Ice seeking ninth title in city's hockey history

In 1942, Judd McAtee scored an overtime winner in the semifinal series to propel the Indianapolis Capitals into the AHL's Calder Cup Final, where they'd beat the Hershey Bears in a deciding fifth game at the Coliseum.

That would be the first time a championship trophy has come to Indianapolis, but not the last.

We're back!

Lots to catch up on, but after a two-and-a-half month hiatus brought on by work pressures (read: no time to update :) ), we're back and going to start posting on a regular basis again. 

We'll have coverage of the Ice in the Eastern Conference Finals, the 2012-13 schedule and, of course, the drafts. 

First the ECF: 

After sweeping Dubuque 3-0, the Ice take on the top-seeded Green Bay Gamblers in a matchup of the USHL's top two teams. 

The series begins Thursday and Friday in Green Bay. The Ice will host games 3 and 4 Sunday at 5 p.m. and at 7 p.m. Monday. Game 5, if necessary, would be Wednesday 5/9 in Green Bay. 

Tonight is the Futures Draft. A look at the draft in the next post. 

Today in history: Oct. 2

Two birthdays today

Larry Thibeault: "Half-n-half" was a left wing for the Capitals in 1944-45, with two goals and 12 assists in 31 games. He also played five NHL games -- four for the Red Wings that season, and one more in Montreal the following year. He was a big scorer for Eddie Shore's Springfield Indians from 1939-41 and with Buffalo's Calder Cup champions in 1943-44. He continued to play in the minor leagues through 1955-56 before retiring at age 37. A native of Charlestone, Ont., he was born in 1918. 

Justin Kearns: Right wing for the Ice for 86 games from 2001-03. He had 10 goals, 17 assists and 71 PIMs in those games. The Northeastern University grad played five pro seasons -- primarily in the UHL before joining the Ice from the Columbus Cottonmouths in 2001-02. In his best year, he had 27 goals and 47 points for UHL Rockford in 2000-01. A native of Cleveland, he is 36. 

Today in history: September 28

One birthday today
Gene Peacosh: Member of the Racers in 1976-77, scoring 22 goals and 26 assists in 64 games. He added the punctuation mark that year with one of the most famous goals in Indianapolis hockey history -- his triple-OT goal that ended the longest game in WHA history. The rebound shot beat the Cincinnati Stingers 4-3. He ended up with three goals and three assists in nine playoff games that year, as the Racers swept Cincinnati and then fell to eventual champion Quebec in five games. He played 367 WHA games, with 165 goals and 165 assists. His best season was a 43-36-79 year in 1974-75 with San Diego. He also had 30-goal seasons with the New York Raiders in 1972-73 and with the Mariners in 1975-76. He retired following the 1977 season. A native of Sherridon, Man., he is 63.

Check out a YouTube retrospective of Peacosh's career.

Today in history: Sept. 21

After yesterday's mega-update, we have another batch of birthdays today

Barry Sullivan: Right wing for the Capitals from 1946-48. In 83 games, he had 22 goals and 27 assists. He played one game for the Red Wings in 1947-48. Throughout his eight-year pro career -- which was spent in the old USHL and AHL from 1945-53 -- he was a consistent scorer, tallying 20+ goals five times, including the 22 he had for the Caps in 1947-48. He was an AHL second-team All-Star in 1951-52 after a 70-point season with the Providence Reds. A native of Preston, Ont., he was born in 1926, and passed away in 1989. 

Jim Uniac: Center who played 55 games for the Capitals in their 1949-50 Calder Cup championship season. Uniac tallied five goals and 12 assists for the Caps, and also suited up in two playoff games. He played 10 years of pro and senior hockey from 1947-57, including two straight 20-goal seasons for WHL Edmonton -- which replaced Indy as the Red Wings' top farm team -- from 1952-54. A native of Logan Twp., Ont., he was born in 1928, and passed away in 1985. 

Jacques Gagne: Left wing who played for the Chiefs briefly in 1958-59. He split the year between Indy and Louisville, with 14 goals in 35 games. The bulk of his six-year career (1955-61) was spent in the IHL with Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Louisville. He retired in 1961 after suffering a serious eye injury during the preseason. He did return that year to play for the Jersey Larks in the EHL. A native of Montreal, he was born in 1935. 

Sid Garant: Left wing for the Chiefs in 1961-62, where he had 19 goals and 41 assists in 60 games. Garant played 12 seasons, all in the IHL, before retiring in 1972. He played his last seven and a half years with the Dayton Gems, where he had seven 20-goal seasons and two 30-goal years. A native of Vita, Manitoba, he was born in 1939. 

Gary MacGregor: Racers center in 1976-77 and again in the aborted 1978-79 season. He had eight goals and nine assists in 33 games. In-between, he played for the Edmonton Oilers and had 11 goals. His WHA career started with a bang -- he had a 100-goal season in his final year of junior, and came into the WHA with the Chicago Cougars in 1974-75 and totaled 42 goals and 34 assists. He followed that up with a 21-goal season with the Toronto Toros, but never topped 20 again in his WHA career. A native of Kingston, Ont., he was born in 1954, and passed away suddenly in 1995. 

