from Randy Boswell of CBC,

OK, quick: Where was the first NHL game played? And who scored the first NHL goal?

They're actually trick questions, because no one knows for sure — that is, until now.

For many decades, ever since the National Hockey League firmly established itself as the planet's premier professional circuit, neither hockey historians nor the sport's trivia-obsessed fans have been able to say with certainty where the very first NHL action took place or who recorded the league's first goal.

That's because the newly formed NHL launched its first season on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 19, 1917, with two games — one in Ottawa and one in Montreal.

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