December 8, 1980: John Lennon is Killed

Howard Cosell and John Lennon, December 9, 1974.

Six years later, John would be dead.

December 8, 1980: The New England Patriots are playing the Miami Dolphins at the Orange Bowl in Miami, a game being broadcast on ABC Monday Night Football. As John Smith of the Patriots comes onto the field to attempt a last-play game-winning field goal, Howard Cosell gives an announcement about another Englishman named John:

Cosell: But it's suddenly been placed in total perspective for us. I'll finish this. They're in the hurry-up offense.

Frank Gifford: Third down, four. Foreman. (Chuck Foreman is stopped on a run.) It'll be fourth down. (Quarterback Matt) Cavanaugh will let it run down for one final attempt. He'll let the seconds tick off to give Miami no opportunity whatsoever. (Whistle blows.) Timeout is called with three seconds remaining. John Smith is on the line. And I don't care what's on the line, Howard: You have got to say what we know in the booth.

Cosell: Yes, we have to say it. Remember: This is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City -- the most famous, perhaps, of all of The Beatles -- shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that newsflash, which, in duty bound, we have to take. Frank?

Gifford: Indeed, it is.

Lennon had been shot at 10:50 PM, Eastern Standard Time. Cosell had read an initial report, before the full facts were known: Five shots had been fired, four of them hit Lennon, and, according to the doctors who tried in vain to save him, any one of the four that hit him, had it been the only one, would have done enough damage to kill him. He was pronounced dead at 11:15. He was 40 years old.

Cosell made the announcement a few minutes later. On December 9, 1974, Monday Night Football had broadcast a game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Redskins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Redskins won, 23-17. Lennon had attended, and Cosell interviewed him at halftime.

Cosell was already 43 years old when The Beatles first arrived in America, and hardly in their target group, but his journalistic instincts kicked in, and, surprising those of us who knew him only as a blowhard who tried to convince people he knew more about things than he did, he handled it like a complete professional.

Lennon had been living in America for a little over 3 years, and knew who Cosell was, and said of American football, "It makes rock concerts look like tea parties." The interview went very well, and, off-camera, Cosell even introduced Lennon to another attendee, the outgoing Governor of California, Ronald Reagan. (I was sure I had seen video footage of Lennon and Reagan talking and laughing together that night, but I can't find a still photo of it anywhere.)

Now, 6 years earlier, almost to the day, Lennon was dead, and Reagan was the President-elect, having defeated incumbent President Jimmy Carter a month earlier. Less than 4 months later, Reagan would be shot as well, but would barely survive.

When Cosell spoke the words, "dead on arrival," the camera caught Smith looking right into it, and nodding, as if he had heard what Cosell had said. Of course, none of the players knew anything about it until the game was over. Smith missed his game-winning field goal. The game went to overtime, and Uwe von Schamann, born in West Berlin, Germany but raised in Fort Worth, Texas, won it for the Dolphins with a field goal, 16-13.

This being a Monday, the Pats-'Phins game was the only NFL game scheduled. This being December, no MLB games were scheduled. Only one game was played in the NBA: The Seattle SuperSonics beat the San Antonio Spurs, 104-99 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

Only one game was played in the NHL: The Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings, 4-2 at the Forum in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California.

June 5, 2004: The Calgary Screwjob

This photograph proves it: The puck was clearly over the goal line.

June 5, 2004: Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals is played. The Cup should have been awarded that night. It wasn't.

The Calgary Flames won the Cup in 1989. In 1992, the Tampa Bay Lightning began play. The NHL had never had a team based in Florida before. Nor had the World Hockey Association. They made their 1st Playoffs in 1996.

The "Bolts" went into the 2004 Playoffs with some previous Cup winners: Tim Taylor of the 1997 Detroit Red Wings, Darryl Sydor and Brad Lukowich of the 1999 Dallas Stars, and Chris Dingman and Nolan Pratt of the 2001 Colorado Avalanche.

However, their best players -- Russian goalkeeper Nikolai "Bulin Wall" Khabibulin, centers Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards, right wing Martin St. Louis, and left wing Dave Andreychuk had never won, or even been to the Finals before. And Andreychuk, who had scored 634 goals for Buffalo, Toronto, New Jersey and Tampa Bay, and was now 40 years old, had to be thinking this was his last chance.

John Tortorella had coached them to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the Playoffs, they beat the New York Islanders, the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers, making the Finals for the 1st time ever.

But to win the Cup, they would have to beat the Flames, coached by Darryl Sutter, a former star left with with the Chicago Blackhawks. Martin Gélinas had won the Cup with the 1990 Edmonton Oilers, and had been to 2 other Finals. Chris Simon had done it with the 1996 Avalanche. Roman Turek had been goalie Ed Belfour's backup on the 1999 Cup-winning Dallas Stars. Krzyzstof Oliwa had won it with the 2000 New Jersey Devils, beating the Stars of Sydor, Lukowich and Turek. Mike Commodore and Ville Niemenen had been teammates of Dingman and Pratt on the '01 Avs. Stephane Yelle had won with the Avs in '96 and '01.

Turek would be backing up Mikka Kiprusoff, a star goalie from Finland. But the Flames' biggest star was right wing Jarome Iginla, the son of a father from Nigeria and a mother from Oregon. Ironically, he was born in Edmonton, home of the Flames' Provincial arch-rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, and grew up idolizing their goalie, Grant Fuhr, who became the 1st black player in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Iginla would become the 4th, following Willie O'Ree, the 1st black player in the NHL, and women's hockey pioneer Angela James.

