October 21, 1985: The Refrigerator Is Unleashed

October 21, 1985: In one of the coldest moves in the history of the NFL, the Chicago Bears unleash a man known as "The Refrigerator."

William Anthony Perry was a 22-year-old native of Aiken, South Carolina, who had been an All-American defensive tackle at nearby Clemson University. According to the 1984 College Football Preview issue of Sports Illustrated, he was 6-foot-2, and preferred to play at a weight of 320 pounds. He was so full of food, his nickname was "The Refrigerator." (Later, one of his Bear teammates would nickname him "Biscuit," because he was "a biscuit short of 400 pounds.")

That same article on Clemson that featured Perry, including him posing in his Number 66 jersey next to a refrigerator, said that, in spite of his weight, he was a good athlete: He could run the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds, not at all a bad time for a defensive lineman at the time; and he could also jump high enough to dunk a basketball.

He was told he would be a legitimate pro prospect if he could drop his weight to 290 pounds. Perhaps more so than ever: The United States Football League was still playing at the time, so he wasn't looking to join 1 of 28 teams, or even 1 of 37 if you counted the Canadian Football League: It was 1 of 55.

The 1 turned out to be the Chicago Bears, who took him in the 1st round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Head coach Mike Ditka, once a Hall of Fame tight end for the team, asked general manager Jerry Vainisi to select him, against the advice of his own assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

When previous head coach Neill Armstrong (no relation to the similarly-named Moonwalker) was fired after the 1981 season, the Bears' defensive players all signed a letter to George Halas, the team's founding owner, asking him to keep Ryan. So when Halas made Ditka his last hire -- "Papa Bear" died in 1983 -- Ryan was the only holdover on the coaching staff. And they never got along.

Not even on Perry: Ryan called him a "wasted draft pick." Ryan refused to include Perry, now wearing Number 72, in the starting lineup of his "46 Defense." Never had an NFL team been so good with such a deep divide within it: It was the offense and Perry standing behind Ditka, and the rest of the defense standing behind Ryan.

But Ditka remembered something. The Bears had gone 10-6 in 1984, winning the NFC Central Division, their 1st 1st-place finish since their 1963 NFL Championship. They beat the Washington Redskins in the Divisional Playoff. But in the NFC Championship Game, not only did the San Francisco 49ers beat them 23-0, but they rubbed it in: Head coach Bill Walsh had guard Guy McIntyre play as a blocking running back.

The teams played each other at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on October 13. The 49ers were 3-2, having stumbled a little, losing by a touchdown to Minnesota and a field goal to New Orleans. The Bears were 5-0. Joe Montana may have been the greatest quarterback who ever lived, but the Bears sacked him 7 times. The Bears won 26-10. Late in the game, Ditka sent Perry in -- as a running back. He even let Perry carry the ball twice, and he rushed for 4 yards. No real effect on the game, but Ditka had sent a message. (This would be the Bears' last win away to the 49ers for 29 years.)

It probably should have ended there: Ditka had made his point to Walsh. But Ditka wanted to make a point to Ryan as well: This guy can play. And the next game, on October 21, on ABC's Monday Night Football, against the Green Bay Packers, the oldest arch-rivalry in the NFL, would have the entire country watching. (Theoretically, the oldest rivalry is between the Bears and the Arizona Cardinals, who played in Chicago from 1920 to 1959, but since the Cards left Chicago, the teams have cared little about each other.)

During what turned out to be a 23-7 victory, the Bears had a 1st and goal on the Packer 1-yard line. Ditka sent out a formation with Perry looking as though he was going to block for the great Walter Payton, already the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Instead, quarterback Jim McMahon handed the ball to Perry, and he broke through the Packer line to get into the end zone.

At 335 pounds, he became the heaviest player ever to score an offensive touchdown in the NFL. That is, there had been heavier defensive players who picked up a fumble and returned it, or recovered a fumble in the end zone. But Perry was the heaviest player who had been sent in for an offensive play to score a touchdown on said play.

The next week, the Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings. Perry played, but did not appear on offense. The next week, on November 3, the Bears went to Lambeau Field for a rematch against the Packers. Perry was sent in for 1st and goal on the Packer 4, and moved out to become an eligible receiver. McMahon threw him the ball, and Perry took it in for a touchdown. It gave the Bears a 7-3 lead in a game they would win 16-10.

Now, the Bears were 9-0, and Perry had become a folk hero. He starred in a commercial for McDonald's, ordering 4 McDLTs, 2 large fries, and a Diet Coke. Yes, a Diet Coke, as if that would have made a difference. The tagline, over Perry's huge smile with one missing front tooth, was, "McDonald's: Where The Refrigerator stocks up."

On November 17, with McMahon injured and Steve Fuller quarterbacking, the Bears went to Texas and beat the Dallas Cowboys 44-0. Perry rushed for 1 yard, but not a touchdown. The next week, they hosted the Atlanta Falcons, and Perry rushed for another 1-yard touchdown.

The 12-0 Bears' bid for an undefeated season was ruined the following week at the Orange Bowl, losing 38-24 to the Miami Dolphins, who in 1972 became the only undefeated Super Bowl Champions to this day. This remains the most-watched game in Monday Night Football history. Perry did not appear on offense.

Timing is everything: That game was played on December 2, the day before the scheduled release of a song and video the Bears, including Perry, Payton and McMahon, had recorded: "The Super Bowl Shuffle." It made the Bears, including "Fridge" (until the video, most people hadn't heard the shortened version of his nickname), bigger stars than any NFL team had ever been.

Their complacency shattered, the Bears went to work, winning their last 3 games to finish 15-1. Perry was not sent in on offense again, but was proving to his critics, including Ryan, that he was a capable defensive lineman. He ended up starting 9 of the 16 regular-season games. He even recovered 2 fumbles and returned them for a total of 66 yards. The Bears beat the New York Giants 21-0 in the Divisional Playoffs, and the Los Angeles Rams 24-0 in the NFC Championship Game.

Super Bowl XX, at the Superdome in New Orleans, should have been the team's crowning achievement. It should have been Payton's crowning achievement, finally playing in the big game after 11 seasons. But he fumbled early in the game, and the New England Patriots shocked the football world by taking a 3-0 lead. Remember: The Bears hadn't allowed so much as a point in their 1st 2 postseason games.

The Bears tied it on a Kevin Butler field goal. Figuring he was going to win the game anyway, Ditka went against his tough-guy "Iron Mike" image, and decided to get cute. At the Patriot 3-yard line, he sent Perry in. McMahon tossed him the ball, and Perry raised his arm for an option pass. NBC announcer Dick Enberg spoke for all of us when he said, "It's Perry, he's gonna throw the ball!"

But, never having done this in an actual game, he hesitated, couldn't find an open receiver, and had to run it himself, and was tackled for a 1-yard loss. The man who had become the biggest name on a defense that included future Hall-of-Famers Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton and Richard Dent, and All-Pros Steve McMichael, Wilber Marshall, Otis Wilson, Dave Duerson and Gary Fencik, had become a sack victim. (UPDATE: McMichael has since been elected to the Hall of Fame.)

But, as with the loss in Miami, the Bears woke up. They punished the Patriots. They humiliated them. (Keep in mind, Bill Belichick was then an assistant coach for the Giants, and Tom Brady was 8 years old. Neither of them could cheat to help the Pats.) It was 37-3 when Ditka sent Perry in again with the ball at the 1. He jumped over the line, and fell into the end zone. Touchdown. 44-3.

The game ended 46-10, and, for the 1st time in 22 seasons, the Chicago Bears were NFL Champions. But, at the end of the game, the resentments in the team began to show. The offensive players picked Ditka up and carried him off the field. They did so quickly, because they saw that the defensive players were running over to do the same for Ryan. And some players were bitter that Ditka chose to give Perry, not Payton, the greatest player in the Bears' proud history, the chance to score the last touchdown.

The average size for a Super Bowl ring is between 10 and 12. Perry got the largest Super Bowl ring ever: A size 25.

Ryan soon quit to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he failed to understand that he had Randall Cunningham, a man known as "the Ultimate Weapon," as his quarterback. He never saw another Super Bowl except on television.

Not having to deal with Ryan should have been the best thing that could have happened to both Ditka and Perry. It wasn't: The Bears were still one of the best teams in the NFL, but never again were the best team.

They lost in the Divisional Playoffs in the 1986 and 1987 seasons, in the NFC Championship Game (at home, to the 49ers) in 1988, missed the Playoffs in 1989, lost in the Divisional Round in 1990, lost in the Wild Card Round in 1991, and missed the Playoffs in 1992, at which point Ditka was fired. He had won 106 regular-season games, 6 Division titles, and 6 postseason games, but only 1 NFC Championship Game and 1 Super Bowl.

The Bears became the NFL equivalent of the New York Mets: All that talent in the 1980s, all those memorable characters, and all that hype, from both local and national media machines, and they ended up only going to their sport's final once, winning just the once. The Mets won their World Series 9 months after the Bears won their Super Bowl (and each beat the team from the Boston market), and didn't learn the right lessons. Not only did both franchises fail to win another title and eventually get broken up, but neither one has ever won another title. The Bears have only been to 1 more Super Bowl, the Mets to only 2 more World Series, all lost.

As for Perry: He started all 16 games in 1986, but was only sent in for 1 rushing play, and lost a yard. In the strike-shortened 1987 season, 15 games, he played 12, started 11. Injuries limited him to 3 games in 1988. In 1989, he played in 13, starting 9. He started all 16 games in 1990, and again in 1991. In 1992, he played in 15, starting 14. But he didn't get the ball again until 1990, again just once, again losing 1 yard. That would be it for the Refrigerator as an offensive player.

In 1993, under new head coach Dave Wannstedt, he was not started in any of the team's 1st 8 games, although he did play in 7 of them. Then he was traded to the Eagles, who, by this point, had fired Ryan in favor of Rich Kotite, another coach who thought he was a lot smarter than he actually was. He started Perry in all 8 remaining games, and in all 16 games the next year.

But Perry's weight became a problem, and he got close to 400 pounds. By this point, there had been other players who were as heavy as he was, but few of them had anywhere near the kind of athleticism he had at 320. Gilbert Brown of the Packers, known as "the Gravedigger," was an exception, a man weighing 377 pounds, but could really move.

Perry was cut by the Eagles after the 1994 season. He made a comeback with the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football in 1996, but it only lasted the 1 season. He fell victim to diabetes, alcoholism (usually a deadly combination) and Guillain–Barré syndrome. By 2014, he was confined to a wheelchair, and living with his brother, Michael Dean Perry, who had become a star for the Cleveland Browns.

Michael Dean was named his brother's conservator, and says that, since 2016, William has been living in an assisted-living facility in their native South Carolina. Michael Dean thinks William may be one of the many NFL players -- including his Bear teammates, quarterback McMahon, and safety Duerson, who eventually committed suicide over it -- suffering from CTE due to head injuries.

William and Michael Dean Perry

Noticeably, when ESPN aired the film The '85 Bears for its documentary series 30 for 30, while he was the subject of some discussion, "The Refrigerator" was not interviewed. McMahon was, and was able to describe his condition with clarity. Ryan was, and, despite having had a stroke and having trouble speaking, and dying just 4 months after the film's 1st airing, did say a few words. But William Perry did not.

In 2015, Dontari Poe, a defensive tackle who wasn't even born yet in 1985, was put in as a running back by the Kansas City Chiefs. He scored a touchdown. At 346 pounds, he broke, and still holds, the record for the heaviest player ever to score an offensive touchdown in the NFL.

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October 21, 1985 was a Monday. So there were no other NFL games played that day (or night). The NBA season wouldn't start for another 4 days. And this was the travel day between Games 2 and 3 of the World Series, which the Kansas City Royals would win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7, 7 days later.

Only 1 NHL game was played, but, like Bears vs. Packers, it was a nasty rivalry. Unlike Bears vs. Packers, it no longer exists. The Quebec Nordiques beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2 at the Montreal Forum. The previous April, in the Playoffs, they had a nasty fight that became known as "The Good Friday Massacre."

October 11, 1972: The Debut of the World Hockey Association

October 11, 1972: Opening night of the World Hockey Association. The 1st game is played at the Edmonton Gardens, and the Alberta Oilers -- they would switch from the Province's name to the City's the next season -- beat the Ottawa Nationals 7-4. Ron Anderson scores the team's 1st goal.

