Birthdays
Aug. 30
Tony Bukovich: Member of the Capitals for four seasons from 1943-47, after a stay working in a factory during World War II. He played 146 games for the Caps, totaling 68 goals and 70 assists. He had 20-goal seasons three straight years from 1944-47, including 20 in 32 games with the Caps in 1944-45 -- a year in which he also played 14 games with the Red Wings. He played 17 NHL games overall, totaling 10 points. He broke into pro hockey late, signing with the AHA's Fort Worth Rangers at age 26 in 1941 -- after two years as a righthanded pitcher in the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization. He retired early in the 1947-48 season to his hometown of Houghton, Mich., where he was a prominent local businessman and lived most of his post-hockey life before passing away in 2009. In his final years, he was the oldest living Red Wings alumni. He was born in Painesdale, Mich. in 1915.
Alan Perry: Goaltender for the Ice in 1988-89. He had been the top-rated goalie in the NHL Draft in 1984 and was chosen in the third round by the Blues. He had a 14-22-1 record and a 5.16 GAA for the inaugural Ice team. He played several years in the IHL and AHL prior to 1992 -- mostly with Peoria before the Ice and AHL Halifax afterwards. He also was the Oklahoma City Blazers' top netminder in the new Central Hockey League's first three seasons, going 61-37-10 in that stint. A native of Providence, RI, he is 45.
Randy Holmes: One of several ex-Ohio State Buckeyes to suit up for the CHL Ice, Randy played 64 games for the purple & black in 2002-03. He had 13 goals and 31 assists from his center position. Prior to his stint with the Ice, he was a high-scoring forward in the UHL (and one year in the WPHL) with Madison, Waco and Kalamazoo, where he had six consecutive 25-plus goal seasons. Holmes also had eight playoff points in eight games during his stint with the Ice. He would play in Europe after Indianapolis. A native of Kingston, Ontario, he is 39.
Aug. 31
Fern Gauthier: Right wing who played parts of four seasons with the Capitals from 1945-49 -- splitting each year with the Red Wings. In total, he played 73 games with the Caps, with 28 goals and 45 assists. He had 17 goals and 16 assists in the 1947-48 season, in which he played 32 games in Indy. He would play one more season in the AHL and then a handful in the Quebec senior leagues. Gauthier is a veteran of 229 NHL games, including scoring 32 goals with the Rangers and Canadiens from 1943-45, the years before he joined the Red Wings' organization. He had 46 goals and 50 assists total in his NHL career. He played in the 1948 Stanley Cup Finals with the Wings. A native of Chicoutimi, Quebec, he was born in 1919 and passed away in 1992.
Todd Lumbard: Goaltender for the Checkers in 1983-84, primarily backing up Rob Holland. He again played for the team in the 1984-85 season, when it joined the IHL. He was the Islanders' fourth-round pick in 1981. All told, he played 40 regular-season games with the Checkers. He was also pressed into service in the 1984 Adams Cup Playoffs, starting three games in the Adams Cup Finals. Lumbard played professionally from 1982-88. Today, he is a funeral home director in Regina, Sask. A native of Brandon, Manitoba, he is 48.
Andrei Trefilov: Ice goaltender for one game in 1997-98 and 18 more the following year. He had a 9-7-2 record for the Ice, and had a solid .934 save percentage with the 1998-99 team. Trefilov joined the Ice nearing the end of a long career split between the NHL and the minors. Midway through the 1998-99 season, the Blackhawks dealt his rights, and he ended up lining up against the Ice in the 1999 IHL Playoffs as the Detroit Vipers' goaltender. That season, he shared the IHL's top goaltender award with Kevin Weekes for their work with the Vipers. The following year, he was the league's playoff MVP with the Chicago Wolves. He played in 54 NHL games over six seasons with the Flames, Sabres and Blackhawks between 1993-99. Trefilov won a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics with the Unified Team. Today, he is a sports agent. A native of Kirovo-Chepetsk, Russia, he is 42.
Sept. 1
Geoff Benic: Member of the Ice for 10 games in 1988-89, where he had one goal. The Blackhawks' ninth-round pick in the 1986 draft only played 15 games professionally over two seasons. Today, he works in business in his hometown. A native of Toronto, he is 43.
Scott Lewis: Defenseman who played for the Ice in 2002-03, with 11 goals and 17 assists in 64 games. He also had four playoff assists in eight games that year. The Ferris State grad came to the Ice after a year with Mobile and Richmond of the ECHL, and finished his pro career after his stint with the Ice. A native of McAuley, Manitoba, he is 35.
Sept. 3
Marc Boileau: Marc "The Shark" played two years with the Chiefs from 1956-58, totaling 51 goals and 93 assists in 123 games. He also had 10 goals and eight assists in 19 playoff games, leading the Chiefs to the Turner Cup Finals in 1957 and the championship in 1958. He scored the Turner Cup-winning goal in the Chiefs' 3-2 Game 7 victory at Louisville that year. A member of the "Killer B" line with Pierre Brillant and Bob Bowness, he had 26 goals and 61 assists in 1957-58 -- his highest-scoring season as a pro. He played several years professionally -- from 1953-71 -- in the IHL, AHL and WHL, spending six seasons with the WHL's Seattle Totems and four more with the Los Angeles Blades. He did play 54 NHL games with the Red Wings in 1961-62, where he had five goals and six assists. Boileau became the player-coach of the Fort Wayne Komets in 1972 and coached for 13 seasons, through 1986. He matriculated to the NHL midway through the 1973-74 season with the Penguins and led them through 1976. He then took over the WHA Quebec Nordiques for two years and won the 1977 Avco World Trophy championship -- defeating the Indianapolis Racers along the way. His NHL/WHA coaching record was 153-118-30. He also led the Komets to the 1973 Turner Cup title. Boileau was borne in Pte. Claire, Quebec in 1932. He passed away in 2000.