Jarome Iginla

To reach the Finals, the Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks (losing Game 6 at home in 3 overtimes but then winning Game 7 away in 1 overtime), the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings, and the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks had beaten the Flames in 3 overtimes in Game 6, but Gélinas scored in the 1st overtime to win Game 7. He scored in overtime again to win Game 6 to clinch against the Wings, and scored the go-ahead goal in Game 6 against the Sharks. He had scored the winning goal, or what amounted to it, in all 3 series.

Martin Gélinas

The 1st 2 games were in Tampa, at the St. Pete Times Forum (now the Amalie Arena). The Flames won Game 1, 4-1. The Lightning won Game 2, by the same score. Calgary's "Red Mile" leading to the Saddledome and the "C of Red" inside it had become one of the most intimidating home-ice advantages in the NHL. The Flame defense shone, limiting the Lightning to 21 shots, all stopped by Kiprussoff, and the Flames won, 3-0. But Richards scored only 2:48 into Game 4, and that 1-0 lead held up all the way, tying the series.

Back in Tampa, Game 5 went to overtime, and at 14:40, Oleg Saprykin scored to give the Flames a 3-2 win, and a 3-2 lead. Game 6 would be at the Saddledome, and the C of Red would be in full voice.

With just under 7 minutes to play in regulation, and the score tied, 2-2, Gélinas appeared to have made it 4-for-4, and a 2nd Cup for the Flames, when, it appeared, he put the puck over the goal line before Khabibulin pushed it out with his stick. The officials did not give the goal. There was no instant replay provision in the NHL at the time. The TV cameras showed the puck over the line. The goal should have counted, ending the game and the season, and fulfilling the dream for Calgary.

It didn't, and the game went to overtime. Martin St. Louis scored 33 seconds into the 2nd overtime, and the Lightning won, 3-2. There would be a Game 7 in Tampa, 2 nights later.

That night, before the game, ABC showed a computer simulation of Gélinas' shot, showing that it hadn't fully crossed the goal line. Except their own replay cameras proved that it had. ABC lied. The on-ice officials could be excused for having blown the biggest call of the season in the heat of the moment. But ABC had time to make a choice. Instead of telling the truth, they chose to tell a lie that justified the revenue that they, and the NHL, would receive from a Game 7 being played and broadcast.

Apparently, people will come out for hockey in Florida in June if they think their team is going to win. The Tampa Game 7 crowd wasn't as loud as Calgary's in Game 6, but they gave it their best. Ukrainian left wing Ruslan Fedotenko scored in the 1st period, and again in the 2nd. The Flames were never really in it, and even when Craig Conroy scored midway through the 3rd period, it never felt like the Flames would find an equalizer.

It ended 2-1, and a team from Florida had won the Stanley Cup. Commissioner Gary Bettman, always favoring the Sun Belt over Canada and other cold-weather places, was happy to present the Cup to the Bolts' Captain, Andreychuk. He finally won one.

Also winning one was Bill Davidson, owner of the Lightning from 1999 to 2007. Just 8 days later, for the 3rd time, the Detroit Pistons made him the owner of the NBA Champions. No other person, or group, has owned the NBA Champions and the NHL Champions at the same time.

Jarome Iginla never returned to the Stanley Cup Finals. He did, however, play on the Canada team that won the Gold Medal on home ice at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He retired after the 2017 season, with 625 NHL goals.

Through the 2021-22 season, the Calgary Flames have never been back to the Stanley Cup Finals. It wouldn't have been as bad had they simply been outplayed. They were not outplayed. They got screwed.

UPDATE: The Lightning have a team Hall of Fame. Their 1st inductee was Phil Esposito, already a hockey legend, who led the founding ownership group, served as the team's 1st general manager, and has remained a broadcaster. Also from their founding era, before their 1st Stanley Cup, they have inducted their 1st team Captain, center Brian Bradley.

From their 2004 Stanley Cup, they have inducted centers Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards, left with Dave Andreychuk, right wing Martin St. Louis, and broadcaster Rick Peckham. They have not yet inducted any players from their 2015 Stanley Cup Finalists.

Esposito, Lecavalier and Andreychuk have been elected to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

*

June 5, 2004 was a Saturday. Former President Ronald Reagan died on this day, at the age of 93. At that point, he was the longest-living President of the United States.

Game 1 was played in the NBA Finals, and it was also a shocker, but for very different, and totally legitimate, reasons. The Detroit Pistons beat a Los Angeles Lakers "superteam" of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, 87-75 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. It was one of those finals where Game 1 set the tone, and the Pistons won in 5.

The Belmont Stakes was also held on this day. Smarty Jones, having won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, led this 3rd, last, longest and toughest leg of American thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, but fell short in the end. I have a separate entry for this event. But he just lost. He wasn't humiliated like the Lakers -- or screwed like the Flames.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers, 8-1 at Yankee Stadium. Jon Lieber had a bad start. The only Yankee run came off a home run by former Ranger Rubén Sierra. Derek Jeter did not play.

* The New York Mets lost to the Florida Marlins, 7-6 at Shea Stadium. The Mets led 5-2 after 6 innings, with 2 home runs from Mike Piazza, but blew it. A 9th-inning comeback fell short.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-3 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta. 