The Quebec Nordiques, trying to get good publicity, named Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice "the Rocket" Richard as head coach, but they lose their 1st game, 2-0 to the Cleveland Crusaders at the Cleveland Arena. Richard immediately quits, saying he wasn't meant to be a coach. Nords management asks him to stay on long enough to hire a replacement. They win their 2nd game, but the Rocket has had enough, and Maurice Filion is hired.

Four WHA teams would be absorbed into the NHL in 1979. The Oilers are the only one of those still playing in their original city. The Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995.

The other 2 debuted the next night. The New England Whalers beat the Philadelphia Blazers, 4-3 at the Boston Garden. They were renamed the Hartford Whalers upon joining the NHL, and became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997, moving first to Greensboro, North Carolina, and then, when their intended arena was ready, to Raleigh in 1999.

And the Winnipeg Jets -- named in tribute not just to Canada's aerospace industry, but also to their star signing, Bobby Hull, "the Golden Jet" -- beat the New York Raiders, 6-4 at Madison Square Garden. The Jets moved in 1996, becoming the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Arizona Coyotes in 2014. In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers moved, becoming the new Winnipeg Jets.

*

October 11, 1972 was a Wednesday. The deciding Game 5 of the National League Championship Series was played at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. I have a separate entry for this event. Also, actress Claudia Black was born.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, defending World Champions, lead the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning. But Johnny Bench hit a home run off Dave Guisti, over the left-field fence to tie the game‚ over the head of the Pirates' legendary right fielder, Roberto Clemente, who had joined the 3,000 Hit Club just 2 weeks earlier.

The Reds collected 2 more singles, and, with Hal McRae at bat, Bob Moose, who had come in to relieve Guisti, threw a wild pitch, and the Reds won, 4-3. This would turn out to be Clemente's last game.

Game 4 of the American League Championship Series was played at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics and Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers battled into extra innings.

The A's scored 2 runs in the top of the 10th, but, in the bottom of the 10th, singles by Dick McAuliffe and Al Kaline, a walk by Gates Brown, and an error by Gene Tenace gave the Tigers a run. Norm Cash walked, and Jim Northrup singled home the tying and winning runs, giving the Tigers a 4-3 win and a tie in the series. But the A's won the Pennant the next day.

Football was in midweek. There were 7 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-3 at Madison Square Garden. Rod Gilbert scored 2 goals.

* The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, arch-rivals, played to a 2-2 tie at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Los Angeles Kings, 7-3 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 4-3 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit.

* The Chicago Black Hawks beat the expansion Atlanta Flames, 4-1 at the Chicago Stadium.

* The Minnesota North Stars beat the California Golden Seals, 5-2 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the St. Louis Blues, 5-2 at the St. Louis Arena.

* And the expansion New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers were not scheduled.

The American Basketball Association began its season the next day. There were 3 NBA games played:

* The Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons, 121-108 at Cobo Hall (now Huntington Place) in Detroit.

* The Seattle SuperSonics beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 105-100 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, 129-94 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.

Also on this day, Australian actress Claudia Black was born. She is known for her roles in the science-fiction TV series Farscape and Stargate SG-1.

May 14, 1995: The End of the Quebec Nordiques

May 14, 1995: The Quebec Nordiques beat the New York Rangers, 4-2 at Le Colisée de Québec, and close their 1st Round Stanley Cup Playoff match to 3 games to 2.

But they will lose Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. And they will be moved in the off-season, to Denver, to become the Colorado Avalanche. So this is the last Nordiques home game. After 23 years, the Nords are gone.

The Nordiques began play with the World Hockey Association in 1972, reached the Finals in 1975, and won the Championship in 1977. They were admitted to the NHL in 1979, reached the Conference Finals in 1982 and 1985, and won regular-season Division titles in 1986 and 1995. Their inter-Provincial rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens occasionally got nasty, and drove up attendance.

But attendance wasn't their only issue. Quebec City was the smallest market in the NHL, and the Colisée, built in 1949, seated only 15,176 people, with none of what would eventually be called luxury boxes. Neither the City nor the Provincial government would build the Nords a new arena, and so, team owner Marcel Aubut sold out to COMSAT Entertainment Group, owner of the NBA's Denver Nuggets, who moved the team to Denver, and renamed it the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avs won the Stanley Cup the very next season. To their credit, the players took the Cup to Quebec City, to properly thank their former fans.

Adam Foote retired after the 2011 season, making him the last active Quebec Noridque.

Although the 18,259-seat Centre Vidéotron opened in 2015, to replace Le Colisée as the home of the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts, Québec City has not yet been considered as the home of a new NHL team, either expansion or moved. The metropolitan area is still considered too small a market.

As of May 14, 2022, Le Colisée de Québec still stands.

UPDATE: In February 2025, it was announced that demolition would soon begin.

The Nordiques never started a team Hall of Fame, but they retired 4 uniform numbers: 3, for 1970s defenseman Jean-Claude Tremblay; 8, for 1970s left wing Marc Tardif; 16, for 1980s left wing Michel Goulet; and 26, for 1980s center Peter Šťastný.

Goulet and Šťastný were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. So was right wing Guy Lafleur, who played 2 seasons for the Nords after a legendary career with the Canadiens; and 1990s centers Mats Sundin, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Sundin went on to star to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Sakic and Forsberg -- and also the last Noridques general manager, Pierre Lacroix -- remained with the team after the move, and became Hall-of-Famers identified with the Avalanche. So did Patrick Roy, a Quebec city native who tended goal for the Canadiens, but did not join the Nords/Avs franchise until after the move to Colorado.

*

May 14, 1995 was a Sunday. Actress Rose Lavelle was born.

Also in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, after 67 years, the last competitive sporting event is held at the Boston Garden. The Boston Bruins lose Game 5 of the 1st Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 3-2, and are eliminated. The last goal is scored by Adam Oates. The team that eliminates the Big Bad Bruins? The New Jersey Devils.

And the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Washington Capitals, 6-5 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Luc Robitaille scored the winning goal, 4:30 into overtime. The Penguins won the series in Game 7.

There were 3 games in the NBA Playoffs:

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic, 106-95 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets, 114-110 at The Summit in Houston. (It's now the Central Campus of televangelist Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.) Kevin Johnson scored 43 points for the Suns.

* And the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 80-71 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Jack McDowell started for the Yankees, Zane Smith for the Sox. The Yanks scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th, but Mike Macfarlane hit a home run off Steve Howe in the bottom of the 9th to win it.

* The New York Mets lost to the Montreal Expos, 3-2 at Shea Stadium. Mark Grudzielanek grounded out to 1st base in the top of the 13th inning, allowing Mike Lansing to score the winning run. Rico Brogna hit a home run for the Mets.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Orel Hershiser outpitched Arthur Rhodes. Cal Ripken went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-3 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Ron Gant hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to win the game.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Florida Marlins, 6-3 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-7 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Andújar Cedeño hit 2 home runs. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-5.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Minnesota Twins, 12-3 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.

* The California Angels beat the Kansas City Royals, 8-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 8-3 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Houston Astros, 5-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Brian Jordan singled Scott Cooper home with the winning run in the top of the 11th inning.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Darren Lewis singled Royce Clayton home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Barry Bonds went 0-for-4, but had an RBI on a groundout.

* And the Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 10-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Alex Rodriguez went 1-for-2 before being pinch-hit for.

This was also the day that Blackburn Rovers won the Premier League title in improbable fashion: But they lose, 2-1, to Liverpool, at Anfield, the former club and former home ground of their current manager, Kenny Dalglish. The crowd believes that the title has been blown.

But soon, word comes that Manchester United, 2-time defending Champions, having only managed a 1-1 draw, away to East London team West Ham United, and that gives Blackburn the title by 1 point. I have a separate entry for this event.

Elsewhere in English soccer, an embarrassing season ends for North London team Arsenal with a 2-1 loss to crosstown opponent Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge in West London. The Gunners finish 12th, and that remains their worst performance since 1976.

April 20, 1984: Hockey's Good Friday Massacre

April 20, 1984: One of hockey's nastiest rivalries turns into an epic brawl. It happened 2 days before Easter, on Good Friday, so it became known as the Good Friday Massacre -- or, since it was in Quebec, it got the French name La Bataille du Vendredi Saint.

