December 25, 1971: The NFL's Longest Game

December 25, 1971: For the 1st time, the NFL plays a game on Christmas Day. It turned out to be the longest game in the league's history.

The Kansas City Chiefs played the Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. The Chiefs had been the defining team of the American Football League, winning the title in 1962, 1966 and 1969. From the AFL's founding in 1960 until the 1962 Championship Game, they were the Dallas Texans. That '62 title game, which they beat the Houston Oilers, went to 2 overtimes, becoming the longest game in pro football history.

The Dolphins had only been founded in 1966, and made the Playoffs for the 1st time in 1970. They were a team on the rise, and this would be their biggest challenge yet. Despite the game being in Kansas City in December, the weather was just fine by Miami standards: 62 degrees and partly cloudy at the 3:00 kickoff (4:00 Eastern Time).

The scoring began with Jan Stenerud kicking a field goal for the Chiefs. They went ahead 10-0 following an interception by Willie Lanier and a touchdown pass from Len Dawson to Ed Podolak. The Dolphins came back, with Larry Csonka running for a touchdown and Garo Yepremian kicking a field goal, making the score 10-10 at the half.

Dawson launched a 75-yard, 10-minute drive that ended with a Jim Otis touchdown, but the Dolphins came back with a Jim Kiick touchdown to make it 17-17. In the 4th quarter, Nick Buoniconti picked up a fumble, but Jim Lynch intercepted Griese to end that threat. Dawson then drove the Chiefs 91 yards, capped by a 3-yard run by Podolak, making it 24-17 Kansas City.

The Dolphins struck back, going 71 yards until Griese threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Marv Fleming, tying it 24-24 with 1:25 left in regulation. Podolak took the kickoff back 78 yards, but Stenerud missed a 32-yard field goal, and the game went to overtime.

At this point, overtime was still rare. There would not be a provision for it in the regular season until 1974. It had happened in the 1958 NFL Championship Game, with the Baltimore Colts beating the New York Giants. It had happened, as I said, in the 1962 AFL Championship Game. And it had happened in a Playoff for the NFL Western Division Championship in 1965, with the Green Bay Packers beating the Colts. This would be only the 4th time in pro football history that a game went beyond the standard 60 minutes.

Podolak returned the overtime kickoff to the 46-yard line, setting up a 42-yard field goal attempt by Stenerud. But the Dolphins blocked it. Later in the 5th quarter, Yepremian tried a field goal from 52 yards, but this was short. At the end of this 1st overtime period, Jake Scott intercepted a Dawson punt, but this came to nothing, and the teams traded punts.

Finally, Csonka -- on his 25th birthday -- broke off a 29-yard run, setting up a 37-yard field goal attempt by Yepremian, with 7:40 left in the 6th quarter -- 82 minutes and 40 seconds of play. The left-footed Armenian from Cyprus made the kick, it was good, and the Dolphins had won, 24-21.

Chiefs coach Hank Stram said, "I don't think any one player in a big game, a monumental game like that, had a day like Eddie Podolak had." Stram had a point: 17 rushes for 85 yards, 8 catches for 110 yards, 3 kickoff returns for a 154 yards, and 2 punt returns for 2 yards. That's 350 all-purpose yards, still a postseason record, and the 4th-highest total in NFL history. But for all he, and Hall-of-Famers like Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Curley Culp, Johnny Robinson and Jan Stenerud did, it wasn't enough.

In 1981, historian John Thorn left his comfort zone, baseball, and published Pro Football's 10 Greatest Games. He included this game.

This defeat meant that this was the last game the Chiefs would play at Municipal Stadium. They would not host the AFC Championship Game, and the next season, Arrowhead Stadium opened, and it remains the Chiefs' home to this day.

More than this, it was the end of one era, and the beginning of another. The Chiefs had played 8 postseason games in 9 years, winning 3 AFL Championships and Super Bowl IV. They would not play another Playoff game for 15 years, only that 1 for 19 years, and wouldn't win a Playoff game for 20 years.

The Dolphins hosted the Colts, another great team getting old, in the AFC Championship Game, and won, 21-0. They lost Super Bowl VI to the Dallas Cowboys, 24-3. But the following season, they went undefeated, 14-0, and won Super Bowl VII over the Washington Redskins, 14-7. They would win Super Bowl VIII as well.

In 2019, a poll ranked this game 18th on a list of the 100 Greatest Games of the NFL's 1st 100 years.

*

December 25, 1971 was a Saturday. Earlier in the day, the Dallas Cowboys had beaten the Minnesota Vikings, 20-12 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.

