Feb. 19, 1964 - The Chicago Black Hawks, involved in a cat-and-mouse fight with Montreal for NHL leadership, pulled two points ahead of the idle Canadiens tonight by blasting the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, 7-2. Stan Mikita (center), the league’s leading scorer, and Ken Wharram each tallied two goals to spark Chicago’s attack. Mikita, however, lost ground in the scoring race to teammate Bobby Hull (left), who picked up three assists to run his season total to 70 points, three less than Mikita. Bill Hay (right), John McKenzie, and Phil Esposito scored the Hawks’ other goals.
Mikita broke the game open early in the second period when he tallied during a power play. That gave the Hawks a 3-1 lead, and McKenzie contributed his goal — a 40-foot screamer — later in the session. The Hawks added three more in the final period. Mikita hit on a 35-foot slap shot for his 33rd goal of the 1963-64 campaign, Esposito scored from close range, and Wharram collected his 31st goal with one second remaining.
The victory was the fourth in the last five games for the Hawks. The two final playoff spots are currently held by Toronto (58 points) and Detroit (54 points). Those two teams tied tonight, 1-1, at Maple Leaf Gardens.
