November 19, 1983: The New Jersey Devils' "Mickey Mouse Game"

This was the only photograph of the game that I could find.

Every other photo I saw purporting to be of this one

showed the Devils in white and the Oilers in blue,

meaning it would have been at the Meadowlands.

November 19, 1983: The New Jersey Devils go into the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to play the Edmonton Oilers. At the time, the Devils were in only their 2nd season in New Jersey, but their 10th season overall, having previously been the Kansas City Scouts (1974-76) and the Colorado Rockies (1976-82), and still weren't much better than that.

In contrast, the Oilers were the defending Champions of what was then called the NHL's Clarence Campbell Conference (now the Western Conference), and were loaded with future Hall-of-Famers: Center Wayne Gretzky was breaking NHL scoring records, right wing Jari Kurri had become the League's best playmaker, Paul Coffey its best defenseman, Kevin Lowe another of its best defensemen, center Mark Messier its best team leader, right wing Glenn Anderson one of its best two-way players, and Grant Fuhr perhaps its best goaltender.

Within the game's 1st 3 minutes and 7 seconds, 3 shocking things happened: At 59 seconds, Gretzky was sent to the penalty box for hooking, giving the Devils a power play; at 1:43, Dave Cameron opened the scoring for the Devils; and, at 3:07, with the teams at full strength, Jan Ludvig scored, to give the Devils a 2-0 lead.

It was just about all Oilers thereafter: Edmonton won, 13-4. Messier, later to enrage and sadden Devils fans as Captain of the New York Rangers, was injured and didn't play. But Gretzky had 3 goals and 5 assists, Kurri had 5 goals and an assist, Willy Lindström had 3 goals and an assist, Coffey had a goal and an assist, Jim Playfair had a goal and an assist, Lowe had 3 assists, Tom Roulston had 2 assists, Anderson had an assist, even Fuhr had an assist. 

The starting goaltender for the Devils was Ron Low, a former Oiler. After 2 periods, he was pulled, and former New York Islander backup goalie Glenn "Chico" Resch, later a popular broadcaster for the Devils, was put in. It made little difference.

After the game, Gretzky told a reporter for the Edmonton Sun:

How long has it been for them? Three years? Five? Seven? Probably closer to nine. Well, it's about time they got their act together. They're ruining the whole league. They better stop running a Mickey Mouse organization and put somebody on the ice. I feel damn sorry for Ron Low and Chico Resch.

I was about to turn 14. I was not a little kid anymore. I was old enough to be angry at Gretzky with something more than a child's tantrum. I was enraged. This? Coming from a guy who hadn't won a Stanley Cup yet? What right did he have to talk about my team this way?

On the other hand, at that age, I was also aware enough to know that Gretzky had a point: The Devils were horrible. From the start of the season on October 5 until November 26, Thanksgiving weekend, they won 2 games and lost 22. They were playing as poorly as any team in the history of the League. Doing that in your 1st season is understandable. Not in your 2nd season. Especially when it's really your 10th season.

Calling us "a Mickey Mouse operation" (some sources misquoted it as "a Mickey Mouse outfit") was a bit too kind: The Devils were playing like the '62 Mets, without being entertaining in their buffoonery. There was no "Marvelous" Marv Throneberry on this team. No Jimmy Piersall. No Elio Chacón. No Clarence "Choo Choo" Coleman. The '83-'84 Devils were, arguably, worse than the '62 Mets. They weren't "lovable losers," they were just losers.

Things did pick up a little: From November 29, 1983 to March 17, 1984, the Devils went 15-26-7, not quite a respectable pace, but a considerably less embarrassing one. On January 15, the Oilers came to the Meadowlands, and the Jersey fans were out for blood.

Gretzky got the hell booed out of him. Some fans came in Disney World-style Mickey Mouse ear-hats. Some wore T-shirts or sweatshirts with pictures of Mickey Mouse on them. One fan held up a sign showing a Devils player, complete with a devil's horns and tail, roughing up Mickey Mouse wearing a Number 99 Oilers jersey. The Oilers won, but it was only 5-4, and a considerably better game. The Devils were not a "Mickey Mouse operation" on that night.

My thanks to Sports Illustrated for covering this game,

and for printing this picture.

But from March 19 to April 1, they lost their last 8 games of the season. To make matters worse, they still didn't finish with the NHL's worst record: By 2 games, the Pittsburgh Penguins did, and got the 1st pick in the 1984 NHL Draft: Mario Lemieux. The Devils drafted 2nd, taking Kirk Muller: A good player, who scored 357 goals in the NHL, 183 of them for the Devils, and later helped the Montreal Canadiens win a Stanley Cup -- but hardly a legend.

After this, Gretzky led the Oilers to 4 Stanley Cups in 5 years. Then, in 1988, at his request, because he'd married an actress, Janet Jones, the Oilers traded him to the Los Angeles Kings. He never won another Cup. In contrast, the Oilers won another, without him, 2 years later. Since 1988, with Gretzky as a player, a coach and a team owner, the Cup total is Devils 3, Gretzky 0.

*

November 19, 1983 was a Saturday. These 8 other NHL games were played that day:

* Each of the NHL's "Original Six" teams played another of them. The New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins played to a tie, 6-6 at the Boston Garden.

* The Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Black Hawks, played to a tie, 5-5 at the Montreal Forum.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-4 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals, 6-2 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The Hartford Whalers and the Quebec Nordiques played to a tie, 4-4 at the Colisée de Québec.

