Hockey can be a great sport to watch and play, but the parochial nature of the sport - combined with the difficulty of seeing he puck cleanly on television - has hampered efforts to expand it's popularity. On only two occasions has the sport captured the attention of the American public at large - the 1960 and the 1980 gold medal performances by the United States. Both of those remarkable performances are on my Greatest Games list (#3).

   But hockey is a way of life in Canada, and there are many great NHL moments to choose from that are familiar to those from the north. Still, the best hockey I've ever seen was the Canada Cup contests between the Soviet Union and Team Canada in the 1980s; unfortunately, these games were marred by the fact that the Canadian all-stars weren't able to practice together and get their games in sync until a few days before the Canada Cup. Still, for the purist, this was the pinnacle of ice hockey.

   Since about 1990, increased use of the neutral zone trap has dramatically cut the speed of the game down, reduced goals-against averages by 30% and largely killed the game. As a result, most of the game's great moments took place before 1990; those that came after were rare pearls in a desert. 

   The Soviets stunned hockey fans everywhere only three years earlier when their national team, a collection of so-called amateurs, nearly defeated the NHL's top professionals in the landmark Summit Series of 1972. Unable to accept the fact that the Soviets had reached parity with North America's best players, fans claimed that the upstarts were at an advantage because they trained and played together as a team, while their NHL opponents were assembled quickly and therefore did not have the same opportunity to gel.

   So the idea of an exhibition series between the Red Army and select NHL teams during the 1975-76 regular season was hatched. The highlight would be the game played at the fabled Forum on New Year's Eve.

   This game was so great not because it was capitalism versus communism, or us against them, but because it was a study in contrast. The powerful Montreal Canadiens, coached by Scotty Bowman, played straight hockey - tough, physical, and very linear. They were the best team in hockey, on the cusp of a dynasty: they would win four Stanley Cups in a row from 1976 to 1979 in a remarkable 58 games, winning 48 and losing 10. They lost one game the first year, two the second, three the third and four the fourth.

   The Canadiens featured top-line talent like the great goaltender Ken Dryden; right-winger Guy Lafleur, one of the greatest offensive players of all time; and Larry Robinson, one of the best defenseman of all time. Their supporting cast included Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt, Bob Gainey, Rick Chartraw, Doug Jarvis, Yvon Lambert, Michel Larocque, Jacques Lemaire, Doug Risebrough, and  Mario Tremblay.

   The Soviets, coached by the forbidding Viktor Tikhonov, countered with their swooping, circular style - the one which the Oiler dynasty made prevalent in the NHL in the 1980s and 1990s. The Canadiens outshot the Red Army 38-13 (16-6 in the final frame), but a late goal by Boris Aleksandrov on a three-on-one secured a tie.

   After the game Montreal defenseman Serge Savard said, "God was Russian tonight." With Vladislav Tretiak in goal, who needs God on your side?

   His father, Walter, would flood the backyard and turn the lawn into an ice rink. Wayne learned to skate when he was two, and when he was nine years old he scored 196 goals in 78 games in a league for 12-year-olds.

   He was a slight 5'10", 175 pounds, in a sport dominated by men a head taller and 40 pounds heavier. Yet so dominant was Wayne Gretzky that in he shattered the single-season scoring record that preceded him by 40% - 212 points versus 152 - then posted three more season with 200 points or more, including a new record of 215. He shattered Phil Esposito's record of 76 goals in a single season by scoring 92. In 1981-82, he scored 50 goals in just 39 games - an unbelievable 11 games faster than anyone before him. That season, he scored his 100th point in his 38th game, beating the existing record (held by Phil Esposito) by a whopping 13 games.

   He won scoring titles by margins unheard of in professional team sports. His career record in assists leads the runner-up (Paul Coffey) by 78% - his career points record leads Gordie Howe by 54%. He won 8 straight Hart Trophies (given to the Most Valuable Player) once he hit the NHL, a streak of domination not seen except for Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s NBA.

   As a member of the Los Angles Kings, he broke the career points record on October 15, 1989, while playing against his old team - the Edmonton Oilers. In 1994, the consummate playmaker finally became the leading NHL goal scorer of all time. The setup pass came from an ex-Oiler, Marty McSorley, and Gretzky cleanly beat Vancouver Canuck stopper Kirk McLean on the low stick-side. His wholesale revision of the NHL record book was complete. 

   Technically, not in the century, but still one of the greatest, most exciting games in hockey history.

     Begin with this premise: assemble perhaps the greatest array of talent ever placed on a hockey surface.  Now, add some history for context - it was 22 years to the day (indeed, to the hour) of the "Miracle on Ice," and the first time that the American team (unbeaten on home ice since 1932, posting a 19-0-3 record since that time) had played the Russians in a medal round on American soil since 1980.  The American team was coached by Herb Brooks, who had helmed the 1980 Miracle team, while the Russians would be coached by Slava Fetisov and Valdislav Tretiak, who had played on the Soviet squad.

     Finally, add the fact that perhaps a billion fans would be watching worldwide.

     The highly anticipated matchup featured a roster of stars that looked like the annual NHL All-Star team, but the game was played with an intensity and passion that the All-Stars lack, for real stakes.  The American lineup featured Brett Hull, Mike Modano, Brian Leetch, Jeremy Roenick, John LeClair, Chris Chelios, Phil Housley, Chris Drury, Gary Suter, Keith Tkachuk, Mike Richter, Tom Barrasso, Doug Weight, Brian Rolston, Bill Guerin, and Adam Deadmarsh.  Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Bure, Igor Larionov, Alexei Zhamnov, Alexei Yashin, Sergei Gonchar, Alexei Kovalev Sergei Samsonov, and Nikolai Khabibulin donned Russian jerseys.

     The game lived up to its billing, resulting in one of the most entertaining games ever played.  For two periods, you could've called it the "Massacre on Ice."  Then, in the final period, it almost got miraculous.

   The Americans played some of the finest hockey ever seen for 40 minutes, outshooting the Russians by a 38-11 margin and piling on a 3-0 lead through two periods.  All three goals came on the power play, as the Americans exploited a Russian weakness: they had allowed 7 power play goals on 18 attempts.

     Whatever Russian coach Slava Fetisov said during the second intermission must have worked - the teams appeared to switch jerseys.  The Russians dropped their precise puckhandling-pass attack, which the Americans had stymied by clogging up the ice between the blue lines, and started dumping and chasing.  Fetisov also did what he could by shuffling lines, putting right wing Alexei Kovalev on a line with center Sergei Fedorov and forward Sergei Samsonov to start the period.

     The changes paid quick dividends as Fedorov beat defenseman Gary Suter on a dump-in to the left of goalie Mike Richter.  Kovalev slid a surprising backhand between Richter's legs with just 11 seconds gone in the third period.

     For five more shifts, the Russians outskated and outplayed the stunned Americans, and just 3:10 later, Russian defenseman Vladimir Malakhov blistered a slap shot from the center point that caromed off Housley and past Richter, cutting the lead to 3-2.

     American coach Herb Brooks called a timeout, giving his team a chance to regroup.  But the Russians kept coming - at 8:19, with the Russians still pressing, American right-winger Brett Hull took a two-minute penalty for hooking Alexei Yashin.  The Russians got 6 shots during that frantic power play, giving them 14 third period shots during the first ten minutes - more than they had taken in the first 40 minutes.  (Russia would outshoot the US 19-11 in the third).

     During the power play, the Russians turned the heat a little higher.  After a scramble in the slot, Samsonov found the puck on his stick. He fired, but Richter made the stop.  The loose puck came back to Samsonov, who was standing just to Richter's left. He fired again, hitting the right post.  The puck skidded across the crease, where the slippery Samsonov got one more crack at the net.  This time, though, with Richter out of position, center Jeremy Roenick came sliding to the rescue, blocking Samsonov's game-tying attempt.

     Undeterred by their bad luck, the Russians kept crashing the net. At the 12:30 mark, Richter stopped Fedorov from the slot.  Even after Russian center Andrei Nikolishin drew a penalty for hooking Team USA center Mike Modano at 13:55, they kept charging, getting a 2-on-1 shorthanded chance from Larionov, which was turned aside by Richter.

     In the final moments, the Americans began to regain their composure. At 16:01, forward Adam Deadmarsh had a chance to ice the game but was stopped from pointblank range by Khabibulin.  Team Russia forced two faceoffs deep in the Americans' end in the final 12 seconds but couldn't get a clear shot to the net.

   Lester Patrick is the patriarch of one of hockey's 'royal' families, a man whose four-decade career earned him a reputation for being one of the great innovators and builders of the game. 

