Aug. 10 was a busy and sad day in NHL history, as Hall of Famer and Chicago Blackhawks legend Tony Esposito passed away in 2021. In other news, the relocated team got its new identity and logo and the expansion team made its debut. -constant exchange. Eventually, a coaching change was made, and two successful future head coaches found new homes during their playing days.
The Hockey World Loses Another Legend in Tony Esposito
The world mourned the loss of another great hockey player and person on August 10, 2021, when it was announced that Esposito had passed away at the age of 78 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. The former Blackhawks player was an NHL player for 16 seasons as he retired at the age of 40 with the Calder Trophy and three Vezina Trophies.
Related: Remembering Chicago Blackhawks Legend Tony Esposito
Although Esposito did not start his career with the Blackhawks, he played in 873 of 886 games with them and finished with a 2.93 goals-against average (GAA) and a .906 save percentage (SV%) along with 74 shutouts. He remains the winningest goaltender in Blackhawks history with 418 wins and is the all-time leader in shutouts (74), saves (24,376) and games played (873).
After Esposito retired in 1984, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988 along with Guy Lafleur, George Hayes, Buddy O'Connor, Brad Park and Edward Snider. His No. 35 was also retired by the Blackhawks in November of the same year. Finally, he was named one of the “Greatest Players in NHL History” by the NHL in 2017. From March 2008 until his passing in 2021, he served as the party's ambassador.
Avalanche Get Their Identity
On August 10, 1995, the former Quebec Nordiques officially named themselves the Colorado Avalanche and unveiled their new logo and team colors. The franchise was given permission by the league to move to Denver on June 21, 1995.
The team's first year in Colorado was one for the ages. In December of 1995, they traded for former Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy. He became the final piece in the championship puzzle as the season ended with the team hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Ducks Make First Trade
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim completed the first trade in franchise history, on Aug. 10, 1993, about two months before the start of its first season. They sent a third-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for forwards Todd Ewen and Patrik Carnback, who had won the Stanley Cup earlier this spring.
Both players spent the next three seasons with the Ducks. Ewen scored 13 goals and 25 points in 153 games, while Carnback scored 24 goals and 62 points in 148 games. The Canadiens used a third-round pick to select forward Chris Murray. He had seven goals and 13 points in 107 games with Montreal. He was traded in 1997, along with Murray Baron, to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Dave Manson.
Canucks Name New Coach
The Vancouver Canucks named Rick Ley their new coach on August 9, 1994, their 12th.th in franchise history. This action was done because Pat Quinn quit his job as a coach and focused on being the general manager of the team.
The move means both teams from the 1994 Stanley Cup Final have made coaching changes since the championship series. Just 24 hours earlier, the New York Rangers called up Colin Campbell in place of Mike Keenan.
Ley went 18-18-12 in the 1994-95 lockout season. The Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues in seven games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. Quinn fired Ley with just six games left in 1995-96 and returned behind the Canucks' bench. He hired Tom Renney in the offseason.
Odds & Ends
The Rangers signed undrafted free agent Peter Laviolette to an NHL contract on Aug. 10, 1987. In the 1988-89 season, Laviolette played 12 games with the Rangers and did not score. Later he became better known for being a very successful coach. His first NHL head coaching job came with the New York Islanders in 2001. He won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and took both the Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and the Nashville Predators (2017) to the Stanley Cup Finals. After a stint with the Washington Capitals, he is now the head coach of the Rangers.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
On August 10, 1993, the Florida Panthers signed free agent Jody Hull after spending the previous season with the Ottawa Senators. He played 281 games for the Panthers over the next five seasons, scoring 56 goals and 100 points. In January 1998, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with Mark Fitzpatrick, for Dino Ciccarelli and Jeff Norton.
The Dallas Stars were awarded Peter Zezel and Grant Marshall, on Aug. 10, 1994, as compensation for the Toronto Maple Leafs signing free agent Mike Craig. The deal worked out better for the Stars as Craig scored 20 goals and 50 points in his two seasons with the Maple Leafs. Zezel played only 30 games for the Stars, but Marshall played 402 games in seven seasons, scoring 52 goals and 134 points.
The Rangers signed free agent center Michael Nylander on Aug. 10, 2004. This was the veteran's seventh different team. He had 49 points and 162 points in his 160 games in New York.
The Penguins acquired goaltender Jocelyn Thibault from the Blackhawks on this day in 2005 for a fourth-round draft pick. Thibault was originally drafted by the Nordiques with 10th The overall pick of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was part of the proceeds of the 1995 Roy trade, mentioned earlier. He spent two seasons with the Penguins and went 8-17-5 with a .894 save percentage (SV%) and 3.52 goals against average (GAA).
Senators head coach Travis Green played 970 games in the NHL as a center before moving from behind the bench. On August 10, 2006, he signed with the Ducks. This was his second game with this team as he played 101 games between 1998 and 1999, scoring 18 goals and 46 points. In his second season with the Ducks, he played just seven games before being released by the Maple Leafs.
On this day in 2022, David Krejci returned to the Bruins after a short stay overseas in Czechia. He signed a one-year contract and scored 16 goals and 56 points in what was his final season in the NHL. In 1,032 career games with the Bruins, he had 231 goals and 786 points.
happy Birthday to you
A group of 23 current and former NHL players were born on this day. The first was Butch Keeling in 1905. He scored 157 goals for the Maple Leafs and Rangers between 1927 and 1938, playing in 525 games. The most recent birthday on August 10 was Nick Suzuki (25), born in 1999.
Defender Bret Hedican, born in 1970, played the most games for the club, making 1,039 appearances between 1992 and 2009. Sam Gagner, 35 years old today, has the most goals (197) and points (529).
Other famous players born on this day include Rick Wilson (74), Mike McEwen (68), Greg Hawgood (56), Darcy Hordichuk (44), Marcus Foligno (33), Tanner Pearson (32), and Zach Aston-Reese (30) .
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