Today in NHL History April 23th

1903: The New York Highlanders won their first major-league game with a 7-2 decision over the Washington Senators.

1919: Anticipating a poor season at the gate, the major leagues open a reduced 140-game season. Despite the lack of close races, attendance remains high all year and every club will show a profit.

1924: On WMAQ, Hal Totten, a Chicago Daily News play-by-play reporter, does a play-by-play radio report of the 12-1 Cubs' victory over the Cardinals. It will be the first broadcast of every Cub and White Sox home game of the season marking the first time a team's games have been on the airwaves on a regular basis.

1936: Carl Hubbell's first start of the season is a three-hitter against the Boston Bees. For the Giants ace, it is his 17th straight win, dating back to July 17 of 1935.

1939: Rookie Ted Williams went 4-for-5, including his first major-league home run, but the Boston Red Sox lost to Philadelphia, 12-8, at Fenway Park.

1946: Ed Head of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a 5-0 no-hitter against the Boston Braves at Ebbetts Field.

1952: Bob Cain of the Browns and Bob Feller of the Indians each pitch one hitters, with the Browns prevailing 1-0. This ties a major league record for the fewest hits by two teams in a game (since broken). Bobby Young hits a triple in the first inning and scores on an Al Rosen error as the Browns move into first place. The Indians only hit is a single by Luke Easter. it is the fourth time he's tossed a one-hitter against the Brownies.....Giant hurler Hoyt Wilhelm homers in his first major league at-bat. In his second big league appearance at the plate two days later he will hit a three-bagger, but during the next 21 years, covering a span 1070 games, the knuckle-balling hurler will never triple or homer again.

1954: At Sportsman's Park, Hank Aaron hits the first of his 755 major league home runs off Vic Raschi of St. Louis. The Braves win in fourteen innings 7-5.

1955: At Kansas City's Municipal Stadium, the White Sox tie a modern major league mark for most runs scored by a single team in a game as they drub the A's, 29-6. The Red Sox also scored 29 runs against Browns in 1950.

1958: Gil Hodges hits his 300th home run and Pee Wee Reese plays in his 2,000th game, but the Dodgers lose 7-6 to the Cubs.

1962: Jay Hook gives the New York Mets their first regular-season victory, a five-hit 9-1 win at Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is now 10-1 for the season, but the Bucs will lose 13 of their next 17 games.

1964: Houston's Ken Johnson becomes the first pitcher ever to lose a nine-inning no-hitter. Second baseman Nellie Fox's error allows the only run as Cincinnati wins 1-0.

1978: Reds second baseman Joe Morgan commits an error during a 2-1 win over the Giants, ending his major league record streak of 91 consecutive errorless games which began July 6, 1977.

1989: Nolan Ryan came within two outs of his sixth career no-hitter, losing it when Nelson Liriano ripled in the ninth inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-1. Ryan finished with his 10th lifetime one-hitter.

1994: Orioles closer Lee Smith picks up his ninth save in Baltimore's 16th game to reach nine saves faster than anyone else in major league history.

1999: The St. Louis Cardinals crushed the Los Angeles Dodgers 12–5. Third baseman Fernando Tatis set a Major League record by hitting two grand slams in a single inning (the 3rd). He simultaneously set a record with eight RBIs in that inning. Dodger Pitcher Chan Ho Park became the first pitcher this century, and only the second ever, to surrender two grand slams in a single inning joining Bill Phillips of the 1890 Alleghenys.

2000: In a 10-7 victory over the Blue Jays, Yankees Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada become the first teammates to have each homered from both sides of the plate in the same game.....The Dodgers defat the Reds to notch their 1,000th victory over the Reds, baseball's oldest professional franchise. Since 1970, Los Angeles is the only National League franchise to play over .500 ball (120-115) in Cincinnati (Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field.