Even though Canadians dominated the sport for a long time, Americans and Europeans are plentiful in today's NHL. Gerry Geran, a forward with the Montreal Wanderers, was the first player from the U.S. to make the NHL, according to Canadian hockey history expert Liam McGuire.

Geran was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on August 3, 1896, and joined the NHL in the 1917-18 season, the league's very first season. He played in each of the four games the team played before its rink, the Westmount Arena in Montreal, Quebec, burned down on January 2, 1918. Perhaps the fire was a sign of the direction of Geran's career would take, because he never played in the NHL after that date.