The following day, December 26, the Baltimore Colts beat the Cleveland Browns, 20-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium; and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Washington Redskins, 24-20 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

There were 6 games played in the NHL. Since this day, the League has never played on Christmas Day again. In fact, traditionally, it has not played on December 24, or 25, and usually not on 26, either.

The New York Rangers beat the Minnesota North Stars, 2-1 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington. The Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1 at the Boston Garden. The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. 

The St. Louis Blues and the Buffalo Sabres played to a tie, 4-4 at the St. Louis Arena. And the Oakland-based California Golden Seals beat the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1 at The Forum outside Los Angeles, in Inglewood, California.

There were 7 games played in the NBA. The New York Knicks beat the Golden State Warriors, 114-89 at Madison Square Garden. Walt Frazier scored 36 points.

The Boston Celtics beat the Cincinnati Royals, 99-94 at the Cincinnati Gardens. This was the end of a tradition: The last Christmas game in Cincinnati. The following season, the Royals moved, becoming the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.

Also, the Baltimore Bullets beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 117-114 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Buffalo Braves, 140-117 at the Alexander Coliseum in Atlanta. Walt Bellamy scored 40 points. The Detroit Pistons beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 120-118 in overtime at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 38 points, but it wasn't enough to beat the Pistons.

The Phoenix Suns beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 116-86 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. Connie Hawkins scored 31 for the Suns. And the Chicago Bulls beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 109-88 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.

There were 3 games played in the ABA. The Virginia Squires beat the Pittsburgh Condors, 133-126 at the Hampton Coliseum. The Memphis Pros beat the Carolina Cougars, 110-102 at the Mid-South Coliseum. And the Utah Stars beat the Indiana Pacers, 150-129 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.

Pierre Trudeau, then the Prime Minister of Canada, became a father on this day, to Justin Trudeau, who would also go on to become Prime Minister. Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong, the English singer known as Dido, was also born.

November 26, 1998: A Turkey of an Overtime Coin Flip

November 26, 1998: The Detroit Lions' annual tradition of hosting a game on Thanksgiving Day turns into a delicious result for them, because of a turkey of a turn of events.

The Lions were hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Silverdome in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, Michigan, in a game televised nationally on CBS. With Barry Sanders in the backfield, the Lions came into the game 4-7. With an offense with quarterback Kordell Stewart (known as "Slash" because he was a quarterback/runner/receiver) and running back Jerome Betts (known as "The Bus" because he was as big as one), the Steelers came in 7-4, and were leading the AFC Central Division.

The 1st quarter was scoreless. Norm Johnson kicked 2 field goals for the Steelers in the 2nd quarter, and Jason Hanson kicked 1 for the Lions, so it was 6-3 Pittsburgh at halftime. Stewart threw a touchdown pass to Will Blackwell to put the Steelers up 13-3. Hanson kicked another field goal, and it was 13-6 after 3 quarters.

In the 4th quarter, Charlie Batch threw a touchdown pass to Herman Moore, to tie the game. Hanson kicked a field goal to give the Lions their 1st lead of the game. But with 4 seconds left in regulation, Johnson kicked a 25-yard field goal, sending the game to overtime, 16-16.

Referee Phil Luckett called the team Captain to midfield for the overtime coin toss. As the visiting team, the Steelers had the right to call the toss, as they did at the beginning of the game. Luckett told Bettis to call the coin in the air.

Bettis had started to say, "Heads," but changed his mind in mid-syllable: "He -- Tails!" But Luckett went with the first syllable he said he heard, and ruled that Bettis had said, "Heads," which he hadn't. The coin landed tails, meaning the Steelers should have had the ball. Instead, Luckett ruled that the Lions had won the toss, and gave them the ball.

Batch took the Lions down the field, and, just 2 minutes and 52 seconds into overtime, with the Steelers never even getting the ball, Hanson kicked a 42-yard field goal to win it, 19-16.

The Steelers cried foul, but there was nothing they could do. The NFL was never going to order the overtime replayed. And while the win didn't affect the Lions much, as they lost the last 4 games of the season, to finish 5-11, the loss ruined the Steelers' season: It started a season-ending 5-game losing streak. They finished 7-9, and missed the Playoffs completely.

This play inspired 2 rule changes. First, the player making the call now does so while the ref is still holding the coin, and the ref repeats the call before flipping, with his microphone being piped into both the stadium public-address system and the television microphones. This way, no one, inside the stadium or outside, has any doubt as to what the Captain's call is.

That change took effect the next season. But it would be many more years before the NFL changed its rule so that the team winning the toss must score a touchdown to automatically win; if they only kick a field goal, the opposing team then gets the ball and a chance to win.

