April 29, 2018

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, April Stevens!

390 years ago
1628

Defense
Sweden and Denmark signed a defense treaty against the Duke of Wallenstein.

330 years ago
1688

Died on this date
Friedrich Wilhelm, 68. Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, 1640-1688. Friedrich Wilhelm, of the house of Hohenzollern, was popularly known as the Great Elector because of his military and political skill, which eventually resulted in Prussia moving up from duchy to kingdom.

200 years ago
1818

Born on this date
Aleksandr II. Czar of Russia, 1855-1881; King of Poland, 1855-1864. Aleksandr II succeeded his father Nicholas I on the thrones of Russia and Poland, the latter of which became obsolete when Poland was annexed by Russia in 1864. Czar Aleksandr was known as "Aleksandr the Liberator" for emancipating Russia's serfs in 1861, and was proposing other reforms to counter revolutionary movements when he was assassinated by a bomb on March 13, 1881 at the age of 62. He was succeeded on the Russian throne by his son Aleksandr III.

125 years ago
1893

Born on this date
Harold Urey. U.S. chemist. Dr. Urey was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discovery of heavy hydrogen." During World War II, he worked on the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb. Dr. Urey took an interest in space science in later years, and examined rocks brought back from the Moon by the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Dr. Urey died on January 5, 1981 at the age of 87.

100 years ago
1918

Died on this date
George Allen, 72. U.S. football coach. After years in the college ranks, Mr. Allen joined the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League as an assistant coach in 1957, moving on to the Chicago Bears in 1958 under head coach George Halas. Mr. Allen masterminded the defense that gave up an average of 10 points per game as the Bears won the NFL championship in 1963. He became head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 1966; from 1966-1970 the Rams compiled a regular season record of 49-17-4, but were unable to get past the first round of the playoffs. Mr. Allen was fired after the 1970 season and was promptly hired to be the head coach of the Washington Redskins, where he served from 1971-1977. Mr. Allen’s teams in Washington were known as the "Over-the-Hill Gang" because of his habit of trading away draft choices for proven veterans. The Redskins’ best season under Mr. Allen was 1972, when they led the National Football Conference with a record of 11-3, and won the NFC championship, only to lose 14-7 to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the 1973 Super Bowl. Mr. Allen rejoined the Rams as head coach in 1978, but was fired after just two pre-season games. He joined CBS as a commentator on football telecasts. Mr. Allen joined the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League as general manager after the 1981 season, but departed after just a few weeks in which he accomplished nothing except large long-distance telephone bills. In 1983 Mr. Allen was head coach of the Chicago Blitz in the first season of the United States Football League, where he compiled a 12-6 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs. In 1984 he became head coach of the Arizona Wranglers when the owners of the Wranglers and the Blitz swapped the two franchises almost completely. In 1984 the Wranglers were 10-8, and won two playoff games to become Western Conference champions before losing 23-3 to the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL championship game. Mr. Allen left coaching after that, but returned in 1990 as head coach at California State University, Long Beach. He led CSULB to its first winning record in many years, but died six weeks after the last game. CSULB won the game and the players awarded Mr. Allen a Gatorade shower, but he procrastinated in changing out of wet clothes, and his health declined until he died of ventricular fibrillation on December 31, 1990 at the age of 72.

Baseball
Cleveland Indians’ centre fielder Tris Speaker executed the record-tying fourth unassisted double play of his career in an 8-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox before 5,000 fans at Dunn Field in Cleveland. Roy Wilkinson made his major league debut on the mound for the Indians, pitching a perfect 9th inning.

90 years ago
1928

World events
50,000 men held in jail or under police surveillance throughout Brazil as revolutionaries were freed by a Supreme Court decision restoring their normal civil rights.

Europeana
The Turkish parliament voted to supplant the Arabic alphabet with the Latin, and gave the country 15 years to become accustomed. A new dictionary was to be prepared so that the new alphabet could be taught in schools. Newspapers were to be printed partly in Arabic and partly in Latin characters, with the latter to be used for all official documents.

75 years ago
1943

At the movies
Mission to Moscow, based on former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Joseph E. Davies' memoir, received its premiere screening in Washington, D.C.. The movie, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Walter Huston, was one of the most notorious pro-Soviet propaganda films to come from Hollywood.

