Happy birthday to former Dallas Stars forward Martin Ručinský, who was born on March 11, 1971. Ručinský appeared in 42 games for the Dallas Stars during the 2001–02 NHL season, recording 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) before finishing the year with the New York Rangers.

Originally selected 20th overall in the 1991 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Ručinský went on to play 16 NHL seasons. Over the course of his career he skated in 961 games and totaled 241 goals and 371 assists for 612 points, along with 821 penalty minutes. He also contributed 61 power-play goals and 35 game-winning goals.

His NHL journey included stops with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, the Stars, Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, and St. Louis Blues.

One of the most productive stretches of his career came with the Canadiens, including a 49-point season (25 goals, 24 assists) in 1999–2000 that led Montreal in scoring. Ručinský was also selected to represent the World team at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game, highlighting his status as one of the NHL’s top Czech forwards during that era.

After his NHL career ended in 2004, Ručinský returned home to continue playing professionally in the Czech Extraliga. He spent several seasons with HC Litvínov, the club from his hometown region, and helped the team capture the Czech Extraliga championship in 2014–15. Ručinský finished his long professional career in Czechia, retiring in 2017 after more than three decades in professional hockey.