On April 24, we celebrate the birthdays of 30 past and present NHL players. Today’s list includes several players with names etched on the Stanley Cup and a multi-time 30-goal scorer. Let’s look at some names blowing out candles on birthday cakes today.
Kris Letang (1987)
Kris Letang, born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1987, is a future Hall of Famer. At 37, he’s had a very successful career, winning three Stanley Cup championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins and taking home the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2022-23. However, off the ice, he’s had two strokes that have forced him to miss time, and he lost his father while working through his health concerns.
After 18 seasons in a Pittsburgh sweater, Letang joins Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as North American professional sports’ longest-tenured teammates. Together, the trio has collected 1,256 goals, 2,378 assists, and 3,634 points, to which Letang has contributed 166 goals, 576 assists, and 742 points. As the greatest statistical defenseman in Penguins history, he’s overcome the odds several times on and off the ice and will find his place with his teammates at the Hockey Hall of Fame someday.
Ken Klee (1971)
Ken Klee was a 14-year NHL veteran and one of 12 players from the state of Indiana who spent most of his career with the Washington Capitals, skating with the club from 1994 to 2003 before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Capitals selected him in the ninth round (177th overall) of the 1990 Entry Draft, and he would represent the franchise for two games in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final. His best season came with the Maple Leafs when he collected 29 points in 2003-04 with 25 assists.
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After 122 games with Toronto, Klee bounced around, skating with the New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks, and Arizona Coyotes. In 934 career games, the right-handed defenseman scored 55 points with 140 assists for 195 points. His son, David Klee, is a 2023 seventh-round (196th overall) draft pick of the San Jose Sharks who has yet to make his NHL debut.
Tyler Toffoli (1992)
Tyler Toffoli is a three-time 30-goal scorer and Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings. As one of the game’s premier snipers, with 260 goals in 812 games, he’s become a hot commodity for teams searching for scoring depth. After eight years with the Kings, who selected him in the second round (47th overall) at the 2010 Entry Draft, he’s skated with the Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Devils, and most recently with the Winnipeg Jets.
Related: Today in Hockey History: April 24
In addition to winning the Stanley Cup in 2014, Toffoli helped the Canadiens reach the 2021 Final. He finished the postseason with 14 points, the exact total as the championship run seven years prior. After 12 seasons, the Scarborough, Ontario native has 521 points with almost an even split of 260 goals and 261 assists.
Inactive Players Celebrating Birthdays (Age)
Editors note: bold names are Stanley Cup winners
- John Newman (1910 – 1967)
- Phil Watson (1914 – 1991)
- Peter Slobodian (1918 – 1986)
- Gus Bodnar (1923 – 2005)
- Thain Simon (1922 – 2007)
- Ray Ceresino (1929 – 2015)
- Dennis Abgrall (71)
- Neil Labatte (67)
- Darren Veitch (64)
- David Maley (61)
- Jeff Jackson (59)
- Dale Craigwell (53)
- Patrik Juhlin (54)
- Pēteris Skudra (51)
- Mario Larocque (46)
- Byron Ritchie (47)
- Frans Nielsen (40)
- Brett Sterling (40)
- Jakub Petružálek (39)
- Philippe Dupuis (39)
- Aaron Gagnon (38)
- Akim Aliu (35)
- Colby Robak (34)
- Anton Lander (33)
- Scott Wilson (32)
- Zack Hayes (25)
- Graeme Clarke (23)
