Esposito: Trade That Shaped the Bruins & Top 10 Latvians in NHL History
Also, some "Today in Hockey History", a look at where former Devil Jamie Langenbrunner is now, and more.
Welcome to the THW Hockey History Substack newsletter, with all the best from our extensive archives.
In today’s edition, we have a couple “Today in Hockey History” posts, the Phil Esposito trade that shaped the Boston Bruins, a look at where former New Jersey Devil Jamie Langenbrunner is now, the top 10 Latvians in NHL history, and more.
Don’t forget to check out all of our FREE team Substacks, and sign up for your favorites…or all of them if you want.
You can also upgrade your subscription to a paid THW account, and get access to ALL of our Premium content from ALL of our team Substacks for one low price.
Now on to the good stuff…
Today in Hockey History: Feb. 21
Some of the greatest players in National Hockey League history hit personal milestones and had huge performances on Feb. 21. Unfortunately, one of those legendary figures left us far too early on this date. There was plenty of action on this night in 2001, including a Hall of Famer playing his former team for the first time. The THW time machine is fired up and ready to take us on our daily trip back through all the memories this date has to offer.
Esposito: The Trade That Shaped the Boston Bruins
In today’s look at important offseason trades over the years, we set our sights back to 1967. While this particular deal did not take place at the NHL Annual Meetings held in the first week in June, it is inextricably linked to the events that were scheduled for that gathering.
Top 10 Latvians in NHL History
Perhaps no time did the country of Latvia fall into the gaze of the hockey world more than when the country of just under two million people helped attain the most votes in fan voting for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. Due the support of his fellow countrymen, Latvian Zemgus Girgensons was the runaway leader by well over 300,000 votes. With a total of 1,574,896 nods in his favor, it seemed as if the entire nation played a role in voting him into the competition. Numbers-wise, that was very nearly the case.
Today in Hockey History: Feb. 20
One of the top offensive stars in the history of the NHL was born on this date and celebrated in style three different times. Feb. 20 came up huge in both 1971 and 1982, while numerous members of the Hockey Hall of Fame grabbed the spotlight. Let’s take our daily trip back in time to relive all the best moments this date has had to offer.
Former Devil Jamie Langenbrunner: Where is He Now?
On March 19, 2002, the New Jersey Devils sent Jason Arnott, Randy McKay and a first-round draft pick to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 26-year-old forward by the name of Jamie Langenbrunner. At that time, Ice Age was number one in theaters, and Ain’t It Funny by Jennifer Lopez was at the top of the charts.
Winnipeg Jets Jersey History
When you think of a Winnipeg Jets jersey, what’s the first one you think of? Is it the current home blues or away whites? Is it the ’90s jersey Teemu Selanne wore when he put up 76 goals as a rookie, or perhaps the ’80s setup captain Dale Hawerchuk wore during his decade of dominance? Perhaps it’s a WHA-era jersey featuring the iconic hockey stick “J,” or perhaps it’s simply the one you have in your closet with your favourite player’s name on the back.