred Cusick: WHAT-A-SAVE by Tugnutt!

[@tommikoskinen760]

Spectacular

[@BigCam.31]

Tugnutt.... RIP his childhood, poor fella.🙏

[@niceguy5620]

yeah what happened

[@BigCam.31]

It's a joke, jeesh. His name is "Tug Nut". Kids are cruel and would have most definitely made horrific jokes about his name... if you dont get it now I assume your a most likely a person who goes to a stand up comedy show and gets offended.

[@johnnyboy2653]

what a great era

[@michaeleaster1815]

After the game, according to Wikipedia, several Boston players skated over to congratulate Tugnutt, and the Boston fans gave him a standing ovation.

[@daveyboy_]

i know and this vid doesn't show it . lame

[@jockejocke1]

@@daveyboy_ Yeah I know right, searched for this event and they don't show it.

[@severed111]

True, I vividly remember watching all Nordiques games with my mother and comparatively much younger uncle and I was reminded of this game not long ago and it all came rushing back, "oh yeah! I remember Bourque congratulating him among other Bruins players along with the crowd (who were also cheering on an old enemy, Guy Lafleur's last shift against their team). Boston crowds are like Philly crowds, yet the crowd and team knew they were watching something historic in the world of sports, all combined, classy...and it felt good, Tug wasn't there when the Nords finally got out of their 5 years of hell, those 2 playoff runs with insane talent on ice in the mid 90's had eclipsed that memory, real glad this is acknowledged and documented!

[@RVBOY2]

Butterfly style in it's infant stages phasing in as the pad stack phases out

[@daveyboy_]

Butterfly style's been around since the 50's .

[@eirikrsland1399]

Back in the Golden era of my 40 year fandom. Late 80s. Early 90s was special.

[@thesportsquad4531]

I miss playing goalie so much

[@joshuadufner]

Dude me to. I'm deployed right now and miss it so much.

[@milesdufourny4813]

Yeah, I remember watching this game on WSBK Channel 38. T Nordiques had some great teams and players. I'm a Bruins fan but I loved watching the Nordiques.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

I watched a lot of games in the bar on satellite TV! Mostly Black Hawk games!

[@MrGILREED]

I am .remember.this.game..Tugnutts is.amazing....

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

GREAT quality video - was this BETAMAX?

[@DontBeStupid9]

i remember the sports section of the Boston Herald the next day with a big 70 on it

[@beerleaguehero]

Greatest name ever

[@ReconstructedYankee1882]

Im a Columbus Blue Jackets fan and I remember him being a fan favorite on my Blue Jackets. I always referred to him as "The Rock of Boston Garden"

[@christophergarrison2628]

Give that man a raise

[@ItsTheMunz]

Back in those days you could see the entire net behind the goalies. And he still clocked 70 saves.

[@uranidiot5928]

So cool 😎

[@jizmoglobin666]

I was at this game when I was 10!

[@chadgrov]

It’s Ron NutTugg!

[@lenpizzi]

I seem to recall the next game the Nords played, they got a 50 save performance from Tugger.

[@nathanbrisebois8756]

Where was this poor man's defence? Lol

[@michaelmazzarella72]

If Tugnutt was drafted by a more competitive team he may of won a cup-underated

[@brendanbaden]

Yes it was

[@mikeb8674]

Tugger had himself a hell of a week that night.

[@mentallyripped5274]

At least he didn’t lose. Could you imagine?!? Made 70 saves last nigh; nearly won too.

[@johnlam4470]

That last one on Bourgue in OT, can't get any better than that... Did I see Sakic and and Sundin on the Nordiques, hell what were they doing. Great Game Tugnutt!!!

[@coreyhill681]

That's was fun to watch. Good thing Ottawa senators got him, now I see why they did

[@LordKOTL]

Joel Quenneville's favorite goalie.

[@markfabricius1361]

Ha ha I see what you did

[@Sammydx1]

Do a shot everytime you hear A SAVE BY TUGNUTT

[@johnscott353]

Of course this is the guy involved in the longest modem nhl game

[@329woody]

To this day Tugger still wakes up in the middle of the night with nightmares from this game.

[@shinigamigaming2941]

Why would Tugnutt be the one waking up? Bourque had 19 shots and one goal. He wakes up from nightmares, every time "And another save from Tugnutt!" is spoken.

[@329woody]

@@shinigamigaming2941 So your saying it's harder to take 19 shots then to save 70? Gotcha

[@robins5798]

These are the types of games you remember with a smile on your face the day you retire. No nightmares to be had about awesome games like this, but I take it you've never been a goalie yourself.

[@VangeliRock]

That goalie was Tugnutting all night

[@choosenone2die]

.959 tugnutt 73 shots 5'11'' 160lbs .884 lemelin 26 shots

[@zach9848]

Tugnut tugnut tugnut tugnut omg tugnut save tugnut make it stop TUGNUT

[@r.joshuareynolds2449]

but how on earth.... 73 shots? 50+ in regulation? that's really insane...

[@pomerlain8924]

61 shots in regulation and another 12 in OT. 73 shots in 65 minutes of play. The Nords defense was non-existent and Tugnutt single-handedly earned them a point.

[@breachtones]

@@pomerlain8924crazy how tugnutt’s performance couldn’t even earn them a win. damn this team was so awful

[@TheJewtarHero]

“SAVE TUGNUTT”

[@jonathancote9372]

Even if half of the shots came before the red circle he still manage to make 4-5 miracle

[@maxdiesel4217]

Best goaltending performance in history? A high probability.

[@levibleich1330]

I was at this game

[@Chupacvabra]

1:33 geez Lemelin...

[@stevewaz4]

The coolest thing about the OT glove save on Bourque is that he actually reacted to where he figured the puck was going. It didn’t just hit his glove. The slow replay shows that he moved for it after the shot was made. Awesome.

[@jake_lacroix5417]

Cool

[@thefozzybear]

I never saw anyone eat pucks. Ron Tugnutt: Hold my beer.

[@phroggie7626]

i feel bad for the editor

[@raphelsavard7595]

Bring back the Nordiques

[@gedias1]

I remember this game. One of the reasons it got to 70 is that the Nordiques were horrible. They won only 16 games that season.

[@JamesFoster-ku9un]

Back when overtime was played properly!

[@Sammydx1]

12:30 Look at the Bruins guy behind the net. Hahahah.

[@DontBeStupid9]

i actually laughed out loud at this lol

[@DrHaydentheFunny]

RIP Nordiques. At least the relocation site was a legitimate place for a team unlike the original Jets and the Whalers.

[@TheDeathWillCome2012]

What a Classic! Bring Back The Nordiques NHL!!!! If it wasn’t for Gary and some of the greedy owners ,The Whalers, Nordiques, and The original Winnipeg Jets would still be in the league. But it is what it is😡

[@julietrites1598]

Did anyone notice that half of Boston’s shots were taken by Ray Bourque?

[@AV57]

The guy was a shooting machine. The guy went 360 straight games with a shot. He holds the record for most shots in a single game (shown here). He led the league in shots 3 times. He has the most career shots ever, leading Jagr (2nd) by more than 500 shots. Ovechkin may catch him, though.

[@Jsd-zg2cz]

I'm not a hockey fan by any means but arent those the avalanche uniforms?

[@ssmith87]

Those Quebec jerseys! @6:01...ouch

[@choosenone2die]

It's funny to see so many times the fans getting up on their feet thinking it s was goal !

[@PeteNice29]

I forgot most of these were darn near from the blue line

[@AV57]

A lot of defenses used to back up to the blueline and just prepare to try and check the opposing team there, which created a decent amount of room in the neutral zone for a trailing defenseman carrying the puck up ice to blast a shot at full stride. The saves goalies would have to make on some of those were epic.

[@kbp341]

The goalies were so small

[@togetherworldtv3231]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 NHL fight!! Fight!! 😄😄😄😄😄😄

[@xDPx-zh7vr]

Hard to believe he even let 3 get by. His defense certainly want doing him any favors that's for sure. The old kiss your sister tie game didn't help either.

[@RoyalMela]

69 was the best.

[@Sammydx1]

Vaughn Custom Sports

[@bradboy101]

Bruins finally score on a screen and a deflection but continue to pelt Tugnutt with clean view shots before & after? that's not happening in today's NHL