This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 14

April 14 in Indianapolis hockey history
2012: Ice goaltender Jon Gillies is credited with a goal in a 6-3 victory over Des Moines in the Ice's first-ever home game played at the University of Notre Dame. Gillies was the last Ice player to touch the puck before the Buccaneers misfired on a pass that ended up in an empty net. Daniil Tarasov closes out a 47-goal regular season with a goal and an assist.
2011: The Ice open the playoffs with a 4-0 shutout of Waterloo. Casey DeSmith made 38 saves for the shutout. Dan Cesarz,  Brian Ferlin and David Johnstone scored second-period goals and Blake Coleman added a third-period power play goal. Daniil Tarasov had two assists.
2010: The Ice complete a rally from two games down to beat the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders 3-2 in both the game and the series. Anthony Bitetto's unassisted goal at 4:09 of OT vaults the Ice into the next round.  Brian Ferlin and Jacob Fallon staked the Ice to a 2-0 second-period lead, but Cedar Rapids tied the game with 5:08 left in regulation. Casey DeSmith made 37 saves for his third straight win. Ferlin (G, A) and Alex Wideman (2A) had multi-point games. It marked the second straight year the Ice had eliminated Cedar Rapids in a fifth game on the road.
2007: Eric Kattelus scores twice and assists on another goal, and John Kemp adds a goal and two assists as the Ice beat the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets 7-2 to close out the season at the Coliseum. Cody Reichard makes 27 saves for the win.
2000: The Ice open the CHL semifinal series against Oklahoma City with a 3-1 victory, backstopped by a fine performance by Jamie Morris. Yvan Corin scores the game-winner.
1990: The Ice rout Peoria 7-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their IHL division semifinal series. Jim Waite gets the win in net and Bob Bassen tallies the game-winner. 
1984: The Checkers take a 3-2 edge in their first-round series against Colorado, winning 6-5 on Kevin Devine's goal 8:58 into overtime. The Checkers stormed back from a 5-2 deficit in the third, with Red Laurence, Roger Kortko and Monty Trottier scoring in the final period, the latter coming on the power play with 1:34 left. Laurence had two goals in the game. Todd Lumbard stopped 17 shots in relief to get the win.
1977: The Racers take a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series against Cincinnati, winning 5-3 at Market Square Arena. Brian McDonald scores a shorthanded goal to break a tie at 7:10 of the third, assisted by Nick Harbaruk and goaltender Paul Hoganson. Blair MacDonald adds an insurance goal with seven minutes left to net the hat trick. The McDonald/MacDonald combo scores all five goals.

Happy birthday to ... 
Mark Lomenda: Right wing who played 58 games for the Racers -- all but two in the 1976-77 season. He also played two games the prior year. He had nine goals and 21 assists. His claim to fame is assisting on Gene Peacosh's 3OT goal that ended the longest game in WHA history, as the Racers beat Cincinnati 4-3 in the opening game of the 1977 playoffs. Lomenda played 164 WHA games from 1974-77, with 31 goals and 61 assists. He retired after 1979. A native of Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, he is 60. 
Richard Adolfi: Right wing who played 21 games for the Checkers in 1985-86, shortly after turning professional. He had two goals and two assists with the Checkers, and played three full minor pro seasons, all in the IHL. A native of Rome, NY, he is 49.
Dave Allison: Defenseman who finished his 10-year pro hockey career with the Ice in 1988-89, tallying seven assists and 105 PIMs in 34 games. He played in the AHL & IHL for his entire career, and played three NHL games with Montreal in 1983-84. He was a player-assistant coach for the Ice. and became a head coach the year after in the ECHL, and has had a long coaching career since, including a 22-game NHL stint with the Ottawa Senators in 1995-96. He is currently an assistant with the AHL Chicago Wolves. A native of Fort Frances, Ontario, he is 55.
Lonnie Loach: Remembered primarily for his exploits with the Fort Wayne Komets - especially in ending the Ice's stellar 1990-91 season in the playoffs (a year in which he was the IHL's leading scorer with 131 points) - Loach played three games for the Ice in 1989-90. He spent nearly all of his 16-year professional career in the IHL, playing for Saginaw, Flint, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Phoenix, San Diego, Detroit, San Antonio, Long Beach, Kansas City and Chicago alone in the IHL. He also played for two AHL teams and parts of two seasons in Europe. He played 56 NHL games between 1992-94, playing 50 for the Los Angeles Kings in 1992-93 on a team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. He also played three games each for Ottawa and Anaheim. He finished his career in 2005-06 playing in the UHL for Missouri. A native of New Liskeard, Ontario, he is 46.
Brett Peterson: Forward who played 56 games for the Ice in 2006-07. He had 12 points and 78 PIMs in that stint, before playing two collegiate seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato. A native of Elk River, Minnesota, he is 26. 