Luckett was also the referee 10 days later at the Meadowlands, when Vinny Testaverde of the New York Jets appeared to score a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks, but the replay showed that the ball did not cross the plane of the goal line. Head linesman Earnie Frantz ruled it a touchdown, and Luckett, the man in charge, let it stand. The following season, the NFL instituted instant replay.

That didn't stop Luckett from being involved in a controversial play again the next season -- and this time, it was in the Playoffs. Luckett ruled that Frank Wychek's pass to Kevin Dyson, leading to Dyson's touchdown run that won the game for the Tennessee Titans against the Buffalo Bills was a lateral, and thus legal, and the play stood. This was the right call to make: It was a lateral.

Since 2012, Luckett has been a supervising official, in charge of instant replay.

*

November 26, 1998, like all Thanksgiving Days, was a Thursday. In the NFL's other game that day, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys, 46-36 at Texas Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.

There were 2 college football games played that day, both of them intrastate matchups. Tulane, so rarely ranked since the 1st half of the 20th Century, were ranked Number 11, and beat Louisiana Tech, 63-30 at the Superdome in New Orleans. And Mississippi State, ranked Number 25, beat Mississippi, a.k.a. Ole Miss, 28-6 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi.

Baseball was in the off-season. Traditionally, the NBA and the NHL avoid scheduling games on Thanksgiving Day, so as not to compete with football for TV ratings. This time, however, the NHL scheduled 2 games, and a New York Tri-State Area team was in both. And both lost. The New York Islanders lost to the Ottawa Senators, 4-1 at the Corel Centre in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, Ontario. (It's now the Canadian Tire Centre. The town was absorbed into Ottawa proper in 2001.) And the New Jersey Devils lost to the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2 at the America West Arena (now the Footprint Center) in Phoenix.

October 23, 2021: Nine Overtimes In College Football

October 23, 2021: Overtime has been used to settle college football games that ended in a tie since the 1996 season. The rules have been tweaked to keep things from going to too many overtime periods. But on this day, overtime had to be done as many times as Ferris Bueller skipped school in his senior year of high school: Nine times.

Pennsylvania State University were hosting the University of Illinois at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Despite rain coming down, a crowd of 105,001 came out to see the game. Penn State were at home, and came into the game 5-1, ranked Number 7 in the nation. They had, however, lost their last game, but that was away to Iowa, then ranked Number 3, so while it hurt their Big Ten Conference hopes, it wasn't an especially embarrassing loss. In contrast, Illinois came in just 2-5. So Penn State were installed as 24 1/2-point favorites.

Penn State led 7-0 after the 1st quarter, and 10-7 at the half. There was no scoring in the 3rd quarter. James McCourt kicked a 37-yard field goal with 11:49 to play, allowing Illinois to tie the game. Neither team could do anything the rest of the way, and regulation ended 10-10.

Under the pre-1996 system, the Fighting Illini would have taken the tie back to Champaign, Illinois, and been pleased with it. Other than the fact that the Nittany Lions couldn't cover any of the big spread, so far, there was nothing especially noteworthy about this game.

As of the start of the season in question, the rules for college football overtime were as follows:

* A coin toss determines which side attempts to score first, and at which end zone the scores are attempted.

* Each team in turn receives one possession, starting with 1st & 10 from a fixed point on the opponent's side of the field:

** Under NCAA rules, the 1st possession of overtime begins at the opponent's 25-yard line. When overtime was introduced, all possessions for each team started at that point, but the procedure for subsequent overtimes has changed twice since 2019:

*** In 2019 and 2020, the 1st 4 possessions for each team (if necessary) started at the opponent's 25. All subsequent possessions were 2-point conversion attempts, taken from the 3-yard line, the standard starting point for that play under NCAA rules, and were scored as conversions.

*** Since 2021, the first two possessions for each team start at the opponent's 25. All subsequent possessions are two-point conversion attempts.

In this game, each team kicked a field goal in the 1st overtime. 13-13. Each team kicked a field goal in the 2nd overtime. 16-16. Neither team scored in the 3rd overtime. Or the 4th. Or the 5th. Or the 6th. Or the 7th.

Finally, in the 8th overtime, Illini quarterback Brandon Peters threw a pass to Isaiah Williams, who got into the end zone, to make it 18-16 Illinois. But Noah Cain scored for the Nittany Lions, and the game went to a 9th overtime. Sean Clifford's pass to Parker Washington fell incomplete. With this opening, Peters passed to Casey Washington, and he scored. Illinois 20, Penn State 18. The game lasted 4 hours and 11 minutes, when it should have taken about an hour less.

