Today in history: January 2

January 2

Claude St. Sauveur: Racers center in their final two years. In 89 games, he had 40 goals and 46 assists. He was the team's leading scorer in 1977-78 with 36 goals and 42 assists. He played in 17 of the team's 18 games the following year and had four goals and two assists. St. Sauveur played 364 games in the WHA/NHL from 1972 through the 1978-79 season, with 135 goals and 135 assists. He played in the WHA for the Philadelphia/Vancouver Blazers, Calgary Cowboys, and Edmonton Oilers and in the NHL with the Atlanta Flames before joining the Racers. He also played 17 games with the Cincinnati Stingers following the Racers' folding. He played his last two years in the IHL, where he maintained a two-points-per-game pace with the Milwaukee Admirals. A native of St. Hyancinthe, Quebec, he is 60 . 

Neal Coulter: Member of the Checkers for parts of three seasons. He matriculated to the team at the end of the 1982-83 year when his OHL career was finished, and played through the 1984-85 season. In 61 games with the CHL Checkers, he had seven goals and 11 assists, and had two goals in the 1984 Adams Cup Playoffs, in which the Checkers were a surprise finalist. The following year, the Checkers made their IHL debut and he had a 31-goal, 26-assist season, playing all 82 games. All told, he played 143 games across the two leagues with 38 goals and 36 assists. He also had five playoff goals in 11 games. He would earn the callup to the NHL in 1985-86 and play 26 games with the Islanders over three seasons. His claim to fame is that he scored a goal on the first shot of his first game against Washington's Al Jensen. Coulter spent his entire pro career in the Isles' organization and retired after the 1987-88 season. A native of Toronto, he is 49. 

Brett Bruneteau: To our knowledge, the only third-generation player to suit up for an Indianapolis-based team. Bruneteau was a forward for the Ice in 2007-08, with one goal and seven assists in 14 games. He would be dealt to Des Moines midway through the year, which was the third of his four USHL seasons. Bruneteau played two years collegiately at North Dakota -- where he received his undergraduate degree in two years -- and is currently playing for the University of Vermont. Eligibility-wise, he is a junior, but he is a graduate student at UVM. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 draft by the Washington Capitals. Bruneteau's grandfater, Eddie Bruneteau, played for the Capitals in the 1940s, as did his great-uncle Modere "Mud" Bruneteau. A native of Omaha, Neb. -- where Eddie settled and helped develop the local hockey scene upon his retirement as a player more than a half-century ago -- Brett is 23.