About Ray Whitney (ice hockey)
Raymond D. Whitney (born May 8, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who was a left winger for 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, Phoenix Coyotes, and Dallas Stars. Whitney excelled for the Spokane Chiefs, with the 1990–91 season seeing him lead the Western Hockey League (WHL) in points with 185 while leading the team to their first ever Memorial Cup championship. He was the second player to be drafted by the expansion team San Jose Sharks in the 1991 NHL draft, where he played for six years before spending the next four seasons for four different teams while being named to the All-Star Game in the 1999–2000 season. With a short frame of 5-foot-10 and 180-pounds, Whitney managed to cultivate a career of 1,330 games while acquiring the nickname "The Wizard" for his passing and playmaking skills that had him labeled as one of the most underrated players in league history. Whitney played the most games of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he signed as a free agent prior to the 2005–06 season. In the Stanley Cup playoff run, he recorded 15 points in 24 games as the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup for his only championship. After five seasons in Carolina, he played the final four seasons with Phoenix and Dallas. In 2012, he became the 79th player to record 1,000 points. He retired in 2014, having recorded 1,064 points in his career. In 2016, Whitney had his number 14 jersey retired by the Chiefs, the first player to receive the honor in team history. On January 29, 2016, Whitney became the first Spokane Chiefs player to have their number retired (#14). He won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. Whitney and the Chiefs won the 1991 Memorial Cup as champions of the Canadian Hockey League.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.