The Montreal Canadiens are the only team in the National Hockey League older than the League itself: The team was founded in 1909, the NHL in 1917. In 1924, the Montreal Maroons were founded, and, until the Maroons folded in 1938 (despite winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935), there was a perception in the city that the Maroons were the team of rich, white-collar and Anglophone (English-speaking) Montreal; while the Canadiens were seen as the team of poor, blue-collar Francophones (French-speakers).

This was emphasized by the fact that the Canadiens' corporate name was Le Club de Hockey Canadien. They were often identified as Les Canadiens (pronounced CAN-ah-DIEN), or Les Habitants (OHB-ee-TAHNT), or the Habs. A "Habitant" was an early French settler of Quebec, and it was suggested that the H in the team's "CH" logo stood for "Habitant." It never did, and wasn't even a "CH": It was an "HC," for "Hockey Canadien."

When Maurice Richard, a.k.a. the Rocket, came out of the Noveau-Bordeaux neighborhood on the city's North Side, and became their star in World War II and the postwar era, including the introduction of television to Canada, the perception that he was the best player in the League, and was from Montreal and French, made him the biggest icon that French Canada has ever had -- ahead of longtime Prime Ministers Wilfrid Laurier (1896-1911) and Pierre Trudeau (1968-84, father of current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau).

When opponents -- players, on-ice officials, and NHL President Clarence Campbell, and they all seemed to be Anglophones -- attacked him, either physically or officially, the people of Quebec took it personally, as an attack on them, on their Frenchness, on their otherness. This culminated in the Rocket Richard Riot in 1955.

Time passed, Richard retired, and the era of Quebec nationalism began. The drive to make the Province of Quebec independent of Anglophone Canada has had its ups and downs, and was based not in Montreal, the largest city in the Province (and the 2nd-largest city in the country, behind Toronto), but in the Provincial capital, Quebec City.

In 1972, the World Hockey Association was formed. Rather than compete with the NHL in Montreal, where the Canadiens had won 13 of the last 27 Stanley Cups, the WHA put a team in Quebec City. Despite the fact that "Nordic" suggests Northern Europe, especially Germany and Scandinavia, the team was named the Quebec Nordiques.

Several Canadien stars, including Jean Béliveau and Jacques Plante, had played minor-league hockey at the Colisée de Québec, which became the home of the Nordiques. (To this list would soon be added Guy Lafleur.) So, in the beginning, the Nords took on as many former Habs players as they could, in the hopes of attracting fans and using those players' experience to benefit their younger players. (This never works, as the early New York Mets and the early New Jersey Devils can tell you.) They even made the Rocket their 1st head coach. Richard discovered that he hated coaching, and quit after only 2 games, losing the 1st and winning the 2nd, and never coached another game at any level.

When the NHL absorbed the Nords and 3 other WHA teams in 1979, the Provincial government, led by Premier René Lévesque, was setting up the 1st sovereignty referendum, which failed, 60 percent to 40. But the battle between the all-Francophone Quebec City and the mixed-language, more-commercially-important Montreal got intense.

The Canadiens won the Cup in 1973, and 4 straight from 1976 to 1979. The Nordiques won the WHA title in 1977, and reached the Final in 1975. In 1982, only their 3rd season in the NHL, they beat the Canadiens in the 1st round of the Playoffs, reaching the Conference Finals before losing to the New York Islander dynasty.

Games between the Provincial rivals were rough, both on the ice and in the stands, and it began to resemble hooligan rucks in European soccer. Game 4 of that '82 series, won by the Canadiens, featured a combined 251 penalty minutes, including 159 from a single fight in the 1st period.

They faced each other again in the 1984 Adams Division Final. They split the 1st 2 games in Quebec City, the Nords winning Game 1, 4-2; and the Habs winning Game 2, 4-1. They split the next 2 in Montreal, the Habs winning Game 3, 2-1; and the Nords winning Game 4, 4-3 on an overtime goal by Bob Berglund.

Back in Quebec in Game 5, the Canadiens won, 4-0. So, in order to win the series, the Nordiques had to win Game 6 at the Forum and Game 7 at the Colisée.

