HUGE batch of birthdays today. Former Indianapolis Capitol (and NHL veteran) Jim Watson, Racers Murray Kennett and Gary Inness, Indiana Ice owner & former Checker Paul Skjodt, former Checker and Stanley Cup champion goalie Roland Melanson, another former Checker in Doug Moffatt, and IHL Ice Don Herzceg. Also born on June 28: late former Capitals Bill Jennings and Norm McAtee.
Showing posts with label Roland Melanson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roland Melanson. Show all posts
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Today in history: January 10
January 10 in Indianapolis hockey history
1960: The Chiefs play their first home game outside of Indiana when they meet the St.
Paul Saints at Cincinnati Gardens. The Chiefs would play three games in
Cincinnati that year – all the second half of back-to-back weekends. The Chiefs lose 5-2, but the game is thrown out due to a Chiefs protest and replayed as part of a four-point game
on Feb. 29. The Saints win that one 4-2, too.
1981: Checkers goaltender Roland Melanson makes 45 saves – on 48 shots – as the Checkers tie the
Wichita Wind 3-3.
Birthdays
Lloyd "Red" Doran: Capitals center for 80 games between 1946-48. He had 23 goals and 45 assists as a Capital. He also split the 1946-47 season with the Red Wings, where he had three goals in 24 games. A good playmaker, Doran played with the Wings' "AA" team in Omaha in 1941-42, but missed four years of his prime due to service in World War II. He played through the 1950-51 season with the St. Louis Flyers and Cleveland Barons before retiring. A native of South Porcupine, Ont., he was born in 1921. He passed away in 1995.
Danton Cole: Ice winger for 32 games in 1995-96. He had nine goals and 12 assists, and also had a goal and five assists in five postseason games that year against the Detroit Vipers. The Michigan State grad played 318 NHL games between 1989-96 with the Jets, Lightning, Devils, Islanders and Blackhawks. He played one postseason game in 1995 with New Jersey, and has his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. He finished his playing career by playing three seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins, before retiring in 1999 -- with the exception of two games the following year. He immediately entered coaching upon his retirement as a player, first as an assistant with the Griffins. In his first year as a head coach, he led the Muskegon Fury to the Colonial Cup title in the UHL. He has also been a head coach in the AHL with Grand Rapids, and in college with Alabama-Huntsville. He is currently the head coach of the USNDTP U17 team, which competes in the USHL. A native of Pontiac, Mich., he is 45.
Jeff Serowik: Ice defenseman in 1995-96. He had 20 goals and 23 assists from the blueline, playing 69 games before being loaned to the Las Vegas Thunder at the end of the season. He spent the vast majority of his pro career -- from 1990-99 -- in the AHL and IHL, playing one game each for Toronto and Boston, and then 26 games with Pittsburgh at the end of his career in 1999, where he had six assists. In retirement, he has moved back to his native New England and currently is the founder and director of the Pro Ambitions hockey school. A native of Manchester, NH, he is 45.
Mike Hull: Ice forward from 2005-07, where he had 12 goals and 16 assists in 83 games before being dealt to Lincoln at the end of that season. He played the following year in the NAHL -- winning the Tier II national title -- and is currently a senior at Army. A native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., he is 24.
John Carlson: Ice defenseman from 2006-08. He played two games in 2006-07, then 59 games the following year. He had 12 goals and 31 assists, and also had a goal in four playoff games, and was a USHL Second Team All-Star. Carlson was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals the following summer, making him the Ice's first first-round draft pick. Carlson moved on to the Ontario Hockey League the following year, then turned pro in the spring of 2009 with AHL Hershey. He helped the Bears win the Calder Cup, then made his NHL debut with the Capitals the following year -- and stuck with the Caps from there on out. Entering 2011-12, Carlson had eight goals and 35 assists in 104 games. He is considered to be one of the top young defensemen in the NHL. A native of Natick, Mass., he is 22.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Today in history: June 28
A huge birthday post today.
Bill Jennings: A right wing who played parts of four seasons for the Capitals from 1940-43, and again in the fall of 44. He split the first three years between Indianapolis and Detroit, got called up to the Red Wings during the height of WWII in 1943-44, and after playing three games with the Caps early in the 1944-45 season, he was traded to the Boston Bruins, where he would become a 20-goal scorer. He played 106 games for the Caps, totaling 49 goals and 76 assists. He was known as a good two-way skater. His best year in Indy was the 1942-43 season, where he totaled 23 goals and 33 assists. He also had six goals and five assists in 17 playoff games in Indy. In 1942, he scored four goals to help lead the Caps to their first Calder Cup championship. He also played 108 NHL games, totaling 32 goals and 33 assists between 1940-45. Upon the end of WWII, he played one more AHL season in Hershey and St. Louis before retiring as a player. A native of Toronto, he was born in 1917. He passed away in 1999.
Norm McAtee: Interestingly, a player who was traded for Bill Jennings in a 1946 deal between Chicago and Boston. Norm played 30 games for the Capitals in 1945-46, totaling five goals and eight assists. He'd be traded twice that year -- first to Chicago, and then to Boston -- but play the entire year for the teams' AHL affiliates in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Hershey. In 1946-47, he played 13 games for the Bruins, tallying one assist. He spent his prime years in the Canadian Air Force in WWII. A two-way player who was seen as a strong playmaker and a pretty solid checker, Norm and his brother Judd played together with the Caps. He continued to play in the minors until 1954, playing his last three years with the IHL Troy Bruins. He settled in Troy, where he was a hockey official and radio broadcaster after his retirement from playing. He also worked for Sherwin-Williams and was a legendary local golfer. A native of Stratford, Ontario, he was born in 1921. He passed away on Aug. 25, 2010.
Jim Watson: A defenseman who played for the short-lived Capitols team in the CHL in 1963. The team only played nine games as a representative of Indianapolis before the Coliseum explosion forced them to move to Cincinnati for the balance of the year. Watson broke into pro hockey that year, and made his NHL debut in a single game with the Red Wings. He would matriculate to the NHL full-time in 1967-68, although he would split time between the NHL and the minors until being claimed by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft. He wasn't a prolific scorer, but he tallied the first goal in the team's history. He played the next six years in either the NHL or WHA with the Sabres, Los Angeles Sharks, Chicago Cougars and Quebec Nordiques. All told, he had 11 goals and 52 assists in 452 NHL/WHA games. A native of Malartic, Quebec, he is 68.
Murray Kennett: Defenseman who played 28 games for the Racers in their inaugural 1974-75 year. He had a goal, three assists and eight PIMs in that stretch. He also played 50 games with the Edmonton Oilers that year, and 28 games the next. All told, he played 106 WHA games in two seasons. He retired from hockey after the 1976-77 season. A native of Kamloops, British Columbia, he is 59.
Gary Inness: Goaltender for the Racers from 1977 until the team folded in December 1978. He played 63 games for the Racers, posting a 17-36-4 record and a 4.35 GAA during a time of roster instability. After the Racers folded, he finished the year with the Washington Capitals, and would play one more full season and a partial season with the Caps. Prior to joining the Racers, he played four NHL seasons with the Penguins and Flyers. He was called "The Man With The Golden Glove" in his stint in Washington, where he had a 3.16 GAA in his first 19 games. He went straight from Canadian university hockey to the pros, a rarity in the 1970s. Upon retirement as a player, he became a teacher, guidance counselor and coach at a school in Barrie, Ontario, and recently retired from that position. A native of Toronto, he is 62.
