1992-93 Montreal Canadiens J. J. Daigneault Jersey

Born on this date in 1965, defenseman Jean-Jacques "J. J." Daigneault began his road to the NHL with the Laval Voisins of the QMJHL in the 1981-82 season. He spent 1982-83 with the Longueuil Chevaliers where he scored the most points of his career with 84 points in 70 games.

The Canadian National Team was his main focus for 1983-84, which included not only participating in the World Junior championship, but a trip to the Olympics as well. With is international commitments over, he returned to play an additional 10 games with Longueuil prior to being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks 10th overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.

He graduated straight to the NHL in 1984-85, playing 67 games with the Canucks. After a second season in Vancouver, Daigneault began is trek through the NHL when he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 1986-87 season. Despite only scoring 6 goals in the regular season, he scored the winning goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals and to that point he had no points in 8 playoff games.

He divided his time in 1987-88 between the Flyers (28 games) and the Hershey Bears (10 games) of the AHL before starting the 1988-89 season with Hershey prior to a trade which sent him to the Montreal Canadiens organization and the Sherbrooke Canadians of the AHL where he played 63 games and had his only season with double digit goals as a professional with 10.

He was back in the NHL with the Montreal Canadians for 36 games in 1989-90 and also spent 28 with Sherbrooke. He became a regular with Montreal in 1990-91 where he spent the next five seasons, which included winning a Stanley Cup in 1993.

A trade early in the 1995-96 season sent him to the St. Louis Blues, who then sent him to Worcester of the AHL for a brief period before a late season trade who dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he would get a chance to play with his childhood friend Mario Lemieux. Pittsburgh was his fourth different team of the season, which would set the tone for the remainder of his career.

Daigneault would not play an entire season with one team over the course of the next three seasons, starting 1996-97 with Pittsburgh, who dealt him to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after 53 games.

He began the 1997-98 season with the Mighty Ducks, who sent him packing to the New York Islanders for the final 18 games of the season.

He was next claimed by the Nashville Predators in the Expansion Draft for the 1998-99 campaign, only to have the Predators deal him to the Phoenix Coyotes halfway through the year.

The 1999-00 season saw him play 53 games with Phoenix, but following the year he packed his gear once again when he signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild, who assigned him to their top minor league affiliate, the Cleveland Lumberjacks, where he played in 44 games along with a single appearance for the Wild, which brought his total to record 10 different teams, becoming only the second player to do so after Michel Petit. That mark would later be surpassed by Mike Sillinger's 12 teams.

Daigneault would play 6 games with EHC Biel-Bienne in the Swiss second division in 2001-02 to close out his career. His final NHL totals were 899 games played, with 53 goals and 197 assists for 250 points.

Had Daigneault kept just one of each of the 27 different style jerseys he wore, 11 home, 10 road, 2 throwbacks and 4 alternates, here is a look at what his closet would contain.

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Today's featured jersey is a 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens J. J. Daigneault jersey as worn during the pinnacle of Daigneault's career when he won the only Stanley Cup of his long career with his hometown Montreal Canadiens where he grew up five minutes from The Forum.

The Canadiens wore the Stanley Cup Finals patch on the upper right chest of their jerseys, as did their opponents the Los Angeles Kings, only the Canadiens version of the patch was in French, the only such time there were two variations of the finals patch in the same year.

1992-93 was a very busy year for the seamstresses in Montreal, as the Canadiens would start the season wearing the 1993 NHL All-Star Game patch for the first half of the season. After the All-Star Game, which they hosted, they would join the rest of the league in wearing the Stanley Cup 100th Anniversary patch, also in an unusual French variation shared only with the Nordiques, and then don the French version of the Stanley Cup finals patch for their third different patch of the season, a feat we're certain no other team has ever duplicated. Yes, several teams have worn three patches at the same time, but we're not aware of any team wearing three unique patches in the same season.

