This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 5

April 5 in Indianapolis hockey history
2008: A rare two-goalie shutout for the Ice, as the division champions blank the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets 7-0 in front of 5,328 at the Coliseum. Scott Darling plays the first and third periods and stops seven shots, while Matt Hoyle takes over for the second and stops eight. John Kemp (G, 3A) tallies a four-point night, while John Carlson and Will MacDonald each tally a goal and two assists. Ron Cramer puts the exclamation point on with a third-period penalty shot goal.
2000: The Ice take a 2-0 series lead over Tulsa with a 4-1 win. Dan Villeneuve scores the game-winner and Benoit Thibert posts his second straight win in goal.
1991: Sean Williams had two goals and two assists, with helpers on goals by Warren Rychel and Stephen Veilleux in the first 2:11 of the third to tie the game at 5-5. But Muskegon's Dave Michayluk scored with 1:38 left to give the Lumberjacks a 6-5 win in the L.C. Walker Arena.
1959: The Chiefs beat the Fort Wayne Komets 5-2 to stay alive in their Turner Cup semifinal series, but would be eliminated in the next game. Red Leger's game-winner for the Chiefs would mark the franchise's final playoff victory.
1950: The Capitals beat the Cleveland Barons 4-1 in the opening game of the Calder Cup Final. Terry Sawchuk makes 47 saves for the Caps, outdueling Cleveland's Johnny Bower. Seventeen years later, the two together would carry the Toronto Maple Leafs to a Stanley Cup. 
1942: The Indianapolis Capitals bring a championship to the Circle City. In their third season, the Caps beat Hershey 8-3 at the Fairgrounds Coliseum to clinch the title. Jack Keating, Sandy Ross and Joe Fisher score 51 seconds apart in the first period to give the Caps a 3-0 lead. Joe Turner makes 36 saves in what would be the final game of his career. Keating (9-8-17) and Les Douglas (8-9-17) each set AHL records with points in a playoff season. Teammate Roy Sawyer's 14 assists are also a new AHL record.

Happy birthday to ...
Bill Blackwood: Defenseman who played three games for the Racers in 1977-78 after finishing his career at Clarkson University - where he is in the school's Hall of Fame. He would go on to play two seasons with IHL Fort Wayne. A native of Sudbury, Ontario, he is 58.
Gerald Diduck: Defenseman who joined the Checkers for the 1984 playoffs and made an immediate impact, with a goal and six assists as the Checkers made a surprise run to the Adams Cup Finals. It was the start of a professional career that would span 18 seasons and feature 932 NHL games. He had 56 goals and 212 points with the Islanders, Canadiens, Canucks, Blackhawks, Whalers, Coyotes, Maple Leafs and Stars. He played in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final with Vancouver. He was the Islanders' first-round pick in 1983. A native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, he is 49.
Roy Sommer: Center who played 37 games for the Checkers in 1985-86, tallying nine goals, 10 assists and 118 PIMs. It was a later stop in a pro career that spanned from 1977-87. Sommer has made his mark as a coach, where he began as an assistant with Muskegon in 1987 -- the team he joined after playing for the Checkers. Earlier in 2014, he set the American Hockey League record for games coached, a stint that began in 1998 with the Kentucky Thoroughblades. He has coached the Worcester Sharks since 2006. Sommer won a championship in the ECHL with Richmond in 1995. A native of Oakland, California, he is 57.