Roland Melanson: "Rollie the Goalie" backstopped the Checkers in 1980-81, and had a tremendous first pro season. In 52 games with the Checkers, he posted a 31-16-3 record and a 2.57 GAA in a high-scoring era of hockey. He also had two shutouts and was named the CHL's Rookie of the Year. He earned a callup to the New York Islanders that year and played in 11 regular season and three playoff games. The Islanders' third-round pick in 1979, he got the permanent call to the NHL the following year, joining Billy Smith for a formidable goaltending tandem. They shared the William Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against in 1982-83. He won three Stanley Cups with the Islanders. He also played with the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens in an NHL career that lasted until 1992. He also had a handful of minor-league stints. In 1992-93, he backstopped the Brantford Smoke in the upstart Colonial (later United) Hockey League and was named the league's Playoff MVP that year. He retired from playing in the 1993-94 season and entered coaching. He had a long stint with the Montreal Canadiens from 1997-2009, and is now the goaltending coach for the Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks. He is a native of Moncton, New Brunswick, and is the first New Brunswick-born player to play in the NHL. He is 51 today.
Paul Skjodt: Member of the Checkers from 1985-87, where he played 43 games, tallying 13 goals and 18 assists. Since 2004, he has been the principal owner of the USHL Indiana Ice, leading the team to the Clark Cup championship in 2009 and a division title in 2008. He remained active on the local hockey scene after his playing days, owning youth travel teams before bringing a USHL team to Indianapolis in 2004. He also owns the Junior Ice U16 and U18 teams. He has had several family members as a part of the team. His brother Charlie played for the Checkers, coached the Ice during two stints and currently serves as the team's president. His nephew Jake played for the Ice. A native of Toronto, he is 53.
Doug Moffatt: Center for the Checkers in the 1985-86 season, playing 27 games and tallying three goals and seven assists. He also played nine games for Salt Lake that year, and then embarked on a long career in Europe, where he played through 2004 in Germany. He had 40 goals in 37 games in his first year across the pond. A native of Calgary, he is 47.
Don Herczeg: Defenseman who played 15 games for the Ice in their inaugural 1988-89 season in the IHL. He tallied three assists in those games. All in all, he played five pro seasons from 1985-90, spending the most time with the Colorado/Denver Rangers of the IHL from 1987-89. A native of Edmonton, he is 47.
Bill Jennings: A right wing who played parts of four seasons for the Capitals from 1940-43, and again in the fall of 44. He split the first three years between Indianapolis and Detroit, got called up to the Red Wings during the height of WWII in 1943-44, and after playing three games with the Caps early in the 1944-45 season, he was traded to the Boston Bruins, where he would become a 20-goal scorer. He played 106 games for the Caps, totaling 49 goals and 76 assists. He was known as a good two-way skater. His best year in Indy was the 1942-43 season, where he totaled 23 goals and 33 assists. He also had six goals and five assists in 17 playoff games in Indy. In 1942, he scored four goals to help lead the Caps to their first Calder Cup championship. He also played 108 NHL games, totaling 32 goals and 33 assists between 1940-45. Upon the end of WWII, he played one more AHL season in Hershey and St. Louis before retiring as a player. A native of Toronto, he was born in 1917. He passed away in 1999.
Norm McAtee: Interestingly, a player who was traded for Bill Jennings in a 1946 deal between Chicago and Boston. Norm played 30 games for the Capitals in 1945-46, totaling five goals and eight assists. He'd be traded twice that year -- first to Chicago, and then to Boston -- but play the entire year for the teams' AHL affiliates in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Hershey. In 1946-47, he played 13 games for the Bruins, tallying one assist. He spent his prime years in the Canadian Air Force in WWII. A two-way player who was seen as a strong playmaker and a pretty solid checker, Norm and his brother Judd played together with the Caps. He continued to play in the minors until 1954, playing his last three years with the IHL Troy Bruins. He settled in Troy, where he was a hockey official and radio broadcaster after his retirement from playing. He also worked for Sherwin-Williams and was a legendary local golfer. A native of Stratford, Ontario, he was born in 1921. He passed away on Aug. 25, 2010.