Today's video section begins with Daigneault's goal against Grant Fuhr in Game 6 of the 1987 playoffs. It was his first point of that season's postseason.

Next is Daigneault laying a check on none other than Wayne Gretzky.

1937-38 Montreal Canadiens Toe Blake Jersey

Following the conclusion of the 1937-38 NHL season, the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings became the first ever NHL teams to play in Europe when they travelled across the Atlantic for a series of nine games over a span of three and a half weeks.

The Red Wings pose for a photo during their Atlantic crossing

The first game was played on this date at Earl's Court in Central London, England. Montreal's Toe Blake scored the game winning goal in overtime to give the Canadiens a 5-4 win in from of 8,000 fans.

The two teams then travelled to the south coast of England for a game two nights later in Brighton, England. This time overtime did not settle the battle and the game ended tied at 5-5.

Following the game in Brighton, the clubs crossed the English Channel and made their way to Paris, France for a trio of games over the course of five days. While the Red Wings managed to score eight goals against Montreal, the Canadiens prevailed when they reached double digits to win the game 10-8.

The 1937-38 Montreal Canadiens

Two nights later, on April 27, Detroit came out on top for the first time on the tour when they defeated Montreal by a score of 4-3.

The final game in Paris took place on April 29, 1938, which went the way of the French Canadiens 7-5.

“The professional ice hockey players of the two teams in Paris are a fine lot of players. Next week the two teams are scheduled to play in London and the hockey enthusiasts of the big city will see the fastest competition game played by humans as it should be played. It is really thrilling to witness ice hockey such as we have seen played in Paris by the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings.” wrote sportswriter Sparrow Robertson of New York Herald Tribune.

Following their game on the 29th, the teams took their time for some sightseeing, as they were not scheduled for another game until May 5th, six days later for a return engagement at Earl's Court in England. That contest proved to be the fourth win for Montreal in six games when they won the game by a three goal margin, 6-3.

The two teams then returned to Brighton on May 7th where Detroit won the game by the largest margin of the tour when the defeated Montreal by a score of 10-5.

The 1937-38 Detroit Red Wings

Oddly, the teams then returned to Earls Court for a third time on May 10th, won by Montreal 5-4 before traveling yet again to Brighton for a third game there, where Detroit closed out the tour with a 5-2 win rather than travel to a different, larger city in England, such as Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool.

It would be another 21 years before the NHL would return to Europe when the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers would visit England, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria on an epic 23 game, 26 day trek around the continent that would have today's modern player howling in protest at the mere suggestion of such a grueling schedule after the conclusion of the NHL regular season.

Perhaps the players in 1959 did protest vociferously, as the teams from the NHL would not play another game outside of North America until 1976 when the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts played four games in Japan, and they would not return to Europe until 1980 when the Capitals and Minnesota North Stars competed in a tournament against the Swedish clubs Djurgarden and AIK in Stockholm.

Other games would take place in Sweden in 1981, the Soviet Union in 1989 and 1990, Germany and Austria in 1990, a return to England in 1992 and 1993, the first NHL appearance in Finland in 1994 before the first NHL games to count in the regular season standings when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Vancouver Canucks opened the season with a pair of games in Tokyo, Japan in 1997.

Exhibition games in Europe continued, as did the season openers in Japan on two more occasions in 1998 and 2000 prior to the opening games of the season taking place in Europe, which began in 2007 in London and is now an annual occurrence, mainly taking place in Sweden and Finland, but games have been scheduled for the Czech Republic and Germany as well.

Today's featured jersey is a 1937-38 Montreal Canadiens Toe Blake jersey as worn when Blake scored the game winning goal in overtime of the first game between NHL teams outside of North America on this date in 1959.

This jersey pre-dated the arrival of sleeve numbers on their sweaters, which did not arrive until 1958 with the advent of television.

Today's video is the from the return of the NHL to England for the 2007-08 season, the first ever regular season games held in Europe.

