NHL Firsts...Little Known Aspects from the NHL

I read all the time about multi-million dollar contracts and my wife asked me who was the first hockey player to become a million dollar player?  Good question.  So I went on the hunt and started to think about it and I thought I take it a bit further. 

So, at random here are some quick firsts about hockey.

Who was the first player to be a million dollar player in Hockey?  Bobby Hull in 1972.  The WHA owners all chipped in to bring Hull aboard to help get their new league off the ground.  They paid him in cash, all in one lump sum!

Who was the first deaf hockey player?  Jim Kyte in 1983.  Winnepeg Jets.  He was a good fighter.

The first puck to last the entire game was in 1979 Los Angles Kings vs Minnesota North Stars.  It is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

First player to use a curve stick?  Jack Adams says it was Cy Denenney in 1960.  Jack says he tried it in practice and he couldn't control his passes or receive them.  So he went back to the straight stick.  Side note; Could you imagine what some of those players shots would have been like if they have the curves and lies that are on sticks now a days.

NHL's first mascot was Harvey the Hound in 1984 in Calgary.  This was at the old Calgary Corral.

The first player selected in the NHL Draft to win a Cy Young was Billerica, MA native Tom Glavine.  In 1984 Glavine was selected in the 2nd round by the Atlanta Braves and was chosen in the second round by the Winnipeg Jets.

The first goalie to win 300 games without winning the Stanley Cup is John Vanbiesbrouk.  He won 374 games in his NHL career.

First player to play 150 games without scoring a goal is Steve Halko.  In 2003 this Carolina Hurricane broke his slump.

The first player to be named 1st, 2nd and 3rd star of the game was Maurice "Rocket" Richard.  On March 23, 1944 the Rocket scored 5 goals in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.  When the game ended, the Rocket knew he had a shot, a good shot at being the 1st star of the game.  When the announcement came across the Montreal Forum loud speakers, the 3rd star of the game was Maurice "Rocket" Richard, the Forum fans went nuts and started booing, yelling and throwing stuff onto the ice.  When the 2nd star was called and it was Richard, the Montreal Forum Crowd caught on and by the time the 1st star was called and Richard's name was announced the place was going as wild as it did when he scored his fifth goal of the game.