When the Boston Bruins decided to replace their legendary goalie Tiny Thompson with an unheralded rookie named Frank Brimsek, several players and fans questioned the wisdom of the move.

Brimsek played his first game only days after Boston traded Thompson, one of the league's top goalies of the 1930s, to Detroit. He lost 2-0 to Montreal, making it difficult for those who claimed the young native of Eveleth, Minn., would make people forget Thompson.

For a few days at least. Brimsek, who had played well in his first loss, became spectacular over the next few games, posting shutouts in six of his next seven starts. By the time his debut run was over, Brimsek has managed scoreless streaks of 231 minutes and 220 minutes, and had indeed made people forget about Thompson.

Frank Brimsek was one of the dominant goalies of the 40s.

During the remainder of the season, Brimsek posted four more shutouts, and became the first player to win the Vezina Trophy as outstanding goaltender and the Calder Trophy as top rookie in the same season. He was brilliant in the playoffs as well that season, posting a 1.25 goals-against average to lead Boston to its first Stanley Cup in 10 years.

Brimsek played 10 seasons in the NHL during a career that was interrupted by two years of service overseas in World War II. He was an all-star eight times, won the Vezina Trophy twice, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966.

The man who became known as "Mr. Zero" proved the Bruins were right to give him a chance to have a career in the NHL, which began when he played his first game on the night of December 1, 1938. It was one of the other great moments in hockey history that took place during the week of Nov. 29 - Dec. 5

November 29

The original Montreal Forum.

The Montreal Forum was one of the most fabled venues in hockey and indeed in all of sport. Home to the Montreal Canadiens for more than three-quarters of a century, the Forum was the place where the team captured nine of its 24 Stanley Cups, played before the Queen of England, and memorialized one of the legends of the game during a funeral service for Howie Morenz. On this date in 1924, the original Forum opened its doors to 9,000 fans who saw the Canadiens defeat Toronto 7-1 behind three goals from Billy Boucher. The building, which was renovated in 1949 and again in 1968, closed its doors for good in 1996.

November 30

Mario Lemieux broke Wayne Gretzky's grip on the scoring title.(Allsport)

In his final NHL season as a player, Mario Lemieux added another milestone to his incredible career. On this night in 1996, the Pittsburgh center blistered a shot into the Bruins net. The goal helped the Penguins post a 6-2 victory, but more important, it made Lemieux only the ninth player in NHL history to record at least 1,400 points in his career. Lemieux finished his career with 1,494 points and currently stands eighth on the all-time scoring list.

December 1

Peter Stastny was one of the greatest scorers of his era.

Peter Stastny's arrival in the NHL was the stuff of spy novels. The Czech-born centerman slipped away at night from his national team during a 1980 European championship tournament in Austria. He joined the Quebec Nordiques and scored at least 100 points in each of his first six seasons, ending up with more points during the 1980s than anyone but Wayne Gretzky. On this night in 1987, Peter Stastny set up a goal in Quebec's 4-1 win over Hartford. The point gave him 867 for his career and moved him into second place behind Stan Mikita among European-born scorers in all-time list.

December 2

A native of Yonkers, N.Y., Billy Burch was a fan favorite.

The New York Rangers are one of hockey's most famous teams, but they were not the ones to bring professional hockey to the Big Apple. A year before the Rangers took to the ice, the Americans made their debut in New York, sending out a team that had previously played in Hamilton, Ontario as the Tigers. On this night in 1925, the Americans played their first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Billy Burch, who had won the league's MVP award the previous year, scored the first goal for the New York, which won the game 2-1 in overtime. The Americans folded after the 1941 season without ever having won a Stanley Cup.

December 3

Phil Esposito's jersey hangs from the rafters in Boston.

The Boston Bruins picked up Phil Esposito in a trade with Chicago that was one of the greatest steals in hockey history. In a decade wearing the black-and-yellow uniforms of the Beantowners, Esposito smashed scoring records and redefined the notion of a power center. Esposito finished his career as a New York Ranger, but on this night in 1987 he became immortalized as a member of the Bruins as the team retired his No. 7. Esposito joined Eddie Shore (2), Lionel Hitchman (3), Bobby Orr (4), Dit Clapper (5), John Bucyk (9) an Milt Schmidt (15) among Bruins players whose numbers have been retired.

December 4

Gordie Howe usually laughed off injuries.(Allsport)

Anyone who can still play in a professional hockey game at the age of 70 has to be tough, and Gordie Howe proved his mettle repeatedly throughout his long career. Howe hated to miss games no matter how banged up he was, but on this date in 1948, he suffered one of the worst injuries of his career. The legendary right winger tore some cartilage in his knee in a 3-2 victory over Boston and ended up missing the next 20 games of the season. It was the longest period of inactivity of Howe's career, which lasted an NHL record of 1,767 games.

December 5

Red Green played for four teams in his six seasons.

Red Green was one of the Hamilton Tigers most productive and intense players, but his determination also played a key role in the demise of the team. Green organized a team strike before the 1925 playoffs that resulted in the Tigers being suspended by the league. Before the next season began, the franchise and its players were sold to a New York businessman and became the Americans. At least Green could look back at that season with some fond memories. On this date in 1924, he scored five times to lead Hamilton to a 10-3 victory over Toronto.

Historical photos courtesy of Hockeyonline.com