Today in history: July 11

Lots of birthdays today

Eddie Bush: Defenseman who was one of the original Capitals in 1939. He played a season and a half -- 60 games -- with the Caps, totaling nine goals and 13 assists. He helped the Caps win the AHL's West Division title in 1940. In December 1940, he was traded to the Providence Reds for Hal Jackson, a defenseman who would become a mainstay in local hockey circles long after his retirement as a player. Bush returned to the Wings' organization in 1942, but stayed with the Red Wings. He had seven points in the playoffs as the Wings succumbed to Toronto in a seven-game Stanley Cup final. He then served the balance of WWII in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the war, he played five more years, primarily in the AHL. After retirement, he began coaching in 1954 and coached the Hamilton Red Wings to the Memorial Cup in 1962. He coached the CHL's Memphis Wings in 1964-65 -- a direct descendant of the Indianapolis Capitols team that played prior to the Coliseum explosion in 1963. He also was the first coach of the NHL's Kansas City Scouts in 1974-75, but his team struggled, going 1-23-8 before he was replaced. The ice rink in Bush's hometown of Collingwood, Ont., is named for him. Born in 1918, he passed away in May 1984. 

Bill Folk: Defenseman who tallied eight goals and 40 assists in 114 games with the Capitals from 1950-52. Folk played eight games for the Red Wings the following year, but primarily spent his career in the WHL -- where Detroit moved its top farm team after the Caps folded in 1952. He won WHL titles with the Edmonton Flyers in 1953 and Vancouver Canucks in 1958. He retired as a player in 1962, and then played a couple of years of senior hockey until 1966. A native of Regina, Sask., he is 84. 

Rick Fraser: Defenseman who played four games for the Racers in 1974-75, their inaugural season in the WHA. He is the younger brother of legendary NHL official Kerry Fraser. He primarily played with the Racers' minor-league affiliate in Mohawk Valley from 1974-76, then played another year with IHL Port Huron in 1976-77. A native of Sarnia, Ont., he is 57. 

Travis Thiessen: Defenseman who played 53 games for the Ice from 1994-97 -- primarily in the 1994-95 season. He had two goals and seven assists in an Ice uniform. He went away and kept coming back -- splitting the 1994-95 year between Indy, CoHL Flint and AHL Saint John, started the following year with the Ice but played the bulk of it with Peoria. In 1996-97, he split time between Indianapolis, Manitoba and back with Peoria -- this time as an ECHL entry. He played through 2002-03, where he had his highest-scoring pro season with the UHL Muskegon Fury. A native of North Battleford, Sask., he is 39. 

Dave Chyzowski: The No. 2 pick in the 1989 draft (Islanders), Chyzowski played 76 games for the Ice in 1996-97. His 34 goals led the team, and his 40 assists/74 points were second to Brad Werenka. He also had 261 PIMs that year. Chyzowski got a brief eight-game callup to Chicago that season, too. He broke into pro hockey with the Isles in 1989-90, playing 34 NHL games that season and scoring eight goals. He spent five seasons splitting between the Isles and various minor league teams before going to AHL Adirondack in 1995-96 (where he had a career-high 44 goals), the Ice the following year, and then to IHL Orlando, Kansas City and San Antonio. He went to Europe in 2000 and played seven seasons in Germany and Austria. All told, he would score 15 goals in 126 NHL games. A native of Edmonton, he is 40. 

Duncan Paterson: Defenseman who played 14 games for the Ice in 2000-01, tallying one goal and one assist. The University of Manitoba grad played the two previous seasons in Britain. A native of Winnipeg, he is 37.