August 17 NHL History
1896: Georges “Buck” Boucher, a key part of the Ottawa Senators‘ dynasty in the 1920s and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, is born in Ottawa. Boucher joins the Senators, then part of the National Hockey Association, as a forward in 1915. He soon switches to defense and becomes known for his stickhandling ability. With Boucher, the Senators win the Cup in 1920, 1921, 1923 and 1927. He finishes his NHL career with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1931-32, retiring with 204 points (117 goals, 87 assists) in 449 games, and is inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1960, joining his brother Frank Boucher, a 1958 inductee.
1957: Pete Peeters, one of the NHL’s most successful goaltenders during the 1980s, is born in Edmonton. Peeters, an eighth-round choice (No. 135) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft, earns a full-time role with the Flyers in 1979-80, goes 29-5-5 and helps them qualify for the Stanley Cup Final. He has his best season with the Boston Bruins in 1982-83, leading the League with 40 wins, a 2.36 goals-against average and eight shutouts, and winning the Vezina Trophy. Peeters later plays for the Washington Capitals before returning to the Flyers for his final two seasons. He ends his career in 1991 at 246-155-51 with a 3.08 GAA and 21 shutouts.
1992: An era comes to an end when a group of Long Island businessmen acquire managing control of the New York Islanders from owner John Pickett and replace longtime general manager Bill Torrey with Don Maloney.
Maloney steps into the job after being named an assistant GM under Torrey following his retirement as a player on Jan. 17, 1991. Torrey, who’s served as GM since the Islanders were formed in 1972 and helps build the team that won the Stanley Cup four years in a row from 1980-83, resigns from the Islanders and is soon hired as president of the Florida Panthers, who are scheduled to begin play in the NHL in 1993.
The Islanders advance to the Eastern Conference Final in Maloney’s first season, but don’t win another playoff series until 2016.