This was Penn State's 2nd straight loss, and it really began a tailspin for them: They ended up losing 5 of their last 7 regular-season games. (Of course, 1 of the wins was against Rutgers.) They still ended up getting invited to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, where they lost to Arkansas, 24-10, finishing 7-6. Illinois finished 5-7, and were not invited to a bowl game.

*

October 23, 2021 was a Saturday. Among the other college football games played that day was not one played by Number 1-ranked Georgia, or one by Number 9 Iowa, as they both had the week off. But these notable games were played:

* Number 2 Cincinnati beat Navy, 27-20 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

* Number 3 Oklahoma beat Kansas, 35-23 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

* Number 4 Alabama beat Tennessee, 52-24 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

* Number 5 Ohio State beat Indiana, 54-7 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.

* Number 6 Michigan beat Northwestern, 33-7 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

* Number 8 Oklahoma State were upset by Iowa State, 24-21 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

* Number 10 Oregon beat UCLA, 34-31 at the Rose Bowl in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California.

* In a rivalry game, Number 13 Notre Dame beat USC, 31-16 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

* Number 16 Wake Forest beat Army, 70-56 at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York. Yes, that's a football game, with a basketball score. And they didn't even go to one overtime.

* Number 18 North Carolina State were upset by the University of Miami, 31-30 at Hard Rock Stadium in the Miami suburb of Miami Gardens, Florida.

* In an unusual occurrence, all 3 service academies played ranked teams, and all lost, as Air Force fell to Number 22 San Diego State at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

* Number 25 Purdue were upset by Wisconsin, 30-13 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

In baseball, the National League Pennant was decided that day, as the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2 at Truist Park in the Atlanta suburb of Cumberland, Georgia. This won Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. The day before, the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 to win the American League Pennant. The Braves went on to win the World Series, beating the Astros in 6 games.

There were 8 games played in the NBA that day:

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors, 103-95 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Braves, 101-95 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat, 102-91 in overtime at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons, 97-82 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 96-89 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the San Antonio Spurs, 121-111 at the AT&T Center (now the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio.

* The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 120-114 at the Staples Center (soon renamed the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Paul George scored 41 in defeat for the Clippers.

* And the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns, 134-105 at the Moda Center in Portland.

And there were 13 games in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Ottawa Senators, 3-2 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

* The New York Islanders beat the Arizona Coyotes, 3-0 at the Gila River Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1 at the Prudential Center in Newark. Pavel Zacha scored the winning goal with 1:51 left in overtime.

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings, 6-1 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

* The Florida Panthers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2 at the Wells Fargo Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Washington Capitals, 4-3 at the Capital One Arena in Washington. Elias Lindholm scored the game-winner with 2:14 left in overtime.

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3 in a shootout at the Amalie Arena (now the Benchmark International Arena) in Tampa.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-1 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ryan Hartman scored the winning goal with 13 seconds left in overtime.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Los Angeles Kings, 7-3 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

* The Winnipeg Jets beat the Nashville Predators, 6-4 at the Canada Life Center in Winnipeg.

* The Vancouver Canucks beat the Seattle Kraken, 4-2 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

* And the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Dallas Stars, the Edmonton Oilers, the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights were not scheduled.

October 23, 2000: The New York Jets' Monday Night Miracle

October 23, 2000: Once again, the New York Jets had the indignity of playing a home game in a venue that was named after another team, Giants Stadium, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey.

They were playing the Miami Dolphins, then considered to be their arch-rivals. (The New England Patriots would, over the next few years, replace the Dolphins as such.) Both teams came in with 5-1 records, so this would decide, for at least a week, 1st place in the AFC Eastern Division. And the game was on national television, on ABC Monday Night Football.

At least, for the 1st time since 1982, they would be facing the Dolphins without Dan Marino as their starting quarterback. Marino threw 420 touchdown passes in his career, and it seemed like half of them were against the Jets. As it turned out, it was 72, still the most by a single quarterback against a single team, and 17 percent of his total, or 1 out of every 6.

The Jets no longer had to deal with Marino. It didn't seem to matter: With a little more than 3 minutes gone in the 2nd quarter, the Dolphins led, 20-0. The Jets got a touchdown in the last minute of the half when Vinny Testaverde threw to Wayne Chrebet, but Jay Fiedler led the Dolphins downfield in enough time to get a field goal from Olindo Mare. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Lamar Smith ran the ball in for a touchdown, and the Dolphins led, 30-7.

