On July 8, 1980, the day of Eric Chouinard's birth, his father was busy packing up the household, ready to make the move from Atlanta to Calgary. Eric's dad, Guy Chouinard, was a star with the NHL's Atlanta Flames, and when the franchise relocated to Calgary that summer, Guy was part of the franchise's move.
Eric of course grew up in Canada and went on to play for Canada in international competition.
This makes Vinny Saponari, taken in the fourth round in 2008 by Atlanta, the first "true Georgian," drafted by the NHL, as Kevin Allen of USA Today put it.
There have been a few other players born in Georgia to play in the NHL as well, namely Jean-Marc Pelletier and Mark Mowers. Dave Caruso, born in New York but raised in Georgia, has made it as high as the AHL.
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