The NHL is a little sloppy with historical facts

Why celebrate one anniversary when you can celebrate three? 

That's what the NHL is trying to do this year, as it holds events marking Canada 150, the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup, and the 100th anniversary of the league. 

It will culminate in a game branded the "NHL 100 Classic."

On December 16th, the Ottawa Senators will host the Montreal Canadiens in an outdoor game, similar to the first NHL game between Ottawa and Montreal in December 1917. 

There's only one problem. Or several. 

Journalist and hockey fan Randy Boswell used newspaper archives to point out the inconsistencies. 

The Ottawa Senators didn't exist in 1917. The team was called the "Ottawa Hockey Club," and while the "Senators" was an unofficial nickname, it was not the same team as the Senators of today, which was created in 1992. 

There were actually two games on the first night of the NHL's existence, but Boswell says there is strong evidence that the other game (the Toronto Blue Shirts versus the Montreal Wanderers), actually started first. 

While the NHL did start in 1917, it was just a reorginization of the National Hockey Association, with the same teams. So to fans, there was no difference between the 1916 and 1917 seasons.

In announcing this winter's game, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk referred to Ottawa as the "cradle of hockey." Years of debate over the official birthplace of hockey would dispute that. 

Boswell admits he's susceptible to the kind of nostalgia the NHL trades in: "I'm drawn to anniversaries as an opportunity for people to reflect on the past, and to explore the connections between the present and the past. I do favour, however, an accurate and fulsome treatment of the past."