On April 25, we celebrate the birthdays of 21 past and present NHL players. Today’s list includes several players from the Original Six era, one of the last players to play with the Brooklyn Americans, and a prospect included in one of the most recent blockbuster trades. Let’s look at some names blowing out candles on birthday cakes today.
Cole Schwindt (2001)
Cole Schwindt turns 24 today and has skated seven games in the NHL thus far. Initially drafted by the Florida Panthers in the third round (81st overall), he played in three games for them in 2021-22, registering no points but was a minus-four in those contests. While a prospect with Florida, he split time with the Syracuse Crunch and Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring 20 goals and 42 points from 2020-2022.
Schwindt was part of the blockbuster trade between the Panthers and Calgary Flames on July 22, 2022. The trade featured Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, with a first-round pick in 2025 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2025 and Matthew Tkachuk. Since relocating into the Flames franchise, he’s played four games in the NHL in 2023-24 while spending most of his time with the Calgary Wranglers, scoring 28 goals and 68 points in the past two seasons.
Pat Egan (1918)
Pat Egan skated 552 games in the NHL, playing with the Brooklyn Americans during their final season in 1942. The team folded operations following the season. However, Egan was not unemployed for long. He transferred to the Detroit Red Wings in October 1942. He was dealt to the Boston Bruins during that season, compiling his best numbers with 15 goals and 43 points.
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Egan skated six seasons with three Bruins, scoring 132 points in 294 games before another trade sent him to the New York Rangers in 1952. The one-time All-Star was eventually demoted to the minors, and last skated in the NHL on Mar. 25, 1951. However, Egan would earn a lifetime ban in the AHL for assaulting linesman Patsy Callighen in late 1952. Within a month, his ban was lifted, and he continued to play and coach in the minors until 1957.
Alexei Emelin (1986)
Alexei Emelin played seven seasons in the NHL, skating in 456 games and netting 81 points. He played six seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, the team that drafted him in the third round (84th overall) in the 2004 Entry Draft. Like most European and Russian-born players, he opted to stay home to play hockey before coming to North America, making his debut at 25 in 2011-12.
Related: Today in Hockey History: April 25
Despite never scoring more than 17 points in a single season, Emelin was a hitting machine who finished his career with 1,235, which equaled about 176 per season. He also accepted his role as a blocker and averaged over 88 a year, reaching 127 on two occasions. The Vegas Golden Knights claimed him in the 2017 Expansion Draft, but he remained with the Canadiens, who traded him to the Nashville Predators two weeks later. Emelin played 76 games with the Predators, registering nine points, before departing the NHL at 31.
Inactive Players Celebrating Birthdays (Age)
- Glenn Smith (1895 – 1949)
- Rene Joliat (1898 – 1953)
- Gus Forslund (1908 – 1962)
- Bob Dill (1920 – 1991)
- John Harms (1925 – 2003)
- Don Martineau (1952 – 2006)
- Bob Stumpf (1953 – 2013)
- Barry Smith (1955 – 2013)
- Roger Melin (68)
- Yves Courteau (60)
- Marko Tuomainen (52)
- Alek Stojanov (51)
- Christian Dube (47)
- Andy Chiodo (41)
- Brandon Yip (39)
- Rich Clune (37)
- James Sheppard (36)
- Colby Cohen (35)