This day in Indianapolis hockey history: April 1

Looking back at April 1 in Indianapolis hockey history

2014: The Indy Fuel announce an affiliation with the NHL Chicago Blackhawks, marking the second time a local hockey team has been affiliated with the Blackhawks. The Indianapolis Ice of the IHL had the Blackhawks' primary affiliation from 1989-98, and shared the primary affiliation in 1998-99. The Fuel will be the Blackhawks' secondary afffiliate, with the Rockford IceHogs the primary.
2011: Daniil Tarasov (2G, A) and Dominic Panetta (3A) each tally three-point games as the Ice beat Sioux Falls 6-4 on the road. Jon Gillies makes 44 saves in the win.
2006: Jay Sprague scores a hat trick for the Ice in a 7-2 defeat of Cedar Rapids in their first-round USHL playoff series. The victory gives the Ice a 2-1 lead in the series, but they fall in five games.
2005: Ryan Peckskamp scores a hat trick for the Ice and Garrett Roe has three assists, but they drop a 6-5 OT decision in Des Moines.
2001: The Ice clinch a playoff berth on the last day of the season, beating Huntsville 4-1 in front of 4,857 at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. Yvan Corbin scores his CHL-record 75th goal of the season and adds an assist for his 45th multi-point game. He and Chris MacKenzie share the Ken McKenzie Trophy - given to the CHL's leading scorer - with 129 points. The Ice finish the year 31-32-7 and place fourth in the CHL's eastern division. Steven Kirkpatrick starts the game and plays nine seconds as the Ice goaltender, with Gordie and Colleen Howe in attendance.
1992: Trevor Dam scores 27 seconds into the game, a team record, but it's not enough to prevent a 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. Jeff Rohlicek has a goal and an assist. It's the Ice's fifth straight loss.
1990: Guy Phillips scores his second and third goals for the Ice in a 2-1 win over Fort Wayne. Jim Waite stops 28 of 29 shots in the win.
1983: Rob Holland outduels Warren Skoerdenski in net, and Monty Trottier scores the game-winner as the Checkers thrash Birmingham 6-1 in the penultimate regular-season game. 
1980: Ed Pizunski scores in overtime to give the Checkers a 5-4 win over the Dallas Black Hawks. 
1957: The Chiefs clinch the Turner Cup with a 3-2 victory over the Louisville Rebels at Freedom Hall. Myron Stankiewicz scored an early goal and fed Frank Kuzma for a second-period goal that gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. Marc Boileau added an insurance goal in the third off a highlight-reel feed from teammate Pierre Brillant. Cliff Hicks made 32 saves, with several key ones late. The Rebels thought they had tied the game late, as a shot hit the side of the net and the red light came on. The official ruled "no goal." The Chiefs joined the 1942 and 1950 Capitals as Indianapolis hockey champions. 

Happy birthday to ...
Brian Johnson: Right wing who played 13 games with the Checkers at the end of his career in 1985-86. A veteran minor-leaguer, he played three NHL games with the Red Wings in 1983-84. A native of Montreal, he is 54.
Byron Lomow: Center who joined the Checkers in 1986 after a junior career in the WHL, and then played the full 1986-87 season with the Checkers. In 90 games, he had 36 goals and 46 assists, as well as 235 penalty minutes. He also had five goals and 11 points in 11 playoff games over the two years. His 71-point season in 1986-87 was the highest-scoring of his seven professional seasons. A native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, he is 48.
Brian Morgan: Forward who played for both the Ice and the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the 2012-13 USHL season. In 39 games with the Ice, he tallied 16 goals and seven assists. He is currently a freshman at the University of Maine, where he had a 20-point season. A native of Windham, New Hampshire, he is 20.
 

Today in history: Jan. 22-24

Life intervened the last few days, so we got a bit behind on the Today in History posts. So, here's the last 3 days. 

January 22

1950: Pat Lundy scores four goals for his second time as a Capital in a victory over the Springfield Indians.

Birthdays

Greg Gilbert: Checkers winger for 24 games as a pro rookie in 1982-83. He had 11 goals and 16 assists in those games, and quickly earned a callup to the New York Islanders, where he had 19 points in 45 games and helped the Isles win the Stanley Cup. He actually got his name on the Cup the year before as a late-season callup from junior who played in four postseason games. He had 31 goals the following season, his first full year in the NHL, and played in 21 playoff games to help bring the Isles to the Cup Finals for the fifth straight year. Gilbert would go on to play 15 years in the NHL with the Islanders, Blackhawks, Rangers and Blues. He had 378 points in 837 NHL games. He won the Stanley Cup three times -- with the Isles in 1982 and 1983 and the Rangers in 1994. He also played in the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals with Chicago. He is currently the head coach of the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. A native of Missasauga, Ont., he is 50. 

Todd Carlile: Checkers defenseman in 1986-87, and also a member of the Ice in 1988-89, making him one of a couple of players -- joining Ron Handy -- who played for the Checkers/Ice franchise in both the final Chex and first Ice season. He had 11 goals, 40 points and 102 PIMs in 50 games as a Checker, and had five assists in four games in 1988-89. Those would be the only pro seasons for the former Michigan Wolverine. A native of St. Paul, Minn., he is 48. 

