This day in Indianapolis hockey history: July 8

Five birthdays today: former Chief Len Ronson (78), IHL Ice Karl Dykhuis (42) & Glen Featherstone (46) and USHL Ice Adam Cardwell (27) and Mike Cichy (20).

Len Ronson: Left wing who played a partial season for the Chiefs in 1956-57 -- splitting the year between Indianapolis and Huntington. He went on to play three high-scoring seasons for the Fort Wayne Komets from 1957-60 -- including a 62-goal season in 1959-60 -- and play professionally through 1973. He played 18 NHL games -- 13 with the Rangers in 1960-61 and five for the Oakland Seals in 1968-69. A native of Brantford, Ont., he is 78.
Karl Dykhuis: The Blackhawks' first-round pick in 1990, he came to the Ice as a professional rookie in 1992-93 and played three seasons in Indy. In 184 games with the Ice, he had 14 goals and 64 assists. He had brief stints with the Blackhawks -- first in 1991-92 after finishing his junior career, and again the following year, but was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1995. There, he became an NHL mainstay. He played 644 NHL games with the Blackhawks, Flyers, Lightning and Canadiens through 2003-04, with 42 goals and 91 assists. He retired after the 2005-06 season, playing his final two years in Europe. A native of Sept-Isle, Quebec, he is 42.
Glen Featherstone: Defenseman who came to the Ice in 1997-98, playing 73 games for the team. He had 10 goals and 28 assists to go along with 187 penalty minutes. At 6-4, 215, he was an imposing presence on the blueline. The Blues' fourth-round pick in 1986, he came to the Ice after a nine-year NHL career that saw him play for the Blues, Bruins, Rangers, Whalers and Flames. After his stint with the Ice -- in which his 10 goals were a career high -- he played three more years with the IHL's Chicago Wolves. He had 19 goals and 80 points in 384 NHL games, to go along with 939 penalty minutes. A native of Toronto, he is 46.
Adam Cardwell: Center who played 27 games for the Ice in 2004-05, with a goal and four assists. He went on to play three seasons in the NAHL -- tallying 91 points in 2007-08 -- two years at Div. I Alaska-Fairbanks and two years at Div. III Wisconsin-River Falls, before graduating in 2013. A native of Long Beach, Calif., he is 27.
Mike Cichy: Center who came to the Ice as part of a midseason trade in 2008-09, and then took the team by storm. In 30 regular season games, he had 24 goals and 23 assists, helping vault the Ice into a playoff spot. In the playoffs, he dominated, tallying six goals and 19 assists -- 25 points in just 13 games -- helping lead the team to a Clark Cup championship. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Montreal Canadiens shortly thereafter, and recently completed a four-year college career where he played two years at North Dakota and two at Western Michigan. He tallied 37 points in 119 professional games. A native of New Hartford, Conn., he is 24.