Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Today in history: December 7


Another big birthday post, especially for coaches
Earl Seibert: Capitals player/coach in 1945-46. He came in partway through the 1945-46 season to replace John Sorrell. The team went 15-7-8 under his direction. He had two goals and nine assists in 24 games on the ice. Seibert played 15 years in the NHL, with the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. He had 276 points in 653 games, and was known as one of the hardest hitters in hockey. He was a 10-time selection to the NHL First and Second All-Star Teams, in consecutive years from 1935-44. He won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1933 and the Blackhawks in 1938. Not surprisingly, after his stint with the Caps, he coached the AHL Springfield Indians -- owned by former NHL tough guy Eddie Shore, who once said Seibert was the one player he was unwilling to fight. Seibert is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1963 -- two years after his father, Oliver, making them the first father and son to be inducted into the HHOF. A native of Kitchener, Ont., Seibert was born in 1911. He passed away in 1990. 
Marcel Clements: Player-coach for the Chiefs in 1959-60. As a left wing, he had 17 goals and 40 assists in 61 games. But the team posted a 25-40-3 record under his tutelage and missed the playoffs. Clements played several years in the EHL and IHL between 1957-63. A native of Sudbury, Ont., he was born in 1929.
Frank Hincks: Right wing for the Capitols in their abbreviated 1963 season. He had a goal in seven games with the Caps, and 10 goals and 23 assists overall in 63 games that season after the team became the Cincinnati Wings. He would play just that one season of pro hockey, although he would continue to play senior hockey later on. A native of Hamilton, Ont., he is 69. 
Bill Stewart: Checkers forward for six games in 1984-85. He had two goals and four assists. He had 23 goals for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in his rookie pro season the year before, but outside of two games with Salt Lake, the stint with the Checkers was his final one in pro hockey. A native of The Pas, Man., he is 50. 
Peter Laviolette: Checkers defenseman in 1986-87, where he had 10 goals, 20 assists and 146 PIMs in 72 games. He also had an assist in five postseason games. Laviolette would play for the U.S. National Team the following year (and again in 1994, representing the country in both Olympic Games), and then get a 12-game stint with the Rangers in 1988-89, his only NHL playing experience. He retired in 1997 after a long stint in the IHL and AHL, and immediately entered coaching. He led the Providence Bruins to the AHL Calder Cup in 1999 and was named the league's Coach of the Year. He became the New York Islanders' head coach in 2001, leading them to two playoff appearances. In 2003, he took over the Carolina Hurricanes, and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2006. He also coached the Philadelphia Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, and a division title the following year. Entering this year, he had a 319-231-76 record as a head coach in the NHL.He has represented the United States in three Olympic Games -- as a player in 1988 and 1994, and a coach in 2006. He and John Tortorella have passed each other for the record for most wins in the NHL by a U.S.-born coach. Laviolette currently coaches the Philadelphia Flyers. A native of Franklin, Mass., he is 47.
Corey Payment: Right wing for the Ice for 40 games in 2000-01. He had five goals, an assist and 32 PIMs in that stint. He played senior hockey after his stint with the Ice, and returned to minor pro hockey in 2010-11. A native of Cornwall, Ont., he is 35.  

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