Chris Rogles: Ice goaltender from 1993-95. In 87 games, he was 28-42-8 with a 3.67 GAA, often playing alongside Christian Soucy. Rogles joined the Ice as a rookie out of Clarkson University, and played one more season in North America -- in both the IHL and ECHL -- before a long career in Europe. A native of St. Louis, he is 43. 

Marc Hussey: Ice defenseman from 1996-98. In 37 games, he had two goals and seven assists. He came to the Ice in a trade at the end of the 1996-97 season to help the team finish off a division championship season and join the playoff push, and then played 23 games with the Ice the following year before being dealt to Milwaukee. He played in the IHL/AHL through 1999, then played several seasons in Europe. A native of Chatham, N.B., he is 38.

Jon Gillies: Ice goaltender from 2010-12. He is one of the most-heralded draft-eligible netminders in the country. In the 2010-11 season, he set a club record for the longest scoreless streak. He was 15-6-2 with a 2.82 GAA in 2010-11 with three shutouts, and then took the starter's job the following year, where he vaulted to the top of the USHL in nearly every goaltending category. He is committed to play collegiately at Northeastern. A native of South Portland, Maine, he is 18. 

January 23

1947: The Capitals and Springfield Indians finish a game despite three power failures at the Coliseum. It was finished with “soft lights.” Springfield won 5-4 despite Cliff Simpson’s two goals.

1957: Pete Wywrot scores four goals in 8-5 Chiefs win over Fort Wayne, and yet gets overshadowed as Pierre Brillant sets a club record with six assists and adds a goal for a seven-point night.

Birthdays

Justin Lafayette: Ice center for 51 games in 1991-92. He had seven goals and 10 assists. The Ferris State grad played one more professional season in the ECHL. A native of Mississauga, Ont., he is 42. 

Dalton Izyk: Ice goaltender in 2011-12. He dressed for a couple of games in 2010-11, but did not play, and then joined the team full-time the following year, teaming with Jon Gillies in net. A native of Oswego, N.Y., he is 18. 

 

January 24
Birthdays
Benoit Cassan: Ice defenseman for eight games in 1999-2000. He had two goals for the Ice. He also played briefly with Macon and Memphis in the CHL that season, his lone pro season. A native of Gloucester, Ont., he is 34. 
Qamil "Charlie" Elezi: Ice winger for 61 games from 2000-02, playing three games in 2000-01, and 58 the following year. He had four goals, six assists and 223 PIMs with the Ice. He began playing professionally in 1998 with CHL Oklahoma City, then played four more years -- three in the UHL, one with OKC -- before retiring in 2006. A native of Warren, Mich., he is 35. 
Joel Whited: Ice forward for five games in 2006-07. He played most of that year -- and all of the following year -- in the Tier II NAHL, then played at Div. III Wisconsin-Stout. He is one of a handful of Hoosiers to suit up for a local hockey team. A native of Indianapolis, he is 25.

Today in history: January 21

January 21 in Indianapolis hockey history

1962: Shortly after being released by the team, Hank Therrien is re-signed and scores 6:32 into overtime to beat Muskegon and end a Chiefs losing streak. 

Birthdays

Ray Adduono: Racers center for eight games in 1977-78. He had a goal and two assists. He played five WHA seasons, with 45 goals and 152 assists in 221 games with the Cleveland Crusaders, San Diego Mariners, Minnesota Fighting Saints and the Racers. He finished his career with the Racers, and played two more years in the minors. A native of Fort William, Ont., he is 65. 

Graeme Bonar: Ice right wing in 1988-89, where he had 11 goals and eight assists in 38 games. The Montreal Canadiens' third-round pick in 1984, he played in the AHL and IHL from 1986-89, then in the Colonial and Sunshine Hockey Leagues through 1994. He had a 33-goal season with CoHL Brantford in 1991-92. A native of Mimico, Ont., he is 46. 

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: January 13

January 13 in Indianapolis hockey history

1946: The Capitals and St. Louis Flyers combine for 17 goals at the Coliseum. The Caps win 12-5. 

1949: Rod Morrison (G, 3A) and Nels Podolsky (2G/2A) each have four points as the Caps beat the Providence Reds 12-2. It's the Caps' second straight 10-goal victory. 