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 12

April 12 in Indianapolis hockey history
2010: The Ice emphatically tie their first-round series with Cedar Rapids, winning 6-1 at Pan Am Plaza. Max Cook (2G, A), Nic Dowd (G, 2A) and Kevin Goumas (3A) all tally three-point nights. Casey DeSmith makes 41 saves in net. 
2008: John Kemp assists on three goals and both Jake Skjodt and Paul Carey post a goal and two assists as the Ice rout the Chicago Steel 7-2 at the Coliseum to even their first-round playoff series at 1-1. Scott Darling stops 25 shots in net. The joy would be short-lived, as the Steel would win the next two games in Chicago to win the series 3-1. 
2005: The Indiana Ice host their first playoff game, but fall 5-4 to Cedar Rapids when Phil Axtell scores at 4:16 of overtime to clinch a three-game sweep for the Riders. Tomas Klempa scores twice for the Ice as they rally from a three-goal deficit to take a third-period lead. Future Red Wing Justin Abdelkader had two assists, including a helper on the game-tying goal in the third for Cedar Rapids.
2000: An epic - and brutal - series-clinching 7-0 win for the Ice over Tulsa at the Coliseum. Jamie Morris posts the shutout in his first playoff start in the winner-take-all Game 5. But the Ice get rolling quickly and build an insurmountable lead. In the third period, everything breaks loose as the Ice and Oilers combine for a CHL playoff record 312 penalty minutes - nearly all in the final period. The Ice's Mike Berger scores two goals against his former team.
1994: Sergei Krivokrasov tallies a goal and three assists to help the Ice beat Milwaukee 5-2 and close the season with a 28-46-7 record. Shawn Byram had two assists. Karl Dykhuis and Rob Cimetta also had two-point nights. Chris Rogles had to make 43 saves in net.
1991: Martin Desjardins scores at 12:22 of overtime, unassisted, to give the Ice a 1-0 lead over Fort Wayne in the playoffs. He also scored the game-tying goal late in the second. Brian Noonan also scored for the Ice, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit and used a 37-save performance by Jim Waite.
1986: Mike Zanier posts a solid game in net and Paul Skjodt scores the shootout winner as the Checkers win 2-1 in Kalamazoo, helping them clinch an IHL playoff spot. 
1977: The Racers take a 2-0 lead over the Cincinnati Stingers in the first-round playoff series, winning 7-2 at Riverfront Coliseum. Reggie Thomas and Mark Lomenda score 43 seconds apart in the first period. Rene LeClerc, Nick Harbaruk and Michel Parizeau all score in the second to give the Racers a 5-0 edge. Thomas would finish the night with two goals and an assist. Michel Dion stops 30 shots.