Given how bad the traffic can be at the Meadowlands when there's a full house -- and it was, with 78,389 fans on hand -- thousands of fans gave up and left early. What they may have heard on their radios as they were going back toward the Lincoln Tunnel or down the New Jersey Turnpike or State Route 3 may have made them wish they had stayed.

Some fans stayed and, recognizing that it was an off-day in the World Series, with the 2 New York teams playing each other, Jet fans, traditionally more favorable to the Mets than the Yankees, started a "Let's go, Yankees!" chant during the 3rd quarter. This was quickly countered by a "Let's go, Mets!" chant.

With 13:49 left in regulation, Testaverde threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Laveranues Coles. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, and, at 30-13, it looks like little more than a consolation score. But Testaverde put another touchdown drive together, and, with 9:51 left, passed to Jermaine Wiggins for a touchdown, the extra point making it 30-20. Suddenly, the Jets had a chance.

Testaverde got the Jets close again, and, with 5:43 left, John Hall kicked a 34-yard field goal. It was 30-23. The Jets were now one score away. Their defense held the Dolphins to a three-and-out, and, with 3:55 to go, Testaverde threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Chrebet. Extra point by Hall. Tie ballgame, 30-30.

But Fiedler struck quickly -- maybe a little too quickly. With 3:33 left, he threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Leslie Shepherd, and it was 37-30 Dolphins. But that left plenty of time for an old pro like Testaverde, who was about to turn 37. With 42 seconds left, he called a tackle-eligible play, and John "Jumbo" Elliott, his fellow Long Islander, all 6-foot-7 and 308 pounds of him, caught a 3-yard touchdown pass. With 30 points in the 4th quarter, the Jets had sent this game to overtime.

In overtime, Marcus Coleman intercepted Fiedler, allowing Testaverde to get the Jets within field goal range. With 8:13 left in overtime, Hall attempted a 40-yard field goal. It was good, and the Jets won, 40-37. It became known as the Monday Night Miracle.

When Monday Night Football celebrated its 30th Anniversary that season, this game -- possibly because it was so recent, or possibly because a lot of New Yorkers voted -- was voted the greatest game the show had ever aired. It may be the greatest regular-season moment in Jet history, with their win in Super Bowl III in 1969 topping it, of course.

*

October 23, 2000 was a Monday. As I said, it was an off-day in the World Series. The Yankees then led, 2-0, and would win the Series in 5 games.

The NBA season didn't start for another 8 days. But there was 1 NHL game that night, and it was between local rivals, on the other coast: The Los Angeles Kings beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 5-4 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (now named the Honda Center). Ziggy Palffy scored the winning goal with 3:56 left in overtime.

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.

May 27, 1994: The Stéphane Matteau Game

May 27, 1994: What might have been the greatest game in NHL history is played. Great game. Horrible result. For me, anyway.

The New Jersey Devils began play in 1982, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, 7 miles west of Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Rangers. The Rangers and their fans still considered the New York Islanders, 25 miles to the east at the Nassau Coliseum, to be their arch-rivals. But Devils fans didn't care about that. In 1992, their team faced the Rangers in the Playoffs for the 1st time, but the Rangers won in 7 games.

Now, they would play each other again, for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. For the Devils, their 1st ever; for the Rangers, their 1st in 15 years. For the Devils, a chance at their 1st Cup in 12 seasons of trying; for the Rangers, their 1st in 54 years, an end to "The Curse of 1940."

Somebody noticed that the seating capacity for hockey games at the Brendan Byrne Arena, the Devils' home in the Meadowlands Complex, was 19,040. A coincidence. Not a coincidence were the chants Devils fans had picked up from Islanders fans: "Rangers suck!" and "Nine-teen-for-ty!"

The 1st 2 games were on May 15 and 17, at The Garden. In Game 1, the Rangers blew leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. Claude Lemieux scored with 43 seconds left in overtime, and Stéphane Richer scored at 15:23 of the 2nd overtime. New Jersey Devils 4, New York Rangers 3. It is one of the most shocking defeats in the Broadway Blues’ history. In Game 2, the Rangers beat the Devils, 4-0, to salvage a split.

Game 3 was played at the Meadowlands on May 19. It went to double overtime, and the Rangers won, 3-2, taking home-ice advantage back. The winning goal was scored by Stéphane Matteau. It was the biggest goal he has ever scored. For now.

Game 4 was played at the Meadowlands on May 21. Richer scored again. He scored 2 goals against them in the 1st live hockey game I ever saw. He hated the Rangers so much, he even scored against them on an episode of Seinfeld. This time, he scored the opener, launching the Devils to a 3-1 win. The series was tied.

