On April 30th, we celebrate the birthdays of 32 NHL players, past and present. Today's list includes the longest-tenured member of the New York Rangers, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Edmonton Oilers, and one of the young defensemen patrolling the Toronto Maple Leafs' blue line. It is. Let's take a look at some names that will blow out the candle today.
Chris Kreider (1991)
The last time the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup was in 1994 when Chris Kreider was 3 years old. After a stellar performance at Boston University, where he won two NCAA championships, the Rangers made him the top pick (19th overall) in the 2009 draft. He made his NHL debut in the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators.
Kreider is currently the longest-tenured skater in the lineup, having just completed his 12th season with the Blueshirts. He is a three-time 30-goal scorer and nearly broke the club's single-season goalscoring record, finishing the 2021-22 season with 52 goals. Additionally, he led the NHL in power-play goals (26) and game-winning goals (11).
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He played in 815 regular season games and scored 304 goals, close to Rod Gilbet's record of 406 goals. On the other hand, with one or two more playoff wins, Kreider would be 22 points back and have a chance to become the Rangers' all-time leading scorer in the postseason. Hall of Famer Brian Leitch.
Timothy Liljegren (1999)
Timothy Liljegren was also a first-round pick (17th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2017 draft. The 25-year-old is approaching 200 games played in the NHL, appearing in 11 games in his debut in 2019-20 and just two games the following season.
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Eventually, Liljegren became a regular in Toronto's lineup, regularly appearing in 55 or more games over the past three seasons and scoring a career-high 23 points in 2021-22 and 2023-24. Born in Kristianstad, Sweden, Liljegren is one of four Swedish players in the Maple Leafs' lineup, including William Nylander, Pontus Holmberg, and Calle Jarnkrok.
Steve Smith (1963)
Steve Smith won the Stanley Cup three times, winning championships with the Edmonton Oilers in 1987, 1988, and 1990. Despite his contributions to these championship teams, he is best remembered for his goal in his own net in the 1986 Smythe Division final. This ended the Oilers' winning streak. Although this moment remains in infamy, Smith was the first person to receive the trophy from Wayne Gretzky when Edmonton won the Stanley Cup again in 1987, and Smith expressed how much this moment meant to the players and the franchise. I understood how important it was.
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After being named to the All-Star team in his final season with the Oilers (1991), he played for the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent. He finished his NHL career with the Flames from 1998 to 2001, then entered the coaching world and currently plays by trade in the American Hockey League.
Current players celebrating their birthdays (age)
- Brett Leeson – Anaheim Ducks (25)
- Ty Carty – Seattle Kraken (23)
Inactive players celebrating birthday (age)
- Arch Wilder (1917 – 2002)
- Bill McDonough (1928 – 2019)
- Fleming McKell (1929 – 2015)
- Jackie McLeod (1930 – 2022)
- Don McKechnie (1934 – 2022)
- Dale Rolfe (84)
- Dave Palo (67)
- Peter Wallin (67)
- Miles Zaharko (67)
- Mike McDougall (66)
- Rob Whistle (63)
- Jeff Brown (58)
- Rich Pilon (56)
- Haris Witrish (56)
- Matt Martin (53)
- Marcel Cousineau (51)
- Steve Webb (49)
- Jason Holland (48)
- Andrei Nedrost (44)
- Aaron Johnson (41)
- Tim Kennedy (38)
- Spencer Abbott (36)
- Jeremy Welsh (36)
- Shane Sims (36)
- Kenny Agostino (32)
- Morgan Ellis (32)
- Sean Malone (29)
