Dave Ritchie (ice hockey)

Canadian ice hockey player

David Alexander Ritchie (October 1, 1891 – March 6, 1973) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played nine seasons in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas and Montreal Canadiens. He scored the first goal in NHL history, on December 19, 1917, as a member of the Wanderers in a game against the Toronto Arenas.

Ritchie started out his amateur career with the Montreal Westmount in his hometown of Montreal, and would later join the Grand Mère Hockey Club in the Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union. Grand Mère had one of the better amateur sides in hockey in the early to mid 1910s, with Ritchie as one of its key players, and in 1913–14 they played for the Allan Cup against the Regina Victorias, losing out in the final series 5 goals to 10 (4 6, 1 4). Ritchie turned professional in 1914 when he signed as a free agent with the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association. In three years with Quebec he had 43 points in 56 games. He scored a career high of 17 goals in 1916–17 and finished seventh in league scoring. The 1916–17 season was the last season of the NHA's existence and the Bulldogs suspended operations for two years. The team's players were dispersed among the new teams in the NHL, and Ritchie was selected by the Montreal Wanderers. He scored the first goal in National Hockey League history in the league's first game, between the Wanderers and the Toronto Arenas on December 19, 1917.

He played for every team that played in the National Hockey League from 1917 to 1920. He was the last active member of the Quebec Bulldogs.