Today in history: December 28

December 28 in Indianapolis hockey history  

1958: The Louisville Rebels require a police escort out of the Coliseum as 50 fans swarm their locker room, thanks to a fight between Indianapolis’ Jean-Marc Picard and Louisville’s Moe Bartoli at the end of the game. The two would have a stick-swinging incident two weeks later. 

Birthday

Terry Sawchuk: A goaltender for the Capitals from 1948-50. He played 128 games for the Caps, posting a 3.02 GAA in those two seasons, to go along with a 69-37-12 record and five shutouts. He was named the AHL's Rookie of the Year in 1949, and he helped lead the Caps to a clean sweep of the 1950 Calder Cup playoffs with a 1.50 GAA. One of the greatest goaltenders in hockey history, Sawchuk got a brief callup to Detroit in 1950 to replace injured Harry Lumley. His play made Lumley expendable, and Sawchuk got the permanent callup that summer. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year in 1951, then won three straight Vezina Trophies as the league's top goaltender from 1952-54 -- and would win another in 1965. He won three Stanley Cups in his first five years with Detroit. He was either a First-Team or Second-Team All-Star each of his first five seasons with the Red Wings, and won four Stanley Cups. He would be traded to the Boston Bruins in 1955, then dealt back to the Red Wings two years later for another long stint. He would be traded to the Maple Leafs in 1964, and would share the Vezina Trophy with Johnny Bower -- his old nemesis from the AHL. In 1967, he and Bower helped lead the Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup -- the most recent in their history. He played in 11 NHL All-Star games, was a First or Second Team All-Star seven times, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971. He set the NHL record with 103 shutouts, which stood until Martin Brodeur broke it in 2009. In 971 NHL games from 1950-1970 with the Red Wings, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Kings and Rangers, Sawchuk posted a 447-330-172 record and a 2.51 career GAA. He also had a 54-48 playoff record with a 2.54 GAA and 12 postseason shutouts, as well as four Stanley Cup rings. A native of Winnipeg, Sawchuk was born in 1929. He died on May 31, 1970 as a result of internal injuries, likely suffered in a fight with his roommate.