Independence Day links: Rockford, Regier & more

Happy Independence Day!

A few links for you, with the Indy Fuel, legendary former Checker Darcy Regier landing in the Coyotes' front office, and some development camp news.

• Former Checker Darcy Regier was hired as the assistant GM of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Regier, who played five seasons for the Checkers and was their coach for much of the year in 1984-85, had previously spent 17 years as the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. He replaces another person with strong Indianapolis ties - Brad Treliving, who had played for the IHL Ice and was later commissioner of the CHL when the Ice played in that league. Treliving is now the Calgary Flames' GM. The Arizona Republic has more.
• The Rockford IceHogs -- the Indy Fuel's AHL affiliate -- have signed a pair of players to AHL contracts in 29-year-old defenseman Zach Miskovic and 25-year-old forward Ryan Schnell. Both bring a measure of size and toughness to Rockford. And, as always, keep an eye on the IceHogs roster, as the Fuel anticipate 6-8 players being sent to Indy from the NHL & AHL affiliates in Chicago and Rockford.
• IceHogs coach Mark Bernard discussed the organization's affiliation with the Fuel at a recent availability. "It's going to give us the ability to send a few more players down there if we want them to develop and work on certain things. I think they're going to be a fantastic organization in the ECHL. They've got a great coach in Scott Hillman, and we're excited to be partnered with them." Click below the jump to watch.

Today in history: November 27

Lots o' birthdays today on Nov. 27

Bob Jones: Racers winger for two games in 1975-76. He was scoreless in those two games, his final two major professional games in a career that spanned 163 NHL/WHA games with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Sharks, New York Raiders/Golden Blades/Jersey Knights, Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades. He had 30 goals and 48 assists as a WHA player in 161 games. A native of Espanola, Ont., he is 66. 

Darcy Regier: A mainstay on the blueline for the Checkers in all five of their CHL seasons from 1979-84, and then serving as the IHL franchise's first coach upon retirement as a player in 1984-85. He played 377 games as a Checker, with 13 goals and 93 assists. He also played 46 playoff games for the Checkers, with two goals and 11 assists. He was the CHL's Iron Man Award winner in 1980 and a First-Team All-Star two years later. He was a leader on two Adams Cup championship teams in 1982 and 1983. Regier played 26 NHL games for the Cleveland Barons in 1977-78 and the New York Islanders from 1982-84. Upon retirement as a player, Regier moved into coaching -- briefly -- and then into management. He oversaw the Denver/Utah Grizzlies' back-to-back Turner Cup championships as part of the Islanders' front office, then became the team's interim GM in 1995-96. In 1997, he became the Buffalo Sabres' general manager, and has remained in that position ever since. A native of Swift Current, Sask., he is 55. 

Tim Salmon: Checkers center for 46 games in 1986-87, where he had 12 goals and 24 assists. He played professionally through 1996, but did so primarily in Europe. A native of Ottawa, he is 47. 

Vince Williams: Ice defenseman for 33 games in 1998-99. He had two goals and three assists that year as an Iceman, splitting the year between Indy and ECHL Columbus. He played through 2006, primarily with ECHL, and most of those seasons with the Trenton Titans. A native of Ottawa, he is 36. 

Mike Torkoff: Ice defenseman in 1999-2000, the inaugural CHL season. He had eight goals and 16 assists that season after joining the team early in the year. He also had four points in 15 playoff games, helping lead the Ice to the Miron Cup championship. Torkoff played professionally from 1996-2002, his best season a 36-point year with CHL Fayetteville in 2000-01. A native of Richmond Hills, Ont., he is 40. 

Dennis "Red" Gendron: The Indiana Ice's first coach as a USHL entry. Gendron had spent two years as an assist with the New Jersey Devils from 1994-96 -- winning the Stanley Cup in 1995 and also in 2000 as an assistant coach -- and served as both an assistant and head coach with the Albany River Rats in the AHL before joining the Ice. He coached a partial season with the Ice in 2004-05. After that, he became an assist at UMass, and is currently an assistant at Yale -- taking a position that opened when current Ice coach Kyle Wallack left Yale to take over the Ice.