Happy birthday to ... 
Al Dewsbury: A big, imposing, 6-2, 205-pound defenseman who played parts of four seasons with the Capitals from 1946-50 -- splitting time with the Detroit Red Wings in each of those years. He played 159 games in the Circle City, with 29 goals and 56 assists (and 2-7-9 in 10 playoff games). In his final season with the Caps, he had 15 goals, 22 assists and 76 PIMs in 50 games from the blueline. He also had seven points in the playoffs that season as the Caps swept their way to the Calder Cup -- and then played four playoff games with the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. He was dealt to Chicago after the 1949-50 season, and played six more full seasons in the NHL with the Blackhawks. He had 30 goals, 78 assists and 365 PIMs in 378 NHL games. A native of Goderich, Ontario, he was born in 1926. He passed away in 2006.
Dave Hanson: Member of the Checkers from 1982-84 -- playing a full 80-game season during the 1982-83 Adams Cup year, and one more game the following season. He had 18 goals, 21 assists and 285 PIMs in the blue-and-orange. He also had a goal and three assists in the 1983 playoff run.  The latter isn't shocking if one looks at the name -- Dave is one of the three hockey-playing "Hanson Brothers" from the movie Slap Shot! (but the only one whose given name was Hanson), and his career actually did begin in Johnstown, PA with a team in the then-pro NAHL in 1974. No word on whether he actually put the foil on for the Checkers, but he played 136 NHL/WHA games, with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, New England Whalers, Birmingham Bulls and Minnesota North Stars, tallying 562 PIMs in those games. He retired from playing hockey after the 1983-84 season. A native of Cumberland, Wisconsin, he is 60.
Dan Miele: Played 55 games for the Checkers in 1985-86, the last of his five pro seasons. He had five goals and 11 assists. A native of LaSalle, Quebec, he is 52.
Torey Krug: Captain of the Ice in 2008-09, Krug had 10 goals and 37 assists in 59 games that season. He also had a goal and six assists in 13 postseason games -- the goal being one of the biggest in franchise history. He scored the third-period game-winner in Game 5 against Cedar Rapids that sent the Ice into the next round. The Ice went on to win the Clark Cup that season. Krug had 83 points in three seasons at Michigan State University before signing a free-agent deal with the Boston Bruins in 2012. He emerged as a mainstay with the Bruins in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, with four goals and two assists in the postseason run as the Bruins got to the finals. A native of Livonia, Michigan, he is 23.
Austin Ortega: Forward who scored 24 goals and assisted on 18 for the Ice over 44 games in 2012-13. He finished the season with Fargo, and was nearly a point-a-game player as the Force got to the Clark Cup Finals. Ortega recently completed his freshman season at Nebraska-Omaha, with 19 points in 35 games. A native of Escondido, California, he is 20. 

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 6

April 6 in Indianapolis hockey history
1991: Dan Vincelette has a hat trick, with Martin Desjardins assisting on three goals as the Ice beat Phoenix 6-5 in a shootout. Sean Williams scores the shootout goal. Vincelette scored a shorthanded goal with 3:25 left to get the Ice back in it, and Brian Noonan's 37th goal tied it up with 41 seconds left.
1982: The Checkers opened their first Adams Cup championship run with a 7-0 whitewashing of the Tulsa Oilers at the Coliseum. Kelly Davis scored twice. Dave Simpson had two assists. Kelly Hrudey made 37 saves. 
1976: The Racers are idle, but clinch the WHA's Eastern Division title when the Cleveland Crusaders fall to the San Diego Mariners. Two days earlier, a 4-2 Racers victory put the team in first place. The Racers finished the regular season 12-4-4. 
1975: The Racers' first season ends with a 4-3 loss at Vancouver. The Racers finish 18-57-3.

Happy birthday to ... 
Darryl Maggs: Defenseman who played 167 games for the Racers from 1975-78. He joined the team midway through the 1975-76 season and had 21 points as the Racers won their first division title. His best season came the following year, when he had 16 goals and 55 assists to lead the Racers into the playoffs again. He had 27 goals and 86 assists in his Racers career, as well as two goals and four assists in 16 playoff games. Maggs played nine years of major pro hockey from 1971-80, with Chicago, California and Toronto in the NHL, and Chicago, Indianapolis, Denver and Cincinnati in the WHA. He played 537 NHL/WHA games, with 66 goals and 196 assists. A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he is 67. In retirement, he has settled in Colorado Springs.
Trevor Halverson: Left wing who played 12 games for the Ice -- and five playoff games -- in 1995-96. He had one assist in that span. Halverson played parts of eight seasons professionally, including 17 games with the Washington Capitals in 1998-99, his final year. He was the Caps' first-round pick in 1991. A native of White River, Ontario, he is 43.
Ryan Risidore: Defenseman who played 75 games for the Ice in 1997-98, with three goals, eight assists and 123 PIMs. He also had an assist in four playoff games. It was the second of eight pro seasons for Risidore, who also played in the AHL, ECHL and in Britain. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, he is 38.
Alex Gacek: Forward who played seven games for the Ice in 2010-11 before being dealt to Youngstown. He played two years in the USHL, with 13 goals and 39 points, and recently completed his sophomore season at Miami University, where he has posted a 3-4-7 line in each of his two years. A native of Dracut, Mass., he is 21.