1961: The Chiefs and Muskegon go down to the wire. Hank Therrien scores with five seconds left to give the Chiefs a 5-4 victory. 

1980: Bruce Andres scores the first hat trick in Checkers history against the Houston Apollos. The Checkers win 8-3. 

Birthdays

Kelly Hrudey: Checkers goaltender who joined the team in the 1981 playoffs and then teamed with Rob Holland in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 season to win the Adams Cup championship each year. He also played with the team the following year in a six-game conditioning stint. Hrudey played 104 games for the Checkers in the regular season, He had a 56-38-6 record and a GAA right at 3.00, with three shutouts. He had an 18-5 record in the playoffs in the two championship seasons. The Isles' second-round pick in 1980, Hrudey began to replace Billy Smith as the Islanders' top goaltender after 1984 and was a top goaltender in the NHL through 1998. Hrudey was the Islanders' goaltender in the famed 4OT "Easter Epic" game, making 73 saves in a Game 7 victory over Washington that ended after 128:47 of playing time. In 1993, he backstopped the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals, winning 10 playoff games in 20 starts. He had a 271-265-88 record in 677 NHL games, with a 3.42 GAA and 17 shutouts. Hrudey was also 36-46 in 85 playoff games with a 3.28 GAA. After retiring in 1998, he joined the Hockey Night in Canada crew, and is one of the network's primary studio announcers. A native of Edmonton, he is 51. 

Chad McIver: Ice defenseman in 2003-04. He had three goals and 11 assists in 49 games. The Ferris State grad played five pro seasons from 2002-07 in the ECHL and CHL. A native of Thunder Bay, Ont., he is 34.

Today in history: January 12

January 12 in Indianapolis hockey history

1945: Joe Turner is reported as being killed in action in World War II. He backstopped the Capitals’ 1941-42 Calder Cup championship team before serving in the United States Marines. He had been reported missing in action in Holland on Dec. 13, 1944. The IHL’s Turner Cup would be named for him. He was one of two former NHL players to be killed in action in WWII, the other being Dudley “Red” Garrett. 

1961: The Chiefs pepper Fort Wayne’s Reno Zanier with 41 shots and win 5-3, breaking a 15-game winless streak (0-14-1) that lasted five weeks. Denis Menard scores the game-winner midway through the third. 

Birthdays

Jim Skinner: Capitals defenseman in 1944-45, with one goal and four assists in 57 games -- playing alongside his brother, Morden "Ducky" Skinner. Skinner was the team captain that year. He also had an assist in five postseason games. He returned to Indianapolis as the farm director (and de facto general manager) for the Indianapolis Capitols in 1963. He played two more years for the Omaha Knights, the Red Wings' "AA" affiliate, but his career was most notable for his role as a coach and GM. He began coaching in the IHL in 1947 and won the Turner Cup that year, and then took over as the Red Wings' head coach in 1954-55. The Wings won the Stanley Cup that year, and is considered to be the first person to have kissed the Cup. He held nearly every front office job with the Red Wings, as a scout, farm system director, player personnel director and eventually general manager from 1980-82. His predecessor in that position, Ted Lindsay, played one game for the Caps. His successor, Jim Devellano, came from having the same job with the Indianapolis Checkers. Skinner is also credited with being one of the first scouts to look for players in Europe, and with helping start the NHL Entry Draft, which began in 1963. A native of Selkirk, Man., he was born in 1917. He passed away in 2007. 

Alex Pirus: A high-scoring center with the Checkers in 1980-81, tallying 25 goals and 46 assists in 79 games, the last of his five pro seasons. He had three goals and two assists in the playoffs that year, as well. He was a third-round pick of both NHL and WHA teams in 1975 while playing at Notre Dame, but opted to play with the North Stars in 1976. He had 30 goals and 58 points in 159 NHL games, including a 20-goal season in 1976-77. He has since entered hockey ministry, and is the chaplain for the Chicago Blackhawks & Wolves. A native of Toronto, he is 57. 

