This legend holds the records for most games played and career points on Christmas Day
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Jonathan Ouimet
Dec 25, 2025 (9:42 PM)
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Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
While the NBA and NFL embraced Christmas Day, the NHL chose the opposite path - no games, no practices, no travel for more than 50 years.
But it hasn't always been this way. In fact, the NHL once had a long and surprisingly busy history with Christmas Day hockey.
The league's first three seasons came and went without Dec. 25 games, but that changed in 1920. On Christmas Day that year, the Toronto St. Patricks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-4, marking the NHL's first-ever holiday matchup.
The experiment was inconsistent at first. Games disappeared again for three seasons, returned briefly in 1924 with two matchups - including an 8-1 Hamilton Tigers win over Toronto and a 5-0 Canadiens shutout of the Bruins - then vanished once more.
Everything changed in 1926.
From that season on, the NHL committed fully to Christmas hockey, beginning a remarkable 45-year streak of games played on Dec. 25 that lasted through 1971. During that stretch, Christmas produced everything from historic blowouts to milestone moments.
One of the most lopsided results came in 1930, when the Detroit Falcons crushed the Toronto Maple Leafs 10-1. Hall of Famer Ebbie Goodfellow starred with four goals and five points. That same day, Boston blanked the Philadelphia Quakers 8-0 - no small feat against a team that would finish the season 4-36-4, one of the worst records in league history.
Christmas Day also intersected with league history in 1967, the NHL's first major expansion year. Six new franchises debuted that season, and the Bruins defeated the California Seals 6-3 in the highest-scoring game of the day. Derek Sanderson and Andy Bathgate led all players with three-point performances.
The final NHL Christmas Day came during the 1971-72 season, featuring six games with all teams active except Vancouver and Chicago.
Since then? Nothing.
Today, the NHL enforces a full holiday shutdown from Dec. 24-26. While other leagues chase ratings and tradition, hockey has chosen rest - prioritizing players, staff, and arena workers spending the holiday with family.
It's a quiet Christmas now.