Today in history: January 26

January 26 in Indianapolis hockey history
1958: A double-hat trick for the Chiefs. Pierre Brillant and Bob Bowness each tally three goals in a 7-2 victory over the Toledo Mercurys.


Birthdays
Vic Lynn: A speedy winger, he played for the Capitals in 1943-44. He had four goals and five assists in 32 games. He made his debut with the Rangers, briefly, the previous year, and then came to the Red Wings during World War II. He had several callups to the NHL, and is the only player in NHL history to skate for all six Original Six teams. His best NHL season was in 1947-48, when he had 34 points with the Maple Leafs, for whom he played from 1946-50, and was part of the KLM line with Howie Meeker and Teeder Kennedy. He played in the NHL -- with a few stops in the AHL in-between -- through 1954, and then played senior hockey through 1963. He won three Stanley Cups in 1947, 1948 and 1949. A native of Saskatoon, he was born in 1925, and passed away in 2010.
Wayne Gretzky: A man who needs no introduction, "The Great One" famously began his pro hockey career in Indianapolis with a fledgling Racers outfit that would fold a couple of months later. Gretzky played eight games with the Racers, and scored his first professional goal at Market Square Arena against Edmonton's Dave Dryden. He had three goals and three assists with the Racers in eight games before being sold to Edmonton in a trade that also sent Racers Peter Driscoll and Ed Mio to the Oilers. He would finish that season with 46 goals and 110 points, and the highest-scoring career in hockey history was on. When the Oilers made the jump to the NHL the next year, Gretzky spent the next 20 seasons rewriting the pro hockey record books. He had at least 110 points in each of his first 14 pro seasons, and the number likely would've been 16 straight if not for an injury in 1992-93. He had eight straight 50-goal seasons at the start of his NHL career, with 92 goals and 212 points in 1981-82, 71 goals and 186 points the following year, and 87 goals and 205 points in 1983-84, the year the Oilers won their first of four Stanley Cups in five years with Gretzky. Two more 200-point seasons followed. After winning the fourth Cup in 1988, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he helped build hockey in Southern California during seven and a half seasons. He had an amazing playoff year in 1993, where he had 40 points in 24 games to lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals. He played briefly with St. Louis in 1995-96, then played his final three years with the Rangers before retiring in 1999, his 21st pro season. In 1,567 NHL/WHA games, he had 940 goals and 2,027 assists. His 2,967 points is a pro hockey record, as are the other marks. He also had 132 goals and 270 assists in 221 playoff games. He appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals six times, winning four in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was a nine-time Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP, 10-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the league's leading scorer, two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner as postseason MVP and five-time Lady Byng Trophy winner as the league's most gentlemanly player. Since retirement, he has been a team owner, coached the Phoenix Coyotes and has remained an ambassador for the game. A native of Brantford, Ont., he is 51.
Dean Malkoc: Ice defenseman for 62 games in 1994-95. Malkoc had four points and 193 PIMs in his stint with the Ice. He had played four years in the Devils organization before joining the Ice, then spent much of the next four years in the NHL with the Canucks, Bruins and Islanders. He had four points in 116 NHL games, as well as 299 PIMs. He is now a scout with the Boston Bruins. A native of Vancouver, he is 42.
Jason Selleke: Ice forward for three seasons, from 2000-02, then again in 2003-04. In 195 games, he had 48 goals and 69 assists, as well as 376 PIMs. In the interim, the Ohio State graduate played with UHL Fort Wayne. After leaving the Ice, he played six more years, five in the UHL and one in Italy. A native of St. Clair Shores, Mich., he is 34.
Jarrett Thompson: Amateur "playoff-only" signee for the Ice in 2001. He joined the Ice after his fifth year in the WHL, and played three playoff games. He played three years in the ECHL, split with two years in Canadian university play. A native of Calgary, he is 32.
Eric Miller: One of a handful of Hoosiers to play with the Ice, the Carmel resident played 50 games for the blue and white from 2004-07. He had 12 goals and nine assists, all but two of those points coming in 2006-07, when he played 31 games with the Ice. He also had six playoff goals in seven games as the Ice made a deep playoff run in 2007. Born in Villa Hills, Ky., he is 26.
Jay Clark: Goaltender who played 11 games for the Ice in 2005-06. He primarily played that year and the next in the NAHL, then played collegiately at Army. He finished his college career in 2011 as the Cadets' starting goaltender for three seasons. A native of Baudette, Minn., he is 25.

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. 

Today in history: October 29

October 29 in Indianapolis hockey history

1978: Wayne Gretzky plays his final game as a Racer in a 3-3 tie at Winnipeg. The previous night, he played his final game at Market Square Arena, registering no points, but helping the team win 3-2 over the Winnipeg Jets. Rich Leduc, Michel Parizeau and Blaine Stoughton score for the Racers. 

Birthdays

Johnny Mowers: Capitals goaltender for two games in 1947-48. He allowed seven goals in those two games. He had been a regular for the Detroit Red Wings during WWII, playing 152 NHL games, primarily from 1940-43, before enlisting in WWII. He led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in 1943 and to a seven-game loss in the finals in 1942. He was also the Vezina Trophy winner and the NHL First Team All-Star Goaltender in the 1943 championship year. He retired after his short stint with the Capitals. A native of Niagara Falls, Ont., he was born in 1916. He passed away in 1995. 

Ed Dyck: Racers goaltender during the 1974-75 season, where he saw the expansion team post a 3-21-3 record in front of him. He had a 4.36 GAA. Dyck played 49 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks before joining the Racers in 1974, often splitting time between Vancouver and its WHL affiliate in Seattle. Dyck became one of the first players to effectively be traded to a European club -- when the Racers signed Leif Holmqvist from Sweden, they sent Dyck to his Swedish club in return  A native of Warman, Sask., he is 61. 

Today in history: October 27

October 27 in Indianapolis hockey history

1945: The Capitals and St. Louis Flyers saw a then-AHL-record 13,848 show up at the St. Louis Arena to see the Caps win 5-1. Norm McAtee scored twice and Larry Wilson made 25 saves in goal. 

1946: Cliff Simpson sent down by the Red Wings, beginning a very successful tenure with the Caps. 1978: Wayne Gretzky scores his final point as a Racer, assisting on Don Larway’s first-period goal in a 4-2 loss at Birmingham.

Birthdays
Peter Driscoll: Racers left wing from 1977 through the early part of the aborted 1978 season. Driscoll scored 25 goals in 56 games for the Racers in 1977-78, and in total had 28 goals and 22 assists in 64 games as a Racer. He was a footnote in one of the most infamous moments in local hockey history, as he and Eddie Mio were traded to Edmonton along with Wayne Gretzky eight games into the 1978 season. Driscoll had three productive seasons with Edmonton before retiring in 1983 as a member of the CHL's Wichita Wind. A native of Powassan, Ont., he is 57.
Gerry Minor: A high-scoring center with the Checkers in 1985-86, where he had 28 goals, 46 assists and 108 PIMs in 72 games. He also had three goals and four assists in five postseason games that year. Minor played 140 NHL games from 1979-84, all with the Vancouver Canucks, with 11 goals and 21 assists. He would play one more season after his stint with the Checkers, scoring 17 goals for Muskegon in 1986-87 before retiring. A native of Regina, Sask., he is 53.
Brad Lauer: Member of the Ice from 1991-93, where he was a high-scoring left wing. The New York Islanders' second-round pick in 1985, Lauer immediately burst onto the scene in the NHL, scoring 17 goals for the Isles in 1987-88, his second pro season. He would play in the NHL from 1986-96, with 44 goals in 323 games with the Isles, Blackhawks, Senators and Penguins. But it was his stint in Indianapolis that turned heads. He had 24 goals in 1991-92, but then followed up with 50 goals and 41 assists in 1992-93, helping lead the Ice to the playoffs. He also had three goals and an assist in the five-game playoff loss to the Atlanta Knights. Lauer remained in pro hockey -- primarily in the IHL -- through 2001. While a popular Ice player, he also was involved in ending a season prematurely, as his overtime goal for the Cleveland Lumberjacks eliminated the division champion Ice in the 1997 first round. Since retirement, he has coached as an assistant with WHL Kootenay, AHL Milwaukee and the Ottawa Senators. He is currently an assistant with the AHL Syracuse Crunch. A native of Humboldt, Sask., he is 45.

Today in history: October 22

1978: Wayne Gretzky scores his third professional goal on a wrist shot from the slot in the third period. He also assists on Peter Driscoll’s goal in the first, but the Racers fall to New England 7-4 in Hartford. 

Birthday

Terry Kleisinger: Goaltender who played four games for the Checkers in 1986-87, the second of his two professional seasons. Kleisinger had been a goaltender for the University of Wisconsin, and split that year between the Checkers, AHL New Haven and IHL Flint. A native of Regina, Sask., he is 51. 

