| NHL All-Star Timeline |
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1934 |
| Hockey's "all-stars" game takes place at Maple Leaf Gardens, serving as a benefit fund raiser for Toronto's Ace Bailey, who career was ended by an injury earlier in the season. |
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1947
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| The NHL stages its first official All-Star Game, pitting defending Stanley Cup champion Toronto against the league's best. The All-Stars score twice in the third period to overcome a deficit and win 4-3. |
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1951 |
| The All-Star Game format goes through its first change, pitting players from Canadian-based teams against those from the U.S. After two consecutive games end in ties, the format is dropped. |
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1967 |
| The All-Star Game goes through its biggest change ever, shifting from an event that takes place before the season starts to one that occurs at the midway point in the campaign. |
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1969 |
| With the most number of teams ever now playing in the NHL, the All-Star Game format changes again to pit the older East Division teams against the new upstarts from the West Division. |
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1975 |
| There are now 18 teams in the NHL, playing in two conferences of two divisions each. The All-Star Game format changes again to reflect the new alignment, putting the Wales Conference against the Campbell Conference. |
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1979 |
| League pride is at stake as the NHL suspends the traditional All-Star model for one year in favor of a Challenge Cup series against the Soviets. A similar series, called Rendez-vous '87, replaces the contest eight years later. |
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1998 |
| In preparation for its first foray into the Olympics, the NHL adopts a new All-Star format, matching a squad of North American players against those from the rest of the world. The format remains in effect today. |
