The July 9 events are filled with Hall of Fame names who have left their mark on the National Hockey League, both on the ice and in the front office. There were trades, free agent signings, births, and retirements. So, let's start our daily journey back in time to relive all the best moments from this date.
Sakic Hangs them
On July 9, 2009, Joe Sakic announced his retirement just two days after 40 years.th birthday. He spent his entire 20-season NHL career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise.
Sakic came up big in both of the Avalanche's championship seasons. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy, for being the most valuable player in the postseason, during their 1996 run to the Stanley Cup. In 2000-01, their other championship season, he won the Hart and Lester B. Pearson (Ted Lindsay Award) awards by being voted the league's best player by his writers and peers.
Sakic remains the franchise's all-time leader with 625 goals, 1,016 assists, and 1,641 points. His number 19 was retired before the Avalanche's first game without him in 2009 and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012. He is now the team's president of hockey operations.
Raptors Hire David Poile
More than a year before their NHL debut, on July 9, 1997, the Nashville Predators named David Poile as their first general manager. He was their GM until July 1, 2023, when he handed over the reins to former head coach Barry Trotz.
The Predators went 939-718-60-178 (2,116 points) under Poile's direction. They have also qualified for the postseason in 15 of their 24 NHL seasons. They made their first and only appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017 but lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Before They Were Managers
In keeping with the general theme of NHL managers, two long-time members of the front office have been on the road during their playing careers. Glen Sather, builder of the Edmonton Oilers 1980s dynasty and New York Rangers executive, changed addresses.
On July 9, 1975, the Montreal Canadiens traded Sather to the Minnesota North Stars for cash and a third-round draft pick. He had nine goals and 19 points in his one season with the North Stars, last in the NHL. He began his long association with the Oilers the following season, signing with them in the World Hockey Association (WHA).
Long before he became the general manager of the Canadiens, Marc Bergevin was a journeyman defenseman who played 20 seasons in the NHL. On July 9, 1992, he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played three seasons with the Lightning before being traded to the Red Wings in 1997. He returned to Tampa Bay, in a trade to the Penguins, in 2003, but was traded to them again two months later. Bergevin played a combined 1191 games for eight different clubs during his career.
Brendan Shanahan, current Maple Leafs team president, signed a two-year contract with the Rangers on July 9, 2006. The 2013 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee scored 52 goals and 108 points in his two seasons with New York. In 2008, he signed with the New Jersey Devils, the team that drafted him in 1987, where he played the last 34 games of his career.
Odds & Ends
The Red Wings traded defenseman Aaron Ward, on July 9, 2001, to the Carolina Hurricanes for a second-round pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Ward played five seasons with the Hurricanes and was a part of their 2006 Stanley Cup victory. The Red Wings used their draft picks to select Jiri Hudler.
On July 9, 2004, future Hall of Famer Mark Recchi signed with the Penguins. This was his second game with the team, which drafted him in the fourth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. The signing came 12 years after the Penguins traded Recchi to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1992.
That same day, the Phoenix Coyotes signed former Stanley Cup winner Mike Ricci. He played the final 87 games of his NHL career with the Coyotes before retiring in 2007.
The Chicago Blackhawks locked up two faces of the franchise on July 9, 2014. They signed Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to identical eight-year, $84 million contracts. Toews won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010 and Kane took it home in 2013. Both played a major role in the team's 2015 Stanley Cup championship.
On July 9, 2023, the Ottawa Senators traded Alex DeBrincat to the Red Wings for Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango and several draft picks. DeBrincat was in Ottawa for just one season after being acquired from the Blackhawks last year.
happy Birthday to you
Clarence Campbell was born in Fleming, Saskatchewan, on July 9, 1905. He became the third president of the NHL, taking over from Red Dutton in 1946. He held his position until 1977. The league went from six teams to 18 during his 31 years in charge.
When this division grew into two conferences and four divisions, in 1974, what is known today as the Western Conference was renamed the Campbell Conference. The winner of the Western Conference receives the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl each season.
Despite having a conference and a trophy named after him, he may be best remembered, at least in Montreal, for setting up a star. On March 13, 1955, Canadiens legend Maurice Richard was involved in an infamous slashing incident with Hal Laycoe of the Boston Bruins. During the fumble, he hit lineman Cliff Thompson.
Two days later, Campbell announced that Richard, then the leading scorer at the time, would be suspended for the final three games of the regular season and the entire playoffs. Campbell was at the Canadiens' next game and was treated badly. The game had to be canceled after tear gas was thrown near his seat, causing people to leave the Forum. Outside the stadium, anger erupted and property was destroyed, and around 70 people were injured.
Another famous person in the history of the NHL, Red Kelly, was born on July 9, 1927, in Simcoe, Ontario. He played 21 seasons in the league, 13 with the Red Wings and eight with the Maple Leafs. He won eight Stanley Cups, four with each team.
He began his career with the Red Wings in 1947 as a defenseman. He won the Norris Trophy for being the league's top blueliner following the 1953-54 season. When the Maple Leafs were sold, in 1960, he was turned into a center because head coach Punch Imlach wanted someone to cover Canadian star Jean Beliveau. In his first full season as a forward, he scored a career high 20 goals and 70 points.
Kelly retired as a player following the Maple Leafs championship in 1967 and became the first head coach in Los Angeles Kings history. He also had coaching stints with the Penguins and Maple Leafs, spending 742 games behind the NHL bench.
Other famous NHL players born on this day include Andre Pronovost (88), Steve Dubinsky (54), Karlis Skrastins (50), Chris Campoli (40) and the late Frank Finnigan.
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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