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.