   Patrick, who died in 1960, accomplished a great deal as a player, coach and owner, yet he is probably best remembered for taking part in a game after he retired as a player. It happened April 7, 1928 when the New York Rangers team he coached faced the Montreal Maroons in the Stanley Cup Finals. Montreal won the opening contest of the series, and the teams were locked in a tight struggle during Game 2 when disaster struck New York. A shot by the Maroons Nel Stewart hit Rangers netminder Lorne Chabot in the eye, forcing him to leave the game. Since backup goalies were unheard of in those days, Patrick had to think fast to avoid forfeiting the game.

   He did. After briefly returning to the Rangers dressing room, Patrick re-emerged wearing full goalie gear and skated on to the ice, much to the disbelief of the Rangers, the Maroons and the fans in the stand.

   Patrick was 44 at the time and several years removed from being an active player. Moreover, he was a defenseman not a goaltender when he did play. Still, none of that mattered as he took his place between the pipes and proceeded to stop 17 of the 18 shots he faced before teammate Frank Boucher scored the winner in overtime.

   A Rangers farmhand took over as New York went on to win two of the next three games and capture their first Stanley Cup, but the story of that series was the emergency return to the ice of the legendary Lester Patrick.

   When we were kids and we played street hockey, we pretended to be our heroes playing for the Stanley Cup. Having played since morning, when dusk descended someone would inevitably yell out: "Next goal wins!" This epic confrontation between the New Jersey Devils and the defending Cup champion Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals brought that long ago call from fantasy to reality. 

   The longest scoreless game in Stanley Cup finals history obviously featured phenomenal goaltending on both sides - to the point that the "next goal" was to be the game's first, only and winner ... and would not come until the sixth period. The Devils carried the play through the first four periods, but they were stopped repeatedly by the heroics of Ed Belfour.  As the overtime periods wore on, the older, slower Stars inexplicably called on an energy reserve that allowed them to carry the play in period five and beyond.

     Saying that the Stars exhibited a "will to win" only partially captures the effort expended by the proud champions. They kept dumping the puck in and wearing down the Devils, and began to create better opportunities in the offensive zone. The Devils outshot the Stars 36-27 in regulation, and 10-5 in the first OT period.  But after that, the Stars regrouped and outshot the Devils 14-11.

   The game ended in the only way it could have - a broken play and a fluke tip-in, because if the goalie saw it, it was going to get stopped. On the 89th shot, in the 106th minute, Mike Modano ended the drama of an already legendary Game 5 early Friday morning by tipping Brett Hull's innocuous shot from the right point past Martin Brodeur, a midair deflection off of the shaft of Modano's stick that hit the post and slipped past Brodeur's pads.

   Bobby Holik will remember the game for two missed second-period chances that could have ended it. With 10 minutes remaining in the second period, Colin White - who was driving into the Dallas zone - curled back to feed Holik who was all alone in the slot. Holik, a righthanded shot, zigged left and zagged right in an effort to force Stars goaltender Ed Belfour to commit. But the Eagle stared down Holik as he ran out of room. Holik still had a good four square feet of open net by the time he released his shot, but he misfired and bounced the would-be goal about halfway up the post to Belfour's left.

   Eight minutes later, Holik would again have reason to cringe. With Dallas forward Jere Lehtinen in the box for high-sticking Patrik Elias, Holik again missed a golden chance to put the Devils up 1-0. Only this time, it was Belfour, and not the goaltender's best friend, who kept Holik off the board. New Jersey defenseman Brian Rafalski, playing the point on the power play, hit Elias on his way toward the right-hand faceoff circle. Elias spotted the wide-open (again) Holik streaking down the left side of the slot and zipped across a pass. Belfour followed the puck from his left to his right and poked his right leg out to stone Holik on the doorstep.

   The New York Rangers hadn't won the Stanley Cup in 54 years. But in 1994, they went 52-24-8, posting up the best mark in the NHL, and were good enough to challenge for the Cup. They had acquired C Mark Messier, who had won 5 Cups previously with the Oiler dynasty, and were now coached by the temperemental Mike Keenan, who taken the Flyers to two Cup finals and the Blackhawks to another.