Gord Dineen: Rugged defenseman for the Checkers from 1982-84. Dineen played 99 games in the Circle City before getting the callup to the New York Islanders partway through the 1983-84 season. He was a part of the 1983 Adams Cup championship team, with 12 points in 13 playoff games. Dineen had 14 goals and 60 assists in the blue and orange, and then embarked on a long NHL career. Dineen comes from a hockey pedigree -- he is the son of former player and coach Bill Dineen, and his brothers Kevin and Peter both also enjoyed NHL careers. He was the Islanders' second-round pick in 1981. He played in the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals with the Islanders, then was part of the Penguins organization when it won back-to-back Cups in 1991-92 -- although he spent each playoff year with the team's IHL affiliate in Muskegon. He continued to play in the NHL through 1995, suiting up for the Senators and back with the Isles. He also had a stint with Minnesota in the 1980s. He played from 1994-2000 in the IHL, nearly all with the Denver/Utah Grizzlies. The Grizzlies -- now an ECHL team -- have named their top defenseman trophy after Dineen. He played in 528 NHL games and had 16 goals, 90 assists and 695 PIMs. As a Checker, he was the CHL's Most Valuable Defenseman and Most Improved Defenseman in 1982-83. He also was an IHL All-Star in 1992 and 1998. Since his playing days, Dineen has coached -- including three years as a head coach in the ECHL (Macon) and AHL (Iowa). He is currently a Toronto Marlies assistant in the AHL. A native of Toronto, he is 49. 

Stepan Novotny: Ice forward in 2007-08, where he tallied four goals and seven assists in 44 games. He left the Ice to play four years of Canadian Major Junior in the Western Hockey League -- breaking the 40-point barrier twice -- and now plays for Poprad Lev of the KHL in Russia. He scored his first career goal on Sept. 19 in a 4-1 loss to SKA. A native of Prague, Czech Republic, he is 21. 

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. 

Today in history: Sept. 8-13

We have a LOT of Today in History catching up to do. Apologies -- as we hit preseason mode, other life commitments sometimes stand in the way of hockey (yes, hockey is life, but sometimes, a few other things jump out).

That said, we'll be hitting regular season mode before you know it.

First, let's look back
Sept. 8
Birthdays
Jack McIntyre: Defenseman who briefly played for the 1963 Capitols as he neared the end of a long pro career that carried him through 499 NHL games with the Bruins, Blackhawks and Red Wings from 1949-60. He continued to play professional/senior hockey through 1969. Thought of as an offensive defenseman, he scored 109 goals and tallied 102 assists in his NHL career, and played in the 1952 and 1953 Stanley Cup Finals with the Bruins. He also spent several years as a coach in minor pro, senior and junior hockey. A native of Brussels, Ontario, he was born in 1930 and passed away in 1998.

Sept. 9
Ed Nicholson: Defenseman who played for the Caps from 1947-49, with eight goals, 40 assists and 109 PIMs in 130 games. He was a strong defenseman who was both a puck-mover and a checker. He appeared in one NHL game for Detroit in 1948-49, and was traded to the St. Louis Flyers in August 1949 for Steve Black and Bill Brennan. He played three years in St. Louis and scored 22 goals. A native of Kingston, Ont., he was born in 1923 and passed away in 1987.
Don Ashbee: Winger who played for the Capitals in their final 1951-52 season, splitting the year between Indianapolis and the Buffalo Bisons. He had eight goals and 17 assists overall in that campaign. He played from 1949-57, spending all of that time in the minors, primarily in the AHL and WHL. A native of Weston, Ont., he was born in 1930.
Tim Ferguson: Left wing who played three games for the Ice in 1997-98, totaling a goal and an assist. Ferguson turned pro in 1986 and scored 28 goals for IHL Salt Lake in 1986-87, but primarily played in Europe before returning to North America in 1997 and playing for the Ice and in the CHL/ECHL/UHL through 2001. As a junior, he holds the United States Hockey League scoring record with 135 points in 1985-86 with Des Moines. He is the younger brother of former Ice coach Bob Ferguson, who was his coach with the Ice. A native of Kingston, Ont. he is 45.
Kevin Miller: A solid two-way forward who played 26 games for the Ice in 1997-98, tallying 11 goals and 11 assists. He and brothers Kelly and Kip played in the NHL. Kip was also a popular Ice player. A United States Olympian in 1988, Kevin was drafted by the Rangers and played 620 NHL games for the Rangers, Red Wings, Blues, Capitals, Sharks, Blackhawks, Penguins, Islanders and Senators. He had consecutive 20-goal seasons from 1991-94, and again tallied 28 goals in 1995-96 with San Jose and Pittsburgh. All told, he scored 150 NHL goals. He also was part of the Grand Rapids Griffins' Turner Cup titlists in 2000. Kevin is a cousin of Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and Red Wing Drew Miller. A native of Lansing, Mich., he is 46.
Dan Back: Ice defenseman in 2000-01, totaling two assists in 32 games. Back played for five ECHL teams from 1997-2000 before joining the Ice. He played 152 total professional games and retired after his stint with the Ice. A native of Hamilton, Ont., he is 35.

Sept. 10

Yvon Vautour: The Isles' sixth-round pick in 1976, Vautour played 59 games for the Checkers in 1979-80, scoring 27 goals and 28 assists. It was a renaissance year for the right winger, who had his second straight 20-goal season and earned a 17-game callup to the Stanley Cup champion Islanders. He would be dealt to Colorado for the 1980-81 season and play three years for the Rockies/Devils franchise and five games for the Quebec Nordiques in 1984-85. He scored 26 goals in 204 NHL games. A native of Saint John, NB, he is 55. 

Rob Holland: Checkers goaltender during their CHL heyday from 1980-84, and played with the team through 1986 in the IHL. He split time in the pipes for a couple of those years with Kelly Hrudey. Holland himself is a veteran of 44 NHL games with the Penguins from 1979-81 before joining the Chex. He was loaned to the Checkers at the end of the 1980-81 campaign and then was dealt outright to the Islanders -- who assigned him to Indianapolis -- later that year. Holland was part of the 1982 and 1983 Adams Cup championship teams, and his play backstopped an upstart team into the 1984 finals, where an injury sidelined him and hindered the team's chances at a three-peat. He had nine shutouts as a Checker and during the two championship years, backstopped the team to a 39-22-2 record. His best year was 1982-83, where he went 24-11-1 with a 2.87 GAA and four shutouts -- a feat he duplicated in 1984-85, the first IHL season. Holland and Hrudey shared the CHL's Terry Sawchuk Trophy for fewest goals allowed in 1982 and 1983. After his stint with the Ice, he played his final pro year with Milwaukee in 1986-87, appearing in 66 games. A native of Montreal, he is 54. 

