Thursday, June 9, 2011

Today in history: June 7-9

Catching up on a few dates here ...

Birthdays 
June 7
Leo Reise Jr.: Defenseman who played five games for the Capitals in 1946-47 after being dealt from Chicago. He quickly got called up by Detroit and continued a long NHL career that lasted nine seasons and 494 games. He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Red Wings in 1950 and 1952. He is notable because he and his father -- Leo Reise Sr. -- were the first father-and-son combo to both play in the NHL. A native of Stoney Creek, Ontario, he is 89. 
Hugh Harris: A popular center for the Racers, "Hughie" joined the Racers partway through the 1975-76 season and helped propel them to a division championship. The next year, he scored 21 goals in 46 games and was part of a team that swept Cincinnati in the opening round of the playoffs. He played 106 games for the Racers over three seasons between 1975-78, totaling 34 goals and 70 assists. He also had two goals and five assists in the seven-game loss to the Whalers in the 1976 playoffs. He broke into major-league hockey with the Buffalo Sabres in 1972 and played 396 NHL/WHA games over six seasons, scoring 119 goals. He is one of several father-and-son combos to play in Indianapolis, as he settled in Indianapolis after retirement and his son Casey played for the CHL Ice a generation later. A native of Toronto, he is 63.
Kevin Nugent: Played 25 games for the Racers in their final aborted 1978 season, totaling two goals and eight assists. That would be the only professional season for the Notre Dame graduate. A native of Minnesota, he is 56.
Gregory Squires: Right wing who played two seasons for the Ice from 2006-08, tallying 36 goals and 66 assists in 113 games. He also had three goals and two assists in 10 playoff contests. He had a 24-46-70 season in 2007-08. He has since gone on to Western Michigan University, where he now plays for former Ice coach Jeff Blashill. He has scored 18 goals in three collegiate seasons. A native of White Plains, NY, he is 23. 
Brandon Richardson: A forward who was huge in the Indiana Ice's 2009 Clark Cup championship run. He had 21 goals and 42 assists in the regular season, and added eight goals and eight assists in 12 playoff games. After his year with the Ice, he has played at Nebraska-Omaha. A native of San Clemente, California, he is 23.

Ryan Obuchowski: Defenseman who came on for the Ice late in the year in 2010-11, scoring five goals and eight assists -- four of those goals came during a late-season Ice winning streak. A native of Canton, Michigan, he is 19.

June 8
Dennis Rathwell: Left wing who suited up for the short-lived Capitols team in 1963. He had a goal and two assists in the Caps' short eight-game history, and totaled nine goals and eight assists in 29 games with the Caps and Cincinnati Wings, as the team was known after the team moved due to the Oct. 31 Coliseum explosion. He played nine professional seasons in the Central, Eastern, Western and American Hockey Leagues. A native of Fort Frances, Ontario, he is 71.

June 9
Gerry Leroux: Left wing who played 10 games for the Racers in the short-lived 1978 season. He had three assists in those games. He played two professional seasons, splitting time between the Racers and two IHL teams that season, and playing one more year with IHL Flint. A native of St. Bernadine, Quebec, he is 53.
Andre Racicot: A veteran goaltender who played 13 games for the Ice between 1995-97. Nicknamed "Red Light" by Don Cherry after he allowed three goals in his first NHL appearance, Racicot's career early was as Patrick Roy's backup in Montreal. He played for the Canadiens from 1989-94, winning the Stanley Cup in 1993. He had a 4-6-0 record in Indianapolis. He played in the IHL, ECHL, WPHL and WCHL, as well as in Britain and Russia, from 1994-2002, and two and a half more seasons of senior hockey in his native Quebec until retiring in the fall of 2004. He made 68 NHL starts in his career, and played professionally for 16 years. A native of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, he is 42. 

No comments:

Post a Comment