Sports History 1878 - Frederick W. Thayer patented the baseball catcher’s mask. 1879 - The first artificial ice rink opened in North America. It was at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. 1880 - The National Croquet League was organized in Philadelphia, PA. 1982 - Wayne Gretzky tied the NHL record for points in a season when he got his 153rd point. 1987 - Bill Fitch became the fifth coach in NBA history to get 700 career wins. 1989 - Wayne Gretzky got his 45th career hat trick and achieved a 40+ goal season for the 10th time in his career. 1993 - The San Jose Sharks lost their 17th straight game to tie an NHL record. 1997 - Kevin Johnson reached 1,000 career steals. 2002 - Baseball owners approved the sale of the Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos. |