Rob Palmer: Defenseman who played 27 games for the Checkers in 1980-81, with one goal and nine assists. The Kings' fifth-round pick in 1976, he played four seasons in Los Angeles before joining the Checkers, then played two more for the Devils through 1984. He had a 9-101-110 mark in 320 NHL games. A native of Sarnia, Ont., he is 55.
Jim File: Checkers player in 1984-85, his rookie year after graduating from Ferris State University. He had two goals and six assists in nine games, his only professional games in North America. He is a member of Ferris State's Hall of Fame. A native of Toronto, he is 50.

Mike Pomichter: Winger for the Ice from 1994-96, where he played 80 games, tallying 13 goals and nine assists. All of his scoring came in 1994-95. The Blackhawks' second-round pick in 1990, he only played four games for the Ice in 1995-96 before going to the AHL to play for Conrwall, Saint John and Portland that season. He continued to play in the AHL, UHL and ECHL through 2002. Today, he is a firefighter in Connecticut and still plays a bit of hockey. A native of New Haven, Conn., he is 38. 

Sept. 12

Shawn Byram: Left wing who played 188 games for the Ice, primarily from 1991-94. He also played a game for the team in 1988-89. The Islanders' fourth-round pick in 1986, Byram came to the Ice after scoring 28 goals for the Capital District Islanders in the AHL in 1990-91 and earning a callup to New York. He was dealt to Chicago the following year, where he rejoined the Ice and had a big season, with 18 goals and 21 assists. In 1993-94, he had 23 goals and 24 assists before going to Europe to play much of the balance of his career. He retired in 2003 after tallying 65 points for WCHL Bakersfield. A native of Neepawa, Man., he is 43. 

Sept. 13

Phil Dalgleish: Defenseman for the Chiefs in 1955-56, where he played five games. He had two goals and an assist. He also played 63 games for IHL Louisville two years prior. A native of Montreal, he was born in 1923. 

Today in history: Last week

Big-time catch-up post here. Life intervenes sometimes, but we're transitioning out of offseason mode into regular-season mode this week. Look for the first Tale of the Tape on Saturday!

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. 

Training camp starts today!

The Ice's preseason practices began today, and the first public peek at the team will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Carmel Ice Skadium. The Ice will face the Chicago Steel in back-to-back exhibition games this weekend -- in Chicago on Saturday and at Carmel on Sunday afternoon.

One more preseason game is on the docket -- on Sept. 17 against Muskegon at Western Michigan University -- before the USHL Fall Classic the following weekend.

The training camp roster is here. It includes 10 returning players and one former player who is back after a year in the NCAA -- Jacob Fallon.

The regular season schedule is here It begins Oct. 1 at Cedar Rapids.

Ice roster update

The roster has been updated on the Ice website. It's a slight bit different from the July 1 protected list posted earlier. The team will have to be down to 23 players by the start of the season.

A lot of old friends are on the team -- Sharks draft pick Sean Kuraly, Alex Barron, Christian Hilbrich, Dan Cesarz, Daniil Tarasov and Cody Bradley up front, Alexander Kuqali, Ian Spencer and Ryan Obuchowski at defense, and Jon Gillies in goal. In addition, Jacob Fallon is back after spending part of last season at the University of Michigan.

Lots of newcomers, including 2011 first-round pick Tyler Pham and second-round pick Dan Sherer. R.J. Boyd, a Florida Panthers draftee acquired from the Chicago Steel in the offseason, brings USHL experience on the blueline. Emil Romig and Robbie Baillargeon were really impressive up front at the Main Camp this June, as was Pham -- who flashed a lot of skill and strength on the puck. Joseph Fiala is highly-regarded on the blueline.

Gillies is back after spending a week as Team USA's primary goaltender in the U18 Ivan Hlinka tournament. He holds the team record for longest scoreless streak. Izyk dressed for a handful of games last season, but did not play. Of course, Tarasov is the USHL's top returning scorer.

One name that wasn't from either the roster or protected list from July 1 was forward Drew Smolcynski.

Here's the roster: 
Forwards (16)
7 Sean Kuraly. 6-1, 193, Left shot, 1/20/1993. Indiana Ice. 8-21-29 in 51 games. Sharks draft pick.
8 Alex Barron. 6-0, 184, Right shot, 5/9/1991. Indiana Ice. 0-14-14 in 51 games.
9 Christian Hilbrich. 6-6, 204, Left shot, 7/9/1992. Indiana Ice. 10-5-15 in 50 games.
11 Cody Gyllyng. 5-11, 172, Left shot, 12/2/1993. Phoenix Junior Coyotes. 26-32-52 in 51 games
15 Dan Sherer. 5-10, 178, Left shot, 1/12/1992. Amarillo NAHL. 18-20-38 in 48 games
16 Dan Cesarz. 5-8, 183, Right shot, 6/15/1992. Indiana Ice. 5-3-8 in 40 games.
17 Tyler Pham. 5-8, 173. Left shot, 5/12/1994. Colorado Thunderbirds U18. 11-19-30 in 35 games
18 Drew Smolcynski. 5-8, 167. Right shot, 4/24/1994. The Gunnery (CT). 17-31-48 in 31 games
19 Woody Hudson. 6-3, 215. Right shot, 8/10/1992. Milton Acad. (MA). 16-18-34 in 29 games
21 Jacob Fallon. 5-11, 183, Left shot, 2/27/1992. University of Michigan. 1-2-3 in 13 games
23 Emil Romig*. 5-9, 168, Left shot, 9/19/1992. HCPCG (Czech) 12-15-27 in 44 games
28 Andrew Mayer. 5-11, 217, Right shot, 7/29/1993. Honeybaked U18. 12-24-36, 99 PIM in 37 games
79 Daniil Tarasov*. 5-11, 185, Left shot, 6/20/1991. Indiana Ice. 37-38-75 in 57 games.
88 Cody Bradley. 5-10, 163, Left shot. 5/26/1994. Indiana Ice. 11-9-20 in 51 games.
89 Robert Polosello*. 5-7, 160. Left shot, 4/27/1994. Vaughn OJHL. 17-30-47 in 37 games. 
93 Robbie Baillargeon. 5-11, 161, Right shot, 11/26/1993. Cushing Acad. (MA). 30-34-64 in 30 games.

