November 11, 1985: Pelle Lindbergh Is Killed

November 11, 1985: Pelle Lindbergh is killed in a drunken driving crash, ending his life and his hockey career at the age of 26.

Göran Per-Eric Lindbergh was born on May 24, 1959 in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. He starred as the goaltender for hometown hockey teams Hammarby and AIK, and helped his country win the Bronze Medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. (It gets forgotten in the wake of the wins over the Soviet Union in the Semifinal and Finland in the Final, but Sweden actually came closer to beating the U.S. team than any other, with a tie in the opening game.)

In 1979, Pelle became the 1st European-born goalie to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft, by the Philadelphia Flyers. He made his NHL debut toward the end of the 1981-82 season, and was selected to the NHL All-Rookie Team and the NHL All-Star Game the following season.

The Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, and reached the Finals in 1976, with Hall-of-Famer Bernie Parent in goal. They remained strong through 1978-79, but late in that season, Parent took a stick through the eyehole in his mask, permanently damaging his vision, and he never played again.

And, ever since, the Flyers have had some talent, but they haven't found that lockdown goalie. With Pete Peeters, they reached the Finals in 1980, but lost. Lindbergh looked like the answer, especially in 1985, when he made his 2nd All-Star Game, became the 1st European to receive the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie, and helped get the Flyers into the Finals again, losing to the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty.

While the Oilers seemed to have a hammerlock on the Clarence Campbell Conference (now the Western Conference), the Prince of Wales Conference (now the Eastern Conference) looked wide-open. The Montreal Canadiens' dynasty of 1976-79 had gotten old, and the New York Islanders' dynasty of 1980-84 was already starting to break up due to injury.

There was room for a new dominant team in the East, and with Lindbergh in goal; Mark Howe, Brad Marsh, Brad McCrimmon and Ed Hospodar as defensemen; and forwards like Dave Poulin, Peter Zezel, Brian Propp, Tim Kerr, Dave Brown, Rick Tocchet, and the twins Ron and Rich Sutter, the Flyers looked like they could become that team.

On November 9, 1985, the Flyers hosted a team party at the Coliseum, their practice facility in Voorhees, Camden County, New Jersey. Part of the stereotype of hockey players is that they like to drink, and Lindbergh drank a lot that night. Unfortunately, he got into his car, a customized Porsche 930 Turbo, and headed back toward his apartment across the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

He didn't even make it 2 miles: He crashed into a wall in front of Somerdale Park School, damaging his brain stem and his spinal cord. His blood-alcohol content was .24, and the legal limit in New Jersey was then .10. He had 2 passengers, not easy in a 2-seater, not players but friends of players: Edward Parvin had a fractured skull, and Kathy McNeal had a broken pelvis, a ruptured liver and a ruptured spleen.

They both survived. Lindbergh was brain-dead. His family was brought in from Sweden, and he was kept on life support long enough for them to arrive and say their goodbyes. The machines were turned off on November 11, and his parents gave their permission to have his organs harvested for donation.

Lindbergh received the most votes in the fan balloting for the 1986 NHL All-Star Game. It was the 1st time an athlete was posthumously voted to an All-Star Game. It's only happened once since, with Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins being selected to the 2008 Pro Bowl.

Given his early death, the Flyers have never again given out his uniform Number 31. But, given the cause of his death, they can't officially retire it. They have instituted the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, given to their most improved player. He hasn't been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but he has been elected to the Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Flyers played the rest of the season in a daze. But they made Ron Hextall their new starting goalie, and he got them into the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987. They reached the Finals again in 1997 and 2010. But they've never won another Cup. Given Hextall's performance in the 1987 Finals, it's hard to say Lindbergh would have made the difference that time. But in 1997, when they got swept by the Detroit Red Wings, Lindbergh would have been 38 years old, which is hardly too old to be a Cup-winning goalie.

UPDATE: In 1988, the Flyers established a team Hall of Fame. As of the 2025-26 season, from their 1985 and '87 Stanley Cup Finalists, they have elected Tim Kerr, Brian Propp, Mark Howe, Dave Poulin and Ron Hextall. Kerr, Propp, Howe, Hextall were also elected to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. Pelle Lindbergh has been elected to neither. Nor has he been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

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November 11, 1985 was a Monday. The baseball season was over. On ABC Monday Night Football, the Denver Broncos beat the San Francisco 49ers, 17-16 at Mile High Stadium in Denver. And there was 1 game played in the NBA: The New Jersey Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 111-104 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio.

