First NHL Game December 19, 1917 Montreal Beats Toronto

From NHL.com

Before a hometown of 700 fans, The Montreal Wanderers defeated the Toronto Arenas by a score of 10-9. It was the first NHL game ever played.

67 years later on the same date (December 19, 1984) Wayne Gretzy, the greatest NHL player of all time, scored his 1,000th point
.