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 4

April 4 in Indianapolis hockey history
2012: Daniil Tarasov pots a 4-point night as the Ice beat the Chicago Steel 6-5 in a shootout. Tarasov assists on goals by Kirill Lebedev and Sean Kuraly early in the period, and then scores a power play goal at 14:23 and an even-strength goal 59 seconds later. The Ice score five second-period goals and eventually win 6-5 in a shootout. Ryan Obuchowski adds three assists.
2008: The Ice fall behind Cedar Rapids 4-0 just 12:14 into the game, but rally to tie the game in the second and win it 6-4 in the third when John Carlson scores the winner at 5:04. John Kemp adds an insurance goal. Jake Skjodt, who assisted on both third-period goals, tallies four points. Paul Carey assists on three. After replacing Scott Darling in net, Matt Hoyle stops all 16 shots he faces to get the win. It would go a long way in clinching a division title for the Ice.
2000: The Ice open their maiden voyage in the Central Hockey League playoffs with a 3-2 win over Tulsa, boosted by Peter Jas' game-winning goal in overtime.
1992: The Ice snap a six-game skid and close the 1991-92 season with a 5-3 win in Muskegon. Shawyn Byram scores twice and Craig Woodcroft pots the game-winner. The Ice went 11-6-1 with Ray LeBlanc in net after his return but finished 31-41-10 overall. He turned aside 38 shots in the win.
1989: The Flint Spirits rally from a 5-1 deficit to tie the Ice midway through the third at the Coliseum, but Mike Murray scores on Alain Lemieux's fourth assist of the night with 1:25 left to give the Ice a 6-5 win.
1982: The Checkers close out what would become a championship regular season with a 7-2 win over Salt Lake. Kelly Hrudey gets the win in net, Garth MacGuigan scores the game-winner, and the Checkers wrap up a 42-33-5 campaign. 
1976: The Racers clinch the WHA East Division title, beating the New England Whalers 4-2 in Hartford. The Racers finish 35-39-6, and will face the Whalers in the opening round of the playoffs.

Happy birthday to ... 
Roy Glover: Center who played 54 games with the Capitals in 1943-44, tallying six goals and 14 assists. A native of Fort William, Ontario, he was born in 1926.
Cliff Simpson: Center who played parts of five seasons with the Capitals from 1942-43 and again from 1945-49. In 1947-48, he became the team's first-ever 100-point man, with 48 goals and 62 assists. Simpson scored at least 20 goals four times with the Caps. He played 244 games with the team, scoring 136 goals and assisting on 143. He is the Capitals' career scoring leader. Simpson played six games for the Red Wings in 1946-47, and two playoff games in 1947 and 1948, his only NHL action. A native of Toronto, he was born in 1923. He passed away in 1987.
Eric Lecompte: Left wing who joined the Ice at the end of the 1994-95 season, and played three more full seasons from 1995-98. The Blackhawks' No. 1 draft pick in 1993, Lecompted played 163 games with the Ice. He scored 35 goals and assisted on 34, to go along with 259 PIMs. Lecompte scored 24 of those goals in 1995-96. He played for several IHL/AHL teams in that time, and played several years in Europe from 1999-2008. Lecompte stayed active through 2013, playing in Quebec's LNAH. A native of Montreal, he is 39.
Peter Schneider: Forward who had 30 goals and 23 assists for the Ice in 2010-11, and added a goal and two assists in five postseason games. Schneider took his talents from the Ice to Notre Dame, where he has a 15-16-31 line in three seasons. A native of Vienna, Austria, he is 23.

