Sunday, October 2, 2011

Today in history: Sept. 29-Oct. 1


A little bit of catching up to do: 
Sept. 29
Birthdays
Bob Ash: Racers defenseman in 1974-75, where he had one goal and 14 assists in 64 games. It was the last season in an 11-year pro hockey career and three-year WHA career for the 5-9, 170-pound blueliner. He had played the two previous seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, playing in the inaugural Avco World Trophy Finals in 1973. A native of Brandon, Man., he is 68. 
Trent Yawney: An Ice player for nine games in 1991-92. The veteran defenseman had two goals and three assists in that stretch, which came after playing three and a quarter seasons with the Blackhawks and representing Canada in the 1988 Olympic Games. He would be traded to the Calgary Flames that year and play eight more NHL seasons -- five with Calgary, one in St. Louis and the last two back with the Blackhawks. Yawney scored 27 goals in 593 NHL games. He also accumulated 783 PIMs. He had a 9-17-26 line in 60 NHL playoff games. Upon retirement, he began coaching -- leading the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL from 2000-05, then eventually being promoted to become the Blackhawks' head coach for 103 games from 2005 to early in the 2006-07 season. He had spent the last three years as an assist in San Jose, but left that to pursue a head coaching position. A native of Hudson Bay, Sask., he is 46. 
Bret Meyers: Right wing who played four scoreless games for the Ice in 1998-99. He had a 33-goal season for ECHL Columbus that year, his rookie season, and was a big scorer at the ECHL level before retiring in 2003. He had at least 27 goals in each of the four full seasons he played. A native of Uxbridge, Ont., he is 38. 
Dan Cecka: Forward with the Ice in 2008-09, scoring three goals and an assist in 13 games. He spent that year and part of another with NAHL Owatonna. He currently plays for Div. III Wisconsin-Stout, where he had five goals and 10 assists last year. A native of Woodbury, Minn., he is 22. 

Sept. 30
Birthdays
Cail MacLean: Right wing for the Ice in 1998-99, where he had 13 goals and seven assists in 35 games. He also had four points in seven playoff games. It was his second pro season, and he was called up from ECHL Jacksonville midway through the year after totaling 57 points in 40 games. He played through 2008, splitting several seasons between the ECHL and AHL. His highest-scoring season was the one he split between the Ice and Jacksonville. Since retiring, he has been the head coach of the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays and currently is an assistant to former Ice assistant coach Troy Ward with the AHL Abbotsford Heat. He was an assistant at South Carolina when the team won the ECHL Kelly Cup in 2009. A native of Middleton, Nova Scotia, he is 35. 
Dylan Taylor: Ice forward in 2001-02, where he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 62 games. It was the lone season of pro hockey for Taylor after a career in both junior and Canadian university hockey. A native of Oshawa, Ont., he is 35. 

Oct. 1
Birthdays
Leo Lamoureux: A popular figure in Indianapolis hockey, Leo took over as the Indianapolis Chiefs' coach in 1955-56 -- their first season -- and coached the team for parts of four seasons, going 63-83-12. He led the Chiefs to the 1958 Turner Cup championship. He joined the Chiefs on Jan. 4, 1956, when predecessor John Sorrell gave up coaching duties to become the team GM, and slowly led the team to its best era. From 1956-58, the Chiefs made back-to-back Turner Cup Finals appearances -- falling to the powerful Cincinnati Mohawks in 1957 and then defeating Louisville in seven games in 1958 to win the trophy. He returned in 1960, but he left the team in early November to be treated for acute hepatitis. He would pass away of the illness Jan. 11, 1961 in Indianapolis. Leo joined the Chiefs as a player in 1955-56, playing 24 games and tallying five assists before taking a spot behind the bench. He also suited up in one game as a player-coach the following year. From 1942-47, he was a steady defensemen for the Montreal Canadiens, winning the Stanley Cup in 1944 and 1946. Upon his passing, the IHL re-named the leading scorer trophy the Leo P. Lamoureux Trophy in his honor. A native of Espanola, Ont., he was born in 1916. 
Igor Ulanov: Ice defenseman in 1995-96. He played just one game for the Ice in the midst of a long NHL career that spanned 1992-2006 and included stops in Winnipeg, Washington, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Edmonton for two stints, the New York Rangers and Florida. His best NHL season was a 3-20-23 year for Edmonton in 2000-01. He had 27 goals, 135 assists and 1151 PIMs in 739 NHL games. He retired after playing the 2008-09 season for Dynamo Minsk in the KHL. A native of Krasnokamask, Russia, he is 42. 

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