Remembering the NHL’s First Empty-Net Goal 82 Years Later

Today, empty-net goals are as common as faceoffs. You see them almost every night. When a team is down late in the third, pulling the goalie for an extra attacker in one last desperate push to tie the game. It’s a high-risk move, but one that’s long been worth it. After all, a loss is still a loss, whether by one or three. The extra point that comes from forcing overtime makes the gamble an easy one for coaches to make.

But rewind 82 years, to Nov. 11, 1943, and the idea was revolutionary. That night at Chicago Stadium, the hockey world witnessed the first officially recognized empty-net goal in NHL history — a moment that forever changed late-game strategy and the way coaches thought about risk.

A War-Time Game, A Timeless Moment

The 1943–44 season was unlike any other. With rosters thinned by World War II, the NHL had shrunk to just six teams, and innovation often replaced star power. Boston Bruins coach Art Ross, already known for his daring ideas and forward-thinking approach, found himself behind the bench of a shorthanded club struggling to keep pace.

On that night in Chicago, Ross’s Bruins trailed the Blackhawks 5–4 with under two minutes remaining. Desperate for an equalizer, Ross made the bold decision to pull his goalie, Bert Gardiner, for an extra attacker. The gamble backfired when Chicago center Clint “Snuffy” Smith intercepted a pass and buried the puck into the vacant net for a 6–4 win. It was a simple backhand from 20 feet out, but its impact rippled far beyond that game.

It marked the first time an NHL team had paid the price for pulling its goalie, and in doing so, gave birth to one of hockey’s most exciting strategic plays.

Art Ross: The Godfather of the Gamble

Art Ross wasn’t new to risk. He’d already helped modernize the sport, from designing the puck still used today to advocating for forward passing and icing rules. But his decision that night — even in defeat — proved prophetic. He believed hockey’s future belonged to those willing to push boundaries, to trade caution for creativity.

Oct 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the Art Ross Trophy on display prior to the game between the Dallas Stars and the Pittsburgh Penguins at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

That philosophy has since become part of the sport’s DNA. Today, empty net goals usually make up between 5% and 10% of all goals scored in an NHL season, a testament to Ross’s boldness back all the way back in 1943. His Bruins didn’t win that night, but his willingness to pull the goalie shaped how every coach since has played the final minutes of a close game.

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