And there were 2 games scheduled for the NHL that night, neither of them involving the Flyers. In an "Original Six" matchup, the New York Rangers lost to the Chicago Black Hawks, 5-4 at Madison Square Garden. Bob Murray scored the winner for the Hawks, 53 seconds into overtime. And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-0 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

May 14, 1988: The Kentucky Church Bus Fire

May 14, 1988: A drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group from neaby Radcliff. The resulting fire kills 27, making it, to the present day, tied for 1st in the U.S. for the most fatalities involving 2 vehicles.

In the aftermath of the disaster, several family members of victims became active leaders of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and one, Karolyn Nunnallee, became national president of the organization.

The standards for both operation and equipment for school buses and similar buses were improved in Kentucky and many other states. These include an increased number of emergency exits, higher standards for structural integrity, and the use of less volatile diesel fuel.

In a sad coincidence, the other 2-vehicle accident involving a bus that killed 27 also occurred in Kentucky, in Prestonburg, on February 28, 1958.

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May 14, 1988 was a Saturday. This was also the day that Wimbledon F.C. upset Liverpool F.C. in the FA Cup Final. I have a separate entry for this event.

These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the California Angels, 6-2 at Yankee Stadium. Tommy John, just short of his 45th birthday, won the 279th of what turned out to be 288 games. Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield each hit a home run, while Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4.

* The New York Mets lost to the San Francisco Giants, 3-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Mike Krukow outpitched Ron Darling.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 3-0 at Fenway Park in Boston. Roger Clemens pitched a 3-hit shutout.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Baltimore Orioles, 8-0 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Bob Welch pitched a 5-hit shutout, outpitching Mike Boddicker. Mark McGwire and Dave Parker hit home runs. Eddie Murray went 1-for-3 with a walk. Cal Ripken went 1-for-4. The Orioles fell to 5-30 on the season, which started 0-21.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Barry Bonds went 1-for-4.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-0 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Les Straker pitched a 4-hit shutout, outpitching Frank Tanana.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-5 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-4 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount went 1-for-4 with a walk. Paul Molitor went 1-for-5.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. This game went 19 innings, before Ken Griffey Sr. doubled home Dion James and Dale Murphy.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals, 6-3 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. George Brett went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-1 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Montreal Expos, 3-2 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn did not play.

* And the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Mike Schmidt went 0-for-4.

Football was out of season. There were 2 games in the NBA Playoffs. The Detroit Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls, 101-79 at the Chicago Stadium. The Bulls and Michael Jordan, who led all scorers, albeit with just 24 points, were not yet ready to rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. The Pistons were. And the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks, 107-105 at the Reunion Arena in Dallas. Neither of these teams was ready to dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers as the top team in the Western Conference.

There was 1 game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Game 7 of the Prince of Wales Conference Finals. The Boston Bruins beat the New Jersey Devils, 6-2. The Devils had won Game 2 in Boston, but the Bruins had taken Game 3 at the Meadowlands to regain home-ice advantage. After 5 very bad seasons to start their existence, the Devils had put together a fine season in Season 6. They were 5 games away from winning the Stanley Cup. But they would not get closer than that for another 7 years.

February 21, 1974: Tim Horton Is Killed In a Car Crash

February 21, 1974: Hockey star Tim Horton is killed in a car crash. It was the only thing that could stop him from playing hockey.

Miles Gilbert Horton was born on January 12, 1930 in Cochrane, in northern Ontario. He grew up in Sudbury, Ontario, and was signed as a defenseman by the Toronto Maple Leafs. That team was in a dynasty, having won the Stanley Cup in 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948 and 1949. They would win another in 1951.

But Tim Horton would not be a part of it: He would play 1 regular-season game on March 26, 1950, and a Playoff game on April 9, but would remain in the Leafs' minor-league system, with the Pittsburgh Hornets, whom he would help to win the 1952 American Hockey League Championship.

