Who scored the first goal in NHL history on Dec. 19, 1917?

Dave Ritchie scored the first goal in NHL history on December 19, 1917.

Ritchie scored for the Montreal Wanderers against the Toronto Arenas in the NHL's first game. The goal came during the league's inaugural night, when the Wanderers played in Montreal and the Ottawa Senators faced the Montreal Canadiens in the other scheduled contest. Montreal defeated Toronto 10–9 in a high-scoring game.

The moment is sometimes confused with the first goal by a different famous early NHL scorer. Reg Noble scored Toronto's first goal in that same game, while Joe Malone became the league's first scoring champion and set an early single-game scoring mark. Neither was the first goal overall.

Ritchie was a defenceman who had already played in the National Hockey Association before the NHL was formed. Over his career, he appeared for several early professional clubs, including the Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas, Quebec Bulldogs and Montreal Canadiens.