When an attractive young lady named Manon Rheaume was given a tryout by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992, it was considered to be little more than a publicity stunt by a struggling franchise.

Rheaume played one period of an exhibition game, allowing two goals on seven shots. Cynics scoffed that it was ridiculous to expect a women to succeed at the professional level against men.

A year later, they were proven wrong -- by a 22-year-old from Glens Falls, N.Y. named Erin Whitten who went into the record books by becoming the first female to post a victory in a professional hockey game.

Whitten, who began playing in youth hockey leagues at the age of eight, was a star of her local high school boy's varsity team before joining the University of New Hampshire, a hockey powerhouse in a hockey-mad region of the country.

In four seasons with the women Wildcats, Whitten was named an All-American three times and set school records for saves in a game, in a season and in a career. She graduated in the spring of 1993 with a degree in psychology, a collegiate career record of 54-14-4 and a silver medal from being on the U.S. Women's team in the 1992 Women's World Championships.

Erin Whitten helped Toledo storm Dayton.(AP)

But there still was one mountain to climb -- the pros.

"In the men's game, I'm at the bottom rung of the ladder, so it's highly competitive for me to claw my way up there," she said.

On October 30, 1993, she made it, starting and completing a game for the Toledo Storm of the East Coast Hockey League against the Dayton Bombers. Toledo won the game 6-5 and Whitten became part of hockey history.

Here are some other great moments in hockey history that took place during the week of October 25-31.

October 25

Rejean Lemelin finished his career with the Bruins.(Allsport)

One of the marks of a standout goaltender is durability, and Rejean Lemelin certainly proved his ability to withstand the rigors of NHL shooters during a solid 15-year career in which he posted a 236-162-63 record. Making his debut with the Atlanta Flames in 1978, Lemelin moved to Calgary with the franchise for 10 seasons until he was dealt to the Boston Bruins in 1979. He achieved a note of distinction with Boston on this date in 1992, playing in 500th career game, a 5-3 victory at Vancouver.

October 25

The Montreal Canadiens rarely beat Ottawa anymore.(Allsport)

Times have been tough lately for the Montreal Canadiens, but nothing can diminish what the franchise has accomplished through out its long and illustrious history.With players such as Rocket Richard, Jean Beliveau, Jacques Plante and Guy Lafleur having worn its red, white and blue uniforms, the team has managed to be standard-bearer for the sport by capturing a record 24 Stanley Cups. On this date in 1997, the Canadiens established their most recent record, defeating the Senators 4-2 in Ottawa to record the franchise, 6,000th point.

October 26

Wayne Gretzky said goodbye to hockey from Broadway.(AP)

By the time he arrived on Broadway, Wayne Gretzky was arguably in the twilight of his career. But as just about any NHL coach will tell you, even when he was not at the top of his game, having Gretzky was still an advantage to his team. Gretzky was unable to lead the Rangers to a Stanley Cup during his brief career in New York, but on this date in 1997, he set up two goals to help his team tie the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The two assists gave him 1,851 for his career, surpassing the career total of POINTS amassed by Gordie Howe during his legendary 26-year career.

October 26

Mario Lemieux was often unstoppable.(Allsport)

Not everyone would agree that Mario Lemieux was the greatest player hockey has ever seen, but no one would argue that he deserves to at least be considered for the title. In a 12-year career that was cut short by debilitating back injury and a bout with cancer, the six-foot-four Lemieux towered over the game, figuratively and often, literally. He won the scoring title six times, the MVP award three times and led the Pittsburgh Penguins to their only two Stanley Cup victories. Today, he sits high above the ice in the owner's box, looking out at his Penguins and back at a host of memories. One of his greatest came on this date in 1995, when Lemieux joined the exclusive 500-career goal club by scoring late in the third period against the New York Islanders.

October 28

Ron Francis had some of his best days in a Pens uniform.(Allsport)

When Ron Francis was a first-round pick of the Hartford Whalers in 1981, he was expected to be the kind of player that would help win a Stanley Cup for a team. Francis lived up to expectations, except he did so in Pittsburgh, instead of in Hartford. The Whalers sent their captain to the Penguins in 1991, and the smooth-skating center joined Mario Lemieux and company on route to winning two straight NHL titles. And during his seven plus seasons with Pittsburgh, Francis achieved his greatest career record. On this date in 1993, Francis collected his 1,000th career point, helping Pittsburgh beat the Quebec Nordiques 7-3. Ironically, Francis is now back with the team that drafted, now known as the Carolina Hurricanes.

October 30

A great start helped Gus Bodnar win the Calder Trophy(Allsport)

Most hockey players know that a quick start helps you have a good season, and Toronto rookie Gus Bodnar took it to heart when he made his debut on this date in 1943. The Maple Leafs freshman scored 15 seconds into his first game, setting a record for the fastest goal ever by a rookie. The Leafs went on to win the game 5-2 over the Rangers, and Bodnar went on to capture the Calder Cup as the top rookie that season. Also on this date, Johnny Bucyk of the Bruins scored the 500th goal of his career.

October 31

Marcel Dionne was one of hockey's most prolific scorers.

He was a smooth-skating center who starred with three teams and has an arena named after him in his hometown of Drummondville, Que. Unfortunately for Marcel Dionne, he never got his name engraved on a Stanley Cup, but he did become one of the legendary goal-scorers of NHL history. On this date in 1987, Dionne scored the 700th goal of his career, joining Gordie Howe and Phil Esposito as the only players to reach that mark. Since then, Wayne Gretzky and Mike Gartner have become members of the exclusive club.