War
Soviet forces opened an offensive against German positions in the Kuban Valley near Novorossiisk.

Diplomacy
Alfredo Michelson was appointed Colombia's first Ambassador to the U.S.S.R.

Science
Six Parke, Davis & Company scientists announced the isolation of a 14th vitamin, Bc, in crystalline form from liver.

70 years ago
1948

Radio
Hooperatings named Fibber McGee and Molly the most popular program in the United States, followed by Jack Benny; Radio Theater of the World; Bob Hope; and Amos & Andy.

War
Haganah and Irgun Zvai Leumi forces completed the encirclement of Jaffa, following the flight of most of the city's Arab inhabitants.

A Polish court in Gdansk sentenced former Nazi Gauleiter Albert Foerster to death for planning the German seizure of the city in 1939.

World events
A court in Bratislava handed down a seven-yar prison sentence to former Czech Deputy Premier Jan Ursiny, convicted of treason for alleged participation in a Slovak separatist plot.

Politics and government
Conservative supporters of former Vietnamese Emperor Bao Dai, meeting in Hong Kong, decided to form a provisional central government in Vietnam under French protection, liquidating the separate state of Cochin China. The protected central government was a rival to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam proclaimed by nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh.

The Chinese National Assembly elected Li Tsung-jen, a liberal Kuomintang critic of President Chiang Kai-shek, Vice President.

Americana
A federal court in San Francisco restored U.S. citizenship to 2,700 Japanese-Americans who had signed statements in internment camps during World War II renouncing their citizenship.

Law
The Colombian Superior Court in Bogota ordered the release of 12 Communists for lack of evidence linking them to disorders on April 9 following the assassination of Liberal Party leader Jorge Ellecer Gaitan.

Labour
The American Federation of Musicians signed an interim agreement with four major networks, permitting studio musicians to play for lower wages on television than on radio.

The American Federation of Labor United Financial Employees ended a 31-day strike against the New York Stock Exchange by accepting a $3-$5 weekly wage increase.

Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals’ relief pitcher Ted Wilks lost his first game in 77 consecutive appearances dating back to September 8, 1945 when the Cardinals lost 5-4 in 14 innings to the Cincinnati Reds before 2,232 fans at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The winning run scored when Johnny Wyrostek doubled with 1 out in the bottom of the 14th, Grady Hatton drew a base on balls, and Hank Sauer singled home Mr. Wyrostek. Mr. Wilks posted a 12-0 record during his streak, which included at least 15 starts.

The Brooklyn Dodgers scored 4 runs in each of the first 2 innings and 6 in the 6th inning as they beat the New York Giants 17-7 before 9,174 fans at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Pete Reiser drove in 5 runs for the Dodgers with a home run and a triple, while Preston Ward had 3 hits and 4 RBIs and Bruce Edwards added 4 hits and 3 RBIs. Jack Hallett finished the game on the mound for New York, allowing 2 hits and 1 run--earned--in 2 innings in the 73rd and last game of his 6-year major league career.

Joe DiMaggio drove in Bobby Brown with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the New York Yankees a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals before 5,630 fans at Yankee Stadium.

The Boston Red Sox (4) and Philadelphia Athletics (2) combined to hit 6 home runs as the Red Sox won 11-5 before 2,522 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Philadelphia relief pitchers Alex Kellner and Bubba Harris both made their major league debuts, with Mr. Kellner allowing 4 hits and 3 runs--all earned--in 6 innings of relief, while Mr. Harris pitched a perfect 8th inning. Joe Dobson pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief to get his first save of the season, and hit a 2-run home run in the 9th inning; the homer was his second and last in the major leagues.

60 years ago
1958

Theatre
The Broadway musical My Fair Lady opened at the Drury Lane theatre in London to an enthusiastic reception.

Diplomacy
U.A.R. President Gamal Nasser arrived in Moscow to begin an 18-day state visit to the U.S.S.R.

Asked in Montevideo about U.S. policy toward dictatorships, U.S. Vice President Richad Nixon said that the U.S. "would be charged with interfering in the internal affairs of other countries" if it discriminated between one government and another.

U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko rejected the U.S. proposal for an international Arctic inspection zone as "sheer publicity."

World events
The United Arab Republic deprived exiled King Farouk and other members of the royal family of their Egyptian citizenship.

Politics and government
Burmese Prime Minister U Nu confirmed reports of a split in his Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League.

