Nov. 2: Gretzky becomes member of Oilers

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Nov. 2
1978:
Wayne Gretzky
becomes a member of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association in a trade with the Indianapolis Racers.

With Indianapolis struggling financially, owner Nelson Skalbania sells Gretzky, a 17-year-old center, along with goalie
Eddie Mio
and forward
Peter Driscoll
to Edmonton. Gretzky finishes the season with 110 points (46 goals, 64 assists) and is named the last WHA Rookie of the Year.
The Oilers are among the four WHA teams absorbed by the NHL during the summer of 1979 and retain Gretzky, who becomes the cornerstone of their 1980s dynasty.

MORE MOMENTS
1937:The second benefit All-Star Game in NHL history is held at the Montreal Forum, with the proceeds going to the family of longtime Canadiens star
Howie Morenz
. A crowd of 8,683 watches the NHL All-Stars win 6-5 against a combined team of Canadiens and Montreal Maroons.
1968:The "new" Forum in Montreal is reopened after an extensive remodeling. The Canadiens celebrate by
defeating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1
.
Jean Beliveau
scores the first goal in the rebuilt Forum at 4:38 of the first period.
1969:
Gordie Howe
scores three goals for the

of his NHL career, helping the Red Wings defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. At age 41, Howe becomes the oldest player in League history to score at least three goals in a game.

1975:
Ed Giacomin returns to Madison Square Garden
as a member of the Red Wings two days after being put on waivers by the New York Rangers. The Garden crowd serenades their longtime goalie with chants of "Ed-die" throughout the game. Giacomin makes 42 saves in Detroit's 6-4 victory.
1977:
Dennis Maruk
becomes the fourth player in NHL history to score
at least four goals in a game and account for all of his team's offense
. Maruk scores all four goals for the Cleveland Barons in a 4-4 tie against the St. Louis Blues at Richfield Coliseum.

1982:The New York Islanders' 30-game unbeaten streak at Nassau Coliseum ends when they lose
3-1 to the Penguins
. They win 28 games and tie two during the streak.
2006:
Niklas Backstrom
of the Minnesota Wild becomes the first goalie in the NHL's modern era (since 1943-44) to earn his first two victories before making his first start. Backstrom replaces
Manny Fernandez
after the first period and makes 19 saves without allowing a goal in
Minnesota's 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks
at Xcel Energy Center.
2014:Michael Frolik of the Winnipeg Jets scores what proves to be the
only goal of the game 20 seconds after the opening face-off
against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. Frolik sets a NHL record for the earliest goal scored in a game that ends 1-0.
2016:Carey Price makes 42 saves and the
Canadiens defeat the Canucks
3-0 for their eighth consecutive win. It's the 37th NHL shutout for Price. At a League-best 9-0-1, the Canadiens are the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss.
2017: Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs becomes the fourth player in NHL history to be awarded two penalty shots in the same game. He scores in the second period against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center but misses the net with 1:19 remaining in the third period of
a 5-3 loss
. Matthews joins Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens (Feb. 6, 2014),
Erik Cole
of the Carolina Hurricanes (Nov. 9, 2005) and
Mud Bruneteau
of the Detroit Red Wings (Nov. 24, 1938) as the only NHL players to be awarded two penalty shots in the same game.

2018:The Florida Panthers earn a split of the two-game 2018 NHL Global Series in Helsinki, Finland, by
defeating the Jets 4-2
at Hartwall Arena. Goalie
Roberto Luongo
makes 17 of his 32 saves in the third period for the Panthers, who win a game in regulation for the first time in 2018-19.
2019: The Toronto Maple Leafs win the longest shootout in their history when Andreas Johnsson scores in the 11th round of the tiebreaker for a
4-3 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers
at Wells Fargo Center. Johnsson gives the Maple Leafs the win after Frederik Andersen allows one goal in 11 shootout attempts by the Flyers.
On the same night, the Islanders win their ninth straight game, their longest winning streak since midway through the 1989-90 season, when they
defeat the Buffalo Sabres 1-0
at KeyBank Center. Derick Brassard scores 5:19 into the first period, and Semyon Varlamov makes the lead stand up by finishing with 27 saves.