Dec. 17 NHL History
1924: The NHL has the first 0-0 tie in its eight-year history. Goaltenders Jake Forbes of the Hamilton Tigers and Alec Connell of the Ottawa Senators are perfect through three periods of regulation time and a 20-minute overtime period.
1935: It’s a milestone night for five original New York Rangers. Bill Cook, Bun Cook, Frank Boucher, Ching Johnson and Murray Murdoch each play in his 500th NHL game when the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens skate to a 1-1 tie at Madison Square Garden.
1957: In the largest trade in NHL history at the time, the Chicago Blackhawks send Nick Mickoski, Jack McIntyre, Bob Bailey and Hec Lalonde to the Detroit Red Wings for Earl Reibel, Billy Dea, Bill Dineen and Lorne Ferguson.
1977: Barry Beck of the Colorado Rockies scores three goals for his first NHL hat trick and gets an assist in a 5-1 win against the Minnesota North Stars in Denver. Beck sets a League record for rookie defensemen by scoring in his sixth consecutive game. He finishes his first NHL season with 22 goals, also a record for rookie defensemen.
1983: Wayne Gretzky reaches two NHL milestones when he scores one goal and assists on five others to help the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Quebec Nordiques 8-1 at Northlands Coliseum. Gretzky gets his 500th assist and 800th point in his 352nd NHL game. No one has reached either total faster.
Exactly three years later, Gretzky scores four goals, including a natural hat trick in the first 12:38 of the first period, and assists on another in a 5-3 home win against the Nordiques. It’s his 41st NHL hat trick.
1991: The Pittsburgh Penguins set a team record by scoring eight second-period goals in a 10-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at the Civic Arena. Joe Mullen has a goal and two assists to give him 800 NHL points.
2008: Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival scores on a penalty shot in the second period, and then scores in overtime to give New York a 3-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Rozsival becomes the second player since the NHL reinstitutes overtime in 1983 to score on a penalty shot before winning the game with an overtime goal. Steve Thomas of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim is the other (April 1, 2003).
