On May 4th, we celebrate the birthdays of 27 NHL players, past and present. Today's list includes several Stanley Cup winners, a seven-time 20-point scorer, a Calder Trophy-winning netminder and a former No. 3 overall pick. Let's take a look at some names that will blow out the candle today.
Andrew Rayfort (1980)
The Boston Bruins selected Andrew Raycroft in the fifth round (135th overall) in the 1998 Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2000-01, appearing in 15 games and compiling a 4-6-0 record before being called up to six games the next two seasons, one game in 2001-02, and one game in 2002-02. In 2003, he was called to five games. . However, when Raycroft became a starter for the Bruins in the 2003-04 season, he won the Calder Trophy with a 29-18-9 record, 2.05 goals-against average, and .926 save percentage.
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In five seasons with Boston, he compiled a record of 43-46-12 and earned All-Rookie honors. Although his tenure with the Bruins was not very successful, he played a key role in the future of the organization, trading the former Rookie of the Year to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Tuukka Rask. In Raycroft's first season in Toronto, he set a franchise record with 37 wins, which was later surpassed by Frederik Andersen.
Unfortunately, injuries cut Raycroft's career short, ending in 2012 at the age of 31. After he spent two seasons with the Maple Leafs, he played in 31 games with the Colorado Avalanche, 21 games with the Vancouver Cancucks, and 29 games with the Dallas Stars. His career record was 113 wins, 114 losses, and 27 losses in 280 games, with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.
James van Riemsdyk (1989)
James van Riemsdyk was the second overall pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 draft after Patrick Kane was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. The 20-year-old made his NHL debut in 2009-10, scoring 35 points in 78 games and ultimately playing in that season's Stanley Cup Final against the Kanes and the Blackhawks. In his first stint with the Flyers he scored 99 points in 196 games, reaching 21 points in the 2010-11 season.
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The Flyers traded Van Riemsdyk to the Maple Leafs in June 2012 for Luke Schenn. He has transformed into a two-time 30-goal player, scoring a career-high 36 goals in 2017-18. His best years were in Toronto, but he had a chance to add to his career total in Philadelphia by rejoining the team as a free agent in 2018. He scored 20 goals twice in his second stint, but never scored 50 points in either season. A record for eight years at the club. Van Riemsdyk, 34, signed with the Bruins as a free agent and scored 38 points in 71 games.
Logan Cooley (2004)
In the long-awaited 2022 draft, the Arizona Coyotes made a big move by selecting Logan Cooley. As the third overall pick, he was selected behind July Slavkowski (Montreal) and Simon Nemec (New Jersey). Nevertheless, he decided to further develop his college hockey skills at the University of Minnesota. This turns out to be a wise decision.
In his first NHL season in 2023-24, he lived up to expectations with 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games, scoring one of the reel goals that was the highlight of the season. Cooley, 19, scored his first career hat trick against the Nashville Predators and finished sixth on the team's scoring list. Although he is relocating to Utah with the rest of his teammates, his NHL future is bright. He should be a superstar, and fans will be talking about his future All-Star appearances for the next 10 years.
Current players celebrating their birthdays (age)
- Jonathan Gruden – Pittsburgh Penguins (24)
- Louis Crevier – Chicago Blackhawks (23)
Inactive players celebrating birthday (age)
Editor's note: bold name of stanley cup winner
- Art Michaluk (1923 – 2006)
- Don Smith (1929 – 2002)
- Seth Martin (1933 – 2014)
- George Connick (1937 – 2016)
- David Gove (1978 – 2017)
- Leon Rochefort (85)
- Fred Stanfield (66)
- Larry Landon (64)
- Thomas Lundqvist (64)
- John Stevens (58)
- Kevin Todd (56)
- Mika Aivazov (55)
- Shaun White (54)
- john madden (51)
- Matthew Barnaby (51)
- John Tripp (47)
- Kent Haskins (45)
- Derek Roy (41)
- Devan Dubnyk (38)
- Aaron Dell (35)
- Kyle Bown (32)
- Joe Hicketts (28)
