Gretzky makes Kings debut; Rangers acquire Messier from Oilers
ByNHL.com @NHLdotcom
As part of the League's Centennial Celebration, NHL.com is taking a look back at memorable events each week. Here are Centennial highlights for the week of October 1-7:
Oct. 7, 1992: The Tampa Bay Lightning roll to a 7-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Expo Hall in their first NHL game. Forward Chris Kontos scores four goals, including the first two in franchise history.
Oct. 6, 1988: Wayne Gretzky's Hollywood debut is a smash hit. He scores on his first shot and has three assists to help the Los Angeles Kings to an 8-2 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
Oct. 5, 2005:On the first night in NHL history when all 30 teams are in action , Alex Ovechkin makes his NHL debut by scoring two goals in the Washington Capitals' 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators also gets the deciding goal in a 3-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre in the first game to be decided in a shootout.
Oct. 4, 1991:The future of two teams is altered dramatically when the Edmonton Oilers trade their captain , Mark Messier , to the New York Rangers. The five-time Stanley Cup winner is traded to New York for forwards Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk. With Messier in the lineup, the Rangers win the Presidents' Trophy in two of the next three seasons and end a 54-year championship drought in 1994.
