November 12 NHL History
1931: The first NHL game is played at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe manages to get the new arena built in a remarkable five-month span during the depths of the Great Depression. An opening-night crowd of 13,233, the largest ever to attend a hockey game up to that time, pays anywhere from 95 cents (general admission) to $2.75 (best seats in the house).
Pipe Major James Fraser and the 48th Highlanders of Canada Pipes and Drums commence precisely at 8:30 p.m. to indicate the start of the opening ceremony, during which Toronto captain Hap Day boldly predicts that the Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup.
The Maple Leafs disappoint the big crowd by losing 2-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks, but they come through when it matters most by fulfilling Day’s prediction and winning the Cup.
The arena is home to the Maple Leafs until they move to Air Canada Centre in 1999.
1942: Bep Guidolin, a 16-year-old forward, becomes the youngest player in NHL history when he plays first game for the Boston Bruins, a 3-1 loss at the Maple Leafs. Guidolin plays 10 seasons with the Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks, scoring 107 goals in 519 NHL games, and coaches the Bruins from 1972-74 and the Kansas City Scouts from 1974-76. He also coaches the Edmonton Oilers for 63 games of the 1976-77 World Hockey Association season.
1983: Wayne Gretzky gets his 20th NHL hat trick and sets up two other goals to help Edmonton to a 7-3 victory against the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The Oilers set their record with their eighth consecutive victory.
1988: Esa Tikkanen sets an NHL record for the fastest two shorthanded goals during a 6-2 Oilers win in Toronto. Tikkanen scores at 10:44 of the first period and again at 10:56, breaking the previous record of 25 seconds set by Edmonton’s Pat Hughes on Jan. 11, 1983. Tikkanen also scores in the third period to complete a hat trick.
2005: The Atlanta Thrashers set a single-game franchise record for goals with a 9-0 win at the Carolina Hurricanes, ending Carolina’s nine-game winning streak. Ilya Kovalchuk scores twice for Atlanta. The loss is the worst for the Hurricanes since moving from Hartford in 1997.
2009: Florida Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun has a perfect night against the Bruins at TD Garden, making 40 saves through overtime and four more in a shootout before Cory Stillman’s goal makes him a 1-0 winner. Vokoun is at his best in the second period, when Boston outshoots Florida 19-1. It’s Vokoun’s third shutout in four starts after beginning his season 1-7-1.
2016: Carey Price becomes the first goaltender in NHL history to win his first 10 games in a season. Price makes 25 saves in Montreal’s 5-0 victory against the Red Wings at Bell Centre. It’s Price’s 13th consecutive win, including his final three decisions in 2015-16, and his 38th NHL shutout. The Canadiens (13-1-1) set a team record with their 10th straight win at home from the start of a season and have the most victories through 15 games in their history.