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos, 6-3 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Adam Dunn hit a home run to win the game in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-0 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Gary Knotts pitched shutout ball for 7 2/3rds innings, allowing only 3 hits. Two relievers didn't add any more.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros, 10-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City royals, 8-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants, 11-2 at Coors Field in Denver. Barry Bonds went 1-for-1 with 3 walks, 2 of them intentional.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 10-3 at Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field) in Phoenix.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-0 at Petco Park in San Diego. Ismael Valdéz pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Anaheim Angels, 3-2 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the McAfee Coliseum). Tim Hudson allowed 8 hits, but kept the shutout.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-2 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

* And the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were rained out at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 5. The O's swept, 4-2 and 8-2.

June 4, 1989: The Tiananmen Square Massacre

June 4, 1989: The government of the People's Republic of China (a.k.a. "Red China") sends troops armed with assault rifles, accompanied by tanks, who fire on demonstrators, most of them university students, in Tiananmen Square in the national capital of Beijing.

The protests had started on April 15, following the death of Hu Yaobang, a pro-reform official in the government. This had followed Chinese dictator Deng Xiaoping opening up China's economy, taking it away from traditional Communism, although not away from authoritarianism.

The demonstrators saw themselves as taking the next step forward in making their nation more free, if not fully free. The government saw them as a threat.

We may never know who ordered that the troops be sent in: Deng, or Premier Li Peng, or someone else. Jiang Zemin was soon named General Secretary of the Communist Party, but it almost certainly was not him.

And we may never know how many people were killed. The official government estimate was about 300. The Chinese Red Cross said it was over 2,600.

And we may never know the identity of "Tank Man," who stood in front of a column of tanks to block their advance. One source suggested that his name was Wang Weilin, that he was 19 years old, and that he was arrested and executed. Another source says he was never arrested. Interviewed a couple of years later by ABC News' Barbara Walters, Jiang, in English, said, "This man, I think, never killed."

Indeed, like Sharbat Gula, the teenage Afghan refugee whose face got on the cover of the June 1985 issue of National Geographic; and Vinko Bogataj, the Yugoslavian ski-jumper whose 1970 fall symbolized "the agony of defeat" on ABC Wide World of Sports, he may not even known he is world-famous... if he is still alive. (Vinko and Sharbat later found out; he has embraced his fame, while she has retreated from hers, although she still keeps in touch with photographer Steve McCurry.)

It was a bad day in Russia, too, albeit for a very different reason: A natural gas explosion near Ufa killed 645 people. But it was a good day in Poland, as Solidarity won the election, ending Communist rule in that country. I have a separate entry for that event.

The day before, Ruhollah Khomeini, the Ayatollah of Iran, died after 10 years of rule. Ali Khamenei succeeded him, and would rule Iran for at least the next 33 years. (UPDATE: It turned out to be 37 years.)

*

June 4, 1989 was a Sunday. It was the off-season for the NFL. The NHL season was over, as the Stanley Cup was awarded on May 25, as the Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens in the Finals. And the NBA was between the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. The Detroit Pistons went on to sweep the Los Angeles Lakers in 4 straight.

But there was a full slate of Major League Baseball games:

* The New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 12-9 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Jesse Barfield hit 2 home runs, and homers were also hit by Steve Balboni, Mel Hall and... Deion Sanders. Yes, the football player. Jimmy Jones was the winning pitcher.

* The New York Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3 at Shea Stadium. Kevin Elster and Mark Carreon hit home runs, in support of Sid Fernandez, but Don Aase (AH-see) ended up as the winning pitcher.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox, 13-11 at Fenway Park in Boston. Junior Felix won the game with a home run in the top of the 12th inning.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-4 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-3 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-3 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-6 at the Astrodome in Houston. Mike Scott, usually a starting pitcher, was relieving in the 13th inning, and hit a sacrifice fly to score Rafael Ramirez.

* The California Angels beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-1 at Anaheim Stadium. (Today, the team is named the Los Angeles Angels, and the ballpark is named Angel Stadium of Anaheim.)

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Dave Stewart itched 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, but A's manager Tony La Russa was the original pitch-count guy. Todd Burns allowed a hit in a scoreless 8th, and Rick Honeycutt pitched a perfect 9th.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers, 2-1 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

May 26, 1989: The Anfield Finale

How can I explain this story to people who, like me until 2008, had never heard it before?

Think of Liverpool Football Club as the 2001 New York Yankees: A storied past, a great present, but going into the finale having had an unbearable tragedy that still haunts the city to this day.

And think of Arsenal Football Club as the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, looking for that elusive championship, and it looks like it's finally going to happen, and then the collapse.

Now imagine that Bobby Thomson plays for the Dodgers, and you've got Michael Thomas.

May 26, 1989: Arsenal clinch the title in England's Football League, beating Liverpool, 2-0 at Liverpool's ground, Anfield. The way the tiebreakers worked, Arsenal had to beat Liverpool by 2 goals, and they get the 2nd from Michael Thomas in the last minute of the last game of the season.

Both soccer teams are among England's most historic. Liverpool had dominated the League in the 1980s, and were the defending Champions, having also reach the Final of the previous season's FA Cup. Arsenal were on the rise, having won the 1987 League Cup.

Liverpool were managed by Kenny Dalglish, who had played on those late 1970s to mid-1980s trophy winners, and had still not officially retired as a player, although he hadn't played in the 1988-89 season. He might have been the best player Scotland has ever produced, and the best player ever to suit up for Liverpool.

Arsenal were managed by George Graham, a key midfielder on their 1970-71 team that won both the League and the FA Cup, "The Double." (Dalglish had led Liverpool to The Double in 1986, as player and manager, a "double" of his own.) 

Graham was a good player, but was considered a bit lazy. His nickname was "Stroller," because he didn't seem to be running much, particularly in comparison to more athletic teammates like Charlie George, Ray Kennedy and George Armstrong. As a manager, he was so discipline-oriented that, like Herb Brooks of the 1980 Gold Medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team, his players nicknamed him "The Ayatollah." He freely admitted, "The player I was could never have played for the manager I am."

Dalglish was from Milton, on the North Side of Glasgow; Graham, from Bargeddie, east of Glasgow, about 9 miles from Milton.

There was history between the teams: Arsenal had beaten Liverpool in the FA Cup Final in 1950, and again in 1971 to win The Double. Liverpool edged Arsenal out for the League title in 1973. The teams had played an epic FA Cup Semifinal against each other in 1980, requiring 3 replays before Arsenal finally won it (and then lost the Final). And Arsenal had beaten Liverpool in the Final to win the aforementioned 1987 League Cup.

On New Year's Eve, December 31, 1988, Arsenal beat Aston Villa of Birmingham to take 1st place, while Liverpool lost to Manchester United on New Year's Day, leaving them 9 points adrift.

Arsenal remained on top at the end of January. At the end of February, Arsenal were still top, with Liverpool in 8th, 19 points back -- but with 4 games in hand, meaning, if they won all 4, they'd be only 7 points back. They did go on a tear: At the end of March, they were only 5 points behind League-leading Arsenal, with a game in hand.

Arsenal were still top on April 15, beating Newcastle United 1-0 in a League match, while the FA Cup Semifinals were scheduled for neutral sites. Both Merseyside teams had gotten that far. Everton beat Norfolk team Norwich City 1-0 at Aston Villa's Villa Park. And Liverpool were set to play East Midlands team Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Yorkshire, home of Sheffield Wednesday.

But just 6 minutes in, the game was abandoned, as fans came onto the field. This was not a hooligans' invasion: It was a disaster. A combination of too many fans let into the wrong section by the police, and perimeter fencing, designed to prevent a pitch invasion, led to people being crushed. Over 700 were hospitalized, and 94 died that day. Another died 3 days later. Another was in a coma for 4 years before finally passing away, bringing the death toll to the sad and now-familiar 96.

Games were postponed for the next 2 weeks, including Arsenal's visit to Anfield, which was set for the following Saturday. Games were resumed on May 1, a Bank Holiday Monday. Wins that day, at home at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, to Norwich, and on the following Saturday, away to North Yorkshire team Middlesbrough, meant that Arsenal only had to win their 2 remaining home games, and they would be League Champions no matter what Liverpool did.

Those 2 home games would be against East Midlands team Derby County in the originally-intended League finale on May 13, and against South London team Wimbledon in a rescheduled game on May 17. Win those, and they would have won the League, regardless of what happened at Anfield on May 26. But Arsenal didn't win either game: Derby beat them 2-1; and Wimbledon, winners of the previous year's FA Cup in a stunning Final upset of Liverpool, forged a 2-2 draw.

Meanwhile, Liverpool kept winning, with the city rallying around the team and the survivors of the victims. They went to Glasgow for a fundraiser for the victims on April 30, and beat Celtic 4-0. Both teams had adopted the Liverpool-based band Gerry & the Pacemakers' 1963 recording of "You'll Never Walk Alone," from the 1945 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel, as a theme song. In the wake of the Hillsborough Disaster, it came to mean more than ever.

They played the rescheduled Semifinal against Forest on May 7, and won 3-1. They beat Wimbledon on May 13, avenging their Cup Final defeat of the year before. And on May 16, they beat West London team Queens Park Rangers. This, combined with the points Arsenal dropped the next night against Wimbledon and the Saturday before against Derby, moved Liverpool top of the League.

And, on May 20, Liverpool beat Everton 3-2 in extra time, in an All-Merseyside FA Cup Final. Liverpool's season of tragedy included a major trophy. On May 23, they beat East London team West Ham United.

With only the Arsenal match 3 days later to play, Liverpool led the League by 3 points, and had the 1st tiebreaker, superior goal difference. So even if Arsenal, who once led them by 19 points, beat them at Anfield, something they hadn't done in 15 years, it might not be enough: A 1-goal win by Arsenal would give Liverpool the title, and The Double. Arsenal had to win by 2. There seemed to be nobody who thought they could do it.

British TV had the same idea with soccer that American TV had once had with baseball: Why give the product away? So few games were broadcast live. Instead, they would be filmed, and later videotaped, on the Saturday afternoon, and then shown in a package on Sunday afternoon, on the BBC's Match of the Day and ITV's The Big Match.

Only the biggest of matches -- such as the FA Cup Final, or the European Cup Final, whether an English team was in it or not -- was shown live. Well, this was the biggest of matches: At the time, the 2 biggest teams in the country, going at it for the League title. ITV broadcast it, live in prime time.

A crowd of 41,783 people shoehorned themselves into Anfield. Judging by how many Arsenal fans have said they were there, one could sarcastically infer that the attendance may have been 10 times that.

Graham made a serious gamble, having Arsenal line up in a 5-4-1, defense-oriented formation. This led to what was, in the days when uniform numbers were assigned to positions rather than to players, the rare occurrence a centreback, in this case Steve Bould, wearing Number 10, usually a forward or an attacking midfielder. It almost paid off very quickly: Arsenal's first shot on goal was a header from Bould.

Despite needing 2 goals, Graham told his players to focus on defending in the 1st half, and that, if that ended 0-0, he was confident they could get the 2 goals they needed in the 2nd half. As Graham put it in an interview years later, "If it works, you're a hero. And if it doesn't work, you're a villain." Having blown the League lead, he may have been putting his job on the line with this strategy.

Sure enough, Graham's prediction came true: There were no goals in the 1st half. In the 53rd minute, Liverpool Captain Ronnie Whelan committed a foul just outside the penalty area, narrowly avoiding a major gaffe. It's a lot harder to score from a free kick, which is what referee David Hutchinson correctly awarded Arsenal, than from a penalty.

Nigle Winterburn took it. Arsenal Captain Tony Adams looked like he was trying to head it in -- ITV announcer Brian Moore said, "Adams has made a darting little run in there" -- but he stumbled. But Alan Smith, who had already clinched the League scoring title, was right behind him, and headed it into the net. As the later song would say, "One-nil to The Arsenal."

In a tactic as old as the sport itself, the Liverpool players surrounded the referee, demanding that the goal be disallowed. Hutchinson saw no foul on the play. He called the linesman over. The linesman confirmed: There was no offside, there was no interference, and Smith had actually touched the ball. With all his questions answered, Hutchinson awarded the goal. Later, Liverpool's John Aldridge took a pass from John Barnes, and put it in the net, but it was correctly disallowed for offside.

As the 90th and last minute of regular time wound down, Steve McMahon could be seen holding up one finger, as if to let his Liverpool teammates known that there would be only one minute of stoppage time (or "injury time") added, and yelling, "Hey, come on!"

In fact, Hutchison awarded two minutes of stoppage time. Arsenal's Kevin Richardson had enough left in his tank to deny a drive by Barnes, and to get the ball to goalkeeper John Lukic, who threw the ball halfway up his own half, to Lee Dixon. Dixon sent a long through ball to Smith. Smith found Michael Thomas, who was followed by Steve Nicol. Seeing Nicol practically stepping on Thomas' heels, Smith remembered yelling at Thomas, "Mickey, you've got to shoot, you've got to shoot!"

At 91 minutes and 23 seconds of the match, Thomas shot. The ball seemed to glance off his right foot, to the left of Liverpool goalie Bruce Grobbelaar. Grobbelaar dove to stop it, but couldn't. Moore had the call:

Arsenal come streaming forward now, in what will surely be their last attack. A good ball by Dixon, finding Smith, to Thomas, charging through the midfield! Thomas! It's up for grabs now! Thomas!

Right at the end! An unbelievable climax to the League season! Well into injury time!

The Liverpool players are down, absolutely abject! Aldridge is down, Barnes is down, Dalglish just stands there, Nicol's on his knees, McMahon's on his knees!

It wasn't quite Russ Hodges' 1951 "The Giants win the Pennant!" Because the match wasn't over yet. The celebration meant that there would be a 93rd minute. And Liverpool did make one last go at it, but couldn't get close.

Moore saw Graham, 45 years old, in his dark suit, and 11 years removed from his last game, with the Anaheim-based California Surf of the North American Soccer League; and Dalglish, 38 and not yet officially retired, but not having selected himself for availability in the game, in his bright red Adidas jacket; and mentioned that they would both like to get out there and see if they can make a difference in that final minute.

Finally, at 92 minutes and 49 seconds, Hutchinson blew his whistle. Arsenal were the Champions. For Liverpool fans, after all they'd gone through, it was a crushing defeat, and it's almost as if the FA Cup they'd won was an afterthought.

As TV show host and Arsenal fan Dermot O'Leary (no relation to David) put it while hosting Arsenal: 501 Goals, "For many Arsenal fans, the greatest night of their lives. And, if you have to ask why, you're either too young, or you've bought the wrong tape."

Having guided Arsenal to the League Cup in 1987, and a lost Final in that tournament in 1988, Graham had given Arsenal its 1st League title in 18 years, one whose drama would stand alongside that 1971 title-clincher, and the last one before that, in 1953. He would lead Arsenal to another League title in 1991, the 1st-ever sweep of England's domestic Cups, the FA Cup and the League Cup, in 1993; and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. A financial scandal, more than declining League form, forced his firing in 1995.

After managing Leeds United, and then Arsenal's arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, including the 1999 League Cup, he got back into Arsenal fans' good graces -- the fact that "Spurs" fans had never fully trusted him, being an Arsenal man, helped -- and remains a beloved figure in Arsenal fandom.

David Rocastle, perhaps the most-skilled of his 1989 Arsenal players, died of lymphoma in 2001. All of the other Arsenal players from the Anfield finale, and Graham himself, are still alive as of May 26, 2022.

*

May 26, 1989 was a Friday. The NFL was in its off-season. The NBA's Conference Finals were underway. In the East, the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons were on an off-day, tied 1-1. The Pistons would win the series in 6 games. In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns, 110-107 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. This gave the Lakers a 3-0 lead, and they would clinch 2 days later. However, in the NBA Finals, the Pistons would sweep them in 4 straight, to win their 1st title.

In the NHL, the Stanley Cup had been clinched the night before. The Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2 in Game 6, to win their 1st Cup. (It's still their only one.) It was the 1st time a team had clinched the Cup against the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. (In 1928, the New York Rangers had clinched the Cup at the Forum, but that was against the Montreal Maroons.)

There was a full slate of Major League Baseball games that night:

* The Yankees lost to the Oakland Athletics, 4-0 at Yankee Stadium. Three A's pitchers -- Todd Burns, Rick Honeycutt (who got the last out in the 7th inning) and Eric Plunk (who pitched the 8th and the 9th) -- combined to allow just 1 hit, an infield single by Rickey Henderson in the 4th. Soon, the Yankees would trade Henderson back to the A's, who would win the World Series.

* The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Chuck Finley pitched a 1-hit shutout to beat Roger Clemens. The only hit was a 2-out single by Jody Reed in the 8th, so Finley came within 4 outs of a no-hitter.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox, 11-3 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Two days later, on May 28, the Jays beat the ChiSox 7-5 in the last game at that stadium, before moving into the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre).

* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 10-8. Rolando Roomes won the game in the 12th inning, with a home run, 1 of just 9 he would hit in a brief career.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-3 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-0 at Busch Memorial Stadium. Scott Terry allowed just 2 hits over the 1st 7 innings. Ken Dayley allowed 3, and had to be bailed out for the last out by former Kansas City closer Dan Quisenberry.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-3 at Royals (now Kauffman) Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Montreal Expos beat the San Diego Padres, 5-0 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Bryn Smith pitched a 6-hit shutout.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

May 25, 1989: Lanny McDonald's Championship Farewell

May 25, 1989: Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2, and win the series by the same figure. It is the 1st Cup won by the franchise, which was the Atlanta Flames from 1972 to 1980. It remains their only Cup.

Coached by Terry Crisp, who'd won the Cup as a player with the 1974 and '75 Philadelphia Flyers, the Flames included 5 future members of the Hockey Hall of Fame: Captain Lanny McDonald, Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour, Joe Mullen and Al MacInnis; plus All-Stars Brad McCrimmon, Gary Roberts, Theoren Fleury, Gary Suter, Joel Otto and goaltender Mike Vernon.

It was the 1st and only Cup for McDonald, who was retiring, win or lose. Having previously starred with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he had only been to the Stanley Cup Finals once before, with the Flames in 1986, losing to the Canadiens.

His last year was his most rewarding: In addition to the Cup, he also notched his 500th goal and his 1,000th point. When the team gathered for the concluding surrounding-the-Cup photo, Lanny was right in the middle, and CBC announcer Brian MacFarlane, who'd broadcast so many games for the Leafs when Lanny was their biggest star, said, "You've done it, Lanny, you've done it!"

It would also be the only Cup for Gilmour, Fleury and MacInnis. Vernon would win 2 more with the Detroit Red Wings. Mullen would win 2 more with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nieuwendyk would become one of the few players to win the Cup with 3 different teams, also doing it with the 1999 Dallas Stars and the 2003 New Jersey Devils.

Gary Suter was also a member of those Cup-winning Flames. His brother Bob hadn't played in the NHL, but had been a member of the U.S. Olympic Team that won the Gold Medal in 1980.

This was the only time the Canadiens lost a Finals-clinching game at the Montreal Forum. But one other team won a Cup at the Forum: The New York Rangers, who eliminated the Montreal Maroons there in 1928. (The Maroons went out of business in 1938, victims of the Depression.)

Through the 2021-22 season, the Flames haven't won the Cup since: Their only Finals appearance has been in 2004, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 7 games, and lots of people believe that Cup was stolen.

UPDATE: The Flames have a team hall of fame, called "Forever a Flame." From the 1989 Cup winners, they have Lanny McDonald, whose Number 9 is retired; Mike Vernon, whose Number 30 is retired; Al MacInnis, whose Number 2 is not retired; Joe Nieuwendyk, whose Number 25 is not retired. 

From their 2004 Cup Finalists, they have Jarome Iginla, whose Number 12 is retired; and Miikka Kiprusoff, whose Number 34 is retired.

In 2017, the NHL released its 100th Anniversary list of the 100 Greatest Players. Oddly McDonald didn't make it. But MacInnis and Nieuwendyk did.

*

May 25, 1989 was a Thursday. Football was out of season. The NBA Playoffs were in the Conference Finals, though no games were scheduled for this day. The Detroit Pistons would sweep the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.

And these games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees beat the California Angels, 8-6 at Yankee Stadium. Don Mattingly, Jesse Barfield and Mike Pagliarulo hit home runs for the Yankees, making Dale Mohorcic a winning pitcher in relief of Tommy John. Having just turned 46, John was released 5 days later, and this was his 760th and last major league appearance. He retired with a record of 288-231. He won 124 games before the surgery that now bore his name, and 164 after it. Bill Schroeder hit 2 home runs for the Angels.

* The New York Mets lost to the San Diego Padres, 2-1 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Ed Whitson outpitched David Cone. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 10-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Mike Smithson allowed 8 hits, but kept the shutout. Despite the high score, the Sox hit no home runs, but Mike Greenwell went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs. Wade Boggs went 2-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI. For the M's, Rookie Ken Griffey Jr. went 3-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves, 7-3 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Barry Bonds went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 9-5 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Paul Molitor went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-6 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-4. Four days later, frustrated at batting only .203 at age 38, the greatest 3rd baseman of all time retired, with 548 home runs, 10 Gold Gloves, and 3 National League Most Valuable Player awards.

* And the Montreal Expos beat the San Francisco Giants, 2-0 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Dennis Martínez got into a little trouble in the 9th inning, and needed Tim Burke to get the last out of a 5-hit shutout.

April 30, 1986: The Steve Smith Own Goal

April 30, 1986: Steve Smith turns 23, and has the worst birthday in hockey history.

In 1985, he made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers. He played 2 regular season games, and was not put on their Playoff roster, as they won their 2nd straight Stanley Cup. But in 1985-86, he was one of the League's top defensive rookies. He looked like he had a good career ahead of him. On April 30, he took the ice with the Oilers against their Provincial rivals, the Calgary Flames, in Game 7 of the NHL Smythe Division Final, at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.