Ralph Flanders (Republican), who had represented Vermont in the United States Senate since 1947, announced that he would not run for re-election in 1958.

Health
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission member Willard Libby asserted that radioactive products of nuclear detonations were, thus far, having "a very minute effect" on human health.

50 years ago
1968

Hit parade
#1 single in Japan (Oricon Singles Chart): Hana no Kubikazari/Ginga no Romance--The Tigers (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Spain (PROMUSICAE): La, la, la--Massiel (2nd week at #1)

Theatre
Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical, which had played off-Broadway in 1967, opened at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City, the first of 1,750 performances there. Music was by Galt MacDermot, with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado. The director was Tom O’Horgan. Among the cast members on opening night were Diane Keaton and Melba Moore, as well as Mr. Ragni and Mr. Rado. The production, which was one of the first major theatrical productions to feature nudity, closed on July 1, 1972. Several of the songs from Hair became hit singles in 1969: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Fifth Dimension); Hair (The Cowsills); Good Morning Starshine (Eddie Rambeau; Strawberry Alarm Clock; Oliver); and Easy to Be Hard (Three Dog Night).

Died on this date
Anthony Boucher, 56. U.S. editor, writer, and critic. Mr. Boucher, born William Anthony Parker White, was (with J. Francis McComas) the founding editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction from 1949 to 1958. He wrote mystery reviews for the San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times, and helped in founding Mystery Writers of America in 1946. Mr. Boucher’s San Francisco Chronicle reviews earned him MWA’s Edgar Award in 1946. Mr. Boucher was also known as a devotee of Sherlock Holmes. From 1944-1947 he teamed with Denis Green to write the scripts for The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes radio series. When that series left the Mutual Broadcasting System in the summer of 1946, it was replaced in its time slot by The Casebook of Gregory Hood, created and written by Mr. Boucher. During this period he also scripted more than 100 episodes of The Adventures of Ellery Queen.

Politics and government
Rev. Ralph Abernathy, who had succeeded Martin Luther King, Jr. as leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, arrived in Washington with a delegation, three days in advance of the beginning of a poor people's march which "Dr." King had planned. Rev. Abernathy met with cabinet members and Congressmen to present a long list of legislative demands, including 2 million jobs, massive housing programs, larger welfare payments, and a guaranteed minimum income for everyone--in other words, socialist welfare state handouts given to blacks, and paid for by whites.

Protest
Columbia University President Grayson Kirk called on New York City police to clear university buildings of student protesters who had been occupying the buildings for several days.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals
Minnesota 2 @ St. Louis 3 (OT) (St. Louis led best-of-seven series 3-2)

Bill McCreary scored at 17:27 of the 1st overtime period to give the Blues their win over the North Stars at St. Louis Arena.

40 years ago
1978

Hit parade
#1 single in Italy (Hit Parade Italia): Figli delle stelle--Alan Sorrenti

#1 single in Switzerland: Rivers of Babylon--Boney M. (3rd week at #1)

#1 single in Ireland: Night Fever--Bee Gees

#1 single in the U.K. (BMRB): Night Fever--Bee Gees

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Night Fever--Bee Gees (7th week at #1)

Netherlands Top 10 (De Nederlandse Top 40)
1 Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring--Boney M.
2 Only a Fool--The Mighty Sparrow with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
3 Argentina--Conquistador
4 U.O. Me (You Owe Me)--Luv'
5 Come Back My Love--Darts
6 With a Little Luck--Wings
7 Substitute--Clout
8 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
9 Starship 109--Mistral
10 Wuthering Heights--Kate Bush

Singles entering the chart were Night Fever by the Bee Gees (#13); Light Up My Eyes by Champagne (#19); Ça Plane pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand (#24); Het Stadje Kufstein by De Migra's (#30); 't is OK by Harmony (#35); and Bourne to Satisfy by Joe Bourne (#38).