He was called up for good for the start of the 1952-53 season, but this would be a transition period for the Leafs, as their 1940s dynasty had aged, and it took a while for a new great team to be built. For a while, Horton was their best player.

Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black Hawks explained: "There were defensemen you had to fear because they were vicious, and would slam you into the boards from behind, for one, Eddie Shore. But you respected Tim Horton, because he didn't need that type of intimidation. He used his tremendous strength and talent to keep you in check."

In 1958, George "Punch" Imlach was named head coach and general manager. He built a veteran team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1959 and 1960, and then won it in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. Horton was key for this team, appearing in 486 consecutive games between February 11, 1961 and February 4, 1968. This remains the Toronto franchise record, and was an NHL record for defensemen until 2007.

In the meantime, in 1964, Horton co-founded the Tim Hortons restaurant chain, featuring baked goods and coffee. In 1967, he took on investor Ron Joyce, who ran Canada's Dairy Queens. Joyce was able to turn Tim Hortons into an icon of Canada.

After the 1967 Stanley Cup, knowing that internal politics within the Leafs organization meant that money needed to be saved, Imlach began to break up the dynasty. In 1970, he traded Horton to the New York Rangers. He remained with them through the end of the 1970-71 season. He was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the intra-league draft.

After 1 season with them, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, who, by then, were being run by Imlach. As Rick Martin of the "French Connection Line" (also including Gilbert Perreault and René Robert) was already wearing Number 7 for the Sabres, Horton was given Number 2. In 1973, though he was 43 years old, Horton helped the Sabres reach the Playoffs in only their 3rd season of play.

On February 20, 1974, the Sabres played their 55th game of the season. Horton, now 44 years old, played in it, and in all 54 games before it. The game was at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, The Leafs won, 4-2.

A few hours later, early on the morning of February 21, Horton was trying to make the 100-mile drive from Toronto back to Buffalo, in his De Tomaso Pantera sports car, on the Queen Elizabeth Way (named for the widow of King George VI, not her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II).

On the way, he stopped at his office in Oakville, Ontario, and met with Joyce. While there, he phoned his brother Gerry, who recognized that Tim had been drinking, and tried to persuade him not to continue driving. Joyce also offered to have Horton stay with him. Horton chose to continue his drive to Buffalo.

At around 4:30 AM, Horton approached the Lake Street exit in St. Catharines, Ontario, and lost control, crossing onto the center grass median. His tire caught a recessed sewer, causing him to flip onto the Toronto-bound lanes. In addition to being drunk -- which was not publicly revealed until 2005 -- he also had several drugs in his system, including Dexedrine, a stimulant, and Amobarbital, a sedative. To make matters worse, he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. He was found 123 feet from his car. He never had a chance.

After Tim's death, Joyce offered his widow, Lori, $1 million for the shares of Tim Hortons that she inherited. She accepted, and Joyce became the sole owner. Lori lived until 2000. The Hortons had 4 children, all daughters. One of them, Jeri-Lyn, married Ron Joyce Jr., so some shares returned to the Horton family.

The Sabres retired Number 2 for Horton in 1996. The Leafs retired Number 7 for him and 1930s star King Clancy in 2016. A statue of Horton now stands outside the original store in Hamilton, Ontario, about halfway between Toronto and Buffalo. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977. In 1998, The Hockey News ranked him 43rd on their list of the 100 Greatest Players. In 2017, he was named to the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players.

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February 21, 1974 was a Thursday. In spite of Horton's death, there were 3games scheduled for the NHL that night, including by the Sabres, and all 3 were played. The Sabres and the Atlanta Flames finished in a 4-4 tie at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2 at the Montreal Forum. And the New York Rangers beat the Los Angeles Kings, 5-3 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

There was 1 game played in the World Hockey Association: The Chicago Cougars beat the Vancouver Blazers, 5-4 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago.

Baseball and football were out of season. There were 2 games played in the NBA. The New York Knicks lost to the Buffalo Braves, 119-97 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. And the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 122-103 at the Cleveland Arena.

And there were 2 games in the American Basketball Association. The Memphis Tams beat the Denver Rockets, 111-106 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. And the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Stars, 123-102 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio.