NHL History September 20 features the birth of Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur, a rare NHL trade that eventually helped both teams win the Stanley Cup, the arrival of the Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio and one of the most remarkable retirement days in league history.
Guy Lafleur was born on September 20, 1951, before becoming one of the greatest players ever to wear a Montreal Canadiens sweater. Forty years later, Montreal and the New Jersey Devils completed a major trade involving Stephane Richer and Kirk Muller that ultimately contributed to Stanley Cup championships for both organizations.
September 20 also became an unforgettable date for NHL defensemen in 2022, when Zdeno Chara, P.K. Subban and Keith Yandle all announced their retirements within hours of one another. One year later, the Boston Bruins named Brad Marchand the 27th captain in franchise history.
Here is a look back at some of the biggest NHL and hockey moments to happen on September 20.
NHL History September 20: Biggest Moments and Milestones
1951: Montreal Canadiens Legend Guy Lafleur Is Born
The biggest name associated with September 20 in NHL history is Guy Lafleur, who was born on September 20, 1951, in Thurso, Quebec.
Lafleur developed into one of the most electrifying offensive players of his generation and became a defining figure of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s.
Montreal selected Lafleur with the first overall pick in the 1971 NHL Draft after a spectacular junior career with the Quebec Remparts. Expectations were enormous, and while Lafleur produced immediately, his true breakout came during the 1974-75 season when he scored 53 goals and recorded 119 points.
That season began one of the greatest offensive stretches in NHL history.
From 1974-75 through 1979-80, Lafleur scored at least 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons. He captured the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer three straight times from 1975-76 through 1977-78.
Lafleur was equally successful when the games mattered most. He helped Montreal win five Stanley Cups — in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979 — and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the Canadiens’ 1977 championship run.
He also won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in consecutive seasons in 1976-77 and 1977-78.
Lafleur initially retired early in the 1984-85 season and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. In a rare move for a Hall of Famer, however, he returned to the NHL later that year.
He played the 1988-89 season with the New York Rangers before finishing his career with two seasons for the Quebec Nordiques.
Lafleur retired for good with 560 goals, 793 assists and 1,353 points in 1,126 NHL regular-season games.
Those numbers only tell part of his story. Lafleur combined speed, skill, creativity and a dramatic style of play that made him one of the most recognizable stars in Canadiens history.
1991: Canadiens and Devils Complete a Stanley Cup-Winning Trade
A fascinating NHL trade took place on September 20, 1991, between the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils.
Montreal traded forwards Stephane Richer and Tom Chorske to New Jersey in exchange for forward Kirk Muller and goaltender Roland Melanson.
What makes the deal particularly memorable is what happened next.
Both organizations eventually won the Stanley Cup with players acquired in the trade.
Muller became an important part of the Canadiens and helped Montreal capture the 1993 Stanley Cup. During the 1992-93 regular season, he recorded a career-high 94 points and provided the Canadiens with leadership, scoring and a strong two-way presence.
Richer returned to New Jersey as one of the NHL’s more dangerous offensive players. He and Chorske were both members of the Devils when New Jersey captured its first Stanley Cup championship in 1995.
Most major NHL trades are eventually judged through the lens of which organization received more value. This deal is different because each side acquired players who contributed to a Stanley Cup championship within the next four seasons.
That makes the September 20, 1991 transaction one of the more unusual examples of a blockbuster producing meaningful long-term results for both clubs.
2000: Columbus Blue Jackets Play Their First Home Game
NHL hockey returned to Ohio on September 20, 2000, when the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets played their first home exhibition game at Nationwide Arena.
Columbus faced an established Original Six franchise in the Detroit Red Wings and gave the home crowd something to celebrate immediately.
The Blue Jackets defeated Detroit 5-2 in front of 18,136 fans.
The game represented an important milestone for both Columbus and professional hockey in Ohio. The state had not been home to an NHL franchise since the Cleveland Barons ceased operations following the 1977-78 season.
Columbus entered the NHL alongside the Minnesota Wild for the 2000-01 season as the league continued the major expansion phase that had transformed the NHL throughout the 1990s.