Game 5 was played at The Garden on May 23. The Devils humiliated the Rangers in their own house, 4-1, and take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Rangers' "inevitable" Stanley Cup win had become very, very evitable.

On the morning of May 25, the day of Game 6, it looked like it would be the Devils moving on, and the Rangers not. All the Devils had to do is win that night, and they were in the Stanley Cup Finals. And the 1993-94 New York Rangers would go down as the most spectacularly failed team in the history of New York Tri-State Area sports.

Ranger Captain Mark Messier, the man acquired to end the Rangers' curse, was on the verge of becoming the biggest failure in the history of New York sports. But the day before, he gave the media a prediction of victory in Game 6, and it appeared on the back pages of the tabloids.

This was even bigger than Joe Namath's prediction of a Super Bowl win for the New York Jets 25 years earlier: He wasn't predicting a massive upset, he was predicting that a heavily favored team would get its act together. If the Rangers had lost this game – or won it, and then lost Game 7, or even if they'd won both and then lost the Finals, Messier would have gone from savior-in-waiting to a massive letdown, and Ranger fans would have turned on him.

At first, it looked like that would happen at the Meadowlands. The Devils took a 2-0 lead in the 1st period. But Alexei Kovalev scored for the Rangers, and then Messier put the team on his back, and scored the next 3. The Rangers had won, 4-2, and there would be a Game 7 at The Garden on May 27.

At 9:31 of the 2nd period, Brian Leetch scored. It remained 1-0 Rangers until the very end of regulation. With 7.7 seconds to go, Valeri Zelepukin scored for the Devils. The game went to overtime. It went to double overtime. Mike Richter had saved 31 of 32 shots. Martin Brodeur, in only his 2nd NHL season, a few days past his 22nd birthday, had saved 46 of 47.

At the 4:24 mark of the 2nd overtime, Stéphane Matteau skated around the net, and put the puck past Brodeur's left hand. Rangers 2, Devils 1. Pandemonium in The Garden. Howie Rose had the call on radio station WFAN:

Fetisov for the Devils plays it cross-ice, into the far corner. Matteau swoops in to intercept. Matteau behind the net, swings it in front, he scores! Matteau! Matteau! Matteau! Stéphane Matteau! And the Rangers have won more hill to climb, baby! But it's Mount Vancouver! The Rangers are headed to the Finals!

It became hockey's version of Russ Hodges' "The Giants win the Pennant!" after the Bobby Thomson home run gave the baseball version of the New York Giants the 1951 Pennant over their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 43 years earlier.

Indeed, the similarities with the '51 Dodger-Giant Playoff were many. The established team had struggled to beat the upstarts, but had finally done it. It wasn't a superstar who had done the deed: Neither Thomson nor Matteau would ever be seriously considered for his sport's Hall of Fame. And the distance? Actually, it was 7 miles for Rangers vs. Devils, half that for Giants vs. Dodgers, even though, this time, there was a State Line involved.

It might have been the greatest game in hockey history. But, for me, it was a horrible result. After Matteau scored, I called my grandmother, who had been a Brooklyn Dodger fan, and told her I finally understood how she felt on October 3, 1951.

Oddly, although she had been alive for all 3 of the Rangers' Cup wins at that point, she never became a hockey fan until she was old, and living near the Jersey Shore, and she became a Devils fan, and got to enjoy 3 Stanley Cups. Because, instead of folding after taking such an emotional blow, the Devils sucked it up, and won the Cup the next season, with 2 more over the next decade.

The Rangers? Sam Rosen had the call of their Cup win, 18 days later, saying, "This one will last a lifetime!" As of May 27, 2022, it has been 82 years, 1 Cup. That one has lasted a lifetime.

And to think, if the Devils had scored in that overtime, the Rangers would still be under the Curse of 1940, and Mark Messier would have gone down as the biggest failure -- or, at least, the biggest letdown -- in the history of New York sports.

*

May 27, 1994 was a Friday. Football was out of season. There was 1 game in the NBA Playoffs, Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals: The Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets, 95-86 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-2 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Jimmy Key was the winning pitcher. Daryl Boston hit a home run. Yes, a man named Boston hit a home run for the Yankees. Don Mattingly went 0-for-4.