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 2

On this date in Indianapolis hockey history
2014: Scott Conway scores the first four-goal game in Indiana Ice history, as the Ice explode for five second-period goals in a 9-1 victory over Dubuque. Conway adds an assist for a five-point game. Teammate Dwyer Tschantz also has a five-point night (G, 4A), while Jacob Pritchard has a goal and three assists. 
2008: Gregory Squires tallies two goals and an assist, while John Kemp assists on three goals as the Ice beat the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets 4-3 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Scott Darling stops 38 shots for the division champion Ice.
2005: The Ice's first USHL regular season ends with a 5-3 loss at Waterloo despite two assists from Jeremy Tejchma. 
2000: The Ice complete their first CHL season with a 39-28-3 record and a 6-5 loss to Topeka. Yvan Corbin and Chris MacKenzie combine for a CHL-high 127 points. Corbin tallies his 62nd goal, MacKenzie his 47th.
1997: The Ice hold off a late Houston rally to beat the Aeros 4-3 in a shootout. Andy MacIntyre, Chris Snell and Brad Werenka all score in the shootout. Steve Dubinsky scores twice in the regulation - the latter being his 30th goal - with Rob Conn and Brad Werenka each assisting on two. It?s the first division title since the 1990 Turner Cup championship team.
1994: Rob Cimetta has the game-tying goal and three assists in regulation, then scores the game-winner in the shootout as the Ice beat Las Vegas 6-5 on the road. Christian Soucy comes off cold off the bench and stuffs all five Thunder attempts in the shootout. Rob Conn scores two first-period goals and adds an assist.
1993: Brad Lauer tallies three goals and an assist in a 9-3 Ice rout of Phoenix. Sean Williams adds three assists, as does Alexander Andrievski who scores his 25th goal 23 seconds in. Rob Brown has four assists. For Lauer, it's goals 44, 45 and 46 on the year. Rob Conn also scores twice.
1986: Rob Holland backstops a 7-4 Checkers win over Peoria at Market Square Arena. Earl Ingarfield scores the game-winner for the home team.
1983: The Checkers close out a successful 1982-83 regular season with an 8-2 thumping of the Birmingham South Stars. Kelly Hrudey backstops the win, and Dave Simpson scores the game-winner at the Coliseum.  The Checkers finish 50-28-2
1976: The Racers clinch their first playoff spot with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Toros at Maple Leaf Gardens, backstopped by goaltender Jim Park. 
1942: The Capitals put themselves on the verge of the city's first hockey championship. They beat beat Hershey 2-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 Calder Cup Finals series. Jack Keating scored the game-winning goal and Joe Turner stopped all but one shot for the Caps.

Happy birthday to ... 
Grant Blakey: Forward who played 52 games for the Ice on the 2008-09 Clark Cup championship team. He tallied nine points in those 52 games, but had three goals and two assists in nine postseason contests on the way to the championship. He recently completed his collegiate career at Mercyhurst, where he tallied 37 goals and 69 assists in 146 games over four years.  A native of Canton, Michigan, he is 25.

Today in history: January 26

January 26 in Indianapolis hockey history
1958: A double-hat trick for the Chiefs. Pierre Brillant and Bob Bowness each tally three goals in a 7-2 victory over the Toledo Mercurys.


Birthdays
Vic Lynn: A speedy winger, he played for the Capitals in 1943-44. He had four goals and five assists in 32 games. He made his debut with the Rangers, briefly, the previous year, and then came to the Red Wings during World War II. He had several callups to the NHL, and is the only player in NHL history to skate for all six Original Six teams. His best NHL season was in 1947-48, when he had 34 points with the Maple Leafs, for whom he played from 1946-50, and was part of the KLM line with Howie Meeker and Teeder Kennedy. He played in the NHL -- with a few stops in the AHL in-between -- through 1954, and then played senior hockey through 1963. He won three Stanley Cups in 1947, 1948 and 1949. A native of Saskatoon, he was born in 1925, and passed away in 2010.
Wayne Gretzky: A man who needs no introduction, "The Great One" famously began his pro hockey career in Indianapolis with a fledgling Racers outfit that would fold a couple of months later. Gretzky played eight games with the Racers, and scored his first professional goal at Market Square Arena against Edmonton's Dave Dryden. He had three goals and three assists with the Racers in eight games before being sold to Edmonton in a trade that also sent Racers Peter Driscoll and Ed Mio to the Oilers. He would finish that season with 46 goals and 110 points, and the highest-scoring career in hockey history was on. When the Oilers made the jump to the NHL the next year, Gretzky spent the next 20 seasons rewriting the pro hockey record books. He had at least 110 points in each of his first 14 pro seasons, and the number likely would've been 16 straight if not for an injury in 1992-93. He had eight straight 50-goal seasons at the start of his NHL career, with 92 goals and 212 points in 1981-82, 71 goals and 186 points the following year, and 87 goals and 205 points in 1983-84, the year the Oilers won their first of four Stanley Cups in five years with Gretzky. Two more 200-point seasons followed. After winning the fourth Cup in 1988, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he helped build hockey in Southern California during seven and a half seasons. He had an amazing playoff year in 1993, where he had 40 points in 24 games to lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals. He played briefly with St. Louis in 1995-96, then played his final three years with the Rangers before retiring in 1999, his 21st pro season. In 1,567 NHL/WHA games, he had 940 goals and 2,027 assists. His 2,967 points is a pro hockey record, as are the other marks. He also had 132 goals and 270 assists in 221 playoff games. He appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals six times, winning four in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was a nine-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP, 10-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the league's leading scorer, two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner as postseason MVP and five-time Lady Byng Trophy winner as the league's most gentlemanly player. Since retirement, he has been a team owner, coached the Phoenix Coyotes and has remained an ambassador for the game. A native of Brantford, Ont., he is 51.
Dean Malkoc: Ice defenseman for 62 games in 1994-95. Malkoc had four points and 193 PIMs in his stint with the Ice. He had played four years in the Devils organization before joining the Ice, then spent much of the next four years in the NHL with the Canucks, Bruins and Islanders. He had four points in 116 NHL games, as well as 299 PIMs. He is now a scout with the Boston Bruins. A native of Vancouver, he is 42.
Jason Selleke: Ice forward for three seasons, from 2000-02, then again in 2003-04. In 195 games, he had 48 goals and 69 assists, as well as 376 PIMs. In the interim, the Ohio State graduate played with UHL Fort Wayne. After leaving the Ice, he played six more years, five in the UHL and one in Italy. A native of St. Clair Shores, Mich., he is 34.
Jarrett Thompson: Amateur "playoff-only" signee for the Ice in 2001. He joined the Ice after his fifth year in the WHL, and played three playoff games. He played three years in the ECHL, split with two years in Canadian university play. A native of Calgary, he is 32.
Eric Miller: One of a handful of Hoosiers to play with the Ice, the Carmel resident played 50 games for the blue and white from 2004-07. He had 12 goals and nine assists, all but two of those points coming in 2006-07, when he played 31 games with the Ice. He also had six playoff goals in seven games as the Ice made a deep playoff run in 2007. Born in Villa Hills, Ky., he is 26.
Jay Clark: Goaltender who played 11 games for the Ice in 2005-06. He primarily played that year and the next in the NAHL, then played collegiately at Army. He finished his college career in 2011 as the Cadets' starting goaltender for three seasons. A native of Baudette, Minn., he is 25.

Today in history: January 21

January 21 in Indianapolis hockey history

1962: Shortly after being released by the team, Hank Therrien is re-signed and scores 6:32 into overtime to beat Muskegon and end a Chiefs losing streak. 

Birthdays

Ray Adduono: Racers center for eight games in 1977-78. He had a goal and two assists. He played five WHA seasons, with 45 goals and 152 assists in 221 games with the Cleveland Crusaders, San Diego Mariners, Minnesota Fighting Saints and the Racers. He finished his career with the Racers, and played two more years in the minors. A native of Fort William, Ont., he is 65. 

Graeme Bonar: Ice right wing in 1988-89, where he had 11 goals and eight assists in 38 games. The Montreal Canadiens' third-round pick in 1984, he played in the AHL and IHL from 1986-89, then in the Colonial and Sunshine Hockey Leagues through 1994. He had a 33-goal season with CoHL Brantford in 1991-92. A native of Mimico, Ont., he is 46. 

Today in history: January 11

January 11 in Indianapolis hockey history

1961: Chiefs coach Leo Lamoureux dies at age 44, the cause of death listed as acute hepatitis. He had left the team mid-season two months earlier to check into the hospital. Leo led the Chiefs to the 1958 Turner Cup championship and would be honored by the IHL, with its leading scorer trophy re-named for him. 

Birthdays

Connie Brown: A Capitals regular from 1939-43. He was known as a skilled playmaker who broke into the pro ranks in 1938-39 with the Red Wings organization. He had 19 points in 15 games in the Caps' inaugural 1939-40 season. He was the team's leading scorer the two following seasons, despite playing less than the full season with the Caps. He had 16 goals and 28 assists in 1940-41, then followed that up with a 19-goal, 34-assists season in the 1941-42 Calder Cup championship year. In 147 games as a Capital, he scored 56 goals and 97 assists. He also had eight goals and 11 assists in the playoffs, including 11 points in the championship year of 1942. He split each season with the Red Wings, totaling 39 points in 91 games from 1938-43 with Detroit. He was part of the 1943 Stanley Cup championship team, although he did not play a playoff game with Detroit that year. He played several years of senior hockey from 1943-on. A native of Vankleek Hill, Ont., he was born in 1917. He passed away in 1966. 

