December 11th, 1977 - Tom Bladon Sets Defenseman Record

Bladon Sets NHL record for Defensemen

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Tom Bladon set a NHL record for points by a defenseman in one game by scoring 4 goals and assisting on 4 others as the Flyers routed the Cleveland Barons 11-1 last night.
Bobby Orr had held the mark, set with the Bostons Bruins against the New York Rangers on Nov. 15, 1973, when he scored three goals and added four assists in a 10-3 Boston victory.
Bladon also became the first Philadelphia defenseman ever to score more than two goals in a game.
Bladon's first goal, a 25-footer from the slot, sparked a threee goal outburst with 44 seconds that gave Philadelphia a 4-0 lead at the 18:38 mark of the first period.
Following Bladon's goal, Don Saleski knocked in a rebound 19 seconds later and ceter Mel Bridgman fired a shot past the beleagured Cleveland goaltender Gary Edwards just 25 seconds after that. Reggie Leach had given the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 10:45, with a shot along the ice from the left faceoff circle.
Bladon scored again at 11:49 of the second period, intercepting a clearing pass and scoring from 50 feet. His third goal, at 16:26 of the period, was a low blast from the right point that went past a screened Edwards.
Bladon scored his fourth goal at 2:47 of the final period on a shot from the right point past substitute netminder Gilles Meloche. Other Flyer goal scorers were Rick MacLeish with two, Bill Barber and Paul Holmgren.
Dennis Maruk scored the Barons goal with 1:15 left in the game.
[it was also recently discovered that Bladon was had a plus-minus of +10 for the game, which is the biggest plus score of any player in NHL history the previous best was thought to have been a +9 by Thei Fleury prior to this discovery]

Bladon celebrates his 8 point game

Boxscore

Philadelphia 11, Cleveland 1

First Period

Scoring

1. Philadelphia, Leach (Lapointe, Clarke) 10:45

2. Philadelphia, Bladon 4th (Bridgman) 17:54

3. Philadelphia, Saleski 18th (Kindrachuk, Bladon) 18:13

4. Philadelphia, Bridgman 7th (Saleski, Bladon) 18:38

Penalties

None

Second Period

Scoring

5. Philadelphia, MacLeish 5th (Lonsberry, Holmgren) 7:13

6. Philadelphia, Bladon 5th 11:49

7. Philadelphia, Bladon 6th (Lonsberry, Clarke) 16:26

8. Philadelphia, Holmgren 3rd (Lonsberry, Clarke) 17:29

Penalties

Holt (double minor, major), Bridgman (major) 2:53

Third Period

Scoring

9. Philadelphia, Bladon 7th (Lonsberry, Bridgman) 2:47

10. Philadelphia, MacLeish 6th (Lapointe, Bladon) 11:13

11. Philadelphia, Barber 15th (Bladon, Clarke) 13:47

12. Cleveland, Maruk 15th (Murdoch, Gardner) 18:45

Penalties

Bladon 0:30, Holt 14:55, Lapointe 17:30

Shots On Goal

Cleveland...	9	5	4	-	18
Philadelphia...	15	17	20	-	52

Goaltenders - Cleveland : Edwards, Meloche ; Philadelphia : Parent

Attendance - 17,077