Two days after Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, with the nation still reeling from the aftershock, the Boston Bruins were scheduled to host the Chicago Blackhawks in an NHL regular-season contest.

A somber crowd of 10,000 filed into the venerable old Boston Garden on December 9, 1941, most of them likely hoping to get their minds off the horror that has taken place, if only for a little while. It wasn't to be.

After the teams completed their warmup and prepared for the action to begin, the public address announcer informed the crowd that the start of the game would be delayed for an important message. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came on next, telling the Garden faithful, and the rest of the world, that the United States was declaring war.

Roosevelt urged everyone to support the Allied effort and the call was immediately heeded by a large number of players in the NHL. Among the first to enlist was Boston's famed "Kraut Line" of Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer.

As World War II continued, a total of 80 NHL players take part in active service. The league's talent becomes so watered down that some people believe its very survival is at stake. The NHL responds by reducing rosters by one player per team, and making other rule changes to keep the game as competitive and fan-friendly as possible. League president Frank Calder declares the game must go on "in the interest of public morale."

When the war ends, stars such as Frank Brimsek, the Bentley brothers, Sid Abel, Syl Apps and Turk Broda return. It marks the beginning of a new golden age of hockey for the NHL, one that began when the game and its heroes put duty before passion and responded with courage to a call to arms.

And it was one of the memorable moments in hockey history that took place during the week of Dec. 6-12.

December 6

Wayne Gretzky usually kept Grant Fuhr ahead in the game.(Allsport)

When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame a few weeks ago, Wayne Gretzky said he was always driven to do more on ice. If he had seven points, he said, he wanted eight. If he had six assists, he wanted seven. If he had five goals, he wanted six. Gretzky actually achieved the first two marks on several occasions, but he never quite did score a sixth goal in a game. However, he scored five times in a game four times. On this date in 1987 while with Edmonton, Gretzky tallied five times against Minnesota net during a 10-4 Oilers victory. It was the last time in his career he would do so.

December 7

Boston gave up Terry Sawchuk to get Johnny Bucyk.

Johnny Bucyk played 22 seasons in the NHL despite the fact he was a late bloomer. The Edmonton native, who broke into the league with Detroit in 1955 and was traded to Boston two years later, was 32 when he scored 30 goals in a season for the first time in 1967. Bucyk went on to score at least 30 goals six more times in his career, and had a 50-goal season when he was 35, the oldest player ever to do so. When he retired in 1978 at the age of 43, he stood as the NHL's fourth-leading goal scorer and point producer of all time and on this date in 1967, he scored twice to set a new Bruin mark for career scoring with 576 points. He has since been surpassed by Ray Bourque.

December 8

Ron Hextall scored his second goal in the 1989 playoffs.(Allsport)

In 1979, goaltender Billy Smith of the Islanders was credited with scoring a goal for being the last man to touch the puck before an opponent shot it into his own net. Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers knew he could do better. After an outstanding rookie season in 1986-87, which saw him win the Vezina Trophy as outstanding goalie, the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP and earn a First All-Star team spot, Hextall got his chance. The Flyers were leading Boston 4-2 on this date in 1987, when the Bruins pulled their goalie. Hextall retrieved the puck and launched a wrist shot that slid all the way into the Boston goal, marking the first time a goaltender had actually scored a goal.

December 9

Gordie Roberts ended his career in Boston.

There was little fanfare when Gordie Roberts arrived in Hartford for his rookie season in 1979. But he made his presence felt during a 15-year career that saw him wear the uniform of six different teams. Among his most memorable stops was in Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the two Stanley Cup winning teams in 1991 and 1992. The native of Detroit left Pittsburgh after the second championship to join the Bruins as a free agent, and on this date in 1992, he became the first American-born player to play in 1,000 NHL games.

December 10

George Hainsworth was one of hockey's greatest goalies.

By the time George Hainsworth made it to 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 1931, Hainsworth shut out the New York Americans 3-0 to record the 64th whitewash of his career and set a new NHL record. Hainsworth finished with 94 career shutouts, and held the record for more than 30 years until it was broken by Terry Sawchuck, who finished his career with 103.

December 11

Tom Bladon was generally known for his defense.

The Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s were an NHL powerhouse with household names such as Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber and Bernie Parent. On this date in 1977, Tom Bladon, one of the lesser-known members of the team turned the attention on himself when he scored four goals and added four assists in an 11-1 victory over the Cleveland Barons. That set a new NHL single-game record for defensemen which was tied by Paul Coffey of Edmonton in 1986. The record for most points in one game by any player is 10, set by Toronto's Darryl Sittler in 1976.

December 12

Eddie Shore nearly caused hockey's first fatality.

Eddie Shore of the Bruins and Toronto's King Clancy were two of the best defensemen of the 1930s as well as intense rivals. On this night in 1933, they were involved in a near tragedy after a collision near the Toronto blueline. Clancy knocked Shore off the puck and started up the ice, and Shore retaliated by hitting Leafs defenseman Ace Bailey with a vicious check from behind. Bailey hit the ice hard, fracturing his skull in two places. He nearly died. Shore was suspended for a month, but later that season, shook hands with Bailey at a charity game staged to support the player whose career ended with that thundering hit.

Historical photos courtesy of Hockeyonline.com