December 1 NHL History
1924: The NHL makes its debut in the United States when the Boston Bruins play their first game, a 2-1 victory against the Montreal Maroons at Boston Arena.
Smokey Harris and Carson Cooper score in the second period for Boston after Montreal takes the lead when Chuck Dinsmore beats Hec Fowler midway through the first.
The opening-night victory is one of the few highlights for the Bruins in their first NHL season; they go 6-24-0 and are last in the six-team league. But Boston finishes above .500 in its second season and wins the Stanley Cup in 1929.
1940: “Brotherly love” takes on a whole new meaning when the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the New York Rangers 4-1 at Chicago Stadium. The game features four sets of brothers: New York’s Lynn and Muzz Patrick, and Neil and Mac Colville play against Chicago’s brother combinations of Max and Doug Bentley, and Bob and Bill Carse.
1960: Gordie Howe has two third-period assists for the Detroit Red Wings in a 3-2 home loss to the Bruins, moving him past the NHL record of 1,091 points (regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs) set by recently retired Montreal Canadiens star Maurice Richard.
1988: Bernie Nicholls sets team records with six assists and eight points in the Los Angeles Kings’ 9-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Nicholls’ big night overshadows a five-assist performance by Wayne Gretzky and a hat trick by Dave Taylor.
1996: Wayne Gretzky becomes the first (and still only) player in NHL history to reach the 3,000-point plateau (including playoffs) when he has a goal and an assist in the Rangers’ 6-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. Gretzky finishes his NHL career with 2,857 regular-season points and 382 in the playoffs.
1997: The Montreal Canadiens become the first team in NHL history to play 5,000 games when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins at Molson Centre (now Bell Centre). The Penguins spoil the festivities by winning 1-0.
2014: Arizona Coyotes rookie Tobias Rieder scores shorthanded goals 58 seconds apart in the second period of a 5-2 victory against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. Rieder becomes the first rookie in NHL history to score two shorthanded goals in less than 60 seconds. He beats Viktor Fasth on a breakaway 36 seconds into the second period, then scores again at 1:34.
