Today in Hockey History: July 3 – Hockey Writers – Hockey History

Yesterday in Hockey History: July 2nd

Tomorrow in Hockey History: July 4th

July 3 saw many performances by many Hall of Famers. Some of the best players in National Hockey League history have changed teams, retired, or were born on this day. Let’s take our daily journey back in time to relive all the top memories.

Saying goodbye to the Captain

July 3rd is not a very happy day for Detroit Red Wings fans. On this day in 2006, one of the most beloved players in franchise history called it quits when Steve Yzerman officially announced his retirement after 22 seasons with the team.

Yzerman was selected by the Red Wings with the fourth pick of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, and was on the roster, as an 18-year-old, to start the 1983-84 season. He scored 39 goals in his rookie campaign, the first of 11 seasons with at least 30 goals.

The Red Wings named Yzerman team captain for the 1986-87 season. At just 21 years old, he was the youngest captain in NHL history at the time. He wore the “C” on his jersey for the next 19 seasons, the longest streak in league history.

Yzerman captained three Stanley Cup winning teams in 1997, 1998, and 2002. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1998, for being the most valuable player in the postseason, scoring six goals and 24 points in 22 games.

His 65 goals and 155 points in the 1988-89 season are still franchise single-season records. Yzerman is the Red Wings all-time leader in assists, with 962. His 692 goals and 1.755 in the regular season are second only to the legendary Gordie Howe. He holds the team’s playoff records with 70 goals and 185 points.

Stars in Motion

On July 3, 1998, the Dallas Stars signed Hall of Famer Brett Hull. The 33-year-old was part of the Stars’ last season. He scored 32 goals in his first season in Dallas. Hull added eight more during the playoffs, including the Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal against the Buffalo Sabres. He scored 95 goals and 196 points in his three seasons with the Stars.

Four years later, on July 3, 2002, the Stars signed another veteran goaltender in Bill Guerin. He scored 25 goals in his first season in Dallas, followed by 34 more in the 2003-04 season.

One year later, Mike Modano was named captain after 14 seasons with the franchise. This action was taken because Derian Hatcher signed with the Red Wings on this day. He was the team captain for the last eight seasons.

Odds & Ends

After 11 seasons with the Boston Bruins, defenseman Ted Green left the World Hockey Association (WHA) on July 3, 1972. He signed a contract with the New England Whalers and became the first captain in franchise history.

The Toronto Maple Leafs make coaching changes, a decade apart, on this day. On July 3, 1986, they named John Brophy their new coach, replacing Dan Maloney. He made the playoffs in his two full seasons with the Maple Leafs. He was fired after an 11-20-2 start to the 1988-89 season.

The team did another year behind the bench on July 3, 1996. This time it was Mike Murphy who got the head coaching job. He replaced Nick Beverly, who took over late in the 1995-96 season after Pat Burns was fired. Murphy failed to make the playoffs in his two seasons as head coach and was replaced by Pat Quinn in 1998.

Bob Pulford announced his retirement as general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks on July 3, 1997, after 20 years with the team. Bob Murray was appointed as his successor. However, this was far from his last in this position. He had two more stints as general manager of the Blackhawks before leaving for good in 2005.

It was Murray who brought free agent Doug Gilmour to the Blackhawks on July 3, 1998. The future Hall of Famer scored 38 goals and 112 points in his 135 games with the team. He took over as team captain after Chris Chelios was traded to the Red Wings. He played the last game at Maple Leafs Garden, in 1999, scored a goal and was cheered by his old fans. Gilmour was eventually dealt to the Sabres, along with JP Dumont, in 2000, for Michael Grosek.

The Maple Leafs signed free agent Alex Mogilny on July 3, 2001. He had two productive seasons with 57 goals and 136 points in 2001–02 and 2002–03. His third and final season in Toronto was limited to just 37 games, in which he still put up 30 points.

On July 3, 2006, the Anaheim Ducks acquired defenseman Chris Pronger from the Edmonton Oilers for Joffrey Lupul and Ladislav Smid. He played three seasons with the Ducks and was a big part of their Stanley Cup championship in 2007.

happy Birthday to you

The greatest hockey player ever produced, Teemu Selanne, was born on July 3, 1970. The Winnipeg Jets used 10.^th pick the 1988 NHL Entry Draft to select Selanne. It didn’t come to North America until 1992, but it was worth the wait. He set the all-time rookie record with 76 goals and 132 points in the 1992-93 season.

Injuries limited his production over the next two seasons and he was traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky and a third round draft pick. Selanne had great success in Anaheim, including back-to-back seasons with at least 51 goals. Traded to the San Jose Sharks, at the 2001 Trade Deadline, for Jeff Friesen, Steve Shields and a second round draft pick.

On July 3, 2003, Selanne is 33 years old^rd birthday, he and former teammate, Paul Kariya, both signed one-year contracts with the Colorado Avalanche. However, their dream of winning a Stanley Cup together ended with a second round loss to the Stars.

When the NHL returned from lockout in 2005, Selanne returned to Anaheim and remained there for the final nine seasons of his career. He scored 48 goals in the 2006-07 season and added five more during the playoffs as he and the Ducks won their first Stanley Cup championship. He remains the Ducks’ all-time leader with 457 goals and 988 points.

Selanne retired after the 2013-14 season with 684 goals and 1,457 points, the most by any player born in Finland. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

Other current and former NHL players born on this day include Dave Lewis (73), Hakan Loob (66), Teppo Numminen (58), Adrian Aucoin (53), Wade Belak (50), Antti Miettinen (46), Anders Lee (36) and the late Hall of Famer Ace Bailey.

*Originally created by Greg Boysen