Today in history: Sept. 14-20

Lots to catch up on here

Sept. 14

1973: Indianapolis is given an expansion franchise by the WHA to a group headed by John Weissert, to begin play in the 1974-75 season. 

Birthdays

Roy "Gus" Giesebrecht: Center who played 21 games for the Capitals in 1939-40, and then played 15 more in 1941-42. Gus had 16 goals and 16 assists in the blue and white, and was a key part of the 1942 championship team, with a goal and three assists in the playoffs. In-between, Gus played 135 games over four seasons with the Red Wings from 1938-42, often centering fellow ex-Caps Mud Bruneteau and Syd Howe. He put his hockey career on hold to serve in World War II, which he did in Europe. He ran the family business in his post-hockey career. He played in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1939 and 1942. A native of Pembroke, Ont., he was born in 1917 and passed away in 2006. 

Christian Soucy: Ice goaltender from 1994-96, playing in 64 games. Soucy was 27-26-5 with a 3.69 GAA. Soucy's best year came in 1995-96, where he was 12-9-0 with a 3.11 GAA. He continued to play professionally in the ECHL, CHL, UHL, WPHL, WCHL and AHL before retiring in 2003. A native of Gatineau, Quebec, he is 41. 

Toby Heaslip: Ice defenseman in 2006-07, where he played seven games, totaling a goal and four assists. He also played for Green Bay and Ohio in the USHL that season. A native of Naples, Fla., he is 23. 

Mikael Owilli: Ice defenseman in 2008-09. He was a key part of the Clark Cup champs with five goals and 15 assists in the regular season in 57 games. He suited up for all 13 postseason games, tallying two assists. Since, he has returned to Sweden to play professionally for Mora IK. A native of Stockholm, he is 23. 

Sept. 15

1974: The Racers open their first training camp in Flint, Mich. 

Birthdays

Joe Lund: Defenseman for the Ice from 1948-50, where he was a key part of the Calder Cup champs in 1950. A rugged defenseman, he tallied 31 points and 107 PIMs in 1950. It was the start of a long pro career that was spent primarily in the AHL, but continued through 1962 in the IHL. A native of Karijoki, Finland, he was born in 1927. 

Frank Melong: Capitals defenseman in 1948-49, where he had four goals and eight assists. He played six pro seasons before retiring in 1951, all in the minors. A native of Edmonton, he was born in 1921. 

Richard Brodeur: Checkers goaltender in 1979-80. "King Richard" spent his pre-Chex days in the WHA with the Quebec Nordiques, where he backstopped the team to the 1977 Avco Cup title. After his stint with the Checkers (and two games with the Islanders), he played eight more years with the Canucks and a half-season in Hartford. He backstopped the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1982 and was an NHL All-Star the following year. He is a veteran of 690 NHL/WHA games with a 296-289-74 record. He led the WHA in wins in 1975-76. In his year with the Chex, he was 22-19-5 with a 2.88 GAA and four shutouts. A native of Longeuil, Quebec, he is 59. 

Sept. 16

Larry Sacharuk: Member of the Racers in the aborted 1978-79 season. He played 15 games and had two goals and nine assists. He also played 151 NHL games with the Rangers and Blues from 1972-77. A native of Saskatoon, he is 59. 

Rick Lanz: The seventh overall pick in 1980, Lanz played eight games for the Ice in 1990-91, totaling five assists. Prior to then, he played 568 NHL games -- and played one game the following year -- with 221 goals and 286 assists. He primarily played with the Canucks. After retiring in 1993, he began coaching in Europe. A native of Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia, he is 50. 

Chris MacKenzie: Ice center from 1999-2002, he set many records in those years. He and teammate Yvan Corbin shared the CHL's Ken McKenzie trophy in 2000 as the league's leading scorers. They led the Ice to a league championship that year. He had a 47-80-127 mark that year and followed up with 30-93-123 the next. In total, he had 88 goals, 209 assists and 297 points in 160 games with the Ice. A prolific scorer, he was drafted in the 10th round by the Blues in 1991. He is the CHL Ice's career scoring leader and is fourth all-time among Indy hockey players in assists (and eighth in points). A native of Toronto, he is 40. 

