Georges Vézina (1887–1926) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and nine in the National Hockey League (NHL), all with the Montreal Canadiens. After being signed by the Canadiens in 1910, Vézina played in 327 consecutive regular season games and 39 playoff games, before leaving a game in 1925 due to illness. Vézina was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and died in 1926. The only goaltender to play for the Canadiens between 1910 and 1925, Vézina helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1916 and 1924, while reaching the Finals three more times. Nicknamed the "Chicoutimi Cucumber" for his calm composure, Vézina allowed the fewest goals against in the league seven times in his career: four times in the NHA and three times in the NHL. In 1918, Vézina became the first NHL goaltender to both record a shutout and earn an assist on a goal. At the start of the 1926–27 NHL season, the Canadiens donated the Vezina Trophy to the NHL as an award to the goaltender who allowed the fewest goals during the season. When the Hockey Hall of Fame opened in 1945, Vézina was one of the original twelve inductees.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_V%C3%A9zina

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1225:

Eight-year-old Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the only empress regnant in the history of Vietnam, married Tran Thai Tong, making him the first emperor of the the Tran Dynasty at age seven. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BD_Chi%C3%AAu_Ho%C3%A0ng

1857:

Queen Victoria selected Ottawa, then a small logging town, to be the capital of the British colony of Canada. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa

1907:

Times Square in New York City held its first New Year's Eve celebrations with the ball drop . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square

1963:

Despite Prime Minister Roy Welensky's efforts, the Central African Federation officially collapsed, splitting into three separate nations: Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Welensky

1998:

The European Exchange Rate Mechanism froze the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone and established the value of the euro currency. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/euro

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

ancillary (adj): Subordinate; secondary; auxiliary; accessory http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ancillary

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it. --George Marshall http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Marshall