Today in history: May 27-28

Another birthday post on Today in History

May 27

Philippe Choiniere: Wing who played with the Ice in their final CHL season of 2003-04. He had five goals and five assists in 57 games that year after joining the team from the University of Calgary. He played one more CHL season in Amarillo, then two years in Europe. A native of Durham, Quebec, he is 31. 

Nic Dowd: Ice center in 2009-10 who was picked in the seventh round by the Kings in 2009. He had 16 goals and 23 assists for the Ice -- in addition to two playoff goals -- in 46 games and then had a 5-13-18 line in 36 games as a freshman at St. Cloud State this year. A native of Huntsville, Alabama, he is 21.

May 28
Doug McKay:  Left wing who is the answer to a trivia question, as he played his only NHL game in 1950 for the Detroit Red Wings -- in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Wings went on to win the Cup that year, giving McKay a rare double. He and teammate Gordon Haidy won the Calder Cup with the Capitals, then went to Detroit and finished the playoffs with the Stanley Cup champs. He played for the Caps from 1949-52, totaling 25 goals and 47 assists in 150 games. He also had a 2-6-8 line as the Caps swept the 1950 Calder Cup playoffs. McKay's best season was the championship year, when he posted a 16-31-47 line. Long after retiring from playing, he coached in the IHL and AHL from 1979-82, winning the Turner Cup with Kalamazoo in 1980. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, he is 82.
Hugo Belanger: Left wing who played for the Ice from 1993-95, joining the team after finishing his collegiate career at Clarkson. He posted two 20-goal seasons, totaling 43 goals and 40 assists in 141 games with the Ice. After his two-year stint in Indy, he primarily played at the "AA" level, with stints in the ECHL, WCHL and a long six-year stint with Adirondack of the UHL, in which he posted six straight 30-goal seasons and came two points shy of six straight 100-point seasons in 2006, his final pro season. He had an amazing 42-101-143 year in 2002-03 with Adirondack, and a 54-90-144 season in 1995-96 with the ECHL Nashville Knights. He continued to play senior hockey in Quebec through 2008. He was a prolific scorer who tallied 425 goals and 848 assists in his career, had two 50-goal seasons and nine 100-point seasons. A native of St. Hubert, Quebec, he is 41. 
Jared Dumba: Left wing who played for the Ice in their final two CHL seasons from 2002-04. He was a strong scorer, with two 25-goal seasons. He had 53 goals and 60 assists in those two years, playing 107 games. He also had 10 playoff goals those two years. He had been a CHL veteran, playing three years in OKC before coming to Indy, and then six more pro seasons -- four in the CHL, two in the reconstituted IHL -- before retiring in 2009. He had five 20-goal seasons in his career. A native of Dysart, Saskatchewan, he is 32.
Alex Kangas: Ice goaltender in 2006-07 who just completed a successful four-year career at the University of Minnesota. He had a 19-19-5 record and a 3.31 GAA with the Ice. He was picked in the fifth round in 2006 by the Atlanta Thrashers. He is one of three goaltenders in Minnesota history to stop 2,600 shots in his four-year college career. A native of Rochester, Minnesota, he is 24.