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Night Fever--Bee Gees (7th week at #1)
2 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
3 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
4 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
5 With a Little Luck--Wings
6 Running on Empty--Jackson Browne
7 Jack and Jill--Raydio
8 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
9 Goodbye Girl--David Gates
10 Lay Down Sally--Eric Clapton

Singles entering the chart were I was Only Joking by Rod Stewart (#70); The Wanderer by Leif Garrett (#83); Almost Summer by Celebration featuring Mike Love (#85); Where Have You Been All My Life by Fotomaker (#94); Give a Little by Robert John (#95); Oh How Happy by the Skyliners (#96); Weekend Lover by Odyssey (#97); I'm on My Way by Captain & Tennille (#98); and Africanism/Gimme Some Lovin' by the Kongas (#99). Almost Summer was the title song of the movie.

Canada's top 10 (RPM)
1 Night Fever--Bee Gees (5th week at #1)
2 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
3 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
4 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
5 Jack and Jill--Raydio
6 The Circle is Small--Gordon Lightfoot
7 Ebony Eyes--Bob Welch
8 Running on Empty--Jackson Browne
9 Goodbye Girl--David Gates
10 Lay Down Sally--Eric Clapton

Singles entering the chart were Ego by Elton John (#72); Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb (#81); Deacon Blues by Steely Dan (#90); I Can't Stand the Rain by Eruption (#92); Since You Been Gone by Head East (#93); Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty (#95); The Ringing in My Ear (Midnight Song) by David Bradstreet (#97); Because the Night by the Patti Smith Group (#98); and They Call Her Easy by Van Dyke (#100). They Call Her Easy, originally a track from the album Short Stories (1973) by Harry Chapin, was the B-side of Ridin' High, and had received airplay in Calgary three months earlier.

Winnipeg's top 26 (CKY)
1 If I Can't Have You--Yvonne Elliman
2 You're the One that I Want--Olivia Newton John & John Travolta
3 With a Little Luck--Wings
4 Two Doors Down--Dolly Parton
5 Night Fever--Bee Gees
6 Dust in the Wind--Kansas
7 We Will Rock You/We are the Champions--Queen
8 Can't Smile Without You--Barry Manilow
9 Thank You for Being a Friend--Andrew Gold
10 Our Love--Natalie Cole
11 Jack and Jill--Raydio
12 Ebony Eyes--Bob Welch
13 Sweet Misery--Teaze
14 Ego--Elton John
15 Stayin' Alive--Bee Gees
16 Will Never Have to Say Goodbye Again--England Dan & John Ford Coley
17 Sweet Talkin' Woman--Electric Light Orchestra
18 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)--Billy Joel
19 Shadow Dancing--Andy Gibb
20 Running on Empty--Jackson Browne
21 Hot Legs--Rod Stewart
25 Werewolves of London--Warren Zevon
22 The Closer I Get to You--Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
23 Ready for the Good Times to Get Better--Crystal Gayle
24 Count on Me--Jefferson Starship
25 Werewolves of London--Warren Zevon
26 Feels So Good--Chuck Mangione

Born on this date
Happy Birthday, Irina Zabelina!

World events
The new left-wing rulers of Afghanistan claimed victory in the Saur Revolution, stating that almost all the leaders of the ousted regime of President Mohammed Daoud Khan, including Mr. Daoud himself, were dead.

Canadiana
75 years to the day after part of Turtle Mountain had slid and crushed much of Frank, Alberta, Frank Slide was recognized as a National Historic Site.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Quarter-Finals
Toronto 2 @ New York Islanders 1 (OT) (Toronto won best-of-seven series 4-3)

Lanny McDonald scored at 4:13 of the 1st overtime period to give the Maple Leafs their win over the Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, enabling them to advance to the semi-finals for the first time since 1967. Ed Westfall scored in the first period for the Islanders, who should have been leading by more than one goal, but were continually thwarted by Maple Leafs’ goalie Mike Palmateer. Ian Turnbull scored off a pass by Pat Boutette in the second period to tie the game. The result marked the first time that the Maple Leafs had advanced to the semi-finals since their last Stanley Cup win in 1967. Roger Neilson, in his first season in the National Hockey League, was the winning coach; Al Arbour was the losing head coach. Dan Kelly, who by that time was the voice of the St. Louis Blues, called the play-by-play for Hockey Night in Canada that night. The winning goal, and indeed, the entire game, are still replayed on Canadian television occasionally to this day, so few have playoff highlights for the Maple Leafs been in the last 51 years.





Baseball
Pete Rose batted 5 for 6 with 3 home runs, 4 runs, and 4 runs batted in to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the New York Mets 14-7 before 17,347 fans at Shea Stadium in New York in the NBC Game of the Week. It was the only 3-homer game of Mr. Rose's major league career. The Mets led 4-0 after 1 inning and 6-1 after 3.

