About Aurèle Joliat
Aurèle Émile Joliat (August 29, 1901 – June 2, 1986), nicknamed the "Mighty Atom" and "Little Giant", was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens. == Playing career == Joliat was born and raised in Ottawa. He began his organized hockey career in 1916, playing for several Canadian amateur teams in Ottawa and Iroquois Falls, Ontario. Joliat had signed a contract to play for the Saskatoon Crescents of the Western Canada Hockey League for the 1922–23 season, but his contract rights were traded to the Montreal Canadiens when Crescents' manager Frederick E. Betts sought to sign aging superstar Newsy Lalonde as a player-coach. At first, the deal of an unknown for the greatest player in the game was wildly unpopular with Habs fans, but the "Little Giant" proved an immediate success on the ice. The following season, Joliat helped the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup in 1924 over the WCHL's Calgary Tigers. He helped the Canadiens win two more cups in 1930 and 1931. Joliat proved noteworthy as a two-way forward, particularly for the ability to counterattack after a breakup. Despite his lack of size—at 5′7″ and 136 lbs, Joliat was one of the smallest players in the game—he was also notable for a refusal to back off from on-ice confrontations. His breakout season was 1925, when teamed with Howie Morenz and Billy Boucher, Joliat scored 29 goals to lead the NHL, and his 41 points would be a career high.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.