Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1051298
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 07 hen the NHL played its first games on Dec. 19, 1917, Holyoke, Massachusetts native Gerry Geran is in the lineup for the Montreal Wanderers as they defeated Toronto 10-9 for what would be their only victory in a brief season curtailed by loss of their home rink to fire. He thus became the first American-born and developed player in the NHL. By the time the 1925-26 season gets underway, Geran is in the uniform of his home state Boston Bruins and becomes the first American-born and developed player to score in the NHL when he finds the back of the net at 3:25 of the first peri- od of a 5-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Dec. 11. He does that one better by scoring again at the 17-minute mark thus becoming the first to score two goals in one game. Geran had played college hockey at Dartmouth before skating for Boston area senior teams and the 1920 silver med- al-winning U.S. Olympic Team. Foremost among the former was the powerful Boston Athletic Association (BAA) squad, which played the St. Paul Athletic Club (AC) for the national Fellowes Cup in March 1923. The series opened in St. Paul with two games at the Fairgrounds in which the BAA won Game 2 1-0 on Geran's goal, putting them up two games to none. The series then shifted to Boston for Games 3 and 4. The ACs man- aged to win the third game, but once again the Holyoke skater was a thorn in the local's side with a late goal. The BAA went on to win the series as Geran got his team's two goals in the 2-1 Game Four clincher. After two more seasons with the BAA it was on to the Bruins. In November 1926, Boston sold his contract to the minor pro St. Paul Saints (Successors to the amateur ACs) and the 5-foot-9 center was back in the State of Hockey. He played 13 games with the Saints, scoring in his first game. W The First American Born and Developed NHL Player with Ties to St. Paul ON THE RECORD WITH ROGER Gerry Geran (Top row, 2nd from right) poses with the 1926 St. Paul Saints. Geran was the first American- born player to score in the NHL. 1st