Dave Ritchie

David Alexander Ritchie (October 1, 1891 – March 6, 1973) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played nine seasons in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas and Montreal Canadiens. He scored the first goal in NHL history, on December 19, 1917, as a member of the Wanderers in a game against the Toronto Arenas.

Playing career Ritchie started his amateur career with the Montreal Westmount in his hometown of Montreal, and would later join the Grand-Mère Hockey Club in the Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union. Grand-Mère had one of the better amateur sides in hockey in the early to mid-1910s, with Ritchie as one of its key players, and in 1913–14 they played for the Allan Cup against the Regina Victorias, losing out in the final series 5 goals to 10 (4-6, 1-4).

Ritchie turned professional in 1914 when he signed as a free agent with the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association. In three years with Quebec, he had 43 points in 56 games. He scored a career-high of 17 goals in 1916–17 and finished seventh in league scoring.

The 1916–17 season was the last season of the NHA's existence and the Bulldogs suspended operations for two years. The team's players were dispersed among the new teams in the NHL, and Ritchie was selected by the Montreal Wanderers. He scored the first goal in National Hockey League history in the league's first game, between the Wanderers and the Toronto Arenas on December 19, 1917.

Career notes He played for every team that played in the National Hockey League from 1917 to 1920. He was the last active member of the Quebec Bulldogs.

Career statistics Ritchie, second from left in the middle row, with the Grand-Mère HC in 1910–11.

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1909–10 Montreal Westmount SLVHL — — — — — — — — — — 1910–11 Grand-Mère HC IPAHU — — — — — — — — — — 1911–12 Grand-Mère HC IPAHU 8 13 0 13 — 2 5 0 5 — 1912–13 Grand-Mère HC IPAHU 5 3 0 3 — 4 4 0 4 — 1912–13 Grand-Mère HC Al-Cup — — — — — 2 1 0 1 0 1913–14 Grand-Mère HC IPAHU — — — — — — — — — — 1913–14 Grand-Mère HC Al-Cup — — — — — 2 0 0 0 6 1914–15 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 14 2 1 3 0 — — — — — 1915–16 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 23 9 4 13 38 — — — — — 1916–17 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 19 17 10 27 20 — — — — — 1917–18 Montreal Wanderers NHL 4 5 2 7 3 — — — — — 1917–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 14 4 1 5 18 — — — — — 1918–19 Toronto Arenas NHL 4 0 0 0 9 — — — — — 1919–20 Quebec Bulldogs NHL 23 6 3 9 18 — — — — — 1920–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1924–25 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1925–26 Montreal Canadiens NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —NHA totals 56 28 15 43 58 — — — — —NHL totals 58 15 6 21 50 1 0 0 0 0

Transactions Signed as a free agent by the Quebec Bulldogs (NHA), December 1, 1914. Claimed from the Quebec Bulldogs by the Montreal Wanderers in NHL Dispersal Draft, November 26, 1917. Claimed from the Montreal Wanderers by the Ottawa Senators in NHL Dispersal Draft, January 4, 1918. Signed as a free agent by the Toronto Arenas, January 17, 1919. Transferred from the Toronto Arenas to the Quebec Bulldogs when the franchise returned to the NHL, November 25, 1919. Transferred from the Quebec Bulldogs to the Hamilton Tigers after the franchise relocated, November 2, 1920. Traded from the Hamilton Tigers with Harry Mummery and Jack McDonald to the Montreal Canadiens for Goldie Prodgers, Joe Matte, Jack Coughlin and the loan of Billy Coutu for the 1920-21 season, November 27, 1920. Signed as a free agent by the Montreal Canadiens, January 28, 1925. Signed as a free agent by the Montreal Canadiens, January 13, 1926