Cam Russell: Ice defenseman for three seasons, from 1989-92. He played 140 games with the Ice, with 12 goals and 33 assists, with 317 PIMs. He also had three assists in 15 playoff games, and was a part of the Ice's 1990 Turner Cup championship. The rugged Blackhawks' third-round pick in 1987, Russell split each of his Ice seasons with the parent club, then played full-time with the Blackhawks in 1992-93 and then on. He played his final year -- 1998-99 -- with the Colorado Avalanche. He had nine goals and 21 assists in 396 NHL games, as well as 870 PIMs. He became an assistant with QMJHL Halifax in 2000, became the team's head coach in 2006 and is currently the Mooseheads' general manager. A native of Halifax, he is 43. 

Russ Guzior: Ice center for 16 games in 2003-04, their final CHL season. He had two goals and eight assists. He played professionally from 1997-2005, primarily at the "AA" level in the ECHL, UHL and CHL. In his best years, he had 28 goals with ECHL Mobile in 1999-2000, and 29 with CHL El Paso in 2003-04. A native of Chicago, he is 38. 

Dan Sherer: A forward in his first year with the Indiana Ice. He has settled into a center position in his one year in the USHL. A native of Nashotah, Wis., he is 20.

Today in history: January 11

January 11 in Indianapolis hockey history

1961: Chiefs coach Leo Lamoureux dies at age 44, the cause of death listed as acute hepatitis. He had left the team mid-season two months earlier to check into the hospital. Leo led the Chiefs to the 1958 Turner Cup championship and would be honored by the IHL, with its leading scorer trophy re-named for him. 

Birthdays

Connie Brown: A Capitals regular from 1939-43. He was known as a skilled playmaker who broke into the pro ranks in 1938-39 with the Red Wings organization. He had 19 points in 15 games in the Caps' inaugural 1939-40 season. He was the team's leading scorer the two following seasons, despite playing less than the full season with the Caps. He had 16 goals and 28 assists in 1940-41, then followed that up with a 19-goal, 34-assists season in the 1941-42 Calder Cup championship year. In 147 games as a Capital, he scored 56 goals and 97 assists. He also had eight goals and 11 assists in the playoffs, including 11 points in the championship year of 1942. He split each season with the Red Wings, totaling 39 points in 91 games from 1938-43 with Detroit. He was part of the 1943 Stanley Cup championship team, although he did not play a playoff game with Detroit that year. He played several years of senior hockey from 1943-on. A native of Vankleek Hill, Ont., he was born in 1917. He passed away in 1966. 

Florent Pilote: Defenseman for the Chiefs for four games in 1958-59. He had a goal and an assist, and also had an assist in five playoff games. From there, he embarked on an 11-year career in the Eastern Hockey League, nearly all with Nashville. A native of Fort Erie, Ont., he was born in 1936. 

Ray Ross: Center for the Capitols in 1963. He had two goals in the eight games the Caps played, and finished the year with 15 goals and 15 assists for the combined Caps/Cincinnati Wings team in 44 games. He was near the end of a 14-year career that was primarily spent in the AHL. A native of Hamilton, Ont., he was born in 1932.

Bobby Sheehan: Racers center in 1977-78, where he had eight goals and seven assists in 29 games. Sheehan was a diminutive player -- at 5-8, 160 -- but a sparkplug for his teams throughout his career. He broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens in 1969-70 and won the Stanley Cup the following year. He then had 20 goals for the California Golden Seals in 1971-72, his first full NHL season. He jumped to the WHA in 1972-73 and scored 35 goals with the New York Raiders. He played 551 NHL/WHA games between 1970-83, playing for Montreal, Chicago, Detroit, the New York Rangers, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles in the NHL, and for the New York Raiders/Golden Blades/Jersey Knights, Edmonton Oilers and the Racers in the WHA. He had 123 goals and 173 assists. He played in the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals with the Rangers, playing in 15 playoff games that season after spending the regular season in the minors. A native of Weymouth, Mass., he is 63. 

Alex Roberts: Ice defenseman from 1989-91 -- primarily playing in the 1990-91 season. In 83 games, he had 11 goals and 18 assists. He also had three assists in seven playoff games against Fort Wayne that year. He joined the team after finishing his career at the University of Michigan. He played through 1993 in the AHL and ECHL. A native of Detroit, he is 42. 

John Parker: Ice forward from 2008-10, where he had five goals and 19 assists in 89 games. He had three goals and three assists in 16 postseason games, and was part of the Clark Cup championship team in 2009. Parker played the 2010-11 season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and is currently a freshman at the University of Maine. A native of Green Brook, NJ, he is 20.