Yesterday in the history of hockey: July 1
Tomorrow in the history of hockey: July 3
Typically, July 1 is reserved for signing large free agent contracts, but July 2 also saw a considerable portion of its new deal. A Hall of Fame goalkeeper discovered a new home twice on this date, and another future Hall of Fame was born in Canada.
Eddie The Eagle Cashes In…twice
Goalkeeper Ed Belfour can review the date and smile because it is good for him. On July 2, 1997, he signed with the Dallas Stars after he went public in the free agent market. His first season in Dallas was a huge success. He ended the regular season with 37 wins, a savings percentage of 0.916 (SV%) and a career-best average of 1.88 goals (GAA). The star won the Presidential Trophy as he scored the highest points in the league and reached the Western Conference Finals.
Belfour was an important reason for his success in the 1998-99 season. He won 35 games with 0.915 SV% and 1.99 GAA to help the star win the second consecutive presidential trophy. In the playoffs, he announced .930 SV%, 1.67 GAA and 3 closing ceremonies to lead the stars to their first Stanley Cup title.
Just five years later, on July 2, 2002, Belfour changed the address again. This time, he agreed to sign with Toronto Maple Leaf. In his final season, he played with the Maple Leafs in his last season with the Florida Panthers in 2006-07. In those three seasons, he won 61 games and scored 0.912 SV%, 2.51 GAA and 17 closing ceremonies.
Belfour’s biggest highlight in Toronto was in the first round of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs. He became the first goalkeeper to win three eliminations in the same playoff series, helping the Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senator in seven games. He gave up four goals in Games 1 and 4, and then allowed only three goals in the other five games of the series.
Big deals in 2017
On July 2, 2017, Patrick Marleau signed a three-year contract with Maple Leafs, and the era ended. The San Jose Sharks ranked second in the 1997 NHL admission draft. He played for 19 seasons with the Sharks and became a franchise leader of all time with 1,493 games, 508 goals and 1,082 points.
Marlow had no chance to sign his entire contract. After scoring 43 goals and 84 points in two seasons, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, who bought out the final year of his contract. This allowed him to return to the Sharks as a free agent at the start of the 2019-20 season. Eventually, he headed to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline for a third-round draft pick. He returns to the 2020-21 Sharks, where he breaks the NHL record for most games Gordie Howe has played in league history.
The Montreal Canadiens also made a major move on this date in 2017. They signed goalkeeper Carey for eight years, with a $84 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid network machine in NHL history.
Odd number and ending
On July 2, 1969, Red Kelly was appointed as the new head coach of the Penguins, replacing George Sullivan. Kelly was just the second head coach in franchise history, bringing them to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in the 1969-70 season. They swept the Oakland SEALs in the first round, the first-ever playoff series in the series. The Penguins lost to the St. Louis Blues in six games in the Stanley Cup semi-finals. Kelly brought the Penguins back to the 1972 playoffs, but he was fired midway through the 1972-73 season.
The Detroit Red Wings signed future Hall of Fame member Luc Robitaille on July 2, 2001. He spent two seasons on the Red Wings, scoring 41 goals and 81 points in 162 games. He scored four of nine points in the 2002 playoffs, where he won the only Stanley Cup in his 19-season career.
The following year, on July 2, 2002, Red Wings signed Curtis Joseph. The experienced goalkeeper has spent the last three seasons but needs a new home after they sign. Joseph played in Detroit for two seasons, winning 50 games while scoring 0.911 SV%, 2.43 GAA and winning 7 games.
On the same date, the Calgary Flames signed free agent Martin Gelinas, who spent his first three seasons in the Hurricanes. Gelinas had a huge game in the flames in the 2004 playoff Stanley Cup final. He scored overtime goals in the series in the first round against Vancouver Carnac and compared with Red Wings in the next round.
On July 2, 2003, the NHL announced the retirement of three long-term officials. Referees Paul Paul Stewart and informants Gerard Gauthier and Wayne Bonney.
On this date in 2021, the Tampa Bay Chargers rose 3-0 in the Stanley Cup final to win a victory in establishing a modern dynasty. Tyler Johnson scored twice, Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov had one goal and assist respectively, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves to win his 11th victory against the Habs.
Happy birthday to you
Joe Thornton was born on July 2, 1979 in London, Ontario. His long and productive career began with the Boston Bruins’ first selection at the 1997 NHL admission draft. He won the Bruins’ first 100-point season in 2003-02. He had nine goals and 33 points in the first 23 games of the 2005-06 season when the Bruins traded him to the Sharks for Brad Stewart, Marco Stelm and Wayne Prime.
Thornton scored 20 goals and 92 points in his first 58 games, and the Sharks finished the season with a league-leading 125 points. He became the first player to win Hart Trophy (League MVP) and Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer), while playing in two different teams in the same season. He is the all-time leader in Sharks assists (804), with the second time in the game (1,104) and scored (1,055) and fourth in goals (251).
An impressive group of July 2 birthday boys also include Eric Daze (50), Tomas Vokoun (49), Vladimir Sobotka (38), JT Brown (35), Dominik Kahun (30) (30), Robert Thomas (26) and the late Lorne Carr and Kenny Wharram.
*Originally built by Greg Boysen
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