I tried to hang in there and let them hit me. That was a firing squad we saw there.
ROY WORTERS
Pirates' goaltender, after stopping 70 saves in a 3-1 loss to the New York Americans on December 26, 1926. The Pirates and Americans combined for 141 shots in the game – still an NHL record.
• The Pirates were the city's first NHL team.
• New York Americans' Billy Burch, the reigning MVP, scored a the first NHL goal in the city of Pittsburgh.
• Captain Lionel "L-Train" Conacher scored Pittsburgh's first-ever NHL goal.
• The Pirates colors of black and gold would be used as supporting evidence when the Pittsburgh Penguins switched to those colors in 1980.
Pittsburgh's First NHL Game
On Thanksgiving night, November 26, 1925 the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Bruins, 2-1, in their first NHL game in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Boston Hub Arena in Boston's Back Bay.
The largest crowd in NHL history sat silently as goal judge Joseph Sheehy waved his goal flag to signal that defenseman and captain Lionel "L-Train" Conacher scored Pittsburgh's first-ever NHL goal.
Conacher beat Boston goaltender Charles Stewart at the 17:50 mark of the second period to tie the game at 1-1.
Pirates' left wing Harold Darragh notched Pittsburgh's first game-winning goal 9:20 into the third period.
Pittsburgh goaltender Roy "Shrimp" Worters stopped 26 of 27 shots to record the first win in franchise history.
Two nights later in Montreal the Pirates would beat the Canadiens, 1-0, facing legendary goaltender Georges Vezina (The Vezina Trophy is awarded to the best NHL goaltender).
Vezina surrendered a goal to Conacher in the first period before leaving the game with a high fever. Vezina never played again and died four months later from tuberculosis.
On Thanksgiving night, November 26, 1925 the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Bruins, 2-1, in their first NHL game in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Boston Hub Arena in Boston's Back Bay.