Sid Smith and the Quickest Goal to Start a Stanley Cup Final
Nikolai Ehlers opened the scoring in the 2026 Stanley Cup finals a mere 25 seconds into Game One. Quite the way to start a series, but it was still ten seconds later than the all-time record for a Cup opening goal. On April 11, 1951, Sid Smith of the Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal's Gerry McNeil a mere 15 seconds into the game. In addition to this, Smith also netted the overtime winner to secure a 3-2 victory for Toronto. Al Nickleson of the Toronto Globe and Mail reported on the affair; " They'll be talking for a long time of how Sid Smith, a super. sundae sauce salesman when the ice is out of Maple Leaf Gardens, stole Rocket Richard's overtime heroics last night. Smitty not only popped the goal that won the Stanley Cup opener, 3-2, for the Leafs after nearly six minutes of extra time, but he had shot the initial score just 15 seconds after the game started-an NHL playoff record for the quickest goal after the opening gong." The Globe's, Jim Vipond eloque...