In a game which lasted only 1 hour 33 minutes, the St. Louis Cardinals tied a franchise record for the quickest nine-inning game played in their history, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 before 20,596 fans at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Eric Rasmussen pitched a 4-hitter to win the pitchers' duel over Burt Hooton, who allowed just 2 hits and 1 earned run in 7 innings. The only run was scored in the bottom of the 7th inning when Keith Hernandez led off with a base on balls, advanced to second base on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ken Reitz. The game also marked a victory for Ken Boyer in his managerial debut, four days after replacing the fired Vern Rapp.

Nolan Ryan pitched a 2-hitter with 11 strikeouts and 6 bases on balls, and Ron Fairly opened the scoring with a 2-out 2-run home run against his former team in the bottom of the 1st inning as the California Angels shut out the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 before 24,354 fans at Anaheim Stadium.

30 years ago
1988

Hit parade
#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Heart--Pet Shop Boys (2nd week at #1)

Died on this date
Dom Dallessandro, 74. U.S. baseball player. Mr. Dallessandro was an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox (1937) and Chicago Cubs (1940-1944, 1946-1947), batting .267 with 22 home runs and 303 runs batted in in 746 games. He played 13 seasons in the minor leagues from 1931-1939 and 1948-1952, batting .322 with 142 homers in 1,478 games.

Married on this date
Two celebrity weddings took place: U.S. actors Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson; and journalist Diane Sawyer and movie director Mike Nichols.

Economics and finance
The United States Commerce Department reported that the index of leading economic indicators had risen 0.8% in March.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Milwaukee 107 @ Atlanta 110 (Atlanta led best-of-five series 1-0)
New York 92 @ Boston 112 (Boston led best-of-five series 1-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Seattle 123 @ Denver 126 (Denver led best-of-five series 1-0)
San Antonio 110 @ Los Angeles Lakers 122 (Los Angeles led best-of-five series 1-0)

Baseball
The Baltimore Orioles ended their record 21-game season-opening losing streak by whipping the Chicago White Sox 9-0 before 14,059 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago on a combined 4-hitter by Mark Williamson and Dave Schmidt. Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. batted 4 for 5 with a home run, double, and 3 runs, while his brother Billy was forced to leave the game after being beaned in the 7th inning. The story of the 1988 Orioles is one of those told in the book On a Clear Day They Could See Seventh Place: Baseball’s Worst Teams (1991) by George Robinson and Charles Salzberg.

Dwight Evans drove in Wade Boggs with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins before 32,022 fans at Fenway Park in Boston. Minnesota left fielder Mark Davidson dropped the ball for an error, but the run would have scored, anyway. Joe Niekro started on the mound for the Twins and allowed 6 hits, 6 bases on balls, and 5 runs--all earned--in 3+ innings in the 706th and last game of his 22-year major league career.

John Candelaria pitched a 5-hitter to lead the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-1 before 20,277 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Tim Teufel doubled with 2 out and nobody on base in the top of the 9th inning, and Keith Hernandez followed with a single to drive him home to break a 4-4 tie as the New York Mets edged the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 before 29,833 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

25 years ago
1993

Hit parade
#1 single in Finland (Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland): Informer--Snow

Died on this date
Michael Gordon, 83. U.S. film director. Mr. Gordon directed such movies as Crime Doctor (1943); Another Part of the Forest (1948); An Act of Murder (1948); Cyrano de Bergerac (1950); Pillow Talk (1959); and Move Over, Darling (1963).

Mick Ronson, 46. U.K. musician. Mr. Ronson played several instruments but was best known as a guitarist, playing with musicians such as David Bowie, Van Morrison, Ian Hunter, and Elton John. He died of liver cancer.

Law
Canadian federal fisheries officials announced that new regulations regarding native fishing rights in federal waters had been drafted. The proposals included provision for commercial fishing licenses and quotas, but did not increase permits to sell fish commercially.