* The St. Louis Blues and the Pittsburgh Penguins played to a tie, 4-4 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Minnesota North Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets, 8-7 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Brian Bellows scored the winning goal with 2:03 left in overtime.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Calgary Flames, 5-2 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* And the Philadelphia Flyers, the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks were not scheduled.

There were 10 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons, 104-101 in overtime at Madison Square Garden. Bernard King scored 32 points.

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 109-100 at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio. George Gervin scored 32 points.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics, 92-91 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Bullets beat the Utah Jazz, 126-113 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 104-92 at The Omni in Atlanta.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors, 125-105 at The Summit in Houston. (The arena has since been converted into the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, Dr. Joel Osteen's "megachurch.")

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns, 116-107 at the Reunion Arena in Dallas.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers, 110-105 at the Chicago Stadium.

* The Denver Nuggets best the Milwaukee Bucks, 133-126 at the McNichols Arena in Denver. The Nugs got 32 points from Alex English and 30 from Kiki Vandeweghe. In defeat, the Bucks got 43 points from Sidney Moncrief.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 117-110 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.

And there were college football games played, including the following, some of which were rivalry games:

* Number 2 Texas beat Baylor, 24-21 at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

* Rivalry: Number 4 Illinois beat Northwestern, 56-24 at Dyche Stadium (now Ryan Field) in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois.

* Number 6 Southern Methodist University (SMU) beat Arkansas, 17-0 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.

* Rivalry: Number 8 Michigan beat Number 10 Ohio State, 24-21 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

* Rivalry: Number 9 Brigham Young University (BYU) beat Utah, 55-7 at Cougar Stadium (now LaVell Edwards Stadium) in Provo, Utah.

* Rivalry: Number 11 Iowa beat Minnesota, 61-10 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

* Rivalry: Number 13 Clemson beat South Carolina, 22-13 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

* Number 14 West Virginia were upset by Syracuse, 27-16 at the Carrier Dome (now the JMA Wireless Dome) in Syracuse, New York.

* Rivalry: Number 15 Washington were upset by Washington State, 17-15 at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

* Rivalry: Number 17 Pittsburgh were held to a tie by Penn State, 24-24 at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* Rivalry: Number 18 Boston College beat Holy Cross, 47-7 at Sullivan Stadium (later Foxboro Stadium) in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, Massachusetts.

* Rivalry: Number 19 Missouri were upset by Kansas, 37-27 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

* Rivalry: The College of William & Mary beat the University of Richmond, 24-15 at Cary Field in Williamsburg, Virginia.

* Rivalry: Virginia Tech beat Virginia, 48-0 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.

* Rivalry: North Carolina beat Duke, 34-27 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

* Rivalry: Tennessee beat Kentucky, 10-0 at Commonwealth Stadium (now Kroger Field) in Lexington, Kentucky.

* Rivalry: Mississippi (Ole Miss) beat Mississippi State, 24-23 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson.

* Rivalry: Louisiana State (LSU) beat Tulane, 20-7 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

* Rivalry: Miami University beat the University of Cincinnati, 14-10 at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio.

* Rivalry: Western Michigan beat Eastern Michigan, 14-10 at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo.

* Rivalry: Purdue beat Indiana, 31-30 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.

* Rivalry: Wyoming beat Colorado State, 42-17 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming.

* Rivalry: The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) beat the University of Southern California (USC), 27-17 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* Rivalry: Oregon and Oregon State played to a 0-0 tie at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The game was played in a cold, driving rainstorm, resulting in 11 turnovers, 4 missed field goals, and no points. Usually called "the Civil War," this edition of the rivalry became known as "the Toilet Bowl."

* Among the service academies, Air Force beat Notre Dame, 23-22 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana; while Army and Navy were idle, preparing for their game against each other, to be held across the country at the Rose Bowl, outside Los Angeles in Pasadena, California, the 1st time it was being held west of Chicago. Navy won, 42-13.

* And in New Jersey, Rutgers lost to Temple, 24-23 at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway.

Also, in English soccer, Arsenal beat Everton, "the Blue Club in Liverpool," 2-1 at Highbury in North London.

And actor Adam Driver, best known as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII and IX, was born on this day.

October 19, 1957: Maurice Richard Starts the 500 Goals Club

The "e" next to the "500" is a French abbreviation: "le cinq centième."

October 19, 1957: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-1 at the Montreal Forum. Maurice Richard scores on a power play, putting the puck past Glenn Hall at 15:52 of the 1st period. Pandemonium erupts, as the most popular player the Canadiens will ever have has scored the 500th goal of his career.

In 1952, he had surpassed Nels Stewart, with 324, as the all-time leader. He had gone past the 400-goal barrier. Now, he had reached 500.

How far ahead was Richard? At the time, Gordie Howe was 2nd on the all-time list, with 358. In 1960, Richard would retire with 544. In 1963, Howe would pass Richard, and finish with 801. In 1994, Wayne Gretzky would pass Howe, and finish with 894.

In 1999, the NHL established the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, given to the League's annual goalscoring leader. Richard died the next year.

As of October 19, 2022, there are 45 players who have scored at least 500 goals in their careers, a feat made easier by longer schedules, better equipment, and better training. There have been 31 who have topped Richard's 544, 20 who have scored 600, 8 who have scored 700; and Gretzky, Howe and Alexander Ovechkin have topped 800. Ovechkin is easily the leader among players born and trained to play hockey in Europe. The leader among players born and trained in America is Mike Modano, with 561. (UPDATE: In 2023, Steven Stamkos became the 46th member of the 500 Goals Club.)

