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 9

January 9 in Indianapolis hockey history
1941: The Capitals hold Herb Lewis night at the Coliseum to fete the team's popular first coach. The Unior Chamber of Commerce gives him a picnic set. Lewis, a Hockey Hall of Famer as a player who was one of the game's fastest skaters in the 1930s, put himself in the lineup and scored a goal in a 3-3 tie against New Haven in front of 4,556 at the Coliseum.

1949: The Capitals rout Springfield 11-1 behind four goals and an assist from Pat Lundy.

Birthdays
Dwayne Lowdermilk: Checkers defenseman from 1979-81. In 84 games, he had seven goals and 31 assists. He played 79 of those games in 1979-80. He also played two games with the NHL Washington Capitals in 1980-81 and had an assist. He was the Islanders' third-round pick in 1978. He retired after putting up 44 points with AHL Hershey in 1981-82. He returned to British Columbia and ran an ice rink. A native of Burnaby, B.C., he is 54.
Jim Koudys: Checkers center for 56 games from 1984-86, the team's first two IHL seasons. He had nine goals and 27 assists in that span. He played just three pro seasons -- also playing nine games the following year for IHL Peoria. A native of Grimsby, Ont., he is 48.
Tim Hoover: Ice defenseman for three games in 1988-89. He had played three full seasons in the AHL and IHL prior to that stint, and retired afterwards. A native of North Bay, Ont., he is 47.
David Ling: Ice winger in 1997-98 for 12 games. A late-season acquisition, he had eight goals and six assists, and then posted four goals and an assist in five postseason games. Ling broke into the pro ranks in 1995 with AHL Saint John, then had 47 goals over two seasons with Montreal's affiliate in Fredericton before being traded to Chicago -- and assigned to the Ice. After playing three games with Montreal before the deal to the Ice, he stuck again in the NHL in 2002-04, where he played 85 games over two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. A native of Halifax, N.S., he is 37.
Justin Hocking: Ice defenseman in 1998-99. In 34 games, he had two goals, four assists and 111 PIMs. He played one NHL game with Los Angeles as a rookie in 1993-94, and left North America after the 2000-01 season to play in Europe. A native of Stettler, Alb., he is 38.