At the turn of the century, the best players in hockey were not professionals. There was no such thing.

The game then was played by amateur teams who competed for their love of the sport and a trophy donated by Lord Stanley of Preston, the governor-general of Canada. As rivalries grew, so did interest in the sport until a number of entrepreneurial types realized they might be able to make some money with the game if they could gather together the best players in the world.

The first attempt at a pro league came in 1905, when the International Hockey League based in Michigan lured stars such as Cyclone Taylor, Joe Hall and Newsy Lalonde, and began play.

The IHL lasted only two seasons, a period during which a rival pro league, the Canadian Hockey Association, started up as well. The CHA did not fare much better. It hung on until 1909 when the National Hockey Association came into being with seven teams, including those called the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

The NHA had a successful run, but as World War I began, it found itself struggling to deal with escalating salary demands by its stars, upstart rival leagues on the west coast, and the loss of players to the war effort.

In November, 1917, the NHA abruptly disbanded, but two weeks later, representatives of four teams met in a Montreal hotel and came up with a plan.

The Canadiens, Senators, Montreal Wanderers, Toronto Arenas and Quebec Bulldogs decided to form a new league. The Bulldogs immediately took a leave of absence, but the other four teams pushed ahead.

On November 26, 1917, they announced to the world they had formed the National Hockey League, which would become the dominant circuit in the game in less than a decade.

It was one of the great moments in hockey history that took place during the week of Nov. 22-28.

November 22

Jean Pronovost was one of Pittsburgh's early sharpshooters.

In the early years of their franchise, long before Mario Lemieux arrived on the scene, the Pittsburgh Penguins were not known for their overwhelming offensive firepower. Still, the team had a few players who knew their way around the net, and on this date in 1972, five of them combined to set a remarkable record. Playing against the St. Louis Blues, Bryan Hextall, Jean Pronovost, Al McDonough, Ken Schinkel and Ron Schock all scored within a span of 2:07 in the third period, the fastest five goals ever scored in the NHL. The outburst helped the Penguins win 10-4, but the Blues got the last laugh that season, edging out Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot in the West.

November 23

George Hainsworth made opponents shoot blanks.

By the time George Hainsworth made it the NHL, he was anything but a typical rookie. In fact, Hainsworth was 31 when he first played for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1926-27 season, but he made up for lost time by being named the league's outstanding goalie in his first three seasons. On this date in 1926, Hainsworth did not allow the New York Americans to score, earning the first of his 94 career shutouts. It was a record that stood until Terry Sawchuk eclipsed the mark in 1964. Sawchuk finished as the career leader with 103 shutouts, but Hainsworth still holds the single-season record of 22, a mark he achieved in only 44 games during the 1928-29 season.

November 24

Paul Coffey was the first Oiler superstar to go.(Allsport)

The trade of Wayne Gretzky was still nearly a year away, but on this date in 1987 the breakup of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s began in earnest. In a blockbuster move, the Oilers sent superstar defenseman Paul Coffey to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of a seven-player deal that brought Craig Simpson, Dave Hannan, Chris Joseph and Moe Mantha to Edmonton. The Penguins also received Dave Hunter and Wayne Van Dorp in the package which paid dividends for both teams. Edmonton won the Stanley Cup in 1990, and the Penguins, teaming Coffey and Mario Lemieux, won in 1991 and 1992.

November 26, November 27

Gordie Howe made history two years in a row.(Allsport)

Gordie Howe must have liked playing hockey during this particular week. After all, he reached personal milestones during the same seven-day period in two consecutive seasons. On November 26, 1961, Howe suited up for the Detroit Red Wings against Chicago and became the first NHL player to appear in 1,000 regular-season games. A little less than a year earlier, on November 27, 1960, he set up teammate Howie Glover to become the first player in league history to score 1,000 points. Howe went on to finish with 1,767 games played over 26 seasons, a league record, and 1,850 points, second only to Wayne Gretzky.

November 28

Georges Vezina was the greatest goalie of his era.

They called him the "Chicoutimi Cucumber" in honor of his ability to remain cool under pressure and the hometown village he made proud. Vezina played 367 consecutive regular season and playoff games for the Montreal Canadiens between 1910 and 1925 in an era when goaltenders could not go to their knees to make a save. The rule was changed in 1922, but Vezina had already become a legend, one that would be perpetuated by the naming of the NHL's outstanding goaltender award after him. On this date in 1925, he played his final game despite having a fever of 105 degrees. Vezina collapsed on the ice and was carried off. He died four months later of tuberculosis.

November 28

Billy Smith scored the easiest goal ever.

Every goaltender dreams of shooting the puck the length of the ice at an empty net. So you can forgive Billy Smith for feeling shortchanged despite being the first netminder to be ever credited with a goal. It happened on this date in 1979 when Smith's Islanders were playing the old Colorado Rockies. New York was called for a delayed penalty and the Rockies goaltender headed for the bench. Colorado defenseman Rob Ramage got the puck in the Islanders end and sent a pass back to the point. He missed. The pass went all the way into the Colorado net and since Smith was the last New Yorker to touch the puck, he got the goal.

Historical photos courtesy of Hockeyonline.com