The Hall of Fame and super clutch player, Dick Duff alive and hopefully well, recently turned 83 years old.
Duff played on 6 NHL title teams, all with the original two teams from Canada, first playing on two with the Toronto Maple Leafs and then four with the Montreal Canadiens.
Among other great feats in his storied career, Dick Duff scored a true Stanley Cup winning goal, the last goal in the Leafs’ game 6, (2-1) win at defending champion Chicago (Blackhawks, then I believe listed as Black Hawks) on April 22, 1962.
The Leafs motto that years was “Stanley Cup too,” and with 2 goals being enough on the 22nd day of April, they accomplished their goal.
Speaking of two goals, Duff followed his 1962 Cup Final “gamer” with the first two goals of the 1963 Final vs the superb Gord Howe and the Detroit Red Wings.
Incredibly, Duff tallied twice in the first 47 seconds of game 1 in Toronto, a record for the two fastest goals to start an NHL Final game, that still stands.
His 3 consecutive goals over 2 Cup Final series were a big factor in the Maple Leafs winning two Stanley Cups in a row.
Duff was traded during the ’63-’64 season and without him Toronto won a third straight crown. In the 53 completed NHL seasons since, (no NHL season in ’05), Toronto has won just one crown, that in their only Final appearance in those 53 seasons, 1967.
Dick Duff, a member of 6 Stanley Cup winning teams, pictured below.
Today, as is always the case on this date, my thoughts turn to Wilton Norman Chamberlain’s incredible, unprecedented, 100 point game on March 2, 1962.
Also, though I am far from religious, I note today is the day to say the Jewish memorial/mourners prayer (Kaddish), for my father Norman.
Among my links between Wilton Norman and my father Norman, is that Dad was a Boston Celtics’ fan and of course, almost every time, they prevailed vs “my” Wilt teams.
Dad and I did watch Wilt, as playoffs’ MVP, leading the Lakers to the 1972 NBA title, each of us rooting for him and the team.
We had some nice discussions over the years and maybe Dad and Wilt are having one now. Maybe.
Click below for a previous post on Wilt’s 100 point game.
55, 100 And Wilt Chamberlain | Andy B Sports
Time: Mom and Dad faintly pictured above, when they were married nearly 70 years ago.
It is one week shy of 25 years since my father died and nearly 20 years since Wilt passed away.
Regarding Mom, it is a less round, nearly 19 years, since she passed on.
For round, for living, how about 100, as in the incredible 100 points Wilt scored in one NBA game, on the night of March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Last night the Orlando Magic handed the defending, two time, NBA champion Golden State Warriors, a second defeat in as many “Florida nights.”
The night before Dwyane Wade hit a shot lifting the Miami Heat to a win vs Golden State.
“G.S.” now has 19 losses and with one more loss, will officially fail to exceed their projected regular season wins total.
Currently, the Warriors lead the Denver Nuggets by a half game in the race for the best mark in the NBA Western Conference.
The Warriors are still top heavy favorites to win a fourth NBA crown in five seasons, but one can see some obstacles ahead.
The great playing career of Dwyane Wade, pictured above, will end after this NBA season.
I truly fondly recall the pitcher, Gary Peters, whose best years were with the Chicago White Sox.
Peters was part of the White Sox team that stayed in contention until the final week of the great 1967 American League pennant race.
Twice, Peters led the American League in E.R.A. and once in 1964, led the league in victories.
Gary was also a fine hitting pitcher. He was often used as a pinch hitter, once winning a game with a home run in that role.
Among the great actors nominated many times, sans an Academy Award “victory,” is Albet Finney, a classy, superb actor, who passed on this month.
The always (more or less by definition) too short “In Memoriam” segment of the recent Academy Awards, ended with Mr. Finney, a well deserved honor.
I also note the passing of Morgan Woodward at age 93 and in tribute include a past post, involving the excellent character actor, perhaps best known for his role as Marvin “Punk” Anderson on the iconic television show, “Dallas.”
Click below for a post including Morgan Woodward’s fine work.
Joan Van Ark, Morgan Woodward, Gunsmoke and Dallas
Stanley Donen, another great he a director and choreographer, who among other things directed Gene Kelly in “Singin in the Rain,” was neither ever nominated for an Academy Award nor was included in the most recent “In Memoriam”/Academy Awards.
