January 11, 2008

80 years ago
1928

Died on this date
Thomas Hardy, 87. U.K. poet and author. Mr. Hardy was known for novels such as Tess of the Durbervilles, Jude the Obscure (panned by critics as "Jude the Obscene"). He was not related to Oliver Hardy.

Aviation
French aviators Dieudonne Costes and Joseph Lebrix continued their transatlantic flight by going from Lima, Peru to Guayaquil, Ecuador.

75 years ago
1933

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Haunted Bagpipes

60 years ago
1948

On the radio
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring John Stanley and Alfred Shirley, on MBS
Tonight's episode:  The Sudden Senility

40 years ago
1968

Space
The U.S.A. launched Geos II, second in a series of satellites aimed at more accurately measuring the earth's size, shape, and gravitational field, using, among other instruments, laser beams bounced off it from the ground.

30 years ago
1978

Died on this date
Mike Rodden, 86. Canadian football player, coach, and referee; hockey coach and referee; and journalist. Mr. Rodden played football at the University of Ottawa and Queen's University. Upon graduation he played for the Ontario Rugby Football Union's Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club Paddlers in 1915, then with the Toronto Argonauts of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union in 1919-1920. Mr. Rodden was also the Argonauts' coach in 1920, leading them to the IRFU title before losing to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in the Grey Cup. Mr. Rodden shared the coaching duties (with Andy Buett) with Toronto Balmy Beach in that team's inaugural season in 1924. Balmy Beach won the ORFU title before losing to Queen's in the Grey Cup. Mr. Rodden took over as coach of the IRFU's Hamilton Tigers in 1927. Once again, he got his team into the Grey Cup, only to lose again--this time, to his old team, Balmy Beach. Mr. Rodden finally came out on the winning end of the Grey Cup, winning titles with the Tigers in 1928 and 1929. He stepped down as coach of the Tigers after the 1930 season. Mr. Rodden coached several college hockey teams in the early 1920s, and coached the NHL's Toronto St. Patrick's for two games early in 1927, shortly before Conn Smythe purchased the team and changed the team's name to Maple Leafs. While he was coaching, Mr. Rodden was working as a referee in the Ontario Hockey Association before moving up to the National Hockey League, where he refereed 1,187 games. Mr. Rodden was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a referee in 1962, and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1964, becoming the first man to be elected to both bodies. Mr. Rodden joined the Toronto Globe as a sportswriter in 1918, and was the paper's sports editor from 1928-1936. He then served as sports editor of the Kingston Whig-Standard from 1936-1958, and remained with that paper as a sports columnist until just a few weeks before his death.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 4 @ Minnesota 3

The North Stars took a 3-0 led over the Maple Leafs less than 10 minutes into the game before 6,942 fans at Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, but Toronto struck back with a goal in the 2nd period and 3 in the 3rd. Tiger Williams scored the winning goal with 1:53 remaining in th game when his 40-foot slapshot eluded Minnesota goalie Pete LoPresti. Doug Hicks, Pierre Jarry, and Brad Maxwell scored for the North Stars. Lanny McDonald got the Maple Leafs on the scoreboard in the 2nd period, and Jerry Butler and Bruce Boudreau scored in the 3rd to tie the game. The game's most notable play took place in the 2nd period, when, with the score 3-0, Minnesota's Steve Jensen was tripped by Jack Valiquette while on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. In one of the most hilarious misplays in NHL history, Mr. Jensen got the puck caught up in his skates just after he crossed the blue line, accidentally kicked it too far away to get a shot, tripped over Toronto goalie Mike Palmateer, and went crashing into the boards. Dick Irvin selected it as Hockey Night in Canada's play of the week.