
July 13 has seen several pivotal moments in NHL history. One of the most notable occurred in 2000 when Mark Messier returned to the New York Rangers. After three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Messier signed a two-year contract with the Rangers. The announcement was made by new general manager Glen Sather, who acknowledged that letting Messier go in 1997 was a mistake. The highlight of the news conference came when Brian Leetch, then the team captain, presented Messier with a Rangers jersey bearing his iconic number 11 and the captain’s “C.”
Another significant event on this date was in 1950 when the Detroit Red Wings traded Pete Babando, the hero of their Game 7 victory in the Stanley Cup Final, to the Chicago Black Hawks. Babando had scored the game-winning goal in double overtime to secure the Cup for Detroit.
In 2005, a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement was reached, ending the lockout that had caused the cancellation of the 2004-05 NHL season. This agreement introduced a salary cap for the first time in NHL history.
On July 13, 2009, Jacques Lemaire returned to the New Jersey Devils as head coach, 14 years after leading them to their first Stanley Cup championship. Lemaire had spent the previous eight seasons coaching the Minnesota Wild.
Finally, in 2016, George McPhee was hired as the first general manager of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. McPhee, who had previously spent 17 years as GM of the Washington Capitals, was instrumental in building a team that reached the Stanley Cup Final in its first season.
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