Historically Speaking: 3-17-09

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. Join us after the jump for some green- and some hockey-related tidbits. Remember that safety is the first thing to remember when, at the end of the morning, you're havin' trouble rememberin' much of anything.

* On the whole, it's a damn fine day to be Irish. Real Irish. Not the feckin' Irish every last meathead and cocktease claim to be on March 17th just so that they can get black-out drunk. It's a damn fine day to be Irish, though, because it's just about the only time of the year the Irish get any recognition. Like over in Boston. The year was 1940, when, for the first time in NHL history, three linemates -- Bruins Boston's Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer -- wrapped up the season with scoring ranks of -- no lie -- first, second, and third.

* Fifteen years later, a seven-hour, million-dollars-in-damage riot occurred in Montreal. Four days prior, Canadien Maurice "Rocket" Richard had attacked an official during a fight in a game, and apparently, this is how such matters are handled in the 'treal.

* Skipping ahead to 1973, we recall the St. Patrick's Day Parade in which marchers carried 14 coffins to commemorate Bloody Sunday.

* Then, in 1998, the U.S. Women's Hockey Team defeated Canada in the Winter Olympics for their first ever gold medal.

*The following year, the Toronto Maple Leafs donned retro green jerseys for a "Hockey Night in Canada" game to commemorate the period from 1919-1927 when they were known as the Toronto St. Patrick's.

And your Sports Illustrated quote of the day came from the mouth of...



...New York Jet veteran placekicker Pat Leahy who, in 1991, took issue with the saying that the legs are the first things to go on an athlete. His version: "It's the hair."