Today in history: January 17

January 17 in Indianapolis hockey history

1961: Carl Wetzel makes 58 saves, but gives up a penalty shot goal in the final minute and the Chiefs tie Fort Wayne 2-2.

1980: Alex McKendry scores a hat trick against Birmingham’s Reggie Lemelin in a 7-5 Checkers victory, giving the team hat tricks in back-to-back games. 

Birthdays

Joe Cleary: Ice defenseman in 1992-93. He had 10 goals, 17 assists and 110 PIMs in 63 games with the Ice. He also had a goal in three postseason games that year in the series against the Atlanta Knights. The Blackhawks' fifth-round pick in 1998 and a former Boston College captain, Cleary played one more pro season, split between IHL Kansas City and ECHL Charlotte. A native of Boxboro, Mass, he was born in 1970. He passed away in 2009. 

Andrew Taylor: Left wing for the Ice in 2002-03. He had 13 goals and 24 assists in 59 games that season. He also had two goals and three assists in eight postseason games. The Islanders' seventh-round pick in 1995, Taylor broke into pro hockey in 1999 in the ECHL, and played with seven different ECHL and CHL teams through 2004, before playing senior hockey in Ontario. A native of Stratford, Ont., he is 35. 

Mike Zeibaq: Ice defenseman for part of the 2003-04 season. He had four goals and an assist in 38 games. He also played that season with CHL Lubbock and SEHL Knoxville, the second of his two pro seasons. A native of Hauppauge, N.Y., he is 32. 

Mike Embach: Ice winger in 2006-07. He had a goal and six assists in 18 games after coming from the Chicago Steel at the end of the season. He also had two goals and two assists in seven playoff games. Embach went on to a four-year career at Ferris State, and finished the 2010-11 season with the AHL Texas Stars. He is currently playing with the ECHL Chicago Express. A native of Orland Park, Ill., he is 24. 

Stanislav Galiev: Ice winger in 2008-09. He had 29 goals and 35 assists in 60 games to help lead the Ice to a strong season, and then had five goals and four assists in 13 playoff games to help lead the team to the Clark Cup championship. Galiev was a high-scoring forward on the Ice's first -- and so far only -- championship team, but then he went to Canadian Major Junior and won that country's national title, playing for the Saint John Sea Dogs team that won the 2011 Memorial Cup title, so he has now won the top national championship in both the U.S. and Canada. Galiev has tallied at least 60 points in each of his three full junior seasons to date. He was drafted in the third round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals, and will begin his pro career next season. A native of Moscow, he is 20. 

Today in history: November 21

Birthdays

Byron "Butch" McDonald: Capitals winger from 1939-41, and again in 1944-45. He played 95 games for the Caps, with 25 goals and 68 assists. He was part of a division championship team in 1940 and had a 13-30-43 year the following season. He also played 66 NHL games for Detroit and Chicago. A native of Assinobia, Sask., he was born in 1916. He passed away in 2006. 

Alex McKendry: A second-round pick by the Indianapolis Racers in the 1976 WHA draft, McKendry never suited up for the city's WHA team, but did play for the Checkers in 1979-80. He also was the Islanders' first-round pick in 1976 and went the NHL route, allowing him to tally 40 goals and 37 assists in 76 games -- as well as six playoff points in four games that season. McKendry would be traded to the Calgary Flames the following year. He played 46 NHL games with the Islanders and Flames before retiring in 1983. A native of Midland, Ont., he is 55. 

Brian Arrigoni: Ice forward in 2006-07, where he had six goals and three assists and 98 PIMs in 59 games. He played the following year in the NAHL, and is currently a senior at Div. III Hamline University, where he has tallied double-digit goals in each year of his college career. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he is 24.

Today in history: November 2

November 2 in Indianapolis hockey history

1957: Pierre Brillant posts his third consecutive 2-goal game to give the Chiefs a 5-2 victory at Fort Wayne. He had 6 goals and 3 assists in the first three games of the year, starting a season that would end in a Turner Cup championship. 

1978: Wayne Gretzky, Ed Mio and Peter Driscoll are sold to the Edmonton Oilers for a sum reportedly $850,000, which was supposed to keep the Racers afloat for the rest of the season. Four front-office staff members were also released. Team owner Nelson Skalbania was not present at the press conference, escorting the three players to Edmonton. Gretzky tallied three goals and three assists in eight games with the Racers. He would lead Edmonton to four Stanley Cups between 1983-88, and then also lead the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993. He would become the greatest scorer in professional hockey history. 

1979: Richard Brodeur shuts out the Fort Worth Texans and Alex McKendry scores 50 seconds into OT to give the Chex a 1-0 victory. It is the franchise's first shutout and first OT game.