Yesterday in Hockey History: July 6th
Tomorrow in Hockey History: July 8
July 7 is an important day in the history of the National Hockey League as the signing of two made it easier for players from Europe to come, changing the game forever. There were also a number of coaching moves and the birth of a beloved Hall of Famer in the Mile High City. Finally, to put a bow on the day, the Stanley Cup was raised and the rare NHL Draft took place in Montreal. Let’s take our daily trip back in time to relive all the best this date had to offer.
The Devils Paved the Way
On July 7, 1989, the New Jersey Devils held a press conference to introduce their two new additions; Viacheslav Fetisov and Sergey Starikov, both from the Soviet Union. This signing had a major impact on the influx of players from Russia and across Europe into the NHL.
Before Fetisov arrives, a Russian player will have to leave the Soviet Union to play in the NHL. That meant that he would no longer be able to play for the international team, which was the ultimate goal of every player in the Soviet Union. Fetisov was able to trade, after years of negotiations, which allowed him to travel to North America, but not the mistake to be able to play in international events.
Fetisov, who spent 13 seasons with CSKA Moscow before coming to the NHL, was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1978. He was drafted again in 1983 and was taken by the Devils in the eighth round. He finally made his North American debut at the age of 31.
He played 341 games for the Devils before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings late in the 1995 season. The veteran played 205 more games for the Red Wings and was part of their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1997 and 1998.
His post-hockey career was equally impressive. After retiring in 1998, he returned to New Jersey as an assistant coach, helping them win the 2000 Stanley Cup. From there, he became the general manager of the 2002 Russian Olympic team that won a bronze medal. In 2009, he became the president of CSKA Moscow. While his team was plagued by injuries, he played the last few games of the 2009-10 season with 51.
Starikov was drafted by the Devils in the eighth round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. He wasn’t initially slated to take over, but when he expressed interest, the Devils made a deal to sign him. Starikov only played 16 NHL games for the Devils, but spent time in both the American Hockey League (AHL) and the International Hockey League (IHL) before retiring after the 1992-93 season.
Recruited New Coaches
Veteran goaltender Gerry Cheevers announced his retirement on July 7, 1980, and was named the new coach of the Boston Bruins. He replaces general manager Harry Sinden, who coached the final seven games of last season and their playoff run after firing Fred Creighton.
Cheevers had some regular season success with the Bruins and led the team to the league’s best record in the 1982-83 season. He made the Stanley Cup playoffs in all four of his full seasons but made it to the conference finals just once. He was let go 56 games into the 1984-85 season, with Sinden taking over again. His 204 wins are the fifth most in franchise history.
On July 7, 1983, Jack Evans was named the new head coach of the Hartford Whalers, replacing John Cuniff. He went 163-174-37 in his four and a half seasons behind the bench. Only Paul Maurice and Peter Laviolette have won more games than Evans in franchise history.
The Colorado Avalanche hired Joel Quenneville as their new head coach on July 7, 2004. He replaced Tony Granato, who remained a member of Quenneville’s staff. He finished each of his three seasons as a coach with exactly 95 points but never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
He was not retained after their 2008 postseason run. Quenneville joined the Chicago Blackhawks as a scout the following September. Just a month later, he replaced Denis Savard as head coach and ended up leading them to three Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
Lightning Win Stanley Cup For Second Consecutive Year
On July 7, 2022, the Tampa Bay Lightning became a modern-day dynasty by winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship after shutting out the Canadiens 1-0 on the strength of a second-period goal by Ross Colton and 22 saves by Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Bolts claimed the trophy in five games and the Habs went home after a Cinderella run that saw them defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights en route to the Western Conference championship.
At the end of the game, the Conn Smythe Trophy was awarded to Vasilevskiy after he recorded a 1.90 goals against average (GAA) and a .937 save percentage (SV%) along with five shutouts in his 23 game run to his second Stanley Cup. With the win, the Lightning became the ninth team to repeat as champions and the first since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Nikita Kucherov could easily win the Conn Smythe as well, becoming the sixth player in NHL history to lead the postseason in points without a tie in consecutive seasons and the first since Mario Lemieux with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. 2020.
Brayden Point also became the sixth player in NHL history to lead the playoffs in goals without a tie in consecutive seasons (14 goals in 23 games per season). All in all, an outstanding performance from the Lightning all around.
Odds & Ends
The Blackhawks named Tommy Ivan general manager on July 7, 1954, replacing Bill Tobin. He spent the last seven seasons as the head coach of the Red Wings, winning three Stanley Cups. Ivan remained in office for the next 25 years before serving as vice president and another governor. The Blackhawks won the 1961 Stanley Cup and went to the Stanley Cup Final in 1962, 1965, 1971, and 1973 under his guidance.
Future Hall of Fame defenseman Mark Howe signed with the Red Wings on July 7, 1992. Mark, of course, was the son of the legendary Gordie Howe, the franchise’s greatest player. Howe was recognized as one of the two best defenders of his era.
Mark played 122 games in his three seasons in Detroit before retiring after a trip to the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. Although he hasn’t been as productive as he was early in his career, he has had a positive impact on some of the Red Wings’ young up-and-comers, such as Nicklas Lidstrom.
On July 7, 2022, the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft took place in Montreal where the host Canadiens held the first pick. They went off the board and selected Slovakian midfielder Juraj Slafkovsky instead of consensus pick Shane Wright – who fell to the Seattle Kraken in the fourth round. Rounding out the top three were Simon Nemec (New Jersey Devils) and Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes). It was also the first in-person event since 2019 after the 2020 and 2021 Drafts were held up due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
happy Birthday to you
The greatest player in Quebec Nordiques/Avalanche history, Joe Sakic, was born on July 7, 1969. His long association with the franchise began when he was drafted by the Nordiques in the first round (15).th overall) in the 1987 NHL entry draft.
Sakic scored 234 goals and 626 points during his first 508 NHL games in Quebec before moving to Colorado. While in Denver, he scored 391 more goals and 1015 in 870 games for the Avalanche. He was the captain of two Stanley Cup winning teams in 1996 and 2001. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the most valuable player in the 1996 postseason. He was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in the 2000-01 season.
In 2011, two years after retiring as a player, Sakic returned to work for the Avalanche. At first he was brought in as an executive advisor along with another ruler. He was promoted to Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations in May 2013. He was officially named general manager on September 19, 2014, and is now GM and President of Hockey Operations.
Other famous players also born on this day include Ed Staniowski (71), Tony Hrkac (60), and Patrick Lalime (52).
*Originally created by Greg Boysen
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