Dave Ritchie (born January 12, 1892, date of death unknown) was a professional ice hockey player. Ritchie played nine seasons professionally, in the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League(NHL) for the Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas, Quebec Bulldogs and Montreal Canadiens. He scored the first goal in NHL history. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Playing career[]
Ritchie turned professional with Quebec in 1914.
In 1917 the NHA suspended operations and the National Hockey League was formed. The Quebec team did not play, so he was transferred to the Montreal Wanderers. Ritchie was one of 12 players who were members of the 1917–18 Wanderers squad. The Wanderers home arena was destroyed by fire only six games into the 22 game schedule. This event forced the league to disperse the Wanderers players via a draft to one of the remaining three teams (Toronto, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators) in the National Hockey League. Ritchie was transferred to Ottawa for the balance of the season.
He signed with Toronto the following season (1918-19), and rejoined Quebec when the Quebec team reactivated in 1919-20. He joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1920, played one season, then retired to become a referee. He made a comeback, playing two seasons for the Canadiens in 1924-25 and 1925-26.
Ritchie was the last active player for the Quebec Bulldogs, and was one of the last active players for the Wanderers as well.
Career statistics[]
NHL Regular Season
- Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes
| YEAR | TEAM | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914–15 | Quebec Bulldogs(NHA) | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1915–16 | Quebec Bulldogs(NHA) | 23 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 38 |
| 1916–17 | Quebec Bulldogs(NHA) | 19 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 20 |
| 1917–18 | Montreal Wanderers | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 1917–18 | Ottawa Senators | 13 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| 1918–19 | Toronto Arenas | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1919–20 | Quebec Bulldogs | 21 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 18 |
| 1920–21 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924–25 | Montreal Canadiens | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925–26 | Montreal Canadiens | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL | Regular Season Totals | 54 | 15 | 3 | 18 | 39 |