*

October 19, 1957 was a Saturday. There was 1 other game in the NHL: The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins, 7-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Brian Cullen and Billy Harris both scored hat tricks. The New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings were not scheduled.

Baseball was out of season. The NBA had no games scheduled. The NFL played all its games the next day. These notable college football games were played that day:

* Number 1 Michigan State were upset by Purdue, 20-13 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

* Number 2 Oklahoma beat Kansas, 47-0 at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma. Four weeks later, Oklahoma saw its 47-game winning streak, still an all-time record, end with a loss to Notre Dame. They still won the Big 7 Conference title.

* Number 3 Texas A&M beat Texas Christian, 7-0 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

* Number 4 Minnesota were upset by Illinois, 34-13 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

* Number 5 Duke beat Wake Forest, 34-7 at Duke Stadium (now Wallace Wade Stadium) in Durham, North Carolina. Duke received an invitation to the Orange Bowl, where they were crushed by Oklahoma.

* Number 6 Iowa beat Number 13 Wisconsin, 21-7 at Iowa Stadium (now Kinnick Stadium) in Iowa City.

* Number 7 Oregon State were upset by UCLA, 26-7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* Number 9 Auburn beat Georgia Tech, 3-0 at Grant Field in Atlanta. Auburn won the Southeastern Conference title, but did not play in the Sugar Bowl. They were awarded the National Championship by the AP, the writers' poll.

* Number 10 Arkansas were upset by Texas, 17-10 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

* The night before, Number 11 Mississippi beat Tulane, 50-0 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Although "Ole Miss" did not win the Southeastern Conference title, they were invited to return to Tulane Stadium, where they beat Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

* Number 15 Navy beat Georgia, 27-14 at Thompson Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

* Number 16 Pittsburgh were upset by Number 19 Army, 29-13 at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York.

* Number 18 Rice beat Southern Methodist University (SMU), 27-21 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Rice won the Southwest Conference title, and returned to the Cotton Bowl to play in the game of the same name, but lost to Navy.

* Number 19 Washington State were upset by Oregon, 14-13 at Rogers Field in Pullman, Washington. Oregon went on to win the Pacific Coast Conference title.

* Ohio State were not ranked at the time, but beat Indiana, 56-0 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. They went on to win the Big 10 title, and beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl. They were awarded the National Championship by UPI, the coaches' poll.

* Among New York City teams, Columbia lost to Harvard, 19-6 at Harvard Stadium in Boston.

* And in New Jersey, Rutgers lost to Lehigh, 13-7 at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway; and Princeton lost to Colgate, 12-10 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton.

And in English soccer, Arsenal lost to Birmingham City, 3-1 at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, in North London.

Also, actor Michael O'Leary was born. He played Jimmy, the evangelical Christian ballplayer who ends up marrying Millie the league slut, in the film Bull Durham; and Marty Taylor, brother of series lead Tim, on the sitcom Home Improvement.

May 27, 1993: A Gift for Gretzky

May 27, 1993: Game 6 of the NHL Western Conference Finals, at what was then named the Great Western Forum in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California. The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup, or even been to the Finals, since 1967. The following season, the Los Angeles Kings began play, and have never been to the Finals. Something's got to give.

The Kings had some big names on their roster. They had Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri and Paul Coffey -- and, if you want to count him as a "legend," Marty McSorley -- from the 1980s Edmonton Oilers dynasty. They also had Dave Taylor, the last remaining player from their 1980s "Triple Crown Line" with Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer. They also had Luc Robitaille, Rob Blake, Tomas Sandstrom, Alexei Zhitnik and Darryl Sydor. And a decent goalie, Kelly Hrudey.

The Leafs were no slouches, either. They had their own 1980s Edmonton refugees, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson and Mike Krushelnyski. They also had Doug Gilmour, from the 1989 Calgary Flames Champions. They had Dave Andreychuk, Wendel Clark, Peter Zezel, Mike Foligno, Sylvain Lefebvre, and a good goalie in Felix Potvin (to whom the more accomplished Fuhr was backup).

What's more, the Leafs went into Game 6 with a 3-games-to-2 lead. Win Game 6, and they were in the Finals, and against their ancient rivals, no less: The Montreal Canadiens. The Habs and the Leafs were (and are) the last 2 remaining founding franchises of the NHL from 1917. (The new Ottawa Senators, named for the founding franchise that went bust in 1935, had just played their 1st season.)

Leaf fans from St. John's Newfoundland to Kenora, Ontario were pumped. This was going to be The Year. And it was far from a delusion: Their team was talented enough to deserve to get as far as they already had, 5 wins from the Cup.

There was already bad blood between the Leafs and the Kings. On November 22, 1992, Gilmour had slashed at Sandstrom with his stick, breaking Sandstrom's arm. The injury kept him out for over a month. Gilmour was suspended for 8 days.

Game 6 went to overtime, 4-4. Then, in the 1st minute of overtime, Gretzky, so often hailed as the greatest player of all time (even then), and as a class guy, did something decidedly unclassy: He high-sticked Gilmour in the face, drawing blood from his chin.

According to the rules, this should have meant a game misconduct penalty, meaning Gretzky should have been thrown out of the game; and a 5-minute major penalty (with another player sent to the penalty box in Gretzky's place), meaning the Leafs should have had a 5-minute power play in overtime. Gretzky probably also should have been suspended for a potential Game 7.

