Blockbuster trade completed between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins on this day in history

There are no shortage of Hall of Fame players in the histories of both the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins, who have won multiple Stanley Cup championships and have featured some of the top players in NHL history.

It's not often that a pair of Hall of Fame players are straight up traded for one another, but that was the case on this day in 1957 when the Red Wings re-acquired goaltender Terry Sawchuk from the Bruins for Johnny Bucyk.

Both players are two of the best to have put on a sweater for their respective teams.

Sawchuk, one of the best goaltenders in Red Wings and NHL history, had already won 3 Stanley Cups for Detroit in 1952, 1954, and 1955. However, they traded him to the Bruins when they wanted to give Glenn Hall more playing time.

After Sawchuk spent 2 years with the Bruins, the Red Wings decided to bring him back into the fold. They sent Bucyk to Boston, who would become one of the top players in their club history.

He would later help the Bruins to Stanley Cup wins in 1970 and 1972 while being named to several All-Star appearances and winning numerous personal accolades.

His No. 9 sweater number would be retired by the Bruins in 1980. Meanwhile, the Red Wings retired Sawchuk's No. 1 sweater number in 1994; he was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously in 1971.

To this day, Sawchuck is still regarded as arguably the top goalie in Red Wings history, despite having played in a completely different era of hockey.

While other names like Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek are also always near the top of the list, Sawchuk stands alone in his accomplishments during his career, which was mostly spent in Detroit.