Today in hockey history, a very important person in one nation’s history is born, and one of the best offensive players of all time is born.
August 3, 1986 – George “Gerry” Geran was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Who was Gerry Geran, why was he important, and why are you talking to yourself? Good questions. Gerry Geran is the first player from the United States to have ever played in the NHL. That’s pretty important, and I’d say worthy of some recognition. He played his first NHL game with the Montreal Wanderers in 1917 (but only three more after that), and it was obviously a pretty important milestone for America and for the NHL. He also played for the Bruins in the 1925-26 season, and although he had a head start on everyone else from America, he played in just 37 NHL games, scoring only five goals and one assist. He also won a silver medal for team USA in the 1920 Summer Olympics (there were no Winter Olympics back then).
August 3, 1951 – Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne was born in Drummondville, Quebec. Dionne is best known for his time in Los Angeles where he played 921 games (third most for the franchise) over 12 seasons and accumulated 1,307 points (team record). During his first season in 1972, he set the rookie record for points with 77. He even managed to win the Art Ross (most points) during the time Gretzky was in the league, although Gretzky was just 19 and in his first year in the NHL…and he also only managed to tie Gretzky with 137 points, but won the trophy by virtue of scoring two more goals (53). That was his best season in terms of points, although he put up 135 the following year. It may sound a bit surprising, but Dionne is actually fifth on the all-time scoring list with 1,771 points (in 1,348 games). Unfortunately, despite his numbers, he never won a Stanley Cup.
Source: Hockey Hall of Fame
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