Jim Watson: A defenseman who played for the short-lived Capitols team in the CHL in 1963. The team only played nine games as a representative of Indianapolis before the Coliseum explosion forced them to move to Cincinnati for the balance of the year. Watson broke into pro hockey that year, and made his NHL debut in a single game with the Red Wings. He would matriculate to the NHL full-time in 1967-68, although he would split time between the NHL and the minors until being claimed by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft. He wasn't a prolific scorer, but he tallied the first goal in the team's history. He played the next six years in either the NHL or WHA with the Sabres, Los Angeles Sharks, Chicago Cougars and Quebec Nordiques. All told, he had 11 goals and 52 assists in 452 NHL/WHA games. A native of Malartic, Quebec, he is 68.
Murray Kennett: Defenseman who played 28 games for the Racers in their inaugural 1974-75 year. He had a goal, three assists and eight PIMs in that stretch. He also played 50 games with the Edmonton Oilers that year, and 28 games the next. All told, he played 106 WHA games in two seasons. He retired from hockey after the 1976-77 season. A native of Kamloops, British Columbia, he is 59.
Gary Inness: Goaltender for the Racers from 1977 until the team folded in December 1978. He played 63 games for the Racers, posting a 17-36-4 record and a 4.35 GAA during a time of roster instability. After the Racers folded, he finished the year with the Washington Capitals, and would play one more full season and a partial season with the Caps. Prior to joining the Racers, he played four NHL seasons with the Penguins and Flyers. He was called "The Man With The Golden Glove" in his stint in Washington, where he had a 3.16 GAA in his first 19 games. He went straight from Canadian university hockey to the pros, a rarity in the 1970s. Upon retirement as a player, he became a teacher, guidance counselor and coach at a school in Barrie, Ontario, and recently retired from that position. A native of Toronto, he is 62.
Roland Melanson: "Rollie the Goalie" backstopped the Checkers in 1980-81, and had a tremendous first pro season. In 52 games with the Checkers, he posted a 31-16-3 record and a 2.57 GAA in a high-scoring era of hockey. He also had two shutouts and was named the CHL's Rookie of the Year. He earned a callup to the New York Islanders that year and played in 11 regular season and three playoff games. The Islanders' third-round pick in 1979, he got the permanent call to the NHL the following year, joining Billy Smith for a formidable goaltending tandem. They shared the William Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against in 1982-83. He won three Stanley Cups with the Islanders. He also played with the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens in an NHL career that lasted until 1992. He also had a handful of minor-league stints. In 1992-93, he backstopped the Brantford Smoke in the upstart Colonial (later United) Hockey League and was named the league's Playoff MVP that year. He retired from playing in the 1993-94 season and entered coaching. He had a long stint with the Montreal Canadiens from 1997-2009, and is now the goaltending coach for the Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks. He is a native of Moncton, New Brunswick, and is the first New Brunswick-born player to play in the NHL. He is 51 today.
Paul Skjodt: Member of the Checkers from 1985-87, where he played 43 games, tallying 13 goals and 18 assists. Since 2004, he has been the principal owner of the USHL Indiana Ice, leading the team to the Clark Cup championship in 2009 and a division title in 2008. He remained active on the local hockey scene after his playing days, owning youth travel teams before bringing a USHL team to Indianapolis in 2004. He also owns the Junior Ice U16 and U18 teams. He has had several family members as a part of the team. His brother Charlie played for the Checkers, coached the Ice during two stints and currently serves as the team's president. His nephew Jake played for the Ice. A native of Toronto, he is 53.
Doug Moffatt: Center for the Checkers in the 1985-86 season, playing 27 games and tallying three goals and seven assists. He also played nine games for Salt Lake that year, and then embarked on a long career in Europe, where he played through 2004 in Germany. He had 40 goals in 37 games in his first year across the pond. A native of Calgary, he is 47.
Don Herczeg: Defenseman who played 15 games for the Ice in their inaugural 1988-89 season in the IHL. He tallied three assists in those games. All in all, he played five pro seasons from 1985-90, spending the most time with the Colorado/Denver Rangers of the IHL from 1987-89. A native of Edmonton, he is 47.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Stanley Cup connections
Tonight, the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks meet to open the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. It's an intriguging matchup: Boston is looking to win its first Cup since 1972, while Vancouver is looking to win its first since the franchise was birthed the same season. Boston hasn't been to the Cup final since 1990, Vancouver since a Game 7 loss to ex-Racer Mark Messier and ex-Ice Brian Noonan in 1994. The Bruins are looking to keep the Cup in the Original Six, Vancouver looking to bring it back to Canada for the first time since Jacques Demers and Montreal won it in 1993.
