Who was the first American player in the NHL?

Answer 1

frank bismark

I believe you meant Frank Brimsek. But...he was one of the first. Not sure who the first was. He may have been the first or second US born goalie. Known as "Mr. Zero". Bobby Carpenter was the first US Born player ot score 50 goals in a seasonand I believe the first to be drafted 1 overall by the Washington Caps in 1981 or so...

Answer 2

In the NHL's first season, 1917-18, there were several players who were born in the United States. However, American-born and American-trained are not the same thing.

Harry Mummery, who played for Toronto, was born in Chicago. But he played his early hockey in Canada's Prairie provinces (western Manitoba and Saskatchewan). He probably didn't learn the sport in Chicago.

Raymie Skilton, who played a single game with the Montreal Wanderers (a team that folded after only four games, when its arena burned down), was born in Cambridge, Mass. Other than that, he played primarily for amateur teams in Boston, though we do have records of him playing in Sherbrooke, Quebec, back in 1912-13. He may have been developed in Canada or in Boston.

Gerry Geran also played for the ill-fated Wanderers. He was born in Holyoke, Mass., and played college hockey at Dartmouth, and senior amateur hockey with the Boston Navy Yard team, before turning pro. After the Wanderers folded, there's no record of where he played in 1917-18 or 1918-19, but then he turns up back in Boston. He actually played in France for a couple of years in the 1920s, then returned to Massachusetts. He re-entered the NHL for one season, 1925-26, with the hometown Bruins.

Answer 3

Even though Canadians dominated the sport for a long time, Americans and Europeans are plentiful in today's NHL. Gerry Geran, a forward with the Montreal Wanderers, was the first player from the U.S. to make the NHL, according to Canadian hockey history expert Liam McGuire.

Geran was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on August 3, 1896, and joined the NHL in the 1917-18 season, the league's very first season. He played in each of the four games the team played before its rink, the Westmount Arena in Montreal, Quebec, burned down on January 2, 1918. Perhaps the fire was a sign of the direction of Geran's career would take, because he never played in the NHL after that date.

Answer 4

It was Brian Lawton , drafted by the Minnesota North Stars.

Answer 5

there was no first hockey player there was a first team im sure that there was mabey a first but more and more people played and it being to be a sport

Answer 6

The first Canadian to play in the NHL is every player on both teams for the first NHL game - Montreal Wanderers vs. Toronto Arenas, Dec. 19th, 1917.

Answer 7

The Boston Bruins, who began playing in 1924-25.

Answer 8

willie o'ree

Answer 9

Pat Lafontaine