Britannica
It was announced that Buckingham Palace would open to the public for the first time in a bid to raise funds to repair Windsor Castle.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Clarence S. Campbell Conference
Division Semi-Finals
Detroit 7 @ Toronto 3 (Best-of-seven series 3-3)
Vancouver 4 @ Winnipeg 3 (OT) (Vancouver won best-of-seven series 4-2)
Calgary 6 @ Los Angeles 9 (Los Angeles won best-of-seven series 4-2)

The Red Wings scored 6 goals in the 2nd period--3 by Dino Ciccarelli--as they defeated the Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Greg Adams' second goal of the game, at 4:30 of the 1st overtime period, gave the Canucks their victory over the Jets at Winnipeg Arena.

The Kings scored 9 goals in just 23 shots on goal as they eliminated the Flames at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Charlotte 101 @ Boston 112 (Boston led best-of-five series 1-0)
New Jersey 98 @ Cleveland 114 (Cleveland led best-of-five series 1-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Los Angeles Clippers 94 @ Houston 117 (Houston led best-of-five series 1-0)
San Antonio 87 @ Portland 86 (San Antonio led best-of-five series 1-0)

20 years ago
1998

Died on this date
Hal Laycoe, 75. Canadian hockey player and coach. Mr. Laycoe was a defenceman with the New York Rangers (1945-47); Montreal Canadiens (1947-51); and Boston Bruins (1951-56), scoring 102 points on 25 goals and 77 assists in 531 regular season games, and 2 goals and 5 assists in 40 playoff games. He was one of the few players of his time to wear glasses on the ice, but was best known for hitting Maurice "Rocket" Richard, his former teammate, with a high stick in March 1955. Mr. Richard struck the referee in an attempt to get at Mr. Laycoe, and was suspended by National Hockey League President Clarence Campbell for the rest of the regular season and the entire Stanley Cup playoffs, leading to the "Richard riot" on March 17, 1955. Mr. Laycoe coached the New Westminster Royals (1956-59); Victoria Cougars (1959-60); Portland Buckaroos (1960-69); and Vancouver Canucks (1969-70) of the Western Hockey League, leading his teams to Lester Patrick Cup championships in 1961, 1965, and 1970. He took over as coach of the Canucks after being fired as coach of the Los Angeles Kings 24 games into the 1969-70 season, and remained as with the Canucks when they entered the National Hockey League in 1970. The Canucks replaced Mr. Laycoe as coach after failing to make the playoffs in their first two NHL seasons, but he returned to serve as the club's general manager in 1973-74.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Quarter-Finals
Pittsburgh 6 @ Montreal 3 (Best-of-seven series tied 2-2)
Philadelphia 1 @ Buffalo 4 (Buffalo led best-of-seven series 3-1)

Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
St. Louis 2 @ Los Angeles 1 (St. Louis won best-of-seven series 4-0)

Craig Conroy's goal at 3:22 of the 3rd period gave the Blues a 2-0 lead and proved to be the winning goal as they eliminated the Kings in the last National Hockey Game at Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Jozef Stumpel scored at 8:00 of the 3rd period for the Kings to spoil Grant Fuhr's bid for a shutout.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Chicago 116 @ New Jersey 101 (Chicago won best-of-five series 3-0)

Western Conference
First Round
Phoenix 80 @ San Antonio 99 (San Antonio won best-of-five series 3-1)
Utah 85 @ Houston 89 (Houston led best-of-five series 2-1)

10 years ago
2008

Died on this date
Albert Hofmann, 102. Swiss chemist. Dr. Hofmann was best known for being the first person to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which he did in April 1943. He used the drug for the rest of his life, criticizing both its misuse by the counterculture of the 1960s and its prohibition by the establishment.

Hockey
NHL
Stanley Cup
Eastern Conference
Semi-Finals
Pittsburgh 5 @ New York Rangers 3 (Pittsburgh led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Western Conference
Semi-Finals
Detroit 4 @ Colorado 3 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-0)
San Jose 1 @ Dallas 2 (OT) (Dallas led best-of-seven series 3-0)

Mattias Norstrom scored at 4:37 of the 1st overtime period to give the Stars their win over the Sharks at American Airlines Center.

Basketball
NBA
Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First Round
Philadelphia 81 @ Detroit 98 (Detroit led best-of-seven series 3-2)


Western Conference
First Round
Dallas 94 @ New Orleans 99 (New Orleans won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Phoenix 87 @ San Antonio 92 (San Antonio won best-of-seven series 4-1)
Utah 69 @ Houston 95 (Utah led best-of-seven series 3-2)