Bruce Cassidy, the popular former Ice defenseman and coach who has also served as an NHL head coach with the Washington Capitals, is part of the Bruins organization as the AHL Providence Bruins' assistant coach. He has been in Boston working with the "Black Aces" -- the AHLers called up to practice with the Bruins in the playoffs.
Roland Melanson, who backstopped the Checkers in 1980-81 before becoming Billy Smith's backup on three New York Islanders Stanley Cup championship teams and embarking on a long NHL career, is the Canucks' goaltending coach. He is responsible for tutoring Roberto Luongo, and some tweaks "Rollie the Goalie" made to Luongo's game have paid off for the netminder this season.
Canucks' assistant Rick Bowness has an indirect connection with Indianapolis. His father, Bob Bowness, was part of the high-scoring "Killer B's" line that led the Chiefs to the 1958 IHL Turner Cup championship, pairing with Pierre Brillant and Marc Boileau. Canada's National Post has a nice story on the Bownesses. Bob passed away in 1994 and never made it to the NHL -- although he had NHL-level talent, he was Montreal Canadiens property at a time when they were the NHL's most loaded team -- but his son is trying to fulfill his father's legacy and get the Bowness name on the Stanley Cup.
In addition, former Ice players Adam Creighton and Dean Malkoc work as scouts for the Bruins. Creighton is a professional scout, while Malkoc scouts amateur players in Western Canada. Malkoc also played for both the Bruins and Canucks during his career.
Here is the schedule:
Wednesday, June 1: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)
Saturday, June 4: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)
Monday, June 6: at Boston, 8 p.m. (Versus)
Wednesday, June 8: at Boston, 8 p.m. (Versus)
Friday, June 10: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)*
Monday, June 13: at Boston, 8 p.m. (NBC)*
Wednesday, June 15: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)*
*-if necessary.
Bruce Cassidy, the popular former Ice defenseman and coach who has also served as an NHL head coach with the Washington Capitals, is part of the Bruins organization as the AHL Providence Bruins' assistant coach. He has been in Boston working with the "Black Aces" -- the AHLers called up to practice with the Bruins in the playoffs.
Roland Melanson, who backstopped the Checkers in 1980-81 before becoming Billy Smith's backup on three New York Islanders Stanley Cup championship teams and embarking on a long NHL career, is the Canucks' goaltending coach. He is responsible for tutoring Roberto Luongo, and some tweaks "Rollie the Goalie" made to Luongo's game have paid off for the netminder this season.
Canucks' assistant Rick Bowness has an indirect connection with Indianapolis. His father, Bob Bowness, was part of the high-scoring "Killer B's" line that led the Chiefs to the 1958 IHL Turner Cup championship, pairing with Pierre Brillant and Marc Boileau. Canada's National Post has a nice story on the Bownesses. Bob passed away in 1994 and never made it to the NHL -- although he had NHL-level talent, he was Montreal Canadiens property at a time when they were the NHL's most loaded team -- but his son is trying to fulfill his father's legacy and get the Bowness name on the Stanley Cup.
In addition, former Ice players Adam Creighton and Dean Malkoc work as scouts for the Bruins. Creighton is a professional scout, while Malkoc scouts amateur players in Western Canada. Malkoc also played for both the Bruins and Canucks during his career.
Here is the schedule:
Wednesday, June 1: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)
Saturday, June 4: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)
Monday, June 6: at Boston, 8 p.m. (Versus)
Wednesday, June 8: at Boston, 8 p.m. (Versus)
Friday, June 10: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)*
Monday, June 13: at Boston, 8 p.m. (NBC)*
Wednesday, June 15: at Vancouver, 8 p.m. (NBC)*
*-if necessary.
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