But referee Kerry Fraser did not penalize Gretzky. Apparently, 2 "unwritten rules" came into play: Don't call penalties in overtime, and don't call penalties on The Great One.

The Hero

To make matters worse, within a minute of the unpenalized infraction, 1:41 into the overtime, Gretzky scored the winning goal. In Game 7 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the Kings won 5-4, with Gretzky scoring 3 times and assisting on another goal.

He would call that the greatest game he'd ever played -- and it was a game which, due to what he'd done in the previous game, at the very least, he shouldn't even have been in; and, at the most, shouldn't have been played, because his absence and the 5-minute power play that should have resulted should have given the Leafs the win that would have made a Game 7 unnecessary.

It's been 27 years. Leaf fans are still outraged. This was probably their best team since the breakup of their 1960s dynasty (4 Cups in 7 years).

What's more, in a 2016 article for Canadian newspaper The National Post, Fraser admitted he blew the call:

I was uncertain but thought I had it right. I’m sorry. Most people probably know the story, but they know it from the perspective of a single camera in one corner of the Great Western Forum. All I can tell you is my perspective from the ice..

As the Kings set up on the power play, I was down by the far circle, away from the puck. In my brain, this is what I was processing: Gretzky gets the puck. He shoots it, and my eyes go to the net. But Jamie Macoun blocks it. The puck rebounds between Gretzky and Doug Gilmour. When my eyes go back to Gretzky, I see a motion. Gilmour goes down.

Did Gretzky’s stick follow through and catch him? Gilmour’s bent over now. He’s got blood on his chin. And I have no idea what happened. That’s a helpless, helpless feeling.

Under the 1993 rules, if Gretzky high-sticks Gilmour and it draws blood, it’s a five-minute major. He’s gone. It was a huge call to make — a worse one to miss.

Guys from both teams were skating up to me. It didn’t smell right. I should have known when I saw Gretzky skating away. Whenever there was a dispute, Gretz was always at the forefront arguing his side of it. But this time, he kind of slinked away. That was uncharacteristic. That should have tipped me off.

But to be honest, I was attempting to roll back the play in my mind, over and over, looking for some measure of recall that would provide the evidence I needed. 

Fraser consulted with his linesmen. They were unable to tell him that Gretzky had conclusively done anything wrong. As with the rule the NFL would later institute for instant replay, if it's not conclusive that the initial call was wrong, it has to stand. Fraser continued:

I had to make a decision. In referee school, they hammer it into you: Call what you see. Don’t guess. The honest to God truth is, I didn’t see it. I had to eat it. I said, “No penalty.”

The next faceoff, Gretzky stays in the game and scores to win it. He went on to have the game of his career in Game 7, and the Kings went to the Finals.

At the time, I had no idea the call would follow me for the rest of my life. There weren’t all the slow-motion cameras like they have today. It wasn’t until the next day that I saw another angle of the play on television. You could clearly see Gretzky high-sticking Gilmour. It was missed. Period.

It was agony for Leafs fans. I understand the passion, the emotion and the frustration that Leafs fans have endured. They felt it was their time. When people come up to me and ask about it now, I just try to have a conversation with them. If I had one opportunity to turn back the hands of time for a “do-over,” it would be to catch that high-stick. I’m sure I’m not alone in that department.

Would it make Leaf fans angrier if he still denied it? Maybe. But it makes them feel justified in their anger to hear Fraser admit it.

The Leafs would return to the Conference Finals the next year, and again in 1999, but lost both. They still haven't made the Finals since 1967.

The Kings took a 1-0 lead over the Canadiens in the finals, and were leading in Game 2. This time, they got caught cheating: McSorley was cited for having too big a curve on his stick, and the Canadiens tied the game, and then won it in overtime, and made it 4 straight wins for the Cup. They haven't won it since, either. The Kings would finally win their 1st Cup in 2012, and a 2nd in 2014. But the 1988 Cup with Edmonton remained Gretzky's last.

Barry Melrose was the Kings' coach then. He has since built a career as an ESPN hockey pundit. He points out that the Leafs' huge fan base, encompassing so much of Canada (including some places that have NHL teams, but didn't before the expansions of the 1970s):

Of course, it gets more attention because it's Toronto... The minute I get on a plane, someone will say, "Barry, high stick, what do you think?" And I'll go, "Toronto, right?" And he'll go, "Yeah, yeah, Toronto." It's funny to figure that out. I never hear an L.A. guy ask me that question...

I'm a big believer in the harder you work, the luckier you get. And I really feel like we were the hardest-working club in that series. We deserved everything we got.

Fraser admitted he blew the call. But was he really the sole, or the biggest, reason the Leafs lost that series? No. The linesmen missed the call, too. Had one of them said, "Absolutely, Gretzky cut Gilmour with a high stick. It might not have been intentionally malicious, but he did it," Fraser would have had the justification he needed to send Gretzky off. He never got it until he saw the replay the next day, when it was too late.

Which brings us to the fact that, at the time, the NHL only used instant replay to check whether a goal had been properly scored. It wouldn't be until the 2015-16 season that coaches could challenge other plays. Had that rule been in place in 1993, it would have been obvious, Gretzky would have been sent off, and the Leafs would have had a golden opportunity to finish the Kings off, and the next game in Toronto would have been Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. (Not Game 1: The Canadiens had the better record, and thus would have had home-ice advantage.)

