May 31, 1970: The Death of Terry Sawchuk

May 31, 1970: Terry Sawchuk, perhaps the greatest goaltender hockey had ever seen, dies from a pulmonary embolism at Long Beach Memorial Hospital in Long Beach, Long Island, New York. Still an active player with the New York Rangers, he was now 40 years old and backing up Eddie Giacomin, but had made no indication that he was about to retire.

He and Ron Stewart, his teammate and roommate, got into a fight over expenses for the house they were renting in Long Beach. He was hospitalized, and doctors found that his gallbladder had to be removed. They also discovered serious liver damage, from years of heavy drinking, bad enough that he might not have lived much longer anyway. He lived long enough to tell the police that he accepted full responsibility for what happened. A grand jury was convened, and Stewart was exonerated.

Sawchuk's 447 career wins and 103 shutouts remained NHL records long after his death. Both are now held by Martin Brodeur. He won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1952, 1954 and 1955, and with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1967. He won the 1951 Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year and 4 Vezina Trophies as the NHL's top goaltender, and appeared in 11 All-Star Games.

Within a year of his death, he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and given the Lester Patrick Award for contributions to hockey in America. The Wings retired his Number 1. He was elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and when the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum named its All-Century Team, the Winnipeg native was chosen as Player of the Century.

In 1998, The Hockey News ranked him 9th on their list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, 1st among goalies. In 2017, he was part of the pioneer class chosen for the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players. In 2019, Mark O'Brien played him in the movie Goalie.

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May 31, 1970 was a Sunday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins, 7-6 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew hit a home run off Lindy McDaniel to win it in the bottom of the 10th inning. It was his 2nd homer of the game. Rod Carew went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Roy White and Pete Ward hit home runs for the Yankees.

* The New York Mets swept a doubleheader with the Houston Astros, 14-4 and 4-3 at Shea Stadium. The nightcap went 14 innings, before Duffy Dyer singled Ken Boswell home with the winning run. Over the 2 games, Ron Swoboda went 4-for-11 with 2 home runs, a walk and 5 RBIs.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox, 22-13 at Fenway Park in Boston. Yes, that's a baseball game, not a football game. Amazingly, only 1 White Sox player hit a home run, Bill Melton. Luis Aparicio and Walt "No Neck" Williams each had 5 hits. Carl Yastrzemski and Mike Andrews hit home runs for the Red Sox.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Washington Senators, 6-5 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-1 at Atlanta Stadium (later renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Rico Carty went 4-for-4 with 3 home runs, a walk and 6 RBIs. Hank Aaron did not play.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Bob Moose outpitched Juan Marichal. Roberto Clemente did not play. Willie Stargell went 2-for-4. Willie Mays did not play.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos, 6-4 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Pete Rose went 1-for-4. Johnny Bench went 0-for-4.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres, 7-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Fergie Jenkins went the distance for the win. Ernie Banks did not play.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-6 at Milwaukee County Stadium. The Brewers scored 3 runs in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to win it, on a double by Ted Savage. Al Kaline did not play for the Tigers.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-6 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Billy Grabarkewitz hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 11th to win it. Lou Brock went 3-for-6.

* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Clyde Wright outpitched Dave McNally. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-4. Frank Robinson went 1-for-5. 

* And the Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Ted Uhlaender singled Graig Nettles home, off Nettles' future Yankee teammate Jim "Catfish" Hunter, in the top of the 9th inning to win it. Another future Yankee, Reggie Jackson, hit a home run.