Today in history: October 20

October 20

1946: Capitals beat Philadelphia 10-0. Gerry Couture team-record 5 goals and 7 points. Les Douglas totaled 1 goal and 5 assists. Red Almas had the shutout in goal.

1956: Pierre Brillant scores his first goal as a Chief, scoring with 1:39 left to beat Cincinnati 3-2 on the road. Brillant would post 204 goals and 181 assists in his 4+ years with the Chiefs. He would become Indianapolis' all-time leading hockey scorer. 

1978: Wayne Gretzky scores his first professional goal at 6:07 of th second period, he used Al Hamilton to screen goaltender Dave Dryden and fired a backhander from 25 feet out. Thirty-four seconds later, Gretzky’s centering pass deflected into the net. The Racers also had their first-ever penalty shot that night, a missive from Kevin Nugent, which Dryden turned aside. Gretzky’s goals gave the Racers a 3-1 second-period lead, but Edmonton scored three times in the third to beat the Racers 4-3. 

Today in history: October 18

Today in History

Oct. 18

1945: Caps host Buffalo in 1945-46 home opener. Tied 3-3 despite two goals from Pete Leswick. Each team has four war vets compete in a relay race as part of the festivities, where each player had to chase the puck and pass it after one lap. Tony Bukovich, Ed Riegle, Pete Leswick, Mud Bruneteau represented the Caps.

1955: The Indianapolis-Fort Wayne rivalry that would last through 21 IHL seasons officially begins. Roger Hayfield scores at 9:20 of overtime to give the Chiefs a 3-2 victory at the Allen County Coliseum. Bob Lalonde makes 52 saves. 

1978: Wayne Gretzky registers his first professional point, assisting on Rich Leduc’s goal at 16:14 of the second period of a 4-0 win over Quebec. 

Birthdays

Rollie Rossignol: Right wing for the Caps in 1945-46, where he had 26 goals and 21 assists. Rollie played professionally in North America from 1940-48 -- then played in Europe for another decade. He is a veteran of 14 NHL games with Detroit and Montreal. A native of Edmunston, N.B., he was born in 1921. 

Alex Laseen: Ice forward for 15 games in 2005-06, where he had two goals and five assists. Alex also played 88 games for Des Moines from 2004-06 before joining the Ice. He played at Curry College in the ECAC in 2007-08. A native of Redondo Beach, Calif., he is 25. 

Hall of honor: Wayne Gretzky

The Great One as a Racer

Wayne Gretzky
Indianapolis Racers 1978
NHL/WHA career: Indianapolis Racers 1978, Edmonton Oilers 1978-88, Los Angeles Kings 1988-96, St. Louis Blues 1996, New York Rangers 1996-99. 

"And that's the first of quite a few we'll be seeing from Wayne Gretzky." 
Mike Fornes, October 20, 1978

Little did the Indianapolis Racers' play-by-play announcer know quite how many goals the 17-year-old wunderkind would score. But that backhander against -- somehow fittingly -- the Edmonton Oilers at Market Square Arena was the start of the most illustrious offensive career in professional hockey.

Gretzky is simply known as "The Great One." The entire entrance to the Hockey Hall of Fame is devoted to celebrating his career and accomplishments, from its beginnings in Brantford, Ontario through junior hockey in Sault Ste. Marie to a professional career that saw Gretzky shatter every offensive record in NHL history. His face is synonymous with Canadian hockey, where he ran the national team for the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Games. 

The professional part of his career began in Indianapolis. 

In the fall of 1978, Racers owner Nelson Skalbania was looking for something to turn around his fledgling WHA franchise, and in part because the WHA was beginning to sign underage players. He signed Gretzky over the summer, amid some hoopla. According to Walter Gretzky's memoirs, L.S. Ayres started a "Great Gretzky Fan Club" and there was quite a buzz when training camp opened Sept. 11 of that year. The Indianapolis Star's Dave Overpeck told fans "If you're a sports fan at all, you owe it to yourself to come out and watch Wayne Gretzky play hockey. A generation or so from now, you can tell your grandkids, 'I saw him when he broke into the majors as a 17-year-old kid.'"

But, probably befitting the Racers' struggle for attention, the headline misspelled the budding star's name, "Gretsky."

He was the Racers' leading scorer in the preseason, and his pro career began at MSA against the

Winnipeg Jets Oct. 14. He centered Rich Leduc and Don Larway. The largest crowd since 1977 showed up -- 11,721 -- for a 6-3 loss. Gretzky didn't net a point in that game, but he soon would.