Fraser was one of the NHL's most respected officials. He had been calling games since 1973, and as a full referee since 1980. He was so respected by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that, after this incident, he was still hired to officiate at the 1996 World Cup and the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2005, NHL players -- the players, mind you -- voted him the League's most consistent referee.

He retired in 2010, having officiated at the NHL Winter Classic, and still holds the NHL records for most regular-season and most Playoff games officiated.

Did he make a mistake in that 1993 game? Yes, and he admitted it. Was it indicative of a pattern of favoritism toward Gretzky, or toward the Kings? Far from it.

Then there were the goaltenders. In the 7 games, Felix Potvin of the Leafs allowed 22 goals, or 3.14 per game. Kelly Hrudey of the Kings allowed 23, or 3.28 per game. Sounds like the Leafs had the better goalie, right? Not so fast. Games 2, 5, 6 and 7 were all 1-goal games, and the Leafs only won 1 of the 4. And when the Leafs needed Potvin to help them win Game 6, and then Game 7, he allowed 5 goals each time.

And remember that "golden opportunity" I mentioned? Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, the door isn't fully opened. Suppose Gretzky had been sent off, and the Leafs had gotten a 5-minute power play. Does that mean they would have gotten the goal they needed to win the game? Not necessarily. Paul Coffey was a Hall of Fame defenseman. So was Rob Blake. Darryl Sydor probably should be in the Hall.

And the Kings could have won the game anyway. After all, they had other good attacking players besides Gretzky. And they were at home.

Of course, home-ice advantage is no guarantee, either. Which brings us to the fact that there was a Game 7, in Toronto. The Leafs had home-ice advantage, in front of their fans, who were out for blood. There was no way they should have lost that game. But they did. They fell behind 3-0, and tied it 3-3, before losing 5-4.

They became the hockey equivalent of the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals: Instead of saying, "The hell with what happened in Game 6, let's beat these guys in Game 7," they let the mistake stick in their heads, and fell totally flat. And unlike the '85 Cards, they had the home comforts and home crowd behind them. (The NHL and the NBA go 2-2-1-1-1, while MLB goes 2-3-2, so if a World Series or an LCS goes the full 7, the same team hosts Games 6 and 7.)

If you blow Game 7 on home ice, you're (Atrocious Pun Alert) on thin ice to claim you got screwed out of a deserved victory in that round.

Furthermore, the Kings were better. They won Games 2 and 7 in Toronto. And they were 1 minute and 14 seconds away from going to home ice up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals, before McSorley got caught cheating. True, it's possible he was cheating the whole way, and maybe other Kings were as well. But we don't know that.

We do know that the Kings had more talent -- and still might have even without Gretzky. If they had won Game 6 without him, they might have won Game 7 without him, too.

Fraser pleaded guilty to making a mistake. But he certainly didn't singlehandedly cost the Leafs the series.

In 2017, the NHL named its 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players. For the Kings, Gretzky, Kurri, Coffey and Robitaille were named to it; for the Leafs, Sundin was named.

*

May 27, 1993 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. Mike Devereaux singled home Brady Anderson with the winning run in the top of the 10th inning. Cal Ripken Jr. went 0-for-4. Don Mattingly did not play, with Jim Leyritz playing 1st base.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-3 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Florida Marlins, 13-8 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-4 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-4 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. George Brett, in his final season, went 0-for-4.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Yes, both Chicago teams were at home on the same day. Barry Bonds only appeared as a pinch-hitter, and struck out.

* The Houston Astros beat the Colorado Rockies, 8-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. Doug Drabek pitched a 7-hit shutout.

* And the California Angels beat the Seattle Mariners, 5-0 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Scott Sanderson pitched a 5-hit shutout. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4.

May 19, 1984: The Islander Dynasty Ends, the Oiler Dynasty Begins

May 19, 1984: The Edmonton Oilers win their 1st Stanley Cup. They beat the New York Islanders, 5-2 at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Wayne Gretzky, the biggest star in the game at the time, already with several scoring records under his belt, scores 2 goals.

The Islanders, winners of the last 4 Stanley Cups, had swept the Oilers in 4 straight the season before. This time, in their "Drive for Five," an attempt to match the 1956-60 Montreal Canadiens for the most consecutive Cups, they won Game 2, 6-1. But the Oilers won the other games: 1-0, 7-2, 7-2 and 5-2.

It was the 1st Cup won by a team west of Chicago since the 1925 Victoria Cougars. Centers Gretzky and Mark Messier, right wings Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson, defensemen Paul Coffey and Kevin Lowe, goaltender Grant Fuhr, and head coach and general manager Glen Sather would all be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Northlands Coliseum

Defenseman Lee Fogolin Jr., who was also with the Oilers to win the Cup the next year, was the son of Lee Fogolin Sr., a defenseman who was a member of the Detroit Red Wings when they won the Cup in 1950.

This began a string of 5 Cups in a span of 7 years for the Oilers. They won the Cup again in 1985, beating the Philadelphia Flyers; missed the Finals in 1986; and beat the Flyers in the Finals again in 1987. Coffey was traded, but they won again in 1988, beating the Boston Bruins in the Finals. Gretzky engineered his trade to the Los Angeles Kings, and Andy Moog replaced Fuhr as the starting goalie. They missed the Finals in 1989, and won the Cup again in 1990, again over the Bruins, with Sather still the general manager, but he had hired John Muckler to succeed him as head coach.

It was a great time for hockey in Alberta: In 1986 and 1989, the years in that stretch that the Oilers did not win the NHL Clarence Campbell Conference (forerunner of the Western Conference), the Conference was won by the Calgary Flames, their Provincial arch-rivals. The Flames lost the Finals to the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, then beat the Canadiens in 1989.

