A week-long catchup post for Today in History -- all birthdays today.
November 28
Don Culley: Member of the Caps for one game in 1942-43. He would not play professionally again until after WWII and would do so through 1950. He later coached in junior hockey for several years in the 1960s and 1970s. A native of Edmonton, he was born in 1920.
George DeFelice: Caps center from 1943-45. He had one goal and seven assists in 47 games. His minor-leauge career would continue through 1951. A native of Timmins, Ont., he was born in 1924.
Mud Bruneteau: Right wing for the Capitals in 1945-46 for 14 games, toward the end of his long career. He had six goals and 10 assists as a Capital, and also had three points in five playoff games that year. He was a solid two-way player for the Red Wings throughout a long NHL career that lasted from 1935-46. He won three Stanley Cups, but his claim to fame was in ending the longest game in NHL history. At 16:30 of the sixth overtime -- or 176:30 of playing time -- Bruneteau scored the lone goal to beat the Montreal Maroons. He was then a rookie. After his stint with the Caps, he went to the USHL Omaha Knights as a player-coach, and was very successful. He and his brother Eddie became major parts of the Omaha hockey scene. Bruneteau played in 411 NHL games, with 139 goals and 277 points. He is a member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. A native of St. Boniface, Man., he was born in 1914 and passed away in 1992.
Norm Beaudin: A member of the short-lived Capitols team in 1963, Beaudin was a high-scoring winger for that team and throughout his career. He had 19 goals and 49 points as a rookie with the Capitols -- who became the Cincinnati Wings shortly after the Coliseum explosion forced the team to move mid-season -- including a goal and four assists in the eight games played with the Capitols. He made his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues in 1967. He was the first player signed by the Winnipeg Jets when the WHA was formed in 1972, and was Bobby Hull's linemate that following year. He played in Winnipeg for four high-scoring WHA seasons. He had 97 goals and 155 assists in 302 WHA games, including 38 goals and 65 assists in 1972-73, and a 27-goal season the next year. He also had 28 playoff points, and was -- with Hull and Christian Bordeleau -- part of the first line in pro hockey to have all three players record a 100-point season. He was part of the Jets' Avco Cup championship in 1976. A native of Montmartre, Sask., he is 70. He has his own website here.
Blake Coleman: High-scoring center for the Ice from 2009-11, where he teamed up with Brian Ferlin and Daniil Tarasov to have a big year in 2010-11. Coleman recorded 34 goals and 58 assists in just 59 games for the Ice that season, and in total had 42 goals and 66 assists in 95 games over two years with the Ice. Coleman was the USHL and National Junior Hockey Player of the Year in 2011, also leading the league in assists and points and being named a First Team All-Star and USHL Forward of the Year. He was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, and currently plays for Miami University. A native of Plano, Tex., he is 20.
November 30
Birthday
Geoff Sarjeant: A veteran IHL goaltender, Sarjeant played 23 games for the Ice in their final season in the league, 1998-99. He had a 13-7-2 mark, a 2.53 GAA and helped lead the team to the playoffs at the end of the season. The 1992 Michigan Tech grad played eight NHL games for the Blues and Sharks from 1994-96, but the bulk of his career was spent in the IHL, where he was a First Team All-Star with Peoria in 1994. After his stint with the Ice, he went to Europe for two years. A native of Orillia, Ont., he is 42.
December 1
Alfie Moore: Capitals goaltender in the final half of 1939-40, playing 27 games. He had a 10-13-4 record and four shutouts, to go along with a 2.73 GAA. He helped lead the Caps to a division title in their inaugural year. He was solid in the playoffs, posting a 2.11 GAA as the Caps lost a thrilling first-round series to the Providence Reds in the decisive fifth game. Moore was no stranger to playoff success. He spent many years in the minors before getting called up to the New York Americans in 1936-37. He spent the next year in the minors, but got his claim to fame when he had to stand in for injured Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Mike Karakas in the Stanley Cup Finals -- literally being pulled from a local pub in Toronto to play as the Hawks needed an emergency goaltender. Moore defeated the Maple Leafs 3-1, and the Blackhawks gave him a gold watch as a reward. His name appears on the Stanley Cup. A native of Toronto, he was born in 1906. He passed away in 1984.
Robert Martini: Indiana Ice defenseman from 2006-08, playing in 106 games. He had five goals and 20 assists for the Ice, and then took his talents to Niagara University, where he is currently a senior defenseman. A native of Bradford, Ont., he is 23.
Billy Fitzgerald: Ice defenseman for 36 games in 2009-10, tallying two goals and three assists. He currently plays for Dartmouth College as a redshirt freshman. A native of Milton, Mass., he is 21.
December 2
Bob Champoux: Goaltender for the short-lived Capitols team in 1963. In Indianapolis, he was 0-3 with a 4.41 GAA on a struggling team, but he did play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that year, replacing Terry Sawchuk in the Red Wings' net for a game against Chicago, and winning 5-4. He played primarily in the minors through 1977, although he did stint with the California Golden Seals in 1973-74, playing 17 games. A native of Truro, N.S., he is 69.
December 3
Craig Woodcroft: The Blackahwks' seventh-round pick in 1988, he played two years for the Ice from 1991-93. In 140 games, he tallied 33 goals and 36 assists. He would go on to play 10 more years, including two stints with the Canadian National Team, primarily in Europe. A native of Toronto, he is 42.
Chris George: Indianapolis Ice winger in 2001-02. He had 44 goals and 32 assists for the Ice that season. He was a high-scoring winger throughout his career, primarily in the CHL He had four straight 50-goal seasons and a 46-goal season for the Huntsville ChannelCats/Tornado from 1996-2001 before coming to the Ice. His history with the Ice began before he played for the team. In his final game for Huntsville -- one that determined whether or not the Tornado or Ice would make the CHL Playoffs, George took a shot against Steven Kirkpatrick in an event to raise awareness for muscular dystrophy -- a disease George's late daughter also suffered from. He retired after his year with the Ice, but came out of retirement to play one more game in Huntsville in 2008-09. A native of Kitchener, Ont., he is 40.
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