On Oct. 20, he took a feed from defenseman Kevin Morrison and beat Edmonton's Dave Dryden on a backhander at 6:07 of the second period. Peter Driscoll had the other assist on what would be No. 1 of Gretzky's 940 professional goals in a career that would span 21 years.

No. 2 would come 2:34 later, as he tried to center the puck, but it banked into the net. It gave the Racers a 3-1 lead in a game they'd eventually lose 4-3 to Edmonton -- the team for which Gretzky would soon become a mega-star. No. 3 came two nights later, a short wrist shot on a feed from Larway that marked the final goal in a 6-3 loss to the New England Whalers. 

And then, suddenly, The Great One was gone. He had three goals and three assists in eight games with the Racers, but Skalbania was still claiming big financial losses. And on Nov. 2, he was sold to the Oilers, along with Driscoll, goaltender Ed Mio and more than a half-million dollars, in what was reported as an effort to keep the team afloat. Five weeks later, the Racers would be no more, folding on Dec. 15, 1978.

For Gretzky, the future was much brighter. He finished the season in Edmonton, scored 46 goals and was named the WHA's Rookie of the Year. The next season, the WHA dissolved and four teams -- including the Oilers -- jumped to the NHL. Gretzky tied Marcel Dionne for the scoring lead with 137 points, and then put a stranglehold on the Hart Trophy that he wouldn't let go of for nearly a decade. He had an NHL-record 164 points in 1980-81, then followed with the highest-scoring year in league history. In 1981-82, he scored 50 goals in 37 games -- an NHL record for the fastest 50 -- and finished with 92 goals, 120 assists and 212 points, all NHL records. He'd eclipse the scoring record in 1985-86 with 215 points. In a six-year span from 1981-87, Gretzky totaled 437 goals, 782 assists and 1,215 points. When he retired, he had 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points, all NHL records. Add his WHA totals in, and the marks go up to 940-2,027-2,967. In the playoffs, he tallied 132 goals and 402 points in 221 NHL and WHA playoff games, winning four Stanley Cups with Edmonton and appearing in the Stanley Cup Finals six times -- five with the Oilers and once with the Los Angeles Kings. He also played in the 1979 Avco World Trophy Finals with the Oilers. 

Gretzky retired after the 1998-99 season, still at the top of the game. He led the NHL in assists in two of his last three years. He won the Hart Trophy (MVP) nine times, the Ross Trophy (leading scorer) 10 times, Lester Pearson Award (MVP voted by the players) five times, the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) in 1985 and 1988, the Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly player) five times, including in his final year. He played in the NHL All-Star Game 18 times and was selected a first-team NHL All-Star eight times. He was the second-team center seven other times. He still holds NHL records for career goals, assists and points, single-season goals, assists and points and the records for assists and points in a playoff season. At the time he retired, he held 61 NHL regular-season, playoff and All-Star Game records. He is also the only player in NHL history to total 200 points in a season, which he did four times in five years between 1981-86. 

In retirement, Gretzky has remained active, leading the Canadian National Team and buying a share of the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2005-06, he appointed himself head coach of the Coyotes, a position he held through 2009. 

The three-year waiting period was waived for his 1999 induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which has an entire gallery near its entrance devoted to Gretzky. His jersey number 99 has been retired throughout professional hockey. The number also hangs in the Pepsi Coliseum, honoring the fact that Gretzky began his illustrious pro career here. He addressed the Market Square Arena crowd by video prior to the rink's final game in 1999. 

Gretzky's connection to Indianapolis -- having begun his illustrious career in the Circle City and scored his first three professional goals in Market Square Arena -- and his contributions to the game deservedly make him a Hockey Legend in the Indianapolis Hockey Hall of Honor. 

Wayne Gretzky

Career stats              
Regular season Playoffs
            GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM

1978 Indianapolis Racers   8    3    3    6   0                    none
WHA totals (78-79)        80   46   64  110  19     13   10  10  20   2
NHL totals (79-99)      1487  894 1963 2857 577    208  122 260 382  66
Major league totals     1567  940 2027 2967 596    221  132 270 402  68




Previous inductees
June 2011: Kevin Devine (Racers/Checkers 1978-85)
May 2011: Terry Sawchuk (Capitals 1948-50)
April 2011: Arthur Wirtz (Capitals owner 1939-52)