Florent Pilote: Defenseman for the Chiefs for four games in 1958-59. He had a goal and an assist, and also had an assist in five playoff games. From there, he embarked on an 11-year career in the Eastern Hockey League, nearly all with Nashville. A native of Fort Erie, Ont., he was born in 1936. 

Ray Ross: Center for the Capitols in 1963. He had two goals in the eight games the Caps played, and finished the year with 15 goals and 15 assists for the combined Caps/Cincinnati Wings team in 44 games. He was near the end of a 14-year career that was primarily spent in the AHL. A native of Hamilton, Ont., he was born in 1932.

Bobby Sheehan: Racers center in 1977-78, where he had eight goals and seven assists in 29 games. Sheehan was a diminutive player -- at 5-8, 160 -- but a sparkplug for his teams throughout his career. He broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens in 1969-70 and won the Stanley Cup the following year. He then had 20 goals for the California Golden Seals in 1971-72, his first full NHL season. He jumped to the WHA in 1972-73 and scored 35 goals with the New York Raiders. He played 551 NHL/WHA games between 1970-83, playing for Montreal, Chicago, Detroit, the New York Rangers, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles in the NHL, and for the New York Raiders/Golden Blades/Jersey Knights, Edmonton Oilers and the Racers in the WHA. He had 123 goals and 173 assists. He played in the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals with the Rangers, playing in 15 playoff games that season after spending the regular season in the minors. A native of Weymouth, Mass., he is 63. 

Alex Roberts: Ice defenseman from 1989-91 -- primarily playing in the 1990-91 season. In 83 games, he had 11 goals and 18 assists. He also had three assists in seven playoff games against Fort Wayne that year. He joined the team after finishing his career at the University of Michigan. He played through 1993 in the AHL and ECHL. A native of Detroit, he is 42. 

John Parker: Ice forward from 2008-10, where he had five goals and 19 assists in 89 games. He had three goals and three assists in 16 postseason games, and was part of the Clark Cup championship team in 2009. Parker played the 2010-11 season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and is currently a freshman at the University of Maine. A native of Green Brook, NJ, he is 20.

 

Today in history: January 7

January 7 in Indianapolis hockey history

1958: For the first time in Indy hockey history, a game is televised, as WTTV beams the Chiefs’ 7-1 victory over the Toledo Mercurys. Rene St. Hiliare has a hat trick against future NHLer Les Binkley and Cliff Hicks makes 22 saves. WTTV would televise four games that year. 

Birthdays (and lots of 'em)

Benny Woit: Capitals defenseman from 1948-51. He played 207 games in that span for the Caps, with 18 goals and 51 assists. He was a key part of the 1950 Calder Cup title run with two playoff goals. He joined the Red Wings for the playoffs in 1951 and then stuck in Detroit, winning three Stanley Cups before being dealt to Chicago in 1955. He played his last NHL game in 1956-57, but continued playing pro through 1966, primarily in the AHL and old Eastern Hockey League. He had 33 points in 334 NHL games. He was known as a strong stay-at-home defenseman and a terrific bodychecker. After retirement, he returned to Ontario and worked as a longshoreman. A native of Fort William, Ont., he is 84. 

Jacques Locas: Racers center in 1974-75, their inaugural year, for 11 games. He had one assist in that campaign, his rookie year. He had 119 points in 187 WHA games through 1978, primarily with the Cincinnati Stingers. Upon retirement, he returned to his hometown and became an attorney. A native of St. Jerome, Quebec, he was born in 1954, the son of the former NHL player of the same name. He passed away in 2006 at age 42. 