1988-89 Montreal Canadiens Chris Chelios Jersey

Chris Chelios began his NHL career during President Ronald Regan's first term in office back in 1984 with the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him 40th overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, with 12 regular season and 15 playoff games following his participation in the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

In his first full season in the NHL, he scored 64 points in 74 games and came in second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Mario Lemieux and participated in his first NHL All-Star Game. The next season, Chelios contributed 19 points in 21 games as the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.

After two more solid seasons, which included point totals of 44 and 61, plus another 28 playoff games combined, Chelios would capture the Norris Trophy for the 1988-89 season in which he would set a career high with 73 points as Montreal returned to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The following season saw Chelios limited to 53 games and Montreal ousted in the first round of the playoffs. During the offseason, Chelios was traded, along with a second round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future Hall of Famer Denis Savard. ending his time in Montreal after seven seasons.

The return to his native Chicago agreed with Chelios, as he earned a place in his third NHL All-Star Game and began a long streak of durability that would last eight seasons. Aside from the strike shortened season of 1994-95 in which he played all 48 games, Chelios would play no less than 72 games a season, topping 80 four times.

The 1991-92 season saw the Blackhawks return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1973, as Chelios scored 21 points and earn a +19 rating in 18 games. The following season Chelios equalled his career high of 73 points while playing in all 84 games.

1995-96 saw Chelios named captain of the Blackhawks and play in his sixth consecutive NHL All-Star Game as well as topping 70 points for the third time in his NHL career. Following that season Chelios' offensive production would decline, as he would never score as many as 50 points in a season again, but he would continue his rugged, minutes eating playing style.

The 1997-98 season saw Chelios play in his 1,000th NHL game on this date, now during the second term of Bill Clinton's Presidency, having already played through Reagan's second term, George H. W. Bush's time in office and Clinton's first term.

Chelios would spend one more season in Chicago before, at age 37, he would be traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Anders Eriksson and a pair of first round draft picks, ending a nine year run in Chicago.

Today's featured jersey is a 1988-89 Montreal Canadiens Chris Chelios jersey, as worn by Chelios during the first season in which he would play 80 games in a season on his way to 1,651 games, currently 5th all time.

Montreal would go on to play in the Stanley Cup Finals that season, the second finals appearance of Chelios' career.

Our first video today is not the usual hockey highlights, but a look instead at Cheli's Chili Bar, Chelios' restaurant in Detroit, Michigan.

Here, Chelios accepts his 1993 Norris Trophy, the second of three in his career, with unexpected results and candor.

Of course, any mention of Chelios, allows us the opportunity to once more share our favorite hockey video ever - the Inglewood Jack.

1943-44 Montreal Canadiens Maurice Richard Jersey

The 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens opened their season with a 2-2 tie against the Boston Bruins at home on October 30, 1943. Three nights later they secured their first win of the season, also at home when they beat the New York Rangers 2-1. Following a win in Chicago against the Black Hawks, Montreal returned to The Forum and beat Chicago once again. Six days later the Detroit Red Wings fell to the Habs 4-1.

A two game road trip saw the Canadiens beat Detroit and tie Boston once again. They faced their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom they defeated 5-2 at home and then again 7-2 in Toronto. Following two ties against Boston, the Canadiens showed their superiority with a dominating 13-4 win over the Bruins.

The Rangers then fell 6-3 in Montreal prior to gaining a tie back in New York the next night. Back at the Forum, Montreal stretched their unbeaten streak to 11-0-3 with consecutive wins over Chicago and Detroit on December 2nd and 4th.

The Canadiens then suffered their first loss of the season, a close 5-4 loss to the Bruins in Boston. Six days later, the Canadiens extended their losing "streak" to two games following a 4-2 setback to the Maple Leafs in Toronto. It would be the only time all season that the Canadiens would lost back to back games.

