Erik Westrum

Erik Westrum, American ice hockey player

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Born: July 26, 1979
Age in 2026: 47
Zodiac sign: Leo
Birth year: 1979

About Erik Westrum

Erik Clinton Westrum is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Phoenix Coyotes, Minnesota Wild, and Toronto Maple Leafs. After six professional seasons in North America Westrum signed his first European contract in the Swiss League with the HC Ambri-Piotta. In the first year in Ambrì he became a fan favorite thanks to his spectacular league leading play. He has represented Team USA at the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships where Team USA won the bronze medal. With the Falcons he played 199 games, scoring 106 points, 37 goals and 69 assists.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Erik Westrum was born

Erik Westrum was born in 1979. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1979

#1 song"My Sharona" – The Knack
Top movieKramer vs. Kramer
Top TV showLaverne & Shirley
Best-selling bookThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

Headlines and milestones

Major sports moment"Miracle on Ice" (1980 — actually)
Top headlineIran hostage crisis begins
Technology milestoneSony Walkman released — portable music goes mainstream
Defining fadSony Walkman — portable music revolution
Notable inventionSony Walkman
World population4.38 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
Sports championPittsburgh Pirates (World Series)
Also wonSeattle SuperSonics (NBA)
U.S. population225.1M

1979 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Erik Westrum's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1979	2026
Gas	$0.86	$3.45/gal
Average home	$62,900	$435,000
Average income	$19,554	$67,500
Minimum wage	$2.90	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$2.51	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.15	$0.73
Population	225.1M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, NHL. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.