Rod Buskas: Ice defenseman for 15 games in 1992-93, during which he had three assists. He played 11 NHL seasons between 1982-93, primarily with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but also with Chicago, Los Angeles and Vancouver. He had 82 points in 556 NHL games. He played in the 1992 Stanley Cup Finasl with Chicago. After retiring in 1995, he moved to Las Vegas -- where he played his final two years -- and ran a flight school. He also assisted the IHL Las Vegas Thunder. A native of Medicine Hat, Alb., he is 51.
Bobby House: Right wing for the Ice from 1993-95. He had 12 goals and 11 assists in 68 games. The Blackhawks' third-round pick in 1991, he played professionally in North America from 1993-2002, with three 30-goal seasons. Nearly all of that time was either in the AHL or IHL. He continued to play in Europe after that point. A native of Whitehorse, Yukon, he is 39.
Tim Hogan: Ice defenseman for one game in 1995-96. The Michigan grad played two years with the ECHL Columbus Chill and a third year in Europe. A native of Oshawa, Ont., he is 38.
Jani Hurme: Ice goaltender in 1997-98, splitting time with Jim Waite. The Senators' third-round pick in 1997, Hurme had an 11-11-3 mark in 29 games, with a 3.30 GAA and one shutout. Then a North American rookie, he would stick at the IHL and NHL level. He made his NHL debut in 1999-2000 with Ottawa, allowing two goals in a win. He played 76 NHL games through 2003 with Ottawa and Florida. He also backstopped the Grand Rapids Griffins to the Turner Cup Final in 2000. He was forced out of hockey for two years after 2003 due to illnesses. He moved back to his native Europe in 2006 and played in Finland. A native of Turku, Finland, he is 37.

 

Today in history: January 6

January 6 in Indianapolis hockey history

1957: The Chiefs win a thriller at home against Toledo. Bob Bowness scores with 21 seconds left to tie the game, and then Pierre Brillant finishes a hat trick by scoring 12 seconds into OT while he was being tripped

1962: The Chiefs and Fort Wayne Komets play a bizarre doubleheader in Fort Wayne. They play the regularly-scheduled game, which the Chiefs won 6-2 thanks to two goals from Garth Hayes. Then, they complete a game from Dec. 13 that was shortened by a brawl. It was initially ruled a 3-2 Komets win, but the IHL required the final 8:34 to be played with Fort Wayne leading 3-2. The Chiefs scored three goals after the resumption, with Bill Wilkes scoring twice in a 5-3 Chiefs victory. In the Allen County Coliseum, 4,432 witness the festivities. 

Birthday

Craig Hamner: Defenseman for the Racers in 1974-75. He was the team's second-round pick in the 1974 Amateur Draft. He had one goal in 27 games with the Racers. He also played parts of two years with the Racers' farm team in Mohawk Valley. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he is 66.

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.

Today in history: December 22

December 22 in Indianapolis hockey history

1976: The Racers beat the Czechoslovakian national team 3-2, one of the most powerful teams in the world. 

1981: Charlie Skjodt has a goal and five assists in a Checkers’ victory over the Cincinnati Tigers 9-5. Glen Duncan has a hat trick. 

Birthdays

Roger Cote: Defenseman for the Racers in 1974-75, coming at the end of a 16-year pro career that began in 1959 and was spent in the minors until the formation of the WHA in 1972. Cote played two seasons for the Edmonton Oilers prior to joining the Racers, where he played 36 games and had six assists. He had several double-digit goal seasons in the AHL in the early 1960s. A native of Belleterre, Quebec, he is 72. 

Bob Fitchner: Racers center from 1974-76, where he played 130 games. He scored 26 goals and added 35 assists as a Racer, before being traded to the Quebec Nordiques in 1976 for Michel Parizeau. A sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1970, he jumped to the WHA and broke in with the Edmonton Oilers in 1972. He played in all seven WHA seasons -- totaling 207 points in 414 games. He played with Edmonton in the two seasons before joining the Racers, and then played for the Nordiques from his trade through the WHA-NHL merger, before retiring in 1980-81. His best season was a 45-point year in 1978-79. He played 78 NHL games after the merger with the Nordiques. A native of Sudbury, Ont., he is 61. 

Peter Fiorentino: Ice defenseman for 10 games in 1995-96. He was scoreless in those 10 regular-season games, as well as in five playoff games. He played 10 pro seasons, primarily in the AHL and IHL. He played in one game with the New York Rangers in 1991-92, his only NHL appearance. He retired after spending the 1997-98 season in the UHL with the B.C. Icemen, based in Binghamton, where he played five seasons before being dealt to the Ice. A native of Niagara Falls, Ont., he is 43. 

Scott Darling: Ice goaltender in 2007-08, where he had a 27-10-2 record and a 3.04 GAA with one shutout. He was a seventh-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007. He played two seasons at the University of Maine, going 25-20-6, before turning professional in 2010. He is currently in his second season in the SPHL, playing for the Mississippi RiverKings. A native of Lemont, Ill., he is 23.