Game 6 was played on April 20, Good Friday. A big part of Quebec nationalism had been tied up in the Roman Catholic Church, so strong in French-speaking cultures, but some of this nationalism resisted ties to the Church, just as modern France has embraced the separation of church and state, which is written into the Constitution of Canada.

So calling the event "the Good Friday Massacre" or its French-language equivalent has little to do with religion: While previous French-Canadians saw attacks on themselves, their Province, and the Canadiens, especially coming from the national Parliament in Ottawa or the big businesses and banks of Toronto, as attacks on their Frenchness and their Catholicism, this was more Quebec nationalism vs. Canadian nationalism; Lévesque and his Parti Québécois vs. Trudeau and his Liberal Party; establishment team vs. insurgent team, or team for the establishment vs. team for insurgents.

The game practically began with a fight: Mike McPhee of the Habs and Wilf Paiement of the Nords were called for fighting just 23 seconds into the game. Slovakian star Peter Šťastný scored about 5 minutes later, in the 1st period, to make it 1-0 Nordiques. That goal came on a 5-on-3 power play, after Craig Ludwig had been called for tripping and Jean Hamel for an illegal stick. The Nords were called for 6 penalties in the period, the Habs 5.

There were no goals in the 2nd period, but loads of rough stuff. Ludwig and Šťastný's brother Anton were disciplined for fighting with each other. Then, at the end of the period, with the score still 1-0 Quebec, it all went off. Dale Hunter, one of the dirtiest players in the game's modern era -- his brother Mark was on the Canadiens -- flattened the Canadiens' Guy Carbonneau from behind, and the punches began to fly. 

And they wouldn't stop. This included a fight between goaltenders, which always catches attention. But this one may have been unique in hockey history: It was the backup goalies who fought, Richard Sévigny of Montreal and Clint Malarchuk of Quebec. It wasn't just one big fight, but several individual fights, including another of the dirtiest players of that era, Chris Nilan of the Canadiens, taking on whoever he could grab.

Hamel and the Nords' Louis Sleigher fought. As referee Bruce Hood separated them, Sleigher reached out with a left hook, and sucker-punched Hamel in the eye. Hamel went down like a ton of bricks, unconscious, and never played another regular-season game: He was out for the rest of the Playoffs, and reinjured the eye during the next season's preseason exhibitions, and had to quit.

Hood spent the intermission sorting out the penalties. When the teams came back onto the ice for the 3rd period, longtime Forum public address announcer Claude Mouton began reading the penalties, in French and in English -- in other words, taking twice as long as would be expected. Defenseman Larry Robinson told the media that some of the dismissed players felt they "might as well take some guys with me," and Carbonneau thought, "They had nothing to lose." And so, they started a new round of fighting. This one even included the Hunter brothers fighting each other.

When the players wore themselves out and finally stopped, 11 players were given game misconduct penalties, meaning they were thrown out of the game. For Quebec: Dale Hunter, Peter Šťastný, Wally Weir, Louis Sleigher, Randy Moller and Clint Malarchuk. For Montreal: Chris Nilan, Mark Hunter, Mike McPhee, Mario Tremblay and Richard Sévigny.

A funny thing happened on the way to this game becoming one of the greatest disgraces in hockey history: Not only were there no more penalties in the game, but it turned into a show by the Canadiens. Michel Goulet scored on the power play early in the 3rd period, but it was all Montreal after that. The Habs got 2 goals from Hall-of-Famer Steve Shutt to tie it, and then from Rick Green, John Chabot and Carbonneau, before Paiment got a consolation goal for the Nordiques. Final score: Canadiens 5, Nordiques 3.

The Canadiens advanced to the Prince of Wales Conference Finals, but the remaining players from the 1976-79 dynasty could not overcome the Islanders, who had won their own 4 straight Cups and were undergoing their "Drive For Five." The Habs gave it a good shot, but the Isles won in 6. In the Clarence Campbell Conference Finals, the Edmonton Oilers swept the Minnesota North Stars in 4 straight. And, in a 5-game victory in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers' ended the Islanders' dynasty and began their own.