Jason Baird: Ice winger from 2002-04. He played 128 games and had 53 goals and 96 assists. In addition, he had a 7-8-15 line in 13 playoff games those two seasons. A player who turned pro in 2001, Baird played through 2008. His best year was a 30-goal season with CHL Corpus Christi in 2004-05. A native of Cayuga, Ont., he is 31. 

Sept. 17

Pete Wywrot: Chiefs right wing in 1956-57, where he tallied 14 goals and 38 assists in 55 games, helping lead the Chiefs to the Turner Cup Finals. It was the last year of an 11-year pro career. A native of Fort William, Ont., he was born in 1922. 

Bob Leek: Defenseman who played 10 games for the Chiefs in 1957-58, tallying one assist. A native of Calgary, he was born in 1930. 

Sept. 18: 

Carl "Winky" Smith: Caps winger in 1943-44, and again in 1945-46. He had a 20-28-48 line in 50 games. He also had five points in the 1944 Calder Cup Playoffs. Winky played seven NHL games for the Red Wings in 1943-44. He played professionally from 1940-49. His brother was his teammate with the Caps and Red Wings. A native of Cache Bay, Ont., he was born in 1917 and passed away in 1967. 

Syd Howe: Capitals left wing in 1945-46, playing 14 games and scoring six goals/11 assists. He played in Indy at the end of a long NHL career that began in 1929 with the original Ottawa Senators. He holds the modern NHL record for goals in a game (6) and for many years, the fastest playoff overtime goal in NHL history (25 seconds). He won the Stanley Cup in 1936, 1937 and 1943. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965. A native of Ottawa, he was born in 1911 and passed away in 1976. 

Dan Malone: Member of the Chiefs from 1961-62. He split the year between Indy and Toledo, scoring one goal in 27 games between the two stops. A native of Trois Rivieres, Quebec, he was born in 1939. 

John Sheridan: Racers center from 1974-76. He was their seventh-round pick in the 1974 draft, and played 69 games, with 18 goals and 13 assists. He played in the minors from 1976-82. A native of Minneapolis, he is 57. He currently coaches high school hockey in Cleveland. 

Angie Moretto: Racers center in the aborted 1978 season. He holds the distinction of scoring the final goal in team history that year. He had three goals and one assist in 18 games that year. The University of Michigan graduate also played five NHL games with the Cleveland Barons in 1976-77. His stint with the Racers was the end of his pro career. A native of Toronto, he is 58. 

Dan Hodge: Ice defenseman from 1997-99, with five goals and six assists in 23 games. The son of former Boston Bruins star Ken Hodge, Dan played professionally through 2006, primarily in the ECHL. He then began coaching the Tulsa Oilers in the CHL. A native of Melrose, Mass., he is 40. 

Jarrod Rabey: Ice defenseman from 2009-11, where he totaled five goals and 13 assists in 60 games. A strong player -- 6-0, 238 pounds -- Rabey is now a freshman at St. Cloud State University. A native of Rockton, Ill., he is 19. 

Sept. 19

Frank Spring: Right wing who played 13 games for the Racers in 1977-78, with two goals and four assists. They came at the end of a nine-year pro career that also included 61 games with the Bruins, Blues, Seals and Barons. He was the fourth overall pick in the 1969 NHL Draft. A native of Rossland, B.C., he is 62. 

Chris Nugent: Ice forward from 2004-06, scoring four goals and three assists in 44 games. He went on from there to play two years at Merrimack College. A native of Dallas, he is 25. 

Sept. 20

Steven Kirkpatrick: Goaltender who played one game for the Ice in 2000-01 as part of a planned event. He had muscular dystrophy, and played hockey from a wheelchair. He played in the game to raise awareness for the disease, and was accompanied by Gordie Howe. He played nine seconds, making a save on Huntsville's Chris George -- who would soon join the Ice -- and left to an ovation. A native of Sandusky, Mich., he was born in 1978. 

Michael Findorff: Ice defenseman in 2004-05, where he had two goals, eight assists and 137 PIMs in 54 games. He also played in three postseason games that year. Findorff went on from the Ice to play four years at Miami (Ohio), scoring one goal in 31 games. A native of Colorado Springs, he is 27.