Motivated to avenge their back to back losses, Montreal ripped off nine consecutive victories, five of them at home against each of the other five members of the Original 6 to give Montreal 20 wins agains two losses and three ties.

Montreal then lost 5-0 at Toronto on January 11, 1943 to end their winning streak. A tie back at the Forum against Detroit preceded a second consecutive tie, this one at Chicago. They then beat Boston in a home and home series before a tie at home against Toronto.

A win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden proceeded a win over the Black Hawks at home by a convincing 6-1 score. The Canadiens were then blanked for the second and final time that season versus the Bruins in Boston 3-0.

The Canadiens then beat Toronto on the road and followed that with a tie against Chicago, 2-2. Montreal then reeled off ten consecutive wins from February 17th to March 11th, five of which came at home, to push their undefeated streak to 12.

The Bruins then dealt the Canadiens their fifth and final loss of the season, a 6-5 defeat in Boston.

Chicago fell 3-2 in Montreal before the Canadiens then demolished the Rangers 11-2 at the Forum on this date in 1944. Thanks to Phil Watson's four assists against New York, the Canadiens concluded the regular season with a 22-0-3 record at the Forum to become the first team to ever go undefeated for an entire season at home.

They concluded their regular season schedule with a 6-1 win over the Rangers in New York to finish first overall in the NHL with a 38-5-7 mark for 83 points, 25 more than the next best club.

They were led in scoring by Elmer Lach's 72 points, followed by Toe Blake's 59. Maurice "Rocket" Richard led the club in goals with 32 as part of his 54 points. Goaltender Bill Durnan played every minute of every game and led the league with a 2.18 goals against average, the only goaltender in the league with an average below 3.00.

Montreal went on to capture the Stanley Cup by winning eight of nine games, including sweeping Chicago in four straight in the finals, with their only loss coming in their opening game of their series against Toronto - at home in the Forum! After dropping Game 1 by a score of 2-1, the Canadiens outscored the Maple Leafs 22-3 over the next four games.

The championship for Montreal ended a 12 season Stanley Cup drought, the second longest in club history.

Today's featured jersey is a 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens Maurice "Rocket" Richard jersey. The white Canadiens jersey, long overshadowed by the iconic red jersey with it's blue chest stripe, was first introduced in 1935 for games against the Detroit Red Wings, who also wore red jerseys. In 1941 the red shoulder yoke and lace up collar was first added, creating the jersey that has remained essentially the same ever since, except for a brief three year period in the 1940's when the white jerseys had a blue chest stripe like the red jerseys, before changing back to the style that remains in use today.

From the time Montreal first wore a white jersey in 1935, the center of the logo was filled in with blue. This lasted until 1947-48 when the blue chest stripe was discontinued after just three seasons and the subsequent jersey no longer had the center of the crest filled in with blue. The lace up collar would last all the way until 1975 before being replaced by a v-neck collar.

Today's video section is a look at Maurice "Rocket" Richard, which includes both still photos and video footage of the legendary Canadien.

1972-73 Montreal Canadiens Frank Mahovlich Jersey

Frank Mahovlich joined the Maple Leafs for three games in 1956-57 and during his first full season of 1957-58 would score 20 goals, beating out Bobby Hull for the Calder Trophy. Three seasons later Maple Leafs coach Punch Imlach would put him on a line with Red Kelly and Bob Nevin. The three of them would be the team's top three scorers that season, with Mahovlich's 48 goals setting a Maple Leafs record that would stand for 21 years.

Mahovlich, "The Big M", would lead the Maple Leafs in goal scoring during the next three seasons in which the Maple Leafs would win three consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

He would lead the Maple Leafs in scoring in 1964-65 and again in 1965-66 before the Mahovlich and the Maple Leafs would win another Stanley Cup in 1967, the fourth of his career.

