Today in NHL History, Dec 15th

1917: The first exhibition game in NHL history was played (four days before the league officially began) when the Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Wanderers played in a benefit game for victims of the Halifax Fire (which had occurred 10 days earlier).

1924: Cy Denneny scored four goals as Ottawa won 10-2, at Boston.

1927: Chicago Black Hawks obtained Duke Keats, along with $5,000 from Detroit, in exchange for Gordon Fraser.

1928: Maroons' Clint Benedict became the second goalie in NHL history to record 50 career shutouts, and Canadiens' George Hainsworth picked up his 31st career shutout, when the rival teams dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in Montreal.....Pittsburgh Pirates' goalie Joe Miller and Senators' Alex Connell dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie, in a game played at Ottawa. It was the 54th career shutout for Connell and the 9th for Miller.

1938: Boston's Frankie Brimsek recorded the shutout in a 1-0 Bruins' win over the Canadiens, at the Forum in Montreal. It was the fourth shutout in five games for the rookie goalie, and his third straight on the road.

1940: Toronto Maple Leafs became the first team in NHL history to win each of their first seven road games of the season, with a 4-1 victory over the Black Hawks, at Chicago.

1957: Montreal's Dollard St. Laurent scored a goal and added an assist, and Jacques Plante recorded his 30th career shutout, as the Canadiens won 2-0 at Chicago.

1962: Boston goalie Eddie Johnston made his NHL debut (replacing Bob Perreault in an 8-2 loss at Toronto), and proceeded to play in the next 160 consecutive games for Boston.....Rangers' Andy Bathgate began a team-record 10 game goal scoring streak as New York won 4-2 over the Canadiens, at Montreal.

1967: Cesare Maniago was in goal as the Minnesota North Stars won 3-0 at Los Angeles to become the first modern expansion team to get back-to-back shutouts. Two days earlier Maniago had defeated the Kings 4-0 in Minnesota.

1968: Rookie Garry Unger scored his 1st NHL career hat trick as the Red Wings beat the Minnesota North Stars 5-2, at the Olympia in Detroit.

1970: St. Louis goalie Glenn Hall became the second goaltender in NHL history to record 400 career victories in the Blues 2-1 victory over the visiting Minnesota North Stars. Bill Sutherland scored both St. Louis goals.

1971: Montreal rookie goalie Ken Dryden picked up his third assist of the season, to tie the mark for assists by a goaltender as the Canadiens won 3-1 at Los Angeles.

1979: Willy Lindstrom scored his first career hat trick to become the first member of the Winnipeg Jets to get a hat trick in the NHL, during a 6-2 win over Montreal. Also in that game, Winnipeg's Peter Sullivan set a Jets' team record with three assists in one period (the third). Sullivan had a total of five points in the game - a goal and four assists.

1980: Dan Maloney scored his third (and final) career hat trick (and his only one with Toronto) in the Maple Leafs' 6-3 win against the North Stars, at Minnesota.

1983: Philadelphia Flyers set an NHL record with three shorthanded goals in one period, as they won at Washington, 9-4.

1984: New Jersey's Aaron Broten began a team-record 12 game point scoring streak in the Devils' 8-3 win over the visiting Quebec Nordiques.....Marcel Dionne became the fourth player in NHL history to score 600 career goals, as the Kings beat the Flames 6-5.

1985: Lindy Ruff scored four goals (including his second and final career hat trick) as the Sabres beat the Quebec Nordiques 6-2. Ruff's four goals tied a team record set by Richard Martin.

1987: Mark Howe became the first defenseman in Philadelphia Flyers history to score 100 NHL goals; the milestone came in a 5-2 win over the Penguins, in Pittsburgh.

1988: Mario Lemieux had a goal and four assists in Pittsburgh's 8-2 win over the Islanders to become the Penguins' all-time leader in career assists, breaking the old mark of 349 set by Syl Apps. It came in Lemieux's 321st NHL game.

1992: Scotty Bowman became the first coach in NHL history to get 800 career wins, when the Penguins beat the Flyers 6-2 at the Civic Arena.

1993: Mike Richter extended his unbeaten streak to 19 games during a 5-2 Rangers victory over the visiting Hartford Whalers. Richter tied the NY Rangers goaltending record set by Davey Kerr (14-0-5) in the 1939-40 season.

1995: Winnipeg's 19-year-old rookie defenseman Deron Quint scored two goals in four seconds in the second period to tie a 64-year-old NHL record set by Nels Stewart of the Montreal Maroons in 1931. Jets won 9-4 against the visiting Oilers.

1996: Dallas goalie Andy Moog recorded his 25th career shutout in the Stars' 4-0 win at Ottawa. Early in the second period Modano & Matvichuk scored shorthanded goals :26 apart during a penalty to rookie Jamie Langenbrunner.

1999: Jaromir Jagr scored twice and added three assists in the Penguins 6-3 win against the Hurricanes, at North Carolina.

2001: Mark Messier scored a goal and added an assist to reach 1,800 career points, only the third NHL player to reach the milestone (after Howe and Gretzky) in the Rangers 4-2 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres.