All Star Game History: Memorial Games Preceded Annual Classic

Prior to the creation of the annual NHL All Star game in 1947, there was four benefit/memorial all star hockey games played:

• Hod Stuart Memorial Game, 1908, Montreal
• Ace Bailey Benefit Game, 1934, Toronto
• Howie Morenz Memorial Game, 1937, Montreal
• Babe Siebert Memorial Game, 1939, Montreal

Also, in 1935 an all star benefit was held in Montreal for Nels Crutchfield, the Canadiens rookie who was involved in a serious car accident. There was many different exhibitions on the ice that night, but no actual All Star game. Thus the night has been all but forgotten by history. Read the Nels Crutchfield biography for more details.