The Oilers would not reach the Finals again until 2006, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes. Through the 2021-22 season, they have not won the Cup since 1990.

UPDATE: Led by Connor McDavid, the Oilers won the Western Conference title in 2024 and 2025, but lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers both times.

On September 7, 2022, the Oilers announced the establishment of their own club Hall of Fame. From their WHA years, they have honored defenseman Al Hamilton, retiring his Number 3.

From their 1980s dynasty, they have honored defenseman Kevin Lowe, retiring Number 4; defenseman Paul Coffey, retiring Number 7; right wing Glenn Anderson, retiring Number 9; center Mark Messier, retiring Number 11; right wing Jari Kurri, retiring Number 17; goaltender Grant Fuhr, retiring Number 31; and, of course, center Wayne Gretzky, retiring Number 99.

They also honored defenseman Lee Fogolin, though not retiring his Number 2; center Craig MacTavish, though not retiring his Number 14; defenseman Randy Gregg, though not retiring his Number 21; defenseman Charlie Huddy, though not retiring his Number 22; head coach Glen Sather, although they have not retired the Number 6 he wore as a player for them in their WHA years; and broadcaster Rod Phillips, with a banner bearing the number of games he announced for them: 3,542.

From the 1990s, they have honored center Doug Weight, though they have not retired his Number 39. From their 2006 Stanley Cup Finalists, they have honored left wing Ryan Smyth, though they have not retired either of the numbers he wore, 10 and 94.

In 1998, The Hockey News released their list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. Gretzky was ranked 1st, Messier 12th, Coffey 29th, Kurri 50th, and Fuhr 70th. In 2017, each of those was named to the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players.

*

May 19, 1984 was a Saturday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the California Angels, 4-0 at Yankee Stadium. Geoff Zahn allowed 9 hits, but completed the shutout, outpitching Phil Niekro. Dave Winfield got 1 of those 9 hits. Don Mattingly did not. For the Angels, Reggie Jackson went 0-for-3 with a walk, and Rod Carew did not play.

* The New York Mets lost to the San Diego Padres, 8-3 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. The Mets led 3-0 going into the bottom of the 6th, and blew it. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-5 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Dave Henderson hit a home run in the top of the 10th inning. Unlike the one he would hit in Shea Stadium 2 1/2 years later, this one didn't just look like it would win the game, it actually did. For the O's, Eddie Murray went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs, while Cal Ripken went 1-for-5.

* The Atlanta Braves were leading the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, when the game was stopped due to rain in the 7th inning. It was not resumed, and the Braves were the winners.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox, 1-0 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Tom Seaver went the distance, but lost. In contrast, it took 4 Jays pitchers to pitch a 3-hit shutout -- in the 1st Reagan term. Jim Gott went the 1st 6 2/3rds, Roy Lee Jackson got the last out in the 7th and the 1st 2 in the 8th, Bryan Clark got the last out in the 8th, and Dennis Lamp pitched the 9th. The only run came from a Dave Collins RBI single in the 3rd.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 5-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4 with a walk.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Jaime Cocanower pitched 7 innings of 1-hit shutout ball, while Rollie Fingers allowed 2 hits over the last 2. Robin Yount went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Paul Molitor did not play.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-0 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers, 6-2 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) in Kansas City. George Brett went 1-for-4.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos, 5-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Pete Rose, in his brief tenure with the Expos, went 1-for-4.

* And the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.

This was the 2nd of the 3 seasons of the United States Football League (USFL), and 3 games were played in it that day:

* The Philadelphia Stars beat the Jacksonville Bulls, 45-12 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Arizona Wranglers beat the Denver Gold, 41-6 at Sun Devil Stadium (now Mountain America Stadium) in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, Arizona.

* And the Oakland Invaders beat the Memphis Showboats, 29-14 at the Oakland Coliseum.

There was 1 game in the NBA Playoffs. The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 109-100 at the Milwaukee Exposition & Convention Center Arena, a.k.a. The MECCA. This gave the Celtics a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. They won the series in 5 games, and then beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the title.

And in English soccer, the FA Cup Final was held, at the old Wembley Stadium in West London. Everton FC, of Liverpool, beat Watford FC, of Hertfordshire in the London suburbs, 2-0.

March 23, 1994: Wayne Gretzky Becomes the NHL's All-Time Goals Leader

March 23, 1994: Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings scores the 802nd goal of his NHL career, surpassing the record of 801 by Gordie Howe.

The milestone occurred at 14:47 of the 2nd period, on a power play. The goaltender who gave up the goal was Kirk McLean of the Vancouver Canucks. Nevertheless, the Canucks won the game, 6-3 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

Gretzky set the single-season record in 1982, with 92 goals. He also had seasons of 87, 73 and 71. Howe never reached 50 goals in a season, topping out at 49 in 1953.

He would finish his career with 894 goals. What's more, he had 1,963 career assists, for a total of 2,857 points. To put that in perspective: Through the end of the 2020-21 season, Gretzky had more assists in his career than any other player has had points. (Jaromir Jágr had 766 goals and 1,155 assists, for 1,921 points.)

Counting playing in the World Hockey Association, Gretzky never caught Howe, scoring 940 to Howe's 975. But that's in the regular season. Counting both leagues, and their respective Playoffs (not now, Jim Mora Sr.), Gretzky had 1,072 goals, Howe 1,071.