Defensemen (7)
2 Alexander Kuqali. 6-1, 217, Left shot, 6/13/1991. Indiana Ice. 0-10-10 in 37 games.
4 Ian Spencer. 5-9, 195, Right shot, 2/19/1994. Indiana Ice . 1-3-4 in 17 games.
6 Matthew Krug. 6-2, 201, Left shot, 7/9/1992. Buffalo OJHL. 10-34-44 in 50 games.
12 Robert Gawron. 5-9, 177, Left shot, 4/8/1994. Chicago Fury U18. 18-26-44 in 38 games
24 R.J. Boyd. 6-0, 201, Left shot, 2/7/1991. Chicago Steel, 2-0-2 in 33 games. Panthers draft pick.
26 Ryan Obuchowski. 6-0, 181. Left shot, 6/7/1992. Indiana Ice, 5-8-13 in 54 games.
33 Joseph Fiala. 6-1, 194. Left shot, 2/11/1993. USNDTP U18. 0-5-5 in 28 games

Goaltenders (2)
29 Dalton Izyk. 5-11, 191. Left glove, 1/23/1994. Green Mountain EJHL. 3.67 GAA in 27 games.
32 Jon Gillies. 6-5, 215. Left glove, 1/22/1994. Indiana Ice. 2.82 GAA in 25 games.

*-import player (Romig - Austria; Tarasov - Russia; Polosello - Canada).

Today in history: Catching up (Aug. 17-21)

Life has intervened a bit, but here's a catch-up on Today in History birthdays

Aug. 17

Claude Carroll: Player for the Chiefs part-time in the 1957-58 Turner Cup championship season. He scored two goals in 23 games in Indy. A native of Parkdale, PEI, he was born in 1936. 

Dan Revell: Left wing who played for the Checkers in 1982-83, their Adams Cup championship season. He played 46 regular-season games with the Chex that season, totaling four goals and seven assists. It was his only pro season. Today, he is involved in business in Ontario. He is 49. 

Aug. 18

Sam Gregory: A center whose toughness wsa a key part of the Chiefs' 1957-58 championship team, totaling seven goals, 12 assists and 116 PIMs. He also had two goals and four assists in the playoffs that year. He went on to play a decade in the Eastern Hockey League, primarily with the Long Island Ducks. A native of Charlottetown, PEI, he was born in 1936. 

Bob Woytowich: A strong stay-at-home defenseman with the Racers from 1974-76. He played 84 games for the Racers -- 42 in each season -- totaling one goal and 15 assists. He played 18 professional seasons, including 745 NHL & WHA games with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets and the Racers. A native of Winnipeg, he was born in 1941, and passed away in 1988. 

Jari Torkki: Member of the Ice's 1989-90 Turner Cup championship team, where he had 25 goals and 29 assists in 66 games. He also had a 5-2-7 line in the playoffs that year. A native of Finland, he came to North America and played the previous season with the Blackhawks and the Saginaw Hawks. After his brief stint in North America -- which included four NHL games in 1988-89 -- he went back to Europe, where he was a consistent double-digit goal scorer through his retirement in 2003. He played for Finland's silver-medal winning team in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. A native of Rauma, Finland, he is 46. 

Brad Treliving: Defenseman who played 14 games for the Ice in 1991-92. He scored one goal in his time with the Ice. He played professionally from 1990-95, primarily at the "AA" level of the minors. He made his mark as an executive in hockey. Today, he is an assistant general manager of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. He also was the president of the Western Professional Hockey League and later the Central Hockey League -- which at the time involved the Indianapolis Ice. A native of Penticton, BC, he is 42. 

Aug. 19

Darryl Sutter: Ice coach in their 1989-90 championship season. The Ice went 53-21-8 that year, easily won the Western Division title and then went 12-2 en route to winning the Turner Cup. It was one of the most dominant teams in Indianapolis hockey history. He was one of the six hockey-playing Sutter Brothers throughout the 1980s, playing with the Chicago Blackhawks through 1987. In 1988, he began coaching the Saginaw Hawks, moved with the team to the Ice the following year, and into the NHL as the Blackhawks' associate head coach in 1990. He became an NHL head coach in 1992-93 and has coached Chicago, San Jose and Calgary. He coached in the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals as a Blackhawks assistant, and the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals as the Flames' head coach. He stepped down as coach, but continued to work in Calgary as the GM through December 2010. A native of Viking, Alberta, he is 53. 

Erik Andersson: Left wing who played 48 games with the Ice in 1998-99. He had five goals and seven assists that season. A University of Denver graduate, he played 12 NHL games in Calgary in 1997-98. After his stint with the Ice, he returned to his native Sweden to play professionally. A native of Stockholm, he is 40. 

