Harry Hyland was one of the biggest stars in the early days of hockey, despite his small stature (5-foot-6, 156 pounds). The Montreal native, who was a fast skater with a powerful shot, played in a game on the first night in NHL history, Dec. 19, 1917, and opened the new League with a bang, scoring five goals for the Montreal Wanderers in a 10-9 win against the Toronto Arenas. It was the first hat trick in League history.

That was the only season Hyland spent in the NHL. He played four games for the Wanderers and 13 for the Ottawa Senators. In those 17 games, Hyland scored 16 points (14 goals, two assists). In addition to Hyland, that Senators team had seven players who would go on to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hyland played for a number of teams in his early days, including the Montreal Gaelics, St. Ann's, and the Shamrocks. He became a professional hockey player with the Shamrocks in 1908-09, when he was 19 years old. He then played with the Montreal Wanderers of the National Hockey Association the next season and helped them win the Stanley Cup championship in 1909-10. He also won a title in Canadian Professional Lacrosse with the Montreal Shamrocks, capturing the Minto Cup that same season.

Hyland joined the New Westminster Royals of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in 1911-12, before returning to the Wanderers after one season. It was then that he scored eight goals in a game against the Quebec Bulldogs on Jan. 27, 1913, demonstrating his abilities as a prolific scorer.

He played for the Wanderers until they were disbanded in 1918 after a fire destroyed the team's arena, and was claimed by the Senators in the NHL Dispersal Draft.

Hyland, who coached McGill University (1918-19) and the Columbus team in Senior Group of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association for four seasons after that, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.