Hockey History

Ice Hockey History

Hockey Quiz:

Do you know ?

1. What year did hockey change the game format from 2 halves to 3 periods

2. Who scored the fastest hat trick - 3 goals in 21 seconds

3. Who was the first goalie to score a goal and in what year

The Answers are found on this page

If you have a question for our Hockey Quiz, just e-mail it to loufarese@comcast.net and I'll post it next month.

1893	For $48.67, Lord Stanley purchases and donates a silver punch bowl for hockey competition. Montreal AAA wins the challenge.
1910	Game format changes from two 30-minute halves to three 20-minute periods.
1911	THe National Hockey Association (predecessor to the NHL) drops the rover position and replaces a seven-man game with a six-man game
1917	The National Hockey League is organized on November 22. Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottowa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs and Toronto Arenas join the new league (Quebec does not begin until 1919 and the Wanderers withdraw after their arena burns down)
1919	The Montreal-Seattle Stanley Cup final is called off due to influenza epidemic.
1922	Foster Hewitt broadcasts the first NHL game on radio.
1923	Boston becomes the first city in the United States of America to be awarded an NHL team
1927	NHL institutes rule that allows only team captains to address referees.
1928	Having no backup goaltender, 44-year-old Rangers coach Lester Patrick steps out of street clothes and into gear to replace injured goalie Lorne Chabot, beating the Montreal Maroons in game two of the Cup finals.
1934	The Great Depression forces the maximum team bulk payroll to drop from $70,000 to $62,500.
1936	The Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons play the longest game in history, going to 6 overtimes and taking 5 hours and 51 minutes to complete.
1940	The Ross-Tyer puck is adopted as NHL's official game piece, but early in the season it is deemed too soft and replaced by the Spalding puck.

1942	Because of wartime restrictions on train scheduling, regular season overtime is discontinued.
1946	Gordie Howe joins the NHL at age 18, earning $2,600 in his rookie season.
1947	(Although one event for the benefit of Ace Bailey was held in 1933), The first of what would be the annual NHL All-Star Game is held in Toronto.
1948	Bill Durnan ends season as the last NHL goaltender to be team captain.
1949	Game ice is painted white.
1952	In the space of only 21 seconds, Chicago Blackhawk Bill Mosienko scores the fastest hat trick in history.
1955	Detroit clinches the Stanley Cup title in game 7, following the suspension of Canadiens star Maurice Richard giving way to the famous riot. Montreal went on to win 5 straight Stanley Cups in the years following.
1955	Referees wear striped shirts because their usual orange sweaters appear dark on black and white television, making it difficult to distinguish between them and away-team players.
1956	Montreal power play is so devastating, the NHL creates a new rule allowing player to come out of the penalty box after one man-advantage goal.
1959	After being stitched from a gash opened by a fast-moving puck, Montreal Canadiens goalie Jacques Plante stuns the hockey world by refusing to play unless he is allowed to wear the goalie mask he generally only used in practice.
1961	The Canadian National Exhibition, City of Toronto and NHL open the Hockey Hall of Fame on CNE grounds.
1967	The Original Six is doubled as the NHL undergoes its first major expansion.
1968	Montreal's Toe Blake retires after winning his 8th Stanley Cup, a record for NHL coaches.
1969	The NHL draft is expanded to include all amateur players of qualifying age throughout the world.
1970	Home teams are allowed to put their surnames on the backs of their sweaters; visitors need the home team's consent.
1970	By time of death, goalie Terry Sawchuck sets the unfortunate record of the most injuries, including: pierced eye, severed hand tendons, fractured foot, nine fractured ribs, dislocated arm, ruptured appendix, ruptured disc, punctured lung and over 400 facial stitches
1971	New England manufacturer draws criticism from religious groups for printing bumper stickers: "Jesus saves! And Esposito scores on the rebound!"
1972	Bobby Hull shocks the hockey world by signing a $2.75 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets in newly created World Hockey Association.
1976	Darryl Sittler sets an NHL record with 10 points in one game.
1977	Clarence Campbell retires after 32 years as NHL president and is succeeded by John Ziegler.
1977	All teams are required to put surnames of each player on the backs of sweaters.
1979	The World Hockey Assication dissolves; Winnipeg, Hartford, Edmonton and Quebec are brought into the NHL.
1980	Gordie Howe retires from professional hockey after playing 2,421 games and scoring a total of 2,589 points. He led the NHL in scoring 6 times during his career, and had been named to the All-Star team a record 21 times.