Today in history: December 31

New Year's Eve in Indianapolis hockey history

1998: Dave Hymovitz and Brian Noonan both post four-point games for the Ice against the Cincinnati Cyclones. The Ice win 5-4 in a shootout. 

Birthdays

Kurt Kleinendorst: Checkers forward in 1985-86, where he had 11 goals and 22 assists in 45 games. The Providence College grad was drafted by the New York Rangers in the fourth round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He played on the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team, and was also a part of the Tulsa Oilers team that defeated the Checkers in the 1984 Adams Cup Finals as a rookie. After his stint with the Checkers, he played several years in Europe. He retired after the 1990 season and turned to coaching, starting when he was named the head coach of ECHL Raleigh in 1991. He got the NHL callup after coaching in Europe, and was a New Jersey Devils assistant in 2001-02. He coached the USNDTP U18 team in 2009-10, leading the team to the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF U18 World Championships. In 2010, he became the head coach of the AHL Binghamton Senators and led them to the Calder Cup championship. A native of Grand Rapids, Minn., he is 51. 

Paul Gillis: Ice center in 1991-92, where he had 10 goals and 15 assists in 42 games. His pro career began in 1982-83 with the Quebec Nordiques, and included 11 NHL seasons -- from 1982-90 with Quebec, then joining the Blackhawks organization for two seasons, and finishing with two years in Hartford. The Nordiques' second-round pick in 1982, he had 88 goals, 154 assists and 1,498 PIMs in 624 NHL games. In 1994, he entered coaching with the AHL Springfield Falcons. He won the UHL championship in 1998 with the Quad City Mallards, and currently coaches the CHL Odessa Jackalopes, a job he has held since 2007. A native of Toronto, he is 48.