* The New York Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds, 10-2 at Shea Stadium. Pete Smith went the distance for the win. Luis Rivera and Todd Hundley hit home runs.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Colorado Rockies, 4-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-2 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

* The California Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-2 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-2 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland. Rickey Henderson went 2-for-4.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-0 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Wilson Álvarez pitched a 6-hit shutout, outpitching Mike Mussina. Both pitchers went the distance. That was still a thing in 1994. Frank Thomas hit a home run. Cal Ripken went 0-for-4.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-4.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-2 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-3 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The San Diego Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-6 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Bucs scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th to send the game to extra innings, and Jay Bell hit a home run in the top of the 10th inning. But in the bottom of the 10th, Tim Wallach was hit with a pitch, Eric Karros singled, Mitch Webster singled home the tying run, and Darren Dreifort -- a rookie pitcher in only his 2nd major league plate appearance -- pinch-hit a single to bring home the winning run.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Florida Marlins, 4-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 1-for-4.

February 11, 2024: The Taylor Swift Super Bowl

February 11, 2024: Super Bowl LVIII is played, at Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. It becomes the longest game in Super Bowl history.

NOTE: While these entries are dated 2022, I decided to backdate the posting dates of events from 2023 onward to the same date in 2022.

The game was scoreless after the 1st quarter. At the half, the San Francisco 49ers led the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending World Champions, 10-3. With 1:53 to go in regulation, the Niners led, 19-16. They were that close to their 6th Super Bowl win, their 1st in 29 years.

But the Chiefs were the defending Champions for a few reasons. The biggest of those reasons was their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. He led the Chiefs down the field, and with 3 seconds left, Harrison Butker kicked a 29-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, only the 2nd time that had happened in a Super Bowl.

For many years, under NFL rules, the 1st score in an overtime won the game. This was considered unfair: A team could win the overtime coin toss, get within field goal range, and win by 3 points without the other team even getting the ball. The rules were tweaked a season earlier: This was the 1st postseason game to go to overtime since the NFL changed the overtime rules for playoff games, so that both teams get at least one chance to possess the ball in overtime, even if a touchdown is scored on the initial possession.

The 49ers won the toss, and drove down the field before stalling at the Chiefs' 9-yard line. Jake Moody, who had earlier kicked a 55-yard field goal, kicked one from 27 yards out, and the 49ers led, 22-19.

But Mahomes and the Chiefs responded by driving 75 yards in 13 plays, converting 2 3rd downs and a 4th down, to set up 1st and goal on the San Francisco 3-yard line. Mahomes then passed to Mecole Hardman, who took the ball into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Chiefs 25, 49ers 22.

The game lasted for 74 minutes and 57 seconds of game time, just short of 5 full quarters, making it the longest Super Bowl ever, and the 7th-longest NFL postseason game.

Much of the hype around the game revolved around Travis Kelce, the Chiefs' All-Pro tight end, and his girlfriend, the most popular singer in the world at the time, Taylor Swift. There was a rumor going around that the NFL was going to fix the game for the Chiefs so that Swift would get more camera time, with she and the NFL boosting each other's attention grabs.

At one point during that last regular-season drive, the camera focused on one of the luxury boxes, where Swift was sitting with Kelce's family. This prompted me to write online, "This game is a nailbiter. Literally: Taylor Swift was just caught on camera biting her nails."

There were also several TV commercials featuring Kelce, some with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce. They had been on opposite sides of the previous season's Super Bowl, which the Chiefs had won.

The Chiefs had now won 3 titles in 4 appearances in 5 years. It was their 4th title overall, in 6 appearances, plus an AFL Championship before their was a Super Bowl.

Andy Reid joined Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Jimmy Johnson as head coaches who had won 3 Super Bowls. Mahomes joined Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady * as quarterbacks who had done it.

In a note that stung many people in the New York Tri-State Area, Hardman began the season with the New York Jets. He left that dysfunctional franchise, then caught in the whims of aging quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and won a Super Bowl elsewhere.

*

February 11, 2024 was, like all Super Bowl days, a Sunday. Obviously, there were no other football games. Baseball was out of season. Not willing to compete much with the NFL for TV viewers, the NBA scheduled only 2 games. The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat, 110-106 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. And the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Sacramento Kings, 127-113 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points.

The NHL also scheduled only 2 games. The St. Louis Blues beat the Montreal Canadiens, 7-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Washington Capitals, 3-2 at the Capital One Arena in Washington. J.T. Miller scored the winning goal with 5 seconds left in overtime, avoiding a shootout.

And in English soccer, Arsenal crossed London from North to East, and beat West Ham United, 6-0 at the London Stadium.

January 6, 1951: The NBA's Longest Game

Ralph Beard. No, he didn't have one.

January 6, 1951: The longest game in National Basketball Association history is played. You might not recognize the name of either team, though. And the building in which it was played is long gone.

The building was the Edgerton Park Arena, in Edgerton Park, in Rochester, New York. It was built in 1892, had an artificial ice surface installed in 1935, and was home to the Rochester Royals from 1945 to 1955. But, at 4,200 seats, it was too small to be a major league sports facility, and the Royals moved to the Community War Memorial Arena.