Aug. 20

Ted Garvin: Member of the Indianapolis Capitals in 1944-45 -- he also played one game the previous season. In total, he played 46 games, with five goals and four assists. He continued to play professionally -- primarily in the lower-level USHL and IHL -- through 1952. He was born in 1923. 

Chuck Adamson: Goaltender who played 119 games for the Chiefs from 1959-62, their final three seasons. He had a GAA in the 4.50 range in his three seasons in Indy -- he played his most hockey in 1959-60 and 1961-62 in Indy -- and then had several solid seasons with the Fort Wayne Komets through 1967. A native of Sudbury, Ontario, he was born in 1938. 

Tracy Egeland: Member of the Ice from 1990-93, playing 188 games with 48 goals and 47 assists. He also had two goals in the 1991 seven-game playoff series against Fort Wayne. He continued to play in the IHL, ECHL and CHL through 2002. He entered coaching after retiring, most recently with the CHL's Rocky Mountain Rage. A native of Lethbridge, Alberta, he is 41. 

B.J. O'Brien: Ice goaltender in 2004-05, their first USHL season. He played 17 games with a 3.24 GAA. He started collegiately at St. Cloud State, but transferred to St. Norbert College. He recently led St. Norbert to the NCAA Div. III national championship, being named MVP of the tournament. He led the nation in winning percentage, shutouts and GAA. He recently signed with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the CHL. A native of Lakeville, Minn., he is 26. 

Aug. 21

Kerry Clark: Member of the Ice for three games in 1988-89, totaling one assist. He played 10 games in the AHL and IHL after that, including three years in Salt Lake and two in Orlando and two for AHL Portland. He is the younger brother of ex-Maple Leaf star Wendel Clark. A native of Kelvington, Sas., he is 43. 

Colin Miller: Center who played 13 games for the Ice in 1994-95, totaling five goals and six assists. He began playing professionally with the IHL's Atlanta Knights in 1992, scoring 20 goals. After his stint in Indy, he went to the ECHL, where he had his best season in 1995-96 with Dayton, going 24-50-74 that season and 20-58-78 the following year. He had four straight years of 19+ goals with Dayton before retiring in 1999. A native of Grimsby, Ontario, he is 40. 

Ferlin "just produces," Gillies backs up tourney

Ice goaltender Jon Gillies had a strong finish to the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, stopping 21 shots as the US U18 national select team defeated the Czech Republic 3-1 in the fifth place game Friday. The U.S. won three of its four games, but finished fifth because both of its pool play wins came in overtime, which carries a lower point value than regulation wins. Gillies was the goaltender of record in all four games, posting a 3.94 GAA and an 87.6 save percentage. He had the second-best GAA and save percentage among goalies that played at least 100 minutes. He also was second in the tournament in minutes played. Boxscore.

Catching up from yesterday, Brian Ferlin had another assist for Team USA as it beat Finland 4-1 in the World Junior Championships evaluation camp. He has a goal and three assists in the camp. The New England Hockey Journal's junior hockey/draft expert Kirk Luedeke tweeted that Ferlin has "looked nothing but solid" since being drafted by the Bruins in June. The U.S. faces Sweden at 1 p.m. Saturday to round out the tournament. Box for Finland game.

Tonight, Adam Erne was scoreless but the USA U17 team beat Slovakia 6-4 in the Five Nations Tournament. The U.S., which is unbeaten in the tournament, finishes at 7 p.m. Saturday against Switzerland.

In the Five Nations Tournament,

Today in history: August 10

Two birthdays

Alexander Andrijevski: Right wing who played 70 games for the Ice from 1992-94, totaling 26 goals and 26 assists. He was highly-touted when he came to Indianapolis from Belarus, and had a big first year -- 26-25-51 in 66 games. He also had two goals and three assists in four playoff games that year, and got a one-game callup to the Blackhawks. The next year, he played only four games with the Ice, finished the season with Kalamazoo, and then headed back to Europe where he played in Finland, Germany and Italy through 2003. A native of Minsk, Belarus, he is 43.

Travis Winter: Ice forward in 2004-05, their inaugural USHL season. He had 21 goals and 21 assists in 57 games, and also one playoff assist. He went from there to Bemidji State University, where he played four years. He also briefly played professionally with IHL Dayton, and is now an assistant coach with the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. A native of St. Cloud, Minn., he is 27.

Today in history: August 9

Four birthdays today

Bruce Burdette: Left wing who played 34games -- and scored five goals -- for the Capitals from 1946-48. He had 4-10-14 in 24 games for the Caps in 1946-47, and then one goal in 10 games the following year, which he split between Indy and the Red Wings' "AA"-level affiliate in Omaha. A native of Stratford, Ontario, he was born in 1923. 

Lorne Stamler: Left wing who played four seasons for the Checkers, from 1980-84. He played 148 games for the orange and blue, with 19 goals and 19 assists. He also played in both Adams Cup runs, coming up big both years. He had a 4-2-6 line helping lead the Chex to the 1982 title, and two goals in the 1983 championship run. A speedy winger, he played 116 NHL games prior to joining the Checkers, scoring 14 goals for the Kings, Maple Leafs and Jets from 1976-80. His best season was a 33-goal, 33-assist year for CHL Fort Worth in 1975-76. A native of Winnipeg, he is 60. 

Mark Hamway: Forward who played his rookie professional year with the Checkers in 1983-84, shortly after graduating from Michigan State University. Hamway had a big year leading the Chex youth movement that season, totaling 22 goals and 32 assists. He also had a goal in leading the Checkers to a surprise berth in the Adams Cup Finals that year. The next year, the Islanders moved their top affiliate to Springfield, and Hamway had 29 goals -- and earned the NHL call to Long Island. All told, he played 53 NHL games, all but four of which were in 1985-86. He had five goals and 12 assists that year and one more assist in 1986-87, his final professional season, in which he scored 25 goals for Springfield. Today, he is a commercial real estate agent in suburban Detroit. A native of Detroit, he is 50. 

Phil DeGaetano: Defenseman who played the 1985-86 season for the Checkers, totaling nine goals, 39 assists and 107 PIMs as a pro rookie. A graduate of Northern Michigan University, he moved to the AHL for the next couple of years and also played for IHL Peoria in 1988-89, after which he played in Europe. A native of Roslyn, N.Y., he is 48. 

Today in history: August 3

Four birthdays today

Bill Prentice: Defenseman for the Racers in two different stints, in 1975-76 and again in 1977-78. He played 59 games for the Racers, totaling five goals and three assists. He also played in the WHA from 1973-78, often splitting time between WHA teams and the minors. He played in every WHA season but the last, totaling 158 games with the Houston Aeros, Quebec Nordiques, Racers and Edmonton Oilers. A native of Lindsay, Ontario, Prentice is 61. 

James Black: Ice defenseman in 1995-96, where he led the team in scoring with 32 goals and 50 assists from the blueline. He also played 13 NHL games and eight postseason games with the Blackhawks that season. The 94th selection in the 1989 NHL draft by the Hartford Whalers, he made his pro hockey debut that season, playing primarily with AHL Binghamton for two yeras -- playing one game in Hartford in each. He played partial seasons with the Whalers in 1991-92 and the North Stars/Stars from 1992-94 before sticking with the Blackhawks after his callup in late 1996. He played two more full seasons with Chicago and three with the Washington Capitals. His best NHL season came in 1998-99, where he totaled 16 goals and 30 points for Washington. In total, he played 352 NHL games. A versatile player, he often played on the blueline, but could also play forward and quarterback the power play. A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, he is 42. 

Matt Cooney: Left wing who played 29 games for the Ice in their final IHL season, 1998-99. The Cornell grad played two pro seasons -- spending the previous year with ECHL Jacksonville, and splitting 1998-99 between the Ice and the ECHL Columbus Chill. He had two goals and nine assists for the Ice. A native of Wilcox, Saskatchewan, he is 37. 

Steve Jakiel: Ice goaltender in 2005-06, where he was 11-5-2 with a 2.75 GAA. He also was the top goaltender in the postseason, starting all five games in the Ice's playoff run that year, winning two against Cedar Rapids. Jakiel briefly played for the University of Michigan, but played the next three years for Div. III Curry College, playing 47 games before graduating in 2010. A native of Santa Clarita, Calif., he is 25.

Today in history: July 21

Four birthdays today

Max McNab: Center who played parts of two seasons for the Capitals, playing six games in 1946-47 and then returning to play a full season in 1950-51. In the latter season, he had 36 goals and 48 assists. In-between, he played 128 games for the Red Wings, winning the Stanley Cup in 1950. While the "Production Line" of Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel is one of the best-remembered in hockey, McNab skated with Howe and Lindsay briefly. McNab made his mark as a hockey executive, starting as a coach and GM in the Western Hockey League in 1961. In 1974, he became president of the Central Hockey League, which would later name its playoff MVP trophy for him. The next year, he joined the Washington Capitals as general manager. He served the Caps from 1975-82, and then became the New Jersey Devils' GM from 1983-87. In both cases, he turned moribund teams into perennial playoff contenders. The year after he left New Jersey, the team advanced to within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals. He remained as a Devils vice president until 1994. In 1998, he was named a recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey. McNab's two sons have also made a mark in hockey. Peter played for four teams, David is the Anaheim Ducks' assistant GM. A native of Watson, Saskatchewan, he was born in 1924. He passed away in 2007. 

Earl "Dutch" Reibel: Center who played 68 games for the Capitals in their final season, 1951-52. He had 33 goals and 34 assists to lead the team in scoring that season. Two years later, Earl would get the call to Detroit for six full NHL seasons, all but two of which were spent with the Wings. He went to Chicago in 1957 and Boston in 1958. Reibel won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1954 and 1955. In 1954-55, he was the Wings' leading scorer with 25 goals and 41 assists, becoming the only player not named Gordie Howe to win the team scoring title in a 15-season span between 1950 and 1964. He played 409 NHL games, tallying 84 goals and 161 assists. He was also the Lady Byng Trophy recipient for gentlemanly play in 1956. A native of Kitchener, Ontario, he was born in 1930. He passed away in 2007. 

Marty Nanne: Right wing who played for the Ice from 1989-91, totaling six goals and 12 assists in 73 games. He also appeared in six of the seven games in the down-to-the-wire 1991 playoff series against the Fort Wayne Komets. Nanne played three pro seasons -- all in the Chicago organization -- before retiring and returning to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to become an insurance agent. Nanne is also known for being the son of former North Stars player, coach and GM Lou Nanne, who also has had a significant role in the development of USA Hockey. A native of Edina, Minnesota, he is 44. 

Kirk Daubenspeck: Goaltender for the Ice from 1997-99, their final two IHL seasons. Daubenspeck has Indiana ties, attending Culver Military School for high school before returning home to play for the University of Wisconsin, Daubenspeck played 30 games for the Ice, posting an 8-17-1 record, splitting those years between the Ice and the ECHL. Daubenspeck spent much of his career with the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays, for whom he played from 1999-2001, and again from 2002-06, splitting time in those seasons with several AHL and IHL teams. Daubenspeck was critically injured in an auto accident in February, and has been recovering. More info can be found -- and donations for Kirk can be made -- at www.kirkdaubenspeck.com. An update on his recovery (from April) can be found here. A native of Madison, Wis., he is 37. 

Today in history: July 8

Five birthdays

Len Ronson: Winger who played for the Chiefs in the 1956-57 season before being dealt to the Huntington Hornets at midseason. It was the first year in US minor pro hockey in what would become a long, high-scoring career. He would make a name with the cross-state Fort Wayne Komets, with whom he had a 62-goal season in 1959-60. The next year, Ronson made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers, scoring two goals. He would return to the NHL in 1968-69, playing five scoreless games for the Oakland Seals. He played the latter part of his career with WHL San Diego, with whom he played from 1966-73. He had 12 20+-goal seasons and three seasons with at least 45 goals. A native of Brantford, Ontario, he is 75. 

Karl Dykhuis: The Blackhawks' first-round pick (16th overall) in 1990, Dykhuis played 184 games for the Ice from 1992-95. The big -- 6-3, 214-pound -- defenseman had 14 goals and 64 assists as an Iceman, and also amassed 271 PIMs. In 1995, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he would become an NHL mainstay through 2003-04. He went to Europe during the lockout year of 2004-05 and played two more seasons. All told, Dykhus played 644 NHL games between 1992-2004 for Chicago, Philadelphia (in 2 stints), Tampa Bay and Montreal. He played in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals for the Flyers and the 1991 Canadian World Junior Champion team. A native of Sept-Isle, Quebec, he is 39. 

Glen Featherstone: Ice defenseman in 1997-98, tallying 10 goals, 28 assists and 187 PIMs in 73 games. He set professional career highs in all three scoring categories that season. Featherstone had been an NHL veteran. A 6-4 215-pound defenseman, Featherstone was drafted in the fourth round by the Blues in 1986 and matriculated to the team in 1988-89. He played 384 NHL games with the Blues, Bruins, Rangers, Whalers and Flames between then and 1997. After his year with the Ice, he played three more years with the Chicago Wolves before retiring in 2001. He helped the Wolves win the 2000 Turner Cup. A native of Toronto, he is 43. 

Adam Cardwell: Ice center in their inaugural USHL season of 2004-05. He played 27 games in Indianapolis, tallying a goal and four assists. He'd play the next three years with Wichita Falls of the Tier II NAHL, and parlay that into a career with Alaska-Fairbanks. He played 37 games with the Nanooks between 2008-10. A native of Long Beach, Calif., he is 24. 

Mike Cichy: High-scoring center who was dealt to the Ice partway through the 2008-09 season. He had a 24-23-47 line in just 30 games with the Ice, and then had six goals and a USHL-record 19 assists in 13 playoff games, helping lead the Ice to the USHL Clark Cup title. He was a USHL First-Team All-Star and the league's Playoff MVP that season. Combined with his games at Tri-City that year, he had 34 goals and 32 assists. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Montreal Canadiens that summer. Cichy will be starting his junior year at the University of North Dakota this fall, playing for ex-Indianapolis Ice player Dave Hakstol. A native of New Hartford, Conn., he his 21. 

Hall of honor: Wayne Gretzky

The Great One as a Racer

Wayne Gretzky
Indianapolis Racers 1978
NHL/WHA career: Indianapolis Racers 1978, Edmonton Oilers 1978-88, Los Angeles Kings 1988-96, St. Louis Blues 1996, New York Rangers 1996-99. 

"And that's the first of quite a few we'll be seeing from Wayne Gretzky." 
Mike Fornes, October 20, 1978

Little did the Indianapolis Racers' play-by-play announcer know quite how many goals the 17-year-old wunderkind would score. But that backhander against -- somehow fittingly -- the Edmonton Oilers at Market Square Arena was the start of the most illustrious offensive career in professional hockey.

Gretzky is simply known as "The Great One." The entire entrance to the Hockey Hall of Fame is devoted to celebrating his career and accomplishments, from its beginnings in Brantford, Ontario through junior hockey in Sault Ste. Marie to a professional career that saw Gretzky shatter every offensive record in NHL history. His face is synonymous with Canadian hockey, where he ran the national team for the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Games. 

The professional part of his career began in Indianapolis. 

In the fall of 1978, Racers owner Nelson Skalbania was looking for something to turn around his fledgling WHA franchise, and in part because the WHA was beginning to sign underage players. He signed Gretzky over the summer, amid some hoopla. According to Walter Gretzky's memoirs, L.S. Ayres started a "Great Gretzky Fan Club" and there was quite a buzz when training camp opened Sept. 11 of that year. The Indianapolis Star's Dave Overpeck told fans "If you're a sports fan at all, you owe it to yourself to come out and watch Wayne Gretzky play hockey. A generation or so from now, you can tell your grandkids, 'I saw him when he broke into the majors as a 17-year-old kid.'"

But, probably befitting the Racers' struggle for attention, the headline misspelled the budding star's name, "Gretsky."

He was the Racers' leading scorer in the preseason, and his pro career began at MSA against the

Winnipeg Jets Oct. 14. He centered Rich Leduc and Don Larway. The largest crowd since 1977 showed up -- 11,721 -- for a 6-3 loss. Gretzky didn't net a point in that game, but he soon would.

On Oct. 20, he took a feed from defenseman Kevin Morrison and beat Edmonton's Dave Dryden on a backhander at 6:07 of the second period. Peter Driscoll had the other assist on what would be No. 1 of Gretzky's 940 professional goals in a career that would span 21 years.

No. 2 would come 2:34 later, as he tried to center the puck, but it banked into the net. It gave the Racers a 3-1 lead in a game they'd eventually lose 4-3 to Edmonton -- the team for which Gretzky would soon become a mega-star. No. 3 came two nights later, a short wrist shot on a feed from Larway that marked the final goal in a 6-3 loss to the New England Whalers. 

