The following from a post I saw on the internet regarding Blackhawks/Blues playoffs history: “1973 Quarterfinals (Hawks Win 4-1)
The Chicago Blackhawks took it to the St. Louis Blues early and often in 1973. They won the first three games of the series 7-1, 1-0, and 5-2, and after a Game #4 win by the Blues the Chicago Blackhawks finished off the series with a 6-1 victory. Tony Esposito picked the shut out in Game #3, and the Hawks headed to the Stanley Cup Final that year after beating the Blues and then the New York Rangers before losing to the Montreal Canadiens in 7 games.”
This was and is on the internet, an otherwise informative piece on Blackhawks/Blues playoffs history but Montreal defeated Chicago (Blackhawks) in six games NOT 7 as stated above.
Also today ESPN.com reported the Royals had lost 4 games in which they had the lead. That is hard to do considering the Royals’ record is (5-2).
They also were redundant in first stating all 5 games of last year’s Rangers vs Penguins series were decided by one goal adding “including all four won by the Rangers.”
The teams won Stanley Cup titles 50 years apart, the Detroit Red Wings in 1954 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.
This is the second straight season they are meeting in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Last season each team won two road games in the series but the Lightning won at home in game 7 and eventually advance to the finals, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games.
This time I say the Red Wings in 6, the teams each winning on the other team’s home ice once in the first four games. Detroit then wins the next two games.
What a great time a group of four, including me, had at the taping of the Rachael Ray Show a few weeks back.
The show airs today, check your local listings.
Rachael as always was full of energy, this despite it being her third taping of the day. There were a couple of cooking segments and a really nice mother/daughter fashion segment.
Also there was a very informative part of a series on cooking’s derivation that included of course, fire and all that entails.
I look forward to watching at 10 a.m. Eastern time in New York on WABC television.
I know the story of Jackie Robinson is about so much more than his baseball accomplishments.
In fact, Robinson was a star in so many sports. Once in talking about Jim Brown, broadcaster Marty Glickman called him the second greatest athlete he ever saw. I retorted who’s first Samson as in the Bible and Marty said Jackie Robinson.
I hope in the second installment of Ken Burns’ special on and called “Jackie Robinson,” (tonight at 9 Eastern Time), his exploits on the final day of the 1951 regular season are cited.
Robinson with his Brooklyn Dodgers team facing elimination made a great catch on what would have been a game winning hit by Ed Waitkus. Then he homered in the top of the 14th to put the Dodgers ahead to stay.
Unlike Samson pictured above with the beautiful but harmful Delilah, Jackie and Rachael Robinson stuck together helping so much.
In the 1945 World Series, the last one in which the Chicago Cubs appeared, Detroit (Tigers) took them out of game 7, scoring early and often.
Cubs starter, Hank Borowy faced only three batters, retiring none.
Tigers’ catcher, Paul Richards delivered a three run extra base hit.
39 years later, with similar credentials to Borowy, Cubs’ starter, Rick Sutcliffe also failed in the decisive 5th game of the 1984 NLCS.
If the Cubs had won that game, they would have faced the Tigers in the World Series.
There are two NHL first round rematches from last season. One is the again higher ranked, Tampa Bay Lightning vs the Detroit Red Wings.
Last year the Lightning made it to the NHL finals for the second time in franchise history, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. It was the third title in six seasons for the Blackhawks after a 49 year title drought. The Lightning won in their other finals appearance beating the Calgary Flames in 7 games, to capture the 2004 Stanley Cup.
The Red Wings are in the playoffs for a current North American major sports league high 25th consecutive season. In that span, thus far, they won 4 Stanley Cup crowns, the first in 1997, which ended a 42 year title drought.
On the long NBA regular season’s final night this Wednesday, I will be far more focused on three NHL opening round playoff games, but also the Golden State Warriors will be seeking an NBA record 73rd win.
They will be heavy favorites vs the Memphis Grizzlies to notch that win and break the current league record they currently share with the Chicago Bulls, a mark set 20 years ago.
Last night the Warriors won in San Antonio vs the Spurs, as 5 plus point underdogs to set up this chance.It was the first home loss for the Spurs.
Both NHL conferences, the Eastern and Western, will have five teams from one division and the minimum three from the other, participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which begin on Wednesday night.
In the West, five teams from the Central Division qualified while just three from the Pacific Division did so.
Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, five Metropolitan Division teams qualified and just three Atlantic Division teams made the 16 team field
The top seeds are the Washington Capitals in the East and overall while the Dallas Stars are the Western Conference top seed.
Only one team is undefeated after the first week of baseball while two teams failed to notch a win in the early going.
The Baltimore Orioles with 5 wins are the undefeated team while the Atlanta Braves (0-5) and the Minnesota Twins (0-6) have yet to win.
These three teams were involved in the first League Champion Series in 1969 along with the 100 win New York Mets, who won it all.
As is the case with the season thus far, both the Braves and Twins failed to win a League Championship Series game in 1969, getting swept in 3 straight games by the Mets and Orioles respectively.
The 1969 Orioles won 109 regular season games, swept the Twins and beat Mets’ 25 game winner, Tom Seaver in the World Series opener.
However the Mets led by Jerry Koosman and Donn Clendenon won the next four and the title.
34 years ago in what is referred to as “The Miracle on Manchester,” the Los Angeles Kings staged an unbelievable comeback, the largest in NHL playoffs history, to win game 4 of a best of 5 preliminary series, L.A. eventually won, vs the highly regarded Edmonton Oilers.
Last night in not so arguably a less important game, the Winnipeg Jets battled back to stage a highly improbable win vs the Kings that may cost L.A. what would/could have been just their second regular season divisional title.
The Anaheim Ducks need a road win vs top ranked and “nothing to play for” Washington (Capitals) in a make up game tonight, to wrest away the Pacific Division title from the Kings.
Winning the last three Pacific Division regular season titles has given the Ducks far less than the Kings, who have more Stanley Cup crowns than regular season titles of any kind by a (2-1) margin.
1982 Edmonton Oilers vs LA Kings – The Miracle on Manchester – Hockey
Click above to view the Kings’ incredible comeback win vs the Edmonton Oilers in game 4 of their best of 5, 1982 preliminary series.
Steve scored the all important tying goal in that game 4.
