Today in Hockey History: July 22 – Hockey Writers – Hockey History

Yesterday in Hockey History: July 21st

Tomorrow in Hockey History: July 23

This day in National Hockey League history wasn’t the most eventful by any means, but it still provided some interesting news. One veteran player was traded twice on the same day, Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, and the birth of a Hall of Fame defender are the three biggest memories of July 22.

Sillinger’s Busy Day

July 22, 2003, is a day Mike Sillinger will never forget as he was a member of three different teams within the span of a few hours. The veteran started the day on the Columbus Blue Jackets’ roster, where he scored 38 goals and 86 points over the past two seasons.

The Blue Jackets traded Sillinger to the Dallas Stars for defenseman Darryl Sydor for a second-round draft pick in 2004. That draft pick was eventually used on Johan Fransson, who never played in the NHL. Sydor played just 49 games in Columbus before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sillinger’s time with the Stars was short-lived as he was quickly traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Teppo Numminen and a conditional draft pick. Numminen spent the 2003-04 season in Dallas before signing with the Buffalo Sabers in the summer of 2004.

Sillinger was on the move again, at the 2004 Trade Deadline, when he was sent to St. He scored eight goals and 14 points in 60 games with the Coyotes and posted five goals and 10 assists during his 16 games in St. Louis.

Changing addresses was nothing new for Sillinger, who played for 12 different teams in 15 seasons. He retired in 2008 after scoring 240 goals and 548 points in 1049 games with the Detroit Red Wings, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Lightning, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Blue Jackets, Coyotes, Blues, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders.

Matthew Tkachuk Traded For Blockbuster

After losing Johnny Gaudreau to free agency when he signed with the Blue Jackets on July 13, 2022, Calgary Flames fans were greeted with another bombshell on July 22, 2022, when then-general manager Brad Treliving dealt power forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers. Tkachuk was coming off a career-high 104 points and had told the Flames he would not sign an extension when his contract expired.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Flames got good value with the 2016 sixth pick as they get another 100-point man in Jonathan Huberdeau, forward MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a 2025 first-round pick. Tkachuk finished with a new 109 points and Huberdeau dropped to 55 points. Tkachuk was once again a monster in the 2023 Playoffs, leading his team to the Stanley Cup Final with 11 goals and 24 points.

The Winter Classic is coming to Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks and Red Wings were at Wrigley Field on July 22, 2008. They were there to make a joint announcement with the Chicago Cubs and the NHL that the 2009 Winter Classic will be played at the historic baseball stadium on Jan. 1, 2009. This was the second Winter Classic and third outdoor game in league history.

The 2009 Winter Classic was a great time for the Blackhawks, a forgotten enterprise in their hometown. After years of last-place teams and empty stadiums, this game ushered in a new era of consistency and, most importantly, continued success. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, the Red Wings spoiled the big day with a 6-4 victory after falling behind 3-1 in the first half.

Odds & Ends

The Blackhawks purchased the contract of Red Wings star Sid Abel on July 22, 1952. After scoring 183 goals and 463 points in 570 games in Detroit, the future Hall of Famer played just 42 games for the Blackhawks over the next two seasons, where he served as head coach and as a player. He was the last full-time player/coach in NHL history. He coached the Blackhawks at the end of the 1953-54 season before returning to the Red Wings, in the same role, in 1957.

On July 22, 1988, the Washington Capitals traded Greg Adams to the Edmonton Oilers for the rights to Geoff Courtnall. Adams scored four goals and nine points in 49 games before the Oilers traded him to the Canucks, along with Doug Smith, for John LeBlanc and a fifth-round pick.

Courtnall signed with the Capitals and scored 77 goals and 154 points, in 159 games, over the next two seasons in Washington. He was traded to the Blues on July 13, 1990, for Peter Zezel and Mike Lalor.

The Capitals re-signed free agent defenseman Phil Housley on July 22, 1996. He played two seasons with the Capitals, scoring 17 goals and 71 points in 141 games. He was claimed by the Calgary Flames almost two years later, on July 21, 1998.

The New York Rangers signed two-time Stanley Cup winner Barclay Goodrow away from the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 22, 2021, as he agreed to a six-year contract. In his first season with the Blueshirts, he scored 13 goals and 33 points in 79 games. Originally an undrafted free agent signed by the San Jose Sharks in 2014, he spent six parts of the season with them before dealing with the Lightning and becoming a key part of a linebacker with Blake Coleman and Yanni Gourde.

On the same day, the Carolina Hurricanes traded Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic to the Detroit Red Wings for Jonathan Bernier. In his first season with the team, he recorded a modest 3.31 goals against average (GAA) and .901 save percentage (SV%) after a stellar rookie campaign with the Canes in which he posted a 1.90 GAA and .932 SV%. He now plays for the San Jose Sharks.

happy Birthday to you

A total of 23 current and former NHL players were born on this day, along with the first pioneer in management.

J. Cooper Smeaton was born on July 22, 1890. He did everything during his life in the game, from being a player to a referee and even a head coach. He joined the National Hockey Association (NHA) as a referee in 1913. His first game was a tilt between the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanders. He fined Hall of Famer Newsy Lalonde $5 for going against the offside call.

Smeaton joined the Canadian army in 1914 and fought in World War I in France. When the NHL was founded in 1917, they named Smeaton as the first official referee. He turned down the chance to become the first general manager of the New York Rangers in 1926. He remained an umpire until 1930 when he became the head coach of the Philadelphia Quakers.

The Quakers folded after one season, and Smeaton returned as referee until his retirement in 1937. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a referee in 1961.

Among the players born on this day, Sergey Zubov is the best in the group. He is the only Hall of Famer with a birthday of July 22. He played in the most games (1068) and had the most goals (152), assists (619), and points (771). The slick-skating defenseman won a Stanley Cup in his rookie season with the Rangers in 1994, scoring five goals and 19 points in 22 playoff games. He got his name in the Cup for the second time with the Stars in 1999.

Other famous players born on July 22 include Gerry Desjardins (82), Dmitri Kalinin (46), Kevin Fiala (30), and Jason Robertson (27).