Dec. 15, 1925

Sports promoter Tex Rickard officially opens the first Madison Square Garden with a hockey game. Before an enthusiastic and capacity crowd of 17,000, which includes many society matrons of New York and Canada, the New York Americans drop a 3-1 decision to the Montreal Canadiens.

Before the game, the spacious lobby looks like the foyer at the opera as fashionably gowned women are there in furs and jewels. However, there is none of the reserve and aloofness usually associated with the typical society gathering. Society catches the spirit of the hockey fans, and the crowd enjoys Canada's national game.