On November 29, 1924, the Canadiens hosted The Toronto St. Pats in their first game at the Montreal Forum. The team would only take up permanent residency in the legendary arena at the corner of Atwater and Ste-Catherine Streets in 1926, but they were invited to open the 9,000-seat, artificial ice amphitheatre because the natural surface at the Mount Royal Arena was not yet playable.

Defending Stanley Cup Champions, coach Leo Dandurand’s Canadiens wasted little time showing off their stuff. The game was only 55 seconds old when forward Billy Boucher scored the first goal in the history of the Forum, beating John Roach Ross twice more later in the game, recording the building’s first hat trick.

Aurèle  Joliat, with a pair, Howie Morenz and captain Sylvio Mantha, rounded out the Canadiens side of the score sheet, while Georges Vézina allowed only one goal in the 7-1 victory.

For the next two seasons, the Canadiens would only lace up their skates at the Forum to play Montreal’s other NHL franchise, the Maroons, who joined the league in 1924-25. Sharing the building with their rivals until the demise of the Maroons in 1938, the Canadiens were later the Forum’s sole NHL tenant for almost 60 years.