Brothers scoring on brothers

There are four cases in the NHL where a brother scored against a brother who was playing in goal for the opposing team: Paul and Tiny Thompson, Brian and Gary Smith, Phil and Tony Esposito, and Mathieu and Martin Biron.

Paul and Tiny Thompson

Paul Thompson was the first player to score on his brother, Cecil "Tiny" Thompson. Paul played for the New York Rangers from 1926/26 to 1930/31, and the Chicago Blackhawks from 1931/32 to 1938/39. Tiny played for the Boston Bruins from 1928/29 to 1938/39, then the Detroit Red Wings from 1938/39 to 1939/40.

Paul scored on Tiny 13 times:

  • March 18, 1930 - New York Rangers 2 @ Boston Bruins 9
  • March 20, 1932 - Boston Bruins 0 @ Chicago Blackhawks 1
  • November 22, 1932 - Chicago Blackhawks 1 @ Boston Bruins 5
  • January 31, 1933 - Chicago Blackhawks 5 @ Boston Bruins 1
  • December 23, 1933 - Chicago Blackhawks 3 @ Boston Bruins 1
  • January 5, 1935 - Chicago Blackhawks 6 @ Boston Bruins 0 (2 goals)
  • February 13, 1937 - Boston Bruins 2 @ Chicago Blackhawks 1
  • March 2, 1937 - Chicago Blackhawks 4 @ Boston Bruins 2
  • December 21, 1937 - Chicago Blackhawks 1 @ Boston Bruins 2
  • January 23, 1938 - Boston Bruins 2 @ Chicago Blackhawks 3
  • February 6, 1938 - Boston Bruins 7 @ Chicago Blackhawks 2
  • March 3, 1938 - Boston Bruins 2 @ Chicago Blackhawks 3
Eight of these goals were scored at Boston Garden. The other five were scored at Chicago Stadium.

Brian and Gary Smith

Brian Smith played two seasons in the NHL, with the Los Angeles Kings in 1967/68 and the Minnesota North Stars in 1968-69. His brother Gary had a longer career, playing from 1965/66 to 1979/80 with Toronto, Oakland, Chicago, Vancouver, Minnesota, Washington, and Winnipeg. Brian scored two goals against Gary in one game in 1967.
  • December 19, 1967 - Oakland Seals 1 @ Los Angeles Kings 3 (2 goals)
This game was actually played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The Great Western Forum, which would be the Kings' home arena until 1999, did not open until December 30, 1967.

Phil and Tony Esposito

Phil Esposito scored on his brother Tony 25 times in 18 games, by far the most of any of the four players who scored on their brother. Phil scored 2 or more goals against Tony 6 different times, including the first two times he faced him (the first of which was Tony's first ever NHL game); in one of those games, he scored 3 goals. Phil played for the Chicago Blackhawks (1963/64-1966/67), Boston Bruins (1967/68-1975/76) and New York Rangers (1975/76-1980/81), and Tony played for the Montreal Canadiens (1968/69) and Chicago Blackhawks (1969/70-1983/84).
  • December 5, 1968 - Montreal Canadiens 2 @ Boston Bruins 2 (2 goals)
  • December 22, 1968 - Montreal Canadiens 5 @ Boston Bruins 7 (2 goals)
  • February 4, 1970 - Boston Bruins 4 @ Chicago Blackhawks 8
  • February 28, 1970 - Chicago Blackhawks 0 @ Boston Bruins 3
  • December 2, 1970 - Boston Bruins 3 @ Chicago Blackhawks 4 (3 goals)
  • January 23, 1971 - Chicago Blackhawks 2 @ Boston Bruins 6
  • January 15, 1972 - Chicago Blackhawks 2 @ Boston Bruins 4 (2 goals)
  • February 20, 1972 - Boston Bruins 3 @ Chicago Blackhawks 1 (2 goals)
  • January 27, 1973 - Chicago Blackhawks 4 @ Boston Bruins 2
  • November 28, 1973 - Boston Bruins 3 @ Chicago Blackhawks 3
  • January 10, 1974 - Chicago Blackhawks 2 @ Boston Bruins 2
  • March 27, 1976 - New York Rangers 6 @ Chicago Blackhawks 5
  • November 17, 1976 - Chicago Blackhawks 2 @ New York Rangers 3 (2 goals)
  • December 14, 1977 - New York Rangers 2 @ Chicago Blackhawks 2
  • November 15, 1978 - Chicago Blackhawks 1 @ New York Rangers 8
  • March 21, 1979 - New York Rangers 7 @ Chicago Blackhawks 6
  • December 12, 1979 - New York Rangers 5 @ Chicago Blackhawks 2
  • November 5, 1980 - New York Rangers 3 @ Chicago Blackhawks 3
Of the 25 goals, 12 were scored at Chicago Stadium, 10 were scored at Boston Garden, and only 3 were scored at Madison Square Garden.

Mathieu Biron and Martin Biron

The latest brother to score on a brother is Mathieu Biron of the Florida Panthers, who scored against Martin Biron of the Buffalo Sabres in 2003.
  • November 24, 2003 - Buffalo Sabres 1 @ Florida Panthers 2
This game was played at Office Depot Center.