   In the semifinals, the Rangers had problems with the New Jersey Devils zone-trap defense. They took a 2-1 series lead, but during Game 4 Keenan blew up and benched several of his players, including All-Star goalie Mike Richter, defenseman Brian Leetch and captain Mark Messier. The Rangers dropped that game, and lost their focus for Game 5 - they lost that one as well, in Meadowlands arena, and were trailing 3-2 when the Series came back to Madison Square Gardens.

   Before Game 6, Keenan apologized for his behavior, and Messier made a bold prediction - he guaranteed victory. Then he delivered victory - with the Rangers down 2-1 going into the third, Messier scored three straight goals (a natural hat trick) and the Rangers won 4-2.

   That set up one of the most exciting Game 7s of all time. It was a closely fought, tightly checked contest, and the Rangers led 1-0 until the Devils' Valeri Zelepukin tied it up with 7.7 seconds left. The game went into double-overtime, when the Rangers' Stephane Matteau put the winner away.

   In the Cup finals, the Rangers led the Vancouver Canucks 3-1, but blew the lead and had to play another Game 7. Keenan's pregame speech was supposedly one of the most inspirational ever delivered: the Rangers responded well, playing good hockey and leading 2-0 after the first period. the Canucks made it 2-1 with 13:29 left in the second, but - who else? - captain Messier gave his team a 3-1 lead.

   The gutsy Canucks kept pressing, and Trevor Linden scored with 4:50 left. The Rangers kept playing good defense in the final, gut-wrenching 90 seconds, and survived four faceoffs deep in their own zone.  The Cup was in New York again.

   Though just 22 years old, Bobby Orr was already a legendary figure. It was already apparent that he had the talent to be the best ever, but here he showed that he could play well in the clutch as well.

    On this date, Orr put the finishing touch on Boston's first Stanley Cup in 29 years by scoring one of the most acrobatic goals in hockey history. Early in overtime of Game 4 in Boston, the Bruins star set things in motion when he outraced the Blues' Larry Keenan to a loose puck. Orr passed to teammate Derek Sanderson in the corner and then dashed towards the crease. Sanderson slid the puck back to the charging defenseman, who fired the game-winner past goalie Glenn Hall as he was sent flying, courtesy of a full-fledged leg trip by Noel Picard.

   The image of a Orr flying through the air, parallel to the ice, is sure to remain in the minds of hockey fans for decades to come: it may be the most memorable image in hockey history. The goal gave the Bruins a 4-3 victory, marking the third consecutive year the Blues were swept in the finals.

   One of the most bizarre events in playoff history took place on this date in 1993.  The Los Angeles Kings had won the first game of the Finals in Montreal and was clinging to a one-goal lead with less than two minutes remaining in the third period of Game 2, when Canadiens coach Jacques Demers asked for a measurement on Kings defenseman Marty McSorley's stick. The blade was found to have an illegal curve and McSorley was penalized. That proved to be the turning point of the series. Montreal tied the game on the ensuing power play and won it in overtime, and then went on to win the next three games to capture the Cup.

   One of the most famous - and controversial - goals in Stanley Cup history was scored on this date in 1966 by Montreal's Henri Richard. The game-winning marker came at 2:30 of the first overtime period in Game 6 against Detroit and gave Montreal the Stanley Cup. Richard was driving toward Detroit goalie Roger Crozier when he lost his balance. As he slid into the netminder, the puck was lodged next to his arm, and managed to slip under Crozier's pad. The Red Wings protested the legitimacy of the goal, but the referee allowed it to stand, giving Detroit fans a taste of what Buffalo fans would go through 33 years later.

   The New York Rangers were an offensive powerhouse in 1979 - they had Phil Esposito, Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson and Ron Duguay. They could score goals in bunches, and they proved it against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of their quarterfinals series.

   New York entered the game leading the series 3-1 and took a 2-0 lead into the third period when both teams forgot how to play defense. A total of nine goals were scored in the final 20 minutes - six by the Rangers - as the two teams combined for a playoff record for most goals in one period.

   The Rangers won the game 8-3 and the series thanks to a period that goes down as one of the most memorable in hockey history.

      Mario Lemieux is considered by many to be the purest talent to ever play the game. There was nothing he couldn't do, it seemed, when he put his mind to it. In a 12-year career that was cut short by debilitating back injury and a bout with cancer, the six-foot-four Lemieux towered over the game, figuratively and often, literally. He won the scoring title six times, the MVP award three times and led the Penguins to their only two Stanley Cups.