The Flames stunned their Alberta rivals by taking a 2-0 lead, early in the 2nd period. But before that period ended, the Oilers tied the game.

At the 5:14 mark of the 3rd period, Smith took the puck near the side of his own net, and tried to pass it up the ice. But he made a mistake, and the puck went off the leg of Oiler goaltender Grant Fuhr, and into the goal.

Perry Berezan was the last Flames player to touch the puck, so he got credit for the goal. In soccer, the rule is different: Smith would have been "credited" with an "own goal."

The Flames' 3-2 lead held, and they won, eliminating the Oilers from the Playoffs. The Flames had lost to the Oilers in the Playoffs in 1983 and 1984, and would again in 1988 and 1991. This remains the only "Battle of Alberta" Playoff series that the Flames have won.

It is the most famous own goal in hockey history, and it produced the most devastating loss in the history of Edmonton sports. Oiler fans were outraged. But, led by Captain and superstar Wayne Gretzky, Smith's teammates stood up for him. The next year, the Oilers rebounded to win the Cup. When taking it from NHL President John Ziegler, Gretzky let Smith be the 2nd Oiler player to lift it, and the crowd at the Coliseum gave him a standing ovation. All was forgiven.

Smith would help the Oilers win the Cup again in 1988 and 1990, remaining with them for 1 more season. He joined the Chicago Blackhawks for the 1991-92 season, and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He stayed with the Hawks through 1997, then closed his career with, oddly enough, the Flames, playing for them until 2000.

In 804 regular-season NHL games, he had 72 goals and 303 assists. And he reached 4 Stanley Cup Finals, winning 3. A decent playing career, with one awful moment. He has since worked as an assistant coach with the Flames, the Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres, and a scout with the Blackhawks.

But that one awful moment tends to stand out. Is that fair? Did he really cost the Oilers the 1986 Stanley Cup, and prevent them from matching the 1956-60 Montreal Canadiens' run of 5 straight? Probably not. The Flames went on to reach the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Canadiens beat them in 5 games. They might have beaten the Oilers, too.

The Oilers had Grant Fuhr in goal; and on defense, Paul Coffey and Kevin Lowe. All 3 were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. And they had other good defensemen: Lee Fogolin, Charlie Huddy -- and Steve Smith. That defense allowed 25 goals, including 4 in Game 1, 5 in Game 2 (which the Oilers won anyway), 4 in Game 4 (which the Oilers won anyway), and 4 in Game 5 before allowing the calamitous own goal.

And what about the Oilers' offense? This was a team with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson, all of whom are now in the Hockey Hall of Fame. And yet, they scored only 1 goal at home in Game 1, 2 in Game 3, 1 at home in Game 5, and 2 at home in Game 7. The most potent offense in NHL history, and they didn't get the job done.

And, in a situation like this, it's tempting to say that the side that won was actually better. Certainly, the Flames weren't as talent-laden as the Oilers. But they did sweep their previous Playoff series, against the Winnipeg Jets. They won Games 1 and 5 in Edmonton, before winning this shocking Game 7 in Edmonton. And they won the Conference Final over the St. Louis Blues.

They had Hall-of-Famers Lanny McDonald, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis and Joe Mullen; plus All-Stars Mike Vernon, Joel Otto and Gary Suter; Doug Risebrough, who had won 4 Cups with the Canadiens in the late 1970s; John Tonelli, who had won 4 Cups with the New York Islanders in the early 1980s; and Nick Fotiu, who had reached the Finals with the 1979 New York Rangers.

They did lose the Stanley Cup Finals to the Montreal Canadiens, although 2 of their losses were by 1 goal. And a slightly revamped Flames team beat the Canadiens in the Finals just 3 years later. So it's not like the Oilers lost to an undeserving team.

*

April 30, 1986 was a Wednesday. The other series in the Clarence Campbell Conference also went to a Game 7, at the St. Louis Arena, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1.

One game was played in the NBA Playoffs: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 117-113 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-2 at Yankee Stadium. Joe Niekro outpitched Bert Blyleven. Dave Winfield went 1-for-3 with a walk. Don Mattingly went 1-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4.

* The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-1 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Gary Carter hit a home run. Dwight Gooden went 8 innings for the win, but struck out only 5. This game would be typical of his starts that season: Effective, but not the kind of dazzling performance he'd put on the previous 2 seasons. Everyone could see that something was a little off, but didn't know what. Not that it mattered: He was still winning.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. Wade Boggs went 1-for-3 with 3 walks and an RBI.

* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-0 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. How many Astro pitchers does it take to pitch a 6-hit shutout? This time, 4: Mike Scott, 6 hits and 4 walks over 6 1/3rd innings; Frank DiPino, pitching to only 1 batter and getting him out; Charlie Kerfeld, finishing the 7th and pitching the 8th with no hits; and Dave Smith, pitching a scoreless 9th. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the California Angels, 6-4 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Reggie Jackson went 1-for-4.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-0 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Reds player-manager Pete Rose put himself into the lineup, and went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. George Brett went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 8-6 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Eddie Murray went 2-for-3 with a home run, 2 walks and 3 RBIs. Cal Ripken went 1-for-3 with 2 walks.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount went 2-for-4. Paul Molitor went 0-for-4.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Texas Rangers, 6-5 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The San Diego Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-0 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Mark Thurmond took a perfect game into the 7th inning, when Willie McGee singled with 1 out. He also walked Vince Coleman in the 9th. Those were the only baserunners he allowed. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-4.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Bob Welch pitched a 6-hit shutout, outpitching Dennis Eckersley.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Chris Brown singled Robby Thompson home with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning.