Thus, I feel the above video of Mr. Donen, introduced by Mr. (Martin) Scorsese, receiving an “Honorary” Award is a nice, meaningful tribute to Mr. Donen, whom we lost recently. He was 94 years old.
As stated in last Sunday’s post about the 39 year anniversary of the U.S. Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal, I did have the honor and pleasure to meet many of the players, approximately twenty years after their Olympic triumph.
Among them, I recall Dave Silk, Ken Morrow and goaltender Jim Craig all talking objectively and in proud fashion regarding those Olympic games.
Truly all the players echoed their great pride and the acknowledgement of how great the Soviet team, whom they upset in the semis, was.
I posed the question and their responses particularly about the great player Valeri Kharlamov, who was among the greatest to ever play, were truly heartwarming.
They set forth praise for their opponents, in addition to their great “on ice” achievement.
Those players were a classy, inspiring bunch, who will live on in so many people’s memories for a long time.
Goaltender Jim Craig, pictured below, was brilliant in leading the U.S. Olympic hockey triumph.
There were two big upsets in the major categories at the “apples/oranges,” 2019 Academy Awards.
“Green Book,” a film I truly liked and one of the few I saw, was an upset winner for “best” film, denying the favorite, “Roma,” whose director Alfonso Cuaron “held form” and was the best director winner.
Speaking of “favourites,” (only the preferred U.S. spelling is different), Olivia Colman from the movie, “The Favourite” was the upset winner for best actress, denying heavy favorite, Glenn, who again likely came (insert her surname)— it is Close.
This was the seventh time Ms. Close has been denied, however, first off she was superb in “The Wife” and a la such greats as Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole and Deborah Kerr, to name 3 that never won an Academy Award, the many nominations say so much.,
Meanwhile favorites won in the other major acting categories as Rami Malek won the best actor award for “Bohemian Rhapsody” while supporting “nods” went to Mahershala Ali (“Greenbook”) and Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”).
The magnificent Myrna Loy, pictured above, was never even nominated for an Academy Award.
Today marks the 39 year anniversary of the United States Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal at Lake Placid, New York on February 24, 1980.
The “gold medal” clincher was a Sunday morning start vs Finland and was covered live by ABC-TV (Though ABC-TV was in commercial for a key United States team goal).
Two days earlier, in a game not covered live by ABC, the United States team “semi’d” a truly great Russian team.
I had the pleasure and honor to meet and interview many members of that U.S. team, years later. More on that in an upcoming post.
Ken Morrow, pictured above, was not only a member of the U.S. gold medal winning team, but months later a member of the first of 4 straight New York Islanders’ Stanley Cup title teams. Morrow played on all four of those teams (1980-1983).
Today in a game albeit an exhibition one that I prefer to the endless such battles on the Sunday night package, the world champion Red Sox host the New York Yankees.
136 days have passed since the Boston team held off the Yankees to take their division series three games to one.
The Red Sox went on to win their ninth title, as cited yesterday tied with the Athletics for third and one third the number of Yankees titles (27).
Tomorrow some thoughts on a “hockey anniversary.”
Nine Red Sox titles, an impressive 4 in this century and a (9-4) World Series mark.
The Yankees also with one better than victories in two thirds of their W.S. appearances, an incredible 27 titles with 13 losses in the Fall Classic.
So many greats on both teams over the years. Casey Stengel pictured above managed the Yankees from (1949-1960). Incredibly, in those 12 seasons, the Yankees won 10 American League pennants and 7 World Series, including a record 5 straight from (’49-’53).
The Oakland Athletics franchise is tied with the Boston Red Sox for third place in World Series victories with nine. The Yankees lead with 27, the Cardinals are second with eleven crowns, the last won in 2011.
Five were attained in a pair of great sustained baseball performances by Connie Mack managed teams when the franchise was located in Philadelphia. The next four were won by the Oakland A’s, two under Dick Williams and one apiece managed by Alvin Dark and Tony LaRussa.
Today a redux of the 2008 World Series as the Philadelphia Phillies who won that W.S. in 5 games face the Tampa Rays. Click below to view the Phils’ clinching moment with the great and I mean great, broadcaster, Harry Kalas calling the last out.
Andy B Sports 