"It was truly amazing that we won again in 1967. When I look back at that team, I wonder how the hell we did it. A lot of the players were new to the team since our win in 196. About eight or nine guys were around 40 years old. You can't find eight players that old in the entire NHL today! It gives you an idea of their talent, and that was in the six-team era," said Mahovlich.

Twice during his career in Toronto, Mahovlich would be hospitalized for depression and stress, a reaction to the negative way he was treated by the Maple Leafs fans during his time in Toronto and his conflicts with the Maple Leafs coaches and management.

"In Toronto, we always had problems that we couldn't solve. There was always something going on. It's amazing that we won four Stanley Cups while I was there. As players, we had no control over these problems. Punch Imlach practiced us too hard. We left our game on the practice rink half the time. Despite having great teams, we placed first only once in the regular season. I think that the management orchestrated a lot of the criticism I faced from the fans. I was relieved to be traded from Toronto in 1968, but I always lived there and still do. I wear my Stanley Cup ring from the Maple Leafs every day," said Mahovlich.

More in need of a change of scenery that just about any player ever, Mahovlich would be traded to the Detroit Red Wings on March 3, 1968 in a blockbuster trade that would send four players to Detroit with four heading back to Toronto in return, including Paul Henderson.

"... Toronto never understood me or my game. I would have been better off being traded earlier. My career blossomed after I left Toronto. Detroit and Montreal didn't contain me with rules or restraints. They said, "You're talented, go do your thing."

During his first full season in Detroit Mahovlich would set a career high in goals with 49 while playing on a line with Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio. He would also get to play some with his younger brother Peter Mahovlich, "The Little M".

A season and a half later in 1970-71, Mahovlich was on the move once more as Detroit entered a rebuilding phase, this time being dealt to the Montreal Canadiens, where he was reunited with his younger brother Pete who had joined Montreal in the season before.

The move to Montreal was a good one for Mahovlich, as he would finish the season by adding another Stanley Cup to his resume after contributing a league leading 14 goals and 27 playoff points.

"The 1971 playoffs were the highlight of my career. The record I set for the most points in a playoffs for a Montreal Canadien, 27 points, still stands more than 25 years later," Mahovlich stated.

The following season of 1971-72 saw Mahovlich set a career high with 96 points from 43 goals and 53 assists.

Before the next NHL season began, Mahovlich was a member of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

In 1972-73, he would come close to equalling his point total from the year before with 93, which included scoring his 1,000th point on this date in 1973 with an assist in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, becoming just the eighth player in NHL history to reach that milestone. Just over a month later he would score his 500th goal to join another exclusive club.

He would then add another 23 points in 17 playoff games as the Canadiens would capture another Stanley Cup.

Mahovlich celebrates his 500th goal

One more season in Montreal would see Mahovlich close out his NHL career by scoring 80 points to finish with 1181 games played, 533 goals and 570 assists for 1103 points and six Stanley Cups.

For 1974-75, Mahovlich would accept a lucrative offer to join the Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association and participate in the 1974 Summit Series, which matched the stars of the WHA against the Soviet Union. Offensively, his two seasons with the Toros were successful, with 82 points in 1975 followed by 89 in 1976.

The Toros would relocate to Birmingham, Alabama of all the unlikely places, and be renamed the Bulls. The Bulls seemed more inclined to fight than score in order to attract fans. The aging Mahovlich was put on a line with tough guys Frank "Never" Beaton and Dave Hanson, one of the Hanson Brothers from the movie Slap Shot. Naturally, his point production plummeted, and when asked by a reporter what was wrong, Mahovlich brilliantly replied, "I don't know, but I seem to play better with Howe and Delvecchio."

He retired at age 40 in 1978 with WHA totals of 237 games, 89 goals and 143 assists for 232 points, giving him over 600 goals, 700 assists and 1300 points combined as a professional in his 22 seasons.

Mahovlich was inducted in to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981 and would later be appointed to the Senate of Canada.

Today's featured jersey is a 1972-73 Montreal Canadiens Frank Mahovlich jersey. from the season Mahovlich recorded both his 1,000th point and 500th goal.

