Long before it contained a profit-grubbing fantasy draft or a glowing puck, the NHL All-Star Game was a charity event.
On Feb. 14, 1934, the Toronto Maple Leafs played a team of all-stars compiled from the other eight NHL rosters. Their goal: To raise money for Ace Bailey, who had been critically injured in a game and would never play again. The Leafs won 7-3, but more importantly the game raised $20,909.40 for Bailey and his family — and a tradition was born: The NHL All-Star Game. (The nonprofit aspect of the game died.)
Here’s how the account of the game appeared in the morning papers:
The full article can be read here.