The earliest documented NHL goalie pull I found was the Montreal Canadiens in April 1970, when they pulled their goalie with 9 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game. A separate source says the first NHL coach to pull a goalie for an extra attacker was Art Ross on March 26, 1931, but it does not give a verified “earliest ever” timing in that result.

What that means

  • If you mean the earliest specific in-game timing I could verify, it is 9:30 remaining in 1970.
  • If you mean the earliest historical first use of the tactic, that was Art Ross in 1931.
  • Very early goalie pulls do show up later too; for example, Patrick Roy pulled a goalie with more than 13 minutes left in 2014, which was described as unusually aggressive, but not the all-time first.

Why the answer is a little messy

Hockey history is full of partial records and “earliest known” claims, so the exact record can depend on whether you mean:

  • first ever extra-attacker pull,
  • earliest pull in a game that still counted as a standard goalie pull,
  • or earliest documented one in modern reporting.

In short, the safest answer is: the earliest verified NHL goalie pull I found was 9:30 remaining, by the Canadiens in 1970.

TL;DR: earliest verified timing: 9:30 left in a 1970 Canadiens game; earliest known use of the tactic overall: Art Ross in 1931.