   Way back in 1944, Maurice Richard was voted all three stars in a playoff game. Lemieux deserved the same recognition on this date in 1989 when he tied five playoff records by scoring five goals and three assists in Pittsburgh's 10-7 win over Philadelphia. Lemieux tied records for most goals in one game, most goals in one period, most points in a period, most goals in a game, and most points in a game.

   The Pittsburgh Penguins found out the hard way that the fat lady doesn't sing until the final buzzer sounds. In 1975, the Islanders and goaltender Chico Resch shut them out 1-0 in Game 7 of their quarterfinals series.

   The Islanders joined the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs as the only teams in NHL history to rebound from a 3-0 series deficit with four consecutive victories. New York almost worked its magic again in the next series against Philadelphia, but lost Game 7 after winning three consecutive games. From 1976 to 1980, the Islanders went on to become the dominant franchise in the NHL.

   Fans sometimes grumble that they don't get their money's worth at hockey games, but there was no such sentiment after the playoff game that concluded on this date in 1936. That's because the game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Maroons started the night before. After 116 minutes, and 30 of overtime - nearly six periods of extra play - and five hours, 51 minutes after the opening faceoff, Detroit's Madore 'Mud' Bruneteau scored to give his team a 1-0 victory and a berth in the Stanley Cup Final against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Red Wings went on to capture their first Stanley Cup that season.

   Experience means a great deal during the playoffs, which is why teams are usually reluctant to use rookies in goal. Of course, it becomes a lot easier if your opponent also has a first-year netminder playing. That's exactly what happened on this date in 1945 when Toronto's Frank McCool and Detroit's Harry Lumley became the first two rookies to face each other in a Stanley Cup Final. McCool turned in a 1-0 shutout, the first of a record three he posted in the series, and the Maple Leafs went on to capture the Stanley Cup.

   Hockey has always been of two minds about violence - it turns off some fans, but it also a source of entertainment for many of the game's followers. As a result, some ugly incidents have gone lightly punished, while others have been dealt with harshly.

   The NHL gave Marty McSorley its harshest suspension ever for attacking Donald Brashear with his stick, and the reaction from the public was overwhelmingly supportive. But things weren't quite the same 45 years ago, when legendary Canadiens right winger Maurice "Rocket" Richard - zeroing in on his first overall scoring title - went after Bruins defenseman Hal Laycoe for clipping him in the head.

   Richard attacked Laycoe with his stick, and after being wrestled away shook himself loose and went after Laycoe again. The incident would be repeated one more time, and then Richard punched the lineman before finally being subdued and thrown out of the game. Three days later, NHL President Clarence Campbell announced Richard would be suspended for the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

   Montreal fans were incensed - they bombarded Campbell with death threats. The league's chief executive remained unruffled, and on March 17, despite police warnings, he took his customary seat at the Forum to watch the Canadiens host the Detroit Red Wings. It was a big mistake.

   A few minutes into the game, a man punched Campbell several times before being arrested. Another fan crushed tomatoes into Campbell's chest. Others threw paper cups and programs and then suddenly, a tear gas bomb went off.

   The game was stopped and later forfeited to Detroit, but in the meantime, fans scrambled into the streets. They started vandalizing cars, breaking windows and looting stores. Calm was not restored until 3 a.m. when Richard himself went on the radio and made a personal plea for order.

   With television still in its infancy, the Richard riot did not gain anywhere near the notoriety that the McSorley incident did, yet its impact was far more profound. In fact, the episode is widely considered the spark for Quebec's Quiet Revolution, a nationalist movement that began in the 1960s and continues today to drive the French-language province's effort to secede from the rest of English-speaking Canada.

   Richard was allowed to return the following season, and played four more seasons before retiring as the greatest goal scorer of his era.

   They say good things come to those who wait, a notion that Ross Brooks can certainly attest to. After more than 13 seasons of bouncing around the minor leagues, Brooks was 36 years old and a ROOKIE when he got his name into the record books on this date in 1974. Playing goal for the Boston Bruins, Brooks defeated the Detroit Red Wings 8-1 to earn his 14th consecutive victory, an NHL record at the time. The record proved to be short-lived, however, broken two years later by another Bruins netminder named Gilles Gilbert, who won 17 games in a row.