The Canadiens red sweaters with the blue band around the chest date back to before the formation of the NHL in 1917 and this exact variation with the lace up collar and white numbers inside the arms stripes dates back to 1966-67 and remained in use through 1974-75 when it was replaced by a new v-neck collar.

Today's featured video is the "Legends of Hockey" profile on Frank Mahovlich, featuring Frank himself.

Our next video is a recap of Frank's career, told at 1000 miles per hour by Paul Hendrick, who really should consider weekend work as an auctioneer. Follow along if you can.

Finally, a real treat, footage of Frank as a Birmingham Bull!

1992-93 Montreal Canadiens Brian Bellows Jersey

After a successful junior career, during which he scored 116 points in his rookie season with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, Brian Bellows was drafted second overall by Minnesota in 1982 after the North Stars made a trade to move up with selecting Bellows in mind. He would play ten seasons in Minnesota, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals once in 1991 and appear in three All-Star Games, 1984, 1988 and 1992. His best offensive season was in 1989-90, when he scored a career high 55 goals and 44 assists for 99 points. Additionally, Bellows would serve as the North Stars captain in 1984.

In 1992 he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, where he would play three seasons and capture his only Stanley Cup in 1993.

The later years of his career would see him traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1995, where he played in his 1,oooth game on this date in 1996, scoring an assist in the Lightning's 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He was then traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim early in the 1996-97 season and would play 62 games during his only season in California.

He began the 1997-98 season with the Capitals, only they were the Berlin Capitals of the German DEL. After 31 games in Germany, he signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals back in the NHL, with whom he would return to the Stanley Cup Finals later that season.

During his second season in Washington, he would score his 1000th point, becoming the 54th player to reach that milestone.

Today's featured jersey is a 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens Brian Bellows jersey. Bellows won the only Stanley Cup of his career with Montreal after being traded by the North Stars.

This classic Canadiens jersey features the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals patch on the front as worn when the Canadiens defeated Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. The Canadiens version of the cup finals patch was in French, the only such time that the patch has been made in other than English, and the only time there was a different version for both teams, as the Kings wore an English version on their jerseys.

Our video section today features Bellows, not known as a fighter, involved in a scrap with the Winnipeg Jets Laurie Boschman.

Here is Bellows fighting none other than ESPN's own Barry Melrose!

Here is the final minute of the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, the only Stanley Cup of Bellows' career.

1924-25 Montreal Canadiens Georges Vezina Jersey

Born on this date in 1887, goaltender Georges Vezina joined his local team, the Chicoutimi Hockey Club.

Vezina in 1909 as a member of the Saguenéens

The club, known as the Saguenéens, played an exhibition game against a brand new club playing in their first ever season, the Montreal Canadiens in February of 1910. Vezina shutout the Canadiens by a score of 2-0 that evening. So impressive was Vezina's performance that his opponent that evening, Joseph Cattarinich, recommended Vezina to his team owner George Kennedy, who reached an agreement with Vezina to play for the Canadiens beginning with the 1910-11 season.

Vezina during his first season with Montreal

Vezina made his Montreal debut on New Year's Eve in 1910 and went on to play all 16 of the Canadiens games in the National Hockey Association (NHA), finishing with a record of 8-8 while allowing the fewest goals in the league and his cool demeanor earned him the nickname the "Chicoutimi Cucumber". The following year he again led the league with the fewest goals allowed, but Montreal gave him little offensive support and their 8-10 record left them in last place.

Vezina in the Canadiens barberpole jerseys of 1912-13

He recorded his first professional shutout, as well as the first in Canadiens history, with a 6-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on January 18, 1913. After finishing with a 9-11 mark that season, the Canadiens improved in 1913-14 when Vezina posted his first winning season with a 13-7 mark, good for a tie for first place with the Toronto Blueshirts, who defeated Montreal in a two game playoff series for the championship.