The Nordiques never reached the Stanley Cup Finals, and for the 1995-96 season, they were moved to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche -- and only then did they trade for Quebec City native Patrick Roy, the great goaltender who had backstopped 2 Canadiens Cup wins, and then win the Cup.

The Habs haven't won the Cup since 1993 (it's called the Curse of Saint Patrick, although Roy is no saint), and Quebec City has a new arena and is actively trying to get an expansion team or a moved team. This rivalry may be reborn in the next few years.

*

April 20, 1984 was, as previously stated, a Friday. The Patrick Division Final had already been decided in the Islanders' favor. Also on this day, in the Norris Division Final, Game 6, the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota North Stars, 4-0 at the St. Louis Arena, but the Stars won Game 7. And in the Smythe Division Final, Game 6, the Calgary Flames beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-4 at the Saddledome in Calgary, on an overtime goal by Lanny McDonald, but the Oilers won Game 7.

There were 3 games played in the NBA that night:

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 116-102 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Kansas City Kings, 109-102 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* And the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns, 122-116 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.

These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers, 4-1 at Yankee Stadium. Ron Guidry outpitched Dave Stewart. Don Mattingly went 3-for-4, and Ken Griffey Sr. had 2 RBIs.

* The New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Steve Carlton started for the Phils, but he was 39 years old, and his start was no longer a sure "Win Day."  Tim Leary, the opposing starter, hit a home run off him.

With 2 outs in the top of the 10th, Phils relief pitcher Al Holland gave up a walk to Jose Oquendo, a single to Keith Hernandez, and an RBI single to George Foster, then, with Darryl Strawberry at bat, balked Hernandez home. 

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-2 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The O's won it in the bottom of the 10th thanks to 2 future Hall-of-Famers: Cal Ripken hit a single, and Eddie Murray hit a home run.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros, 8-7 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

* The California Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-6 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Reggie Jackson went 0-for-6 with 3 strikeouts, but he did also have a walk. Rod Carew went 2-for-4 with an RBI.  The Jays' bullpen collapsed in the top of the 13th, thanks to 3 doubles, a single, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Mel Hall singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Jim Beattie pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 8-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

* And the Montreal Expos were supposed to play the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, but the game was rained out. It was made up as part of a doubleheader the next day. The Expos won both games, 6-3 and 4-0. The 2nd game was shortened to 5 innings by rain. David Palmer of th Expos hadn't allowed a baserunner, but this was not an official perfect game.

February 11, 1983: The Megapolitan Blizzard

Manhattan, February 12, 1983

February 11, 1983: A blizzard hits the Northeastern U.S. It becomes known as the Megapolitan Blizzard.

It was a Friday, and I was in the 8th grade in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Snow began to fall around 11:00 AM, and they let us out around 12:00 Noon. I spent much of the night dipping a yardstick into the backyard to get measurements. By the time I went to bed, it was 22 inches. That would be the most that East Brunswick got between the day-after-Christmas blizzard of 1947 and the big one of January 1996.

New York reported 24 inches, or 2 full feet, in some spots. Philadelphia reported 21. Even southwestern Virginia reported 20. Glen Cary, West Virginia reported the most: 35 inches, or an inch under 3 feet. A total of 46 deaths were attributed to the blizzard.

And yet, by Monday morning, February 14, we were back in school. We only missed a shade over 2 hours. We got gypped. At that age, you think of snow as fun. As you get older, and snow means you lose a day's pay because you don't go to work, you realize that "snow" is a four-letter word.

*

February 11, 1983, as I said, was a Friday. Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA was lucky: They were in their All-Star Break, so they didn't get any games postponed due to the snow. On Sunday, February 13, at The Forum, outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California, the East beat the West, 132-123. Julius Erving, "Dr. J," was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

The NHL wasn't so lucky, as some games were postponed. Only 1 game was played: The Edmonton Oilers beat the Quebec Nordiques, 7-3 at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton. It was 2-1 Nords 8 minutes into the 2nd period. Then Jari Kurri scored his 2nd of the game to tie it. In the 3rd period, the Oilers just unloaded, getting goals from Laurie Boschman, Mark Messier, Ken Linseman, Dave Semenko and Wayne Gretzky.

Also on this day, Dutch soccer star Rafael van der Vaart was born.