And then, suddenly, The Great One was gone. He had three goals and three assists in eight games with the Racers, but Skalbania was still claiming big financial losses. And on Nov. 2, he was sold to the Oilers, along with Driscoll, goaltender Ed Mio and more than a half-million dollars, in what was reported as an effort to keep the team afloat. Five weeks later, the Racers would be no more, folding on Dec. 15, 1978.

For Gretzky, the future was much brighter. He finished the season in Edmonton, scored 46 goals and was named the WHA's Rookie of the Year. The next season, the WHA dissolved and four teams -- including the Oilers -- jumped to the NHL. Gretzky tied Marcel Dionne for the scoring lead with 137 points, and then put a stranglehold on the Hart Trophy that he wouldn't let go of for nearly a decade. He had an NHL-record 164 points in 1980-81, then followed with the highest-scoring year in league history. In 1981-82, he scored 50 goals in 37 games -- an NHL record for the fastest 50 -- and finished with 92 goals, 120 assists and 212 points, all NHL records. He'd eclipse the scoring record in 1985-86 with 215 points. In a six-year span from 1981-87, Gretzky totaled 437 goals, 782 assists and 1,215 points. When he retired, he had 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points, all NHL records. Add his WHA totals in, and the marks go up to 940-2,027-2,967. In the playoffs, he tallied 132 goals and 402 points in 221 NHL and WHA playoff games, winning four Stanley Cups with Edmonton and appearing in the Stanley Cup Finals six times -- five with the Oilers and once with the Los Angeles Kings. He also played in the 1979 Avco World Trophy Finals with the Oilers. 

Gretzky retired after the 1998-99 season, still at the top of the game. He led the NHL in assists in two of his last three years. He won the Hart Trophy (MVP) nine times, the Ross Trophy (leading scorer) 10 times, Lester Pearson Award (MVP voted by the players) five times, the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) in 1985 and 1988, the Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly player) five times, including in his final year. He played in the NHL All-Star Game 18 times and was selected a first-team NHL All-Star eight times. He was the second-team center seven other times. He still holds NHL records for career goals, assists and points, single-season goals, assists and points and the records for assists and points in a playoff season. At the time he retired, he held 61 NHL regular-season, playoff and All-Star Game records. He is also the only player in NHL history to total 200 points in a season, which he did four times in five years between 1981-86. 

In retirement, Gretzky has remained active, leading the Canadian National Team and buying a share of the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2005-06, he appointed himself head coach of the Coyotes, a position he held through 2009. 

The three-year waiting period was waived for his 1999 induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which has an entire gallery near its entrance devoted to Gretzky. His jersey number 99 has been retired throughout professional hockey. The number also hangs in the Pepsi Coliseum, honoring the fact that Gretzky began his illustrious pro career here. He addressed the Market Square Arena crowd by video prior to the rink's final game in 1999. 

Gretzky's connection to Indianapolis -- having begun his illustrious career in the Circle City and scored his first three professional goals in Market Square Arena -- and his contributions to the game deservedly make him a Hockey Legend in the Indianapolis Hockey Hall of Honor. 

Wayne Gretzky

Career stats              
Regular season Playoffs
            GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM

1978 Indianapolis Racers   8    3    3    6   0                    none
WHA totals (78-79)        80   46   64  110  19     13   10  10  20   2
NHL totals (79-99)      1487  894 1963 2857 577    208  122 260 382  66
Major league totals     1567  940 2027 2967 596    221  132 270 402  68




Previous inductees
June 2011: Kevin Devine (Racers/Checkers 1978-85)
May 2011: Terry Sawchuk (Capitals 1948-50)
April 2011: Arthur Wirtz (Capitals owner 1939-52)

Thanks!

In late March, I launched this blog to be a way to cover the sport I love in Indianapolis, past and present. There is such a great hockey community -- and history -- here that it should be celebrated.

We hope you've enjoyed the daily coverage of the Ice, the USHL and the historic Today in History posts and the Top 10 playoff games countdown.

We're working on some really exciting things for the future, but we're excited about the present. In June, we had 942 page views and nearly 500 unique visitors to the site. That's extremely exciting -- especially given June is the offseason for college and pro hockey. Keep visiting and telling your friends about Indianapolis hockey!

Today in history: July 5

A couple of birthdays today

Ron Ingram: Racers coach in the 1977-78 season, leading the team to a 16-31-4 record before he was replaced by player-coach Bill Goldsworthy partway through the season. Ingram had a long career as a player, primarily in the AHL, where he played many of his 17 professional/senior seasons. He played 114 NHL games, breaking in with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1956-57, rejoining them for the 1963 Stanley Cup playoffs, and then playing the 1963-64 season with the Red Wings and Rangers. He played three more games with the Rangers the following year before finishing with six seasons in the AHL/WHL. He began coaching in 1972 in the EHL, and led the Syracuse Blazers to the NAHL championship in 1974. Prior to joining the Racers, he coached the WHA's San Diego Mariners for two years. A native of Toronto, he was born in 1933. He passed away in June 1988. 

Byron Pool: Defenseman who played 46 games for the Ice in 2002-03. He had seven assists and 118 PIMs in those games, and also posted a +11 rating, helping the Ice win a division title. The Colgate University grad returned to the Corpus Christi Rayz -- where he had played the previous two seasons -- for his final professional season in 2003-04. Since, Pool has been coaching in junior hockey, winning the NAHL's Robertson Cup in 2010. He was an assistant with the USHL's Fargo Force last season, and is currently listed as the team's interim head coach. A native of Unity, Saskatchewan, he is 36.