Rick DiPietro hasn't played for the Islanders since 2013, but they're still paying him $1.5 million per year
1891 – James Ogilvie “Odie” Cleghorn was born in Montreal. The younger brother of frequent teammate and Hockey Hall of Fame member Sprague Cleghorn, Odie had a fine career of his own after turning pro in 1910 with the Renfrew Creamery Kings of the National Hockey Association. He also played with the Montreal Wanderers and with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he won three NHL championships as well as the 1924 Stanley Cup. He finished his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, whom he coached in their first four NHL seasons between 1925 and 1929. Odie finished second in goals and third in points during the 1918-19 NHL season, and co-led the league with three hat tricks in 1921-22. Sadly, Odie Cleghorn was found dead in his bed on the morning of his older brother’s funeral in July 1956; Sprague had died two days earlier.
1936 – Milan Marcetta was born in Cadomin, Alta. Marcetta had a long minor-pro career and appeared in 54 regular season games with the Minnesota North Stars between 1967 and 1969, recording a total of seven goals and 22 points. He added another seven goals and 14 points in 14 playoff games in the spring of 1968. But it was his three appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1967 playoffs that got his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. He died on September 18, 2014, the day before his 78th birthday.
1940 – Ed Westfall was born in Belleville, Ont. An 18-season NHL veteran known for his versatility as a forward and defenceman, Westfall won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1970 and 1972. Exposed in the 1972 Expansion Draft, Westfall was chosen by the New York Islanders, who named him their first captain, a position he held until 1977 when he surrendered the ‘C’ to Clark Gillies. Westfall retired in 1979, having suited up in more than 1,300 regular season and playoff games.
1943 – Andre Boudrias was born in Montreal. A teammate of Milan Marcetta’s in Minnesota, Boudrias also played in the NHL with the Canadiens, the Chicago Black Hawks, the St. Louis Blues, and most notably the Vancouver Canucks, whom he led in scoring four times during their first five seasons in the league. He wrapped up his career in the WHA with the Quebec Nordiques and was a member of their 1977 Avco Cup championship club. Boudrias played Junior A in the Ontario Hockey Association with the Montreal Junior Canadiens and won two league scoring titles, topping out with 135 points in only 55 games in 1963-64.
1961 – Don Beaupre was born in Kitchener, Ont. Beaupre played in more than 700 games over 17 NHL seasons, most notably with the Minnesota North Stars. As a 19-year-old rookie, he was the starting netminder for the Wales Conference in the 1981 NHL All-Star Game and finished third in Calder Trophy voting that season. He led the league with five shutouts in 1990-91 while a member of the Washington Capitals.
1970 – Dan Bylsma was born in Grand Haven, Mich. Bylsma began his NHL career as a grinding forward with the Los Angeles Kings and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim but is better known as a coach, winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a mid-season replacement in 2008-09. He also won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s top coach in 2010-11 and was recently hired to replace Dave Hakstol as head coach of the Seattle Kraken.
1970 – Gilbert Dionne was born in Drummondville, Que. The much younger brother of Hockey Hall of Fame member Marcel Dionne, Gilbert’s NHL career was comparatively brief, and he was a much more prolific scorer in the AHL and the International Hockey League. But he did do something that his illustrious brother never did – he won the Stanley Cup. Dionne scored 20 goals and 48 points with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1992-93 regular season, then added six goals and 12 points in 20 playoff contests as the Habs marched to the title.
1981 – Rick DiPietro was born in Winthrop, Mass. He made history in 2000 when the New York Islanders selected him 1st overall in the NHL Entry Draft, making him the first goalie to be chosen with the first pick in modern (post-1968) draft history. The previous high-water mark for goaltenders was the 4th overall selection of Roberto Luongo by the Islanders in 1997; the Islanders traded Luongo to the Florida Panthers on the day of the 2000 draft to facilitate DiPietro’s selection. DiPietro played 318 NHL games, all with the Islanders, and retired in 2013 after the team bought out his contract. Under the terms of that buyout, the Islanders are still paying him $1.5 million each year until 2028-29.