The September 20 exhibition was only a preseason game, but it provided Blue Jackets fans with their first opportunity to watch their new NHL team play at Nationwide Arena.
2022: Chara, Subban and Yandle All Announce Their Retirements
September 20, 2022 became one of the most unusual retirement days in modern NHL history when three accomplished defensemen — Zdeno Chara, P.K. Subban and Keith Yandle announced the end of their playing careers within hours of one another.
Together, the three defensemen appeared in more than 3,600 NHL regular-season games.
Chara’s retirement carried particular significance in Boston.
The towering defenseman signed a one-day contract with the Bruins so he could officially retire as a member of the franchise he had captained for 14 seasons.
Chara played 24 NHL seasons and finished with 209 goals, 471 assists and 680 points in 1,680 games. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2009 and captained Boston to the Stanley Cup championship in 2011.
His combination of size, defensive ability, conditioning and leadership made him one of the defining defensemen of his generation.
2022: P.K. Subban Ends His 13-Year NHL Career
P.K. Subban also announced his retirement on September 20, 2022, following 13 NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils.
Subban finished his career with 115 goals, 352 assists and 467 points in 834 regular-season games.
His peak years included winning the Norris Trophy with Montreal in 2012-13 and helping Nashville advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.
Subban was one of the NHL’s most recognizable personalities throughout his career and also received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2022 for his leadership and humanitarian contributions.
For Canadiens fans in particular, Subban’s retirement added another Montreal connection to an already significant date in franchise history.
2022: Keith Yandle Retires After Historic Ironman Streak
Keith Yandle completed the trio of September 20 retirements when he announced the end of his 16-season NHL career.
Yandle played 1,109 regular-season games with the Phoenix and Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers, producing 619 points.
He was best known for his remarkable durability.
Yandle played 989 consecutive NHL games from March 2009 until March 2022, establishing a league ironman record at the time.
The retirements of Yandle, Chara and Subban on the same morning represented a remarkable changing of the guard on NHL blue lines. Between them were a Stanley Cup championship, multiple major NHL awards, thousands of games and very different styles of playing defense.
2023: Brad Marchand Is Named Boston Bruins Captain
Exactly one year after former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara announced his retirement, another chapter in Boston’s leadership history began.
On September 20, 2023, the Bruins officially named Brad Marchand the 27th captain in franchise history.
Marchand succeeded Patrice Bergeron, who had retired following the 2022-23 season. Bergeron had previously taken over the captaincy from Chara.
The appointment continued an unusual line of leadership continuity in Boston.
Marchand had spent his entire NHL career with the Bruins and had already played key roles alongside both Chara and Bergeron. He was a member of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship team and developed from an agitating depth forward into one of the league’s premier two-way offensive players.
By the time he received the “C,” Marchand had also spent several seasons serving as an alternate captain and had become one of the longest-tenured players in the organization.
That connection makes September 20 particularly interesting in Bruins history: Chara officially ended his NHL career on the date in 2022, and Marchand was named Boston’s next captain exactly one year later.
Why September 20 Is an Important Date in NHL History
NHL History September 20 connects several very different eras of professional hockey.
Guy Lafleur’s birth introduced a player who would become one of the central figures of the Montreal Canadiens’ 1970s dynasty. The 1991 Canadiens-Devils trade became a rare transaction in which both organizations ultimately received players who contributed to Stanley Cup championships.
The arrival of the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in 2000 represented another important moment in the NHL’s expansion era and brought top-level professional hockey back to Ohio.
September 20, 2022 then became a memorable date for an entirely different reason when Chara, Subban and Yandle all retired on the same day. One year later, Marchand’s appointment as Bruins captain added another significant modern NHL milestone.
From Lafleur’s legendary Canadiens career to franchise-changing trades, expansion hockey, retirements and leadership changes, September 20 has quietly produced an impressive collection of moments in NHL history.
More This Day in NHL History
Explore more historic NHL trades, records, milestones, legendary players and memorable games in our NHL History archive.
Enjoying our trade coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to catch breaking rumors first.
