Today is Monday, March 2, 2026

Today in
Sports History

1904 - The "Official Playing Rules of Professional Base Ball Clubs" were adopted.

1918 - Joe Malone (Toronto Arenas) became the first scoring leader in the NHL. He had scored 44 goals in 22 games in the first NHL season. His record stood until 1944-45 when 50 goals were scored by Maurice "The Rocket" Richard.

1922 - The Toronto St. Patricks and the Vancouver Millionaires played the final professional hockey game that featured seven players on each side.

1927 - Babe Ruth signed a 3-year contract with the New York Yankees worth $70,000 a year.

1929 - George Hainsworth (Montreal Canadiens) recorded his 20th shutout of the season. He ended the season with a total of 22.

1929 - The Chicago Blackhawks were shut out for the eighth consecutive game.

1940 - The first televised intercollegiate track meet was seen on TV in New York City on W2XBS. The game presented live from Madison Square Garden. New York University won the meet.

1962 - Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks. The final score was 169-147. Chamberlain broke several NBA records in the game.

1966 - Bobby Hull (Chicago Blackhawks) became the first NHL player to score 50 goals in two seasons.

1969 - Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the first player in the NHL to score 100 points in a season. Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe also crossed the 100 mark during the same season.

1984 - John Long (Detroit) began a free throw streak of 51 NBA games.

1992 - Ryne Sandberg signed a 5-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth $30.5 million.

2000 - Team New Zealand (Kiwis) retained yachting's America's Cup. It was the first time that a non-American syndicate had successfully defended the Cup.

2004 - The Pittsburgh Penguins ended their NHL record 14