January 22, 1987: The New Jersey Devils' 334 Club

January 22, 1987: A blizzard dropped nearly 2 feet of snow on the New York Tri-State Area. Schools, businesses and airports were closed. All over New Jersey, suddenly panicked shoppers raided stores for supplies.

The New Jersey Devils hockey team were supposed to play the Calgary Flames at the Brendan Byrne Arena, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For the Flames, based in the Rocky Mountains of Western Canada, this was no big deal. But for the Devils and their fans? They were used to snow in the Winter, and while a snowfall this deep was unusual, it was hardly unprecedented. But people usually didn't go to sporting events in that kind of weather.

The Devils had sold 11,247 tickets for the game. But the snow was too much for most fans, making conditions too dangerous for anyone to safely venture out to the arena that night. Still, there were 334 paying customers who managed to get to the Arena and through the turnstiles.

The game went on as scheduled, and is still said to stand as the lowest-attended game in modern NHL history.

Jeff Mazzei was a spectator at the game and told Sportsnet.ca, "Someone from the Devils came around with a yellow pad and went to every fan to get our names and addresses." This is how the 334 Club came about. A letter was sent out to thank everyone for coming, along with souvenirs and tickets.

Indeed, each of the 334 fans who showed up would later receive a pin, T-shirt and tickets to the next Devils-Flames game, or the closest game to the one-year anniversary.

And what kind of game did they see? The Devils got goals from Perry Anderson and Doug Sulliman, and had a 2-1 lead after the 1st period. Pat Verbeek made it 3-1, but the Flames got 3 straight goals, and ended the 2nd period leading 4-3. But in the 3rd, the Devils got 3 straight, from Aaron Broten, Randy Velischek and Sulliman. Paul Reinhart got the Flames to within 6-5 in the last 30 seconds, but pulling the goaltender didn't work for them, as Sulliman finished his hat track with an empty-net goal with 8 seconds left. Devils 7, Flames 5.

On January 24, just 2 days later, the Devils took a big step in the growing up of the franchise. They not only beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3 at the Meadowlands, but beat the "Broad Street Bullies" at their own game: Fighting. The brawl included a goalie fight between the Devils' Alain Chevrier and the Flyers' Ron Hextall. Hextall's backup was former Devils goalie and future Devils broadcaster Glenn "Chico" Resch.

On the 25th Anniversary of the game, members of the exclusive 334 Club were invited to a game and a private reception. I was not at the 334 Club Game, but I have seen men at Devils games wearing Devils jerseys, with "CLUB" as the name on the back and the number 334.

*

January 22, 1987 was a Thursday. There was only 1 other game played in the NHL, and it was an "Original Six" matchup: The Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens, 7-3 at the Boston Garden.

And only 1 game was played in the NBA: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers, 118-108 at the Markets Square Arena in Indianapolis.

A man who would achieve athletic success in New Jersey was born on this day, a running back at Rutgers University. Unfortunately, early in what looked like a career that could get him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was blacklisted from the sport. His name was Ray Rice.

January 8, 1992: 10 Flames, 10 Goals

Joe Nieuwendyk

January 8, 1992: If young hockey fan had to guess which team scored 10 goals, by 10 different players, he could be excused for thinking it was the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s, led by Wayne Gretzky.

But no, it happened a few years later, and it was done by the Oilers' Provincial arch-rivals. On this night, the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks, 10-3 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

Oddly, the game was 0-0 at the end of the 1st period. Gary Roberts scored on a power play, 44 seconds into the 2nd period. Ronnie Stern scored just 24 seconds later. Tomas Forslund scored at the 5:45 mark, team Captain Joe Nieuwendyk at 7:14, Trenty Yawney at 10:32, and Robert Reichel at 15:22.

In the 3rd period, Joel Otto scored at 4:01, to make it 7-0 Flames. At 6:58, Wayne Presley finally got the Sharks on the board. Sergei Makarov scored for the Flames at 7:33. Paul Fenton scored at 9:47 and Tony Hrkac at 13:55, closing the Sharks to within 8-3. Gary Suter scored at 15:13, and Theo Fleury scored at 16:37. To go with the Flames' 10 goals, Al MacInnis had 4 assists.

The Flames tied an NHL record with goals by 10 different players, a feat pulled off only once before, by the 1965 Detroit Red Wings.

In spite of this, the Flames missed the Playoffs for the 1st time in 17 years, since 1975, when they were still in Atlanta.

*

January 8, 1992 was a Wednesday. This was also the day that President George H.W. Bush threw up on the Prime Minister of Japan at a state dinner in Tokyo. I have a separate entry for that event.

These 4 other 5 games were played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers lost to the St. Louis Blues, 5-3 at Madison Square Garden.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins, 3-2 at the Montreal Forum.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Quebec Nordiques, 4-2 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The Winnipeg Jets beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-2 at the Winnipeg Arena.

*

Baseball was out of season. The NFL was between Playoff rounds. There were 10 games in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics, 99-95 at the Boston Garden. Reggie Lewis scored 33 points.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 103-97 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Houston Rockets 114-104 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat, 108-106 at the Miami Arena. Michael Jordan scored 40 points.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Sacramento Kings, 114-95 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Indiana Pacers, 104-102 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Utah Jazz, 99-98 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 103-87 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets, 135-114 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

* And the Orlando Magic beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 104-103 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. Sam Vincent scored 35 points for the Magic.