   You don't have to be a hockey purist to appreciate the game played between the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs on this date in 1944. It was clean, action-packed and above all, it was fast, taking only one hour and 55 minutes to play. The reason? Nobody scored and nobody took any penalties, making it the only scoreless, penalty-free game in NHL history.  Hopefully for him, Hall of Fame referee Bill Chadwick wasn't earning by the hour that night.

   Back in the 1940s, NHL teams did not dress more than one goaltender. It made things tough for netminders who had a bad night as Ken McAuley of the Rangers discovered on this date in 1944. McAuley had to endure the entire 60 minutes of play against the Detroit Red Wings who had 10 different players score in a 15-0 rout, the most one-sided game in NHL history.

   Darryl Sittler was a junior star who struggled to live up to expectations until the 1972-73 season, his third as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Sittler blossomed that season, and three years later, he was rewarded with the captaincy of the storied team. He responded by becoming the first player in team history to tally 100 points, and in one playoff game, he scored five goals. But his most memorable game of the season came on February 7, 1976 when he notched six goals and four assists against Boston, for an NHL record 10 points in one game.

   Joe Malone played his hockey in the early days of the NHL, and accomplished scoring feats that would amaze fans today. He played from 1917-24 with three early NHL franchises and was the greatest marksman of his era. Most of his records have long-since been eclipsed, but the seven goals he scored in one game remains the most ever by a player in one contest. Malone's exploits gave the Quebec Bulldogs a 10-6 win over Toronto.

   Maple Leaf defender Ian Turnbull attracted a great deal of attention as junior for his ability to score goals. The Toronto Maple Leafs expected that to continue when they drafted him in 1973, but no one was prepared for the game Turnbull had here. Playing against Detroit, Turnbull managed to get off five shots at the Red Wings net. They were good ones, as Turnbull scored on all five, setting a record for most goals by a defenseman in one game.

   NHL All-Star Games are intended to be exciting, high-scoring affairs and the contest that took place on this date in 1993 certainly lived up to those requirements. Mike Gartner of the New York Rangers scored four times in that game at the Montreal Forum, leading the Wales Conference to a 16-6 victory over the Campbell Conference. The goaltender's nightmare that day established records for most goals in a game and by one team and total goals scored in a game.

   During a career that spanned 17 seasons and five teams, Jacques Plante won seven Vezina trophies as the NHL's outstanding goalie, played on six Stanley Cup champions and was a first team All-Star three times. But his greatest legacy may be for the way he changed the face of the game - on this night, he wore a mask for the first time.

   Rangers star right winger Andy Bathgate retaliated for being upended by Plante by blasting a slapshot that hit the goaltender squarely, breaking his nose. Battered and bloodied, Plante skated to the bench and told his coach he would only continue playing if he could wear a mask. His coach, the legendary Toe Blake, wasn't crazy about the idea, but since teams only dressed one goalie in those years, he really had no choice. Plante went into the dressing room, took seven stitches to close the gash beneath his nose, and then returned to the ice wearing a face mask.

   The crowd gasped in disbelief, but the equipment soon became standard for goaltenders in the NHL.

   In the early years of their franchise, long before Mario Lemieux arrived on the scene, the Pittsburgh Penguins were not known for their overwhelming offensive firepower. Still, the team had a few players who knew their way around the net, and five of them combined to set a remarkable record. Playing against the St. Louis Blues, Bryan Hextall, Jean Pronovost, Al McDonough, Ken Schinkel and Ron Schock all scored within a span of 2:07 in the third period, the fastest five goals ever scored in the NHL. The outburst helped the Penguins win 10-4, but the Blues got the last laugh that season, edging out Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot in the West.

   If you blinked you would have missed it. That is, if you had time to blink. It happened that fast - in fact, only two seconds apart. Ken Linseman of the Boston Bruins and Doug Gilmour, then with the St. Louis Blues, set a record by scoring the two fastest goals ever. Linseman put one in at 19:50 to narrow his team's deficit to one goal, but Gilmour fired the ensuing faceoff into an empty net to seal a 7-5 victory for the Blues.

   No baseball player has ever seriously threatened Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, but Wayne Gretzky came close to that magic sports number during the 1983-84 season. It was Gretzky's fifth year in the league with the Oilers, and he scored at least a point every night during a stretch of 51 consecutive games en route to a 205-point campaign. The streak ended when Los Angeles Kings goalie Markus Mattsson kept the Great One off the scoreboard. During his run, Gretzky had tallied 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points.