After a last place finish in 1914-15, Montreal rebounded strongly in 1915-16 to earn their first O'Brien Cup as NHA champions with a 16-7-1 record. As champions of the NHA, Montreal earned the right to host the Portland Rosebuds of the PCHA in a best-of-five playoff for the rights to the Stanley Cup.

Portland shut out Montreal 2-0 in Game 1, but the Canadiens came back to win the second game 2-1. Game three also went to Montreal 6-3 prior to Portland evening the series with a 6-4 win in Game 4 to set up a winner take all Game 5. Vezina and the Canadiens then captured the first Stanley Cup in franchise history with a 2-1 win over the Rosebuds in front of their fans at the Montreal Arena.

Vezina from the Stanley Cup winning season of 1915-16. Note the "CA" logo on the chest, worn prior to the now familiar "CH" logo, which would arrive the following season.

Montreal defeated Ottawa in a two-game, total-goals playoff 7-6 to remain NHA champions in 1916-17 to earn their second O'Brien Cup but fell in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Seattle Metropolitans.

For the 1917-18 season, Montreal began play in the new National Hockey League (NHL), Vezina recorded the first shutout in NHL history on February 18, 1918 and early in the next season, on December 28, 1918, he became the first goaltender to ever earn a point in the NHL when he was credited with an assist in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Arenas. While Montreal finished second during the regular season, they defeated Ottawa in the playoffs for their first NHL championship. They then travelled to Seattle to face the Metropolitans in the Stanley Cup Final, but play was suspended with the series tied at 2-2-1 when players began to become sick due to the Spanish Influenza epidemic, which would claim the life of Canadian Joe Hall.

The engraving noting "series not completed" for the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals

After four more seasons with Montreal, each with a winning record, Vezina established an NHL record with the first goals against average under 2.00 when he finished the season at 1.97. Montreal then defeated the favored Senators to become champions of the NHL and went on to capture their second Stanley Cup in 1924 when they first defeated the Vancouver Maroons 2 games to none and then the Calgary Tigers two games to none. In their four Stanley Cup contests, Vezina allowed just four goals, with a shutout in the final game to clinch the cup.

Vezina from the Stanley Cup winning 1923-24 season

The following season Vezina set career best marks with 17 wins as well as lowering his goals against average to 1.81.

When Vezina arrived for training camp in 1925-26, he appeared sick, and by the time the regular season began on November 28, he had lost 35 pounds in six weeks and was running a fever of 102º. Still, he started the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and held them scoreless through one period. During the intermission he began vomiting blood prior to insisting he begin the second period, but he collapsed on the ice and was taken out of the game. "In the arena, all was silent as the limp form of the greatest of goalies was carried slowly from the ice," reported one journalist.

The following day he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and never played again. He returned home to Chicoutimi and died on March 27, 1926 just 39 years old.

During his 15 year career Vezina played every one of Montreal's 328 regular season and 39 playoff games and had the lowest goals against average seven times and the second lowest on another five occasions. With Vezina in goal, Montreal would win two NHA championships, three NHL championships and two Stanley Cups from those five appearances. His final combined NHA and NHL totals show 175 wins, 15 by shutout, a goals against average of 3.49 and another 15 playoff victories.

In 1926 the owners of the Canadiens donated a trophy in his name, the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most valuable goaltender each season in the NHL.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a charter member of it's inaugural 12 man class in 1945.

Today's featured jersey is a 1924-25 Montreal Canadiens Georges Vezina jersey. After winning the Stanley Cup in 1924 by defeating the Vancouver Maroons of the PCHL and the Calgary Tigers of the WPHL, Montreal flaunted their title with a special set of sweaters for the 1924-25 season, featuring a globe pictured on the front which contained the word "Champions" inside of it to commemorate their status as World Champions.

Today's video selection is a brief look at the career of Georges Vezina.