Hall of Famers Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy come to mind when discussing Montreal goaltenders, and the next impact goalie for the Canadiens could be top prospect Carey Price. The 20-year-old Price made his NHL debut Wednesday, stopping 26 shots and sparking the Habs to a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh.

Price’s first NHL contest came exactly 22 years to the day after Roy debuted with a win over the Penguins. After Wednesday night’s victory, the Vancouver native trails Roy, the NHL’s all-time wins leader, by just 550 wins.

OK, so it’s too early to anoint Price the game’s next great netminder, but he’s already made a name for himself north of the border by leading Canada to the World Junior Championship last season. He earned MVP honors in the tournament, and did the same for his junior team before sparking Hamilton to the American Hockey League championship last spring.

Drafted fifth overall in 2005, four picks after the Penguins chose Sidney Crosby with the No. 1 selection, Price blocked at least two shots from Crosby during a midgame flurry. The league’s reigning scoring champ put six shots on Price, the most by anyone in the game, but came up empty against the rookie goalie.

"I thought he really looked confident," Montreal captain Saku Koivu said. "And if he was nervous he didn't show it at all. We took some penalties in the first period so he had to get into the game right away, and he made some key saves, kept us in the game.”

Cristobal Huet and Jaroslav Halak were expected to provide two solid options between the pipes for the Canadiens, but Price has played well enough to force Halak to Hamilton for the start of the season. If Price shows he’s ready, it may not be long before he unseats Huet as Montreal’s No. 1 goalie.

Wednesday night also marked the debut of Chicago's Jonathan Toews, who scored his first NHL goal on his very first shot. The 19-year-old center took a pass at the San Jose blue line, broke in on Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov and rifled a shot past him, high on the glove side from the right circle.

The talented teenager, who tallied Chicago’s only score in the first period of a 2-1 loss to San Jose, is a favorite for Calder Trophy honors as the league’s top rookie. Toews’ debut was delayed by a broken finger, suffered in a late-September preseason game. Despite the down time, Toews centered a line between top scoring threats Tuomo Ruutu and Patrick Kane, the first overall pick in the NHL draft this summer.

“We’re going to go out there and try and have some fun and just play our game,” Toews told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune before the game. “Bottom line, if we do that and work hard, do all the little things, we’ll be able to put some points on the board, or at least create some scoring chances.”

The Blackhawks hope Wednesday was only the beginning of years and years of points and scoring chances for both Toews and Kane, the two premier prospects around which the franchise is building. Kane picked up an assist on Toews’ goal, which is a sign of better things to come.

It was a memorable night for both Price and Toews, though only Price came away a winner, a fact that wasn’t lost on Chicago’s phenom.

"It was a great moment," Toews said of his first goal, "but the bigger picture is the game tonight and I was disappointed not to come out on top." He will get a few more chances to do that, too.