The Royals had won the Championship of the National Basketball League in 1946, before joining the Basketball Association of America. The BAA and the NBL merged in 1949, to form the NBA, although the NBA now recognizes the BAA's founding in 1946 as its own founding. Their players included former Seton Hall University All-American Bob Davies and a flashy (for the time) point guard from Brooklyn named William "Red" Holzman.

Their opponents were the Indianapolis Olympians. They were so named because they signed up several members of the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the 1948 Olympics in London. Three of those were still there, men who had led the University of Kentucky to National Championships in 1948 and 1949: Alex Groza (brother of Cleveland Browns lineman and kicker Lou Groza), Ralph Beard and Cliff Barker.

The Royals came into the game a strong 18-11. The Olympians were shuffling along at 16-15. Apparently, those Kentucky Wildcats weren't used to professional competition. But, at least on this night, they adjusted: At the end of the 1st quarter, the Olympians led, 20-10.

The Royals came back, and it was 38-33 Indianapolis at the half. After 3 quarters, it was 57-53 Indianapolis. A strong 4th quarter resulted in the game being tied at the end of regulation, 65-65.

Unlike the NFL and the NHL, the NBA, then as now, had no provision for ties: Teams have always played until somebody won. But this was the era before the shot clock: In overtime, the idea was to get the ball, and stall until you could make a last-second shot; and, if you lost the ball, foul away.

Each team scored only 2 free throws in overtime, so it went to a 2nd overtime. Nobody scored in it, so the game went on. And on. And on. Each team scored only 2 free throws in the 3rd overtime. Nobody scored in the 4th. Each team scored 4 free throws in the 5th overtime. 

And so, for what remains the only time in professional basketball history -- neither the old ABL, nor the 1967-76 American Basketball Association, nor any women's league including the WNBA has had one go that long -- a 6th overtime was needed.

Finally, with 1 second left in that 6th OT, Beard put up a shot, and it went in. The Olympians had won, 75-73.

The game went 78 minutes, and Holzman, who later coached the Knicks to the 1970 and 1973 NBA Championships, played 76 of them. Harvey Frommer, better known as a travel writer but also the author of a few sports books, wrote Holzman's authorized biography, and quoted him as saying that this was 1 of 2 games in the 1950-51 season that led to the creation of the shot clock. The other was a game in which the Fort Wayne Pistons tried to freeze the ball against George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers.

The following season, Groza and Beard were charged with shaving points at Kentucky, and were banned from the NBA for life. Both men went on to work in the ABA, but their NBA bans were never lifted. Nor have they ever been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, as they likely would have if not for the scandal. The Olympians survived until the 1953 season, but, without their big stars, they couldn't draw fans, and folded.

The Royals went on to win the NBA Championship in 1951, beating the Knicks in the Finals in 7 games. In 1955, they moved to the Community War Memorial Arena, which still stands, now known as the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, and home to minor-league hockey's Rochester Americans. 

But Rochester, the 3rd-biggest city in the State of New York behind New York City and Buffalo, was, and remains, too small to host a major league team. In 1957, the Royals moved to Cincinnati. They moved to become the Kansas City Kings in 1972, and again in 1985, becoming the Sacramento Kings.

Since 1951, the longest game in the NBA has been a 5-overtime game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee on November 9, 1989, the day the Berlin Wall came down. The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 155-154.

*

January 6, 1951 was a Saturday. Three other games were played in the NBA that day:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Syracuse Nationals, 87-85 at the old Madison Square Garden. This game only needed 1 overtime.

* The Baltimore Bullets beat the Philadelphia Warriors, 64-57 at the Baltimore Coliseum. No overtimes necessary. The Bullets folded in 1954, and the Warriors moved to San Francisco in 1962, taking the name "Golden State" in 1971. The aforementioned Syracuse Nationals took the Warriors' place in 1963, renaming themselves the Philadelphia 76ers.

* And the Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Washington Capitals, 91-76 at the Uline Arena. No overtimes necessary. The Capitols folded at the end of this season. However, their arena, later renamed the Washington Coliseum, still stands. The Pistons moved to Detroit in 1957.

There were 2 games played in the NHL that day: The New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto; and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-2 at the Montreal Forum.

And Arsenal played Carlisle United at Highbury in North London, in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, and the game ended in a 0-0 draw. That forced a replay at Carlisle, which Arsenal won, 4-1.

Also on this day, Kim Wilson, the leader singer of the rock band The Fabulous Thunderbirds, was born.