Being born on February 29th means being forever reminded that the official birthday only occurs once every four years. Some athletes born on this special day in leap years have achieved great things in their respective disciplines.
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Here are five athletes, including a famous former Montreal Canadiens player, who were born on this bonus day granted to planet Earth to complete its tour around the sun.
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Henry Richard
The greatest athlete in history associated with this date is none other than Henri Richard, whose number 16 was retired by the Habs. No player has won more Stanley Cups than the “Pocket Rocket” and his 11 Silver Bowls. Maurice's brother is the third highest points scorer in Sainte-Flanelle history with 1046 points in 1256 games. He died on March 6, 2020, at the age of 84, during a leap year.
Archive photo, Portal
Simon Gagne
Simon Gagné, an iconic figure for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2000s, stood out for his underdog qualities during his career, which was shortened by injuries. The Sainte-Foy native was a first-round pick in 1998 and had his best seasons in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, when he scored 47 and 41 goals, respectively. The right winger has also worn the jersey of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins. He succeeded Patrick Roy as general manager of the Remparts de Québec last year.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal
Cam Ward
Cam Ward was also born 40 years ago on February 29th and is the winningest goaltender in Carolina Hurricanes history. The Saskatchewan native took the league by storm as a rookie in 2005-2006, helping the Canes win the Stanley Cup. At just 22 years old, he was awarded the Conn Smythe for his postseason performance. Ward spent 12 more seasons in Carolina before finishing his career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019.
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Sapphire Taider
In football, FC Barcelona's young midfielder Ferran Torres is already the greatest player born on February 29, but for Montreal fans it's more the name Saphir Taïder that will stick in their minds. The French-born midfielder, who represents Algeria on the international stage, played 86 games for Impact/CF Montreal between 2018 and 2020. In total he scored 22 goals and as many assists.
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Tyrese Haliburton
The youngest athlete on this list, 24-year-old basketball player Tyrese Haliburton, is slowly making a name for himself in the NBA after playing in a second All-Star Game in early February. The American is Bennedict Mathurin's teammate on the Indiana Pacers and is heading towards a personal high with an average of 21.4 points per game in 2023-2024. Haliburton agreed to a maximum five-year, $260 million contract extension last year.