Rob Conn: Popular hard-checking right wing for the Ice in two stints -- from 1991-95, and again in 1996-97. In total, he played 278 games for the Ice, totaling 72 goals, 77 assists and 309 penalty minutes. His best year was his final one, as he had 25 goals and 32 assists to help lead the Ice to a division title. Conn also played 30 NHL games with the Blackhawks and Sabres, totaling two goals. In the years between Ice stints, he won two AHL titles, with the Devils and Sabres' affiliates. A native of Calgary, he is 43.
Fred Knipscheer: Center who had 10 goals and nine assists with the Ice over 41 games in 1996-97. He also had two assists in the postseason that year as the Ice won the division title. Knipscheer is one of a handful of Hoosiers to play in the Circle City, as he is a native of Fort Wayne. Today, he resides in Carmel and is active in local youth hockey. After his career at St. Cloud State University, he joined the Boston Bruins' organization in 1993. He came up to the NHL in the 1993-94 season and scored two playoff goals. He would play 28 NHL games -- 27 with the Bruins and one with the Blues -- prior to 1996, and then continue to play in the IHL (and a short 17-game stint in the AHL) through 2000. Knipscheer was also an assistant coach with the Ice in 2004-05. A native of Fort Wayne, he is 42.
Dale DeGray: Member of the Ice in their final IHL season, 1998-99. The defenseman had three goals and 11 assists in a player-assistant coach role. It came at the end of a 16-year pro career that took him through the AHL, IHL and 153 NHL games with the Flames, Maple Leafs, Kings and Sabres. In his first pro season, he played against the Indianapolis Checkers with the Colorado Flames, and then played with the Ice in his final pro season. He was a high-scoring defenseman in the IHL, with four straight double-digit goal seasons from 1992-96 with San Diego, Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati. After his stint as a player, he began coaching -- first with UHL Rockford from 1999-2001. He now is general manager of the Ontario Hockey League champion Owen Sound Attack. He was named OHL Executive of the Year this past year. A native of Oshawa, Ont., he is 48.
Sept. 4
Clare Raglan: Capitals defenseman from 1949-51, he had six goals and 27 assists in 98 games. He also had three playoff assists and was a key part of the 1950 Calder Cup championship team. Raglan also played 100 NHL games for the Wings and Blackhawks from 1950-53, and played professionally before retiring in 1961. A native of Pembroke, Ont., he was born in 1927. He passed away in 2002.
Dave Inkpen: Racers defenseman from 1976 through the aborted 1978-79 season. He played 81 games for the Racers, with six goals and 29 assists. He also played in all nine postseason games in the 1977 playoffs, in which the Racers swept Cincinnati. He played 293 WHA games from 1975-79, also suiting up for Cincinnati, Edmonton, Quebec and New England. After the WHA folded, he spent one year in the AHL and several years in Europe before retiring in 1985. A native of Edmonton, he is 57.
Cab Morris: Ice goaltender in 2009-10, where he had a 21-13-2 record and 2.57 GAA in 38 games. He also had three shutouts as the team's primary netminder. Morris then matriculated to Dartmouth College, where he suited up for one game as a freshman this past season. A native of Wilmette, Ill., he is 20.
Sept. 5
Stan Maxwell: High-scoring left wing for the Chiefs in 1959-60, totaling 26 goals and 31 assists. "Steamer" had played minor pro hockey in the U.S. from 1949-54, then played five years of senior hockey before joining the Chiefs. His 57-point year in Indy was the highest-scoring one of his career -- and final one. He is the father of former NHL player and coach Bryan Maxwell -- whose rights, incidentally, were briefly held by the Racers before being dealt to Cleveland. He retired to Lethbridge, Ont. and worked for a local brewery and played hockey. He is a member of the North Bay, Ont., Sports Hall of Fame. A native of North Bay, Ont., he was born in 1925 and passed away in 2008.
Harrison Gray: Goaltender who played three games for the Capitols in their shortened 1963 season. He allowed 10 goals in those three games and thus had a 3.33 GAA. He also suited up for his lone NHL game that year, allowing five goals in a game for the Red Wings. He would continue to play through 1968 in the Eastern Hockey League. A native of Calgary, he is 70.
Bill Horton: Defenseman who played 59 games for the Racers in their inaugural 1974-75 season. He had two goals and nine assists. He played 193 WHA games from 1972-75, also suiting up for Cleveland and Los Angeles. Horton played in the minors -- primarily the IHL -- from 1967-72 when the WHA was founded. After his stint with the Racers, he spent two more seasons with their NAHL affiliate in Mohawk Valley and then played in the minors through 1982. A native of Lindsay, Ont., he is 65.
Sept. 6
Shawn Silver: Ice goaltender in 2002-03. He played 46 games for the Ice, which won a division title that season. He had a 29-12-4 record and six shutouts that season. It was his final pro season after playing several years in Canadian Major Junior and at the Canadian university level. He also played three seasons in Europe prior to joining the Ice. A native of Thunder Bay, Ont., he is 36.
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