It's also worth remembering that Gretzky played 82-game seasons with 4 rounds of Playoffs, while for most of Howe's career, it was 70 games and 2 rounds. "The Great One" was not the greatest player in hockey history: "Mr. Hockey" was.

In a 2016 episode of the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History, Zach Sherwin played Gretzky, against competitive skateboarder Tony Hawk, played by "Nice" Peter Shukoff.

UPDATE: In 2025, Alexander Ovechkin surpassed Gretzky, finishing the season with 897 goals.

*

March 23, 1994 was a Wednesday. This was also the day that Luis Donaldo Colosio, running for President of Mexico, was assassinated. And it was also the day of the Green Ramp Disaster at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. I have separate entries for those events.

There were 5 other games in the NHL that night:

* The New York Rangers, who turned out to be Gretzky's last team, beat his 1st NHL team, the Edmonton Oilers, 5-3 at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers played to a tie, 1-1 at the Miami Arena.

* The Ottawa Senators beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-4 at the Ottawa Civic Centre (now the TD Place Arena).

* The St. Louis Blues, for whom Gretzky played 18 games in 1996, beat the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* And the Winnipeg Jets beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 at the Winnipeg Arena.

Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. There were 6 games in the NBA:

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 99-87 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Charlotte Hornets, 100-92 at The Omni in Atlanta. Kevin Willis scored 32 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Despite their proximity, Atlanta and Charlotte have never become an NBA rivalry.

* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 112-109 at the Reunion Arena in Dallas. Doug Smith led all scorers on the night with 36 points.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 111-107 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 78-77 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

* And the Orlando Magic beat the Utah Jazz, 98-93 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

February 16, 2005: The NHL Season Is Canceled

February 16, 2005: National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman cancels the 2004-05 season. In so doing, he becomes the 1st boss of any of North America's "Big Four" major sports leagues to cancel an entire season.

Previously:

* 1972: Major League Baseball players went on strike. It was quickly settled, but each team had its 1st few games of the regular season canceled, between 6 and 9.

* 1973: MLB team owners locked the players out, prior to the start of Spring Training. It was quickly settled, and no games were lost, not even Spring Training exhibition games.

* 1974: National Football League players went on strike. The team owners used all-rookie teams as replacement players, and then settle the strike. No regular-season games were lost.

* 1976: MLB team owners locked the players out during Spring Training. It was settled, and no regular-season games were lost.

* 1980: MLB players went on strike. The last week of Spring Training was canceled, but the strike was quickly settled, and no regular-season games were lost.

* 1981: MLB players went on strike in mid-season. It took 2 months to settle it, and each team lost between 51 and 59 regular-season games.

* 1982: NFL players went on strike. This time, 7 regular-season games were canceled before it was settled.

* 1985: MLB players went on strike in mid-season. The strike was settled in 3 days, and all but 2 of the postponed games were made up.

* 1987: NFL players went on strike. One regular-season game was canceled, and then the team owners used replacement players, or "scabs," for 2 weeks. The fans hated it, and the strike was settled.

* 1990: MLB team owners locked the players out in Spring Training. It was soon settled, and the regular season got pushed back a week, but all games were played.

* 1992: The NHL owners began their 1st lockout, late in the regular season, which ended up canceling 30 games, but was resolved in time to have a full Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* 1994: MLB players went on strike, and Commissioner Bud Selig ended up canceling the last 1/3rd of the regular season and the entire postseason. It was settled the following April, resulting in a delay of both Spring Training and the regular season, and the cancellation of the 1st 18 regular-season games.

* 1995: Another NHL lockout, before the start of the season, not resolved until the New Year, shortening the 82-game season to 44 games.

* 1995: National Basketball Association team owners locked out the players. It was settled before any regular-season games could be postponed.

* 1996: There was another NBA lockout, but it lasted only 2 hours. The regular season was not seriously threatened.

* 1998: There was another NBA lockout. This one lasted into the New Year, and turned the usual 82-game season into a 50-game season.

None of these was as damaging as baseball's Strike of '94, which canceled the postseason. But the 2004-05 NHL lockout was worse: It ended up canceling the entire season, something that had never happened in North American sports, and (through the end of the 2021 NFL season) hasn't happened since.

Why did it happen? The team owners wanted a salary cap, and the NHL Players Association didn't. Their alternative was revenue sharing. The owners held firm: They would rather lose all the revenue of an entire season than give up on the salary cap.

Those owners included Wayne Gretzky, who from 2000 to 2009 was a 10 percent owner of the team then known as the Phoenix Coyotes; and Mario Lemieux, who, due to his contract making him the Pittsburgh Penguins' biggest creditor, was made that team's majority owner upon their bankruptcy declaration in 1999. Since Lemieux was now a team owner, he had to resign as a member of the NHLPA, due to the conflict of interest.

To their credit, neither Gretzky nor Lemieux -- often considered 2 of the 5 greatest players who have ever played -- tried to settle the lockout peacefully, without looking like they were betraying the players. Gretzky didn't have his team's vote in the ownership meetings. Lemieux had his, and was willing to accept the salary cap, if it was structured like the one the NFL had adopted. In the end, though, both men gave in to the other owners.

As of February 16, 2022, Lemieux remains the Pens' majority owner. And, as far as I'm concerned, both men have a cloud over them. 

The players did not lose much in the short term: Most of them went to play in the various European leagues: Russia, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, France.

But there would be no 2004-05 NHL season, and no 2005 Stanley Cup. For that season, where the stamping of the names of the players on the winners would go, the Cup is stamped with the words "SEASON NOT PLAYED." Not that it mattered for the NHL's 6 Canadian teams: Had one of them gotten close to the Cup in 2005, Bettman would have found a way to cheat them out of that, too.

The lockout was settled on July 22, 2005, allowing the 2005-06 season, both pre- and regular, to begin on time. In the end, both ideas went into effect: The players caved and allowed the salary cap, and the owners, knowing they'd won, accepted the revenue sharing.

Bettman thus cemented himself as the worst Commissioner in sports history. True, in 1994, Bud Selig canceled a postseason, 1/3rd of a regular season, 1/9th of another, a Spring Training, and screwed up an All-Star Game that was played in the ballpark he himself got built. But he didn't cancel an entire season. Bettman did.

There has since been another lockout, with the 2005 CBA having run out, resulting in a new negotiation that delayed the opening of the 2012-13 regular season until January 13, and the season shortened to 48 games.

*

February 16, 2005 was a Wednesday. Obviously, there were no NHL games. And baseball and football were both out of season. But there were 11 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-90 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Sacramento Kings, 96-85 at the Brendan Byrne Arena.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 90-88 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 93-75 at the Wachovia Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The Charlotte Bobcats beat the Denver Nuggets, 94-88 at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena (now the Spectrum Center) in Charlotte.

* The San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets, 101-78 at the New Orleans Arena (now the Smoothie King Center).

* The Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-95 at the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors, 121-115 at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks, 111-89 at the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 95-87 at the Conseco Fieldhouse (now the Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis. Reggie Miller led all scorers on the day with 36 points.

* And the Golden State Warriors beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 117-110 at the KeyArena in Seattle.

February 6, 2000: Wayne Gretzky's Number 99 Is Retired for All NHL Teams

February 6, 2000: The National Hockey League hosts its 50th All-Star Game in the same city in which it hosted its 1st, its historic home and the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame: Toronto, at the Air Canada Centre (now named the Scotiabank Arena).

The game's commemorative logo

Wayne Gretzky, the League's all-time leading scorer, and widely (but not universally) regarded as the greatest player in the sport's history, had retired at the end of the previous season. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had announced that he would retire Gretzky's uniform Number 99, for the entire League. This followed Major League Baseball doing it for the Number 42 for its 1st modern black player, Jackie Robinson, in 1997.

A banner with his name and number, in the colors of his foremost team, the Edmonton Oilers, blue and orange, but also containing the names and logos of all current NHL teams, was raised to the rafters. Following this, he performed a ceremonial puck drop between Paul Kariya of the Anaheim Ducks, captaining Team North America, and Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins, captaining Team World.

Gretzky reached the World Hockey Association with the Indianapolis Racers in 1978, only 18 years old. But they went out of business after he'd only been with them for 8 games. He was picked up by the Edmonton Oilers, and won 4 Stanley Cups with them, before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988. In 1996, at the end of his contract, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues, playing 18 games for them. He then signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent, playing 3 seasons before retiring.

Prior to Gretzky's last game, at Madison Square Garden on April 18, 1999, the Rangers retired Number 99 for him. The Oilers followed on October 1, 1999, before this All-Star Game. The Kings did not hold a number retirement ceremony for him until October 9, 2002. Every other team, including the Blues, has simply accepted that Number 99 is retired, without having a ceremony honoring him.

As for the game itself: Scotty Bowman, then head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, and with 8 Stanley Cups to his name (and a record-breaking 9th to come), coached Team World; while Pat Quinn, head coach of the host Toronto Maple Leafs, who never won a Cup but got to the Finals with the 1980 Philadelphia Flyers and the 1994 Vancouver Canucks, coached Team North America.

Team World led 5-4 after 2 periods, then broke out in the 3rd, and won, 9-4. Pavel Bure of the Florida Panthers was named the game's Most Valuable Player, with 3 goals and an assist. His brother, Valeri Bure of the Calgary Flames, husband of Full House actress Candace Cameron, assisted on one of Pavel's goals. Pavol Demitra of the St. Louis Blues scored 2 goals, and Jagr added 1. For Team North America, goals were scored by Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche, Jeremy Roenick of the Phoenix Coyotes, Tony Amonte of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Ray Whitney of the Panthers.

UPDATE: Upon the death of Bill Russell in 2022, the NBA announced that his Number 6 would be retired for all teams. So now, MLB, the NBA and the NHL have each honored one player in this fashion. The NFL is unlikely to follow.

*

February 6, 2000 was a Sunday. This being the All-Star Break, there were no NHL games scheduled. Baseball was out of season. The NFL season ended a week earlier, when the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans, 23-16, in Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

There were 9 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat, 94-80 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Golden State Warriors, 110-90 at the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Boston Celtics, 100-94 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings, 119-108 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia. Allen Iverson scored 50 points. Back when the Wells Fargo Center was using that name, Philly fans -- especially when the Flyers were playing -- liked to call the arena "The F.U. Center."

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Houston Rockets, 109-105 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Grant Hill scored 36 points.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 105-93 at the AmericaWest Arena (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix.

* The Utah Jazz beat the San Antonio Spurs, 93-90 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 100-90 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

* And the Dallas Mavericks beat the Vancouver Grizzlies, 103-99 at General Motors Place (now the Rogers Arena) in Vancouver. Shareef Abduar-Rahim had 36 points and 22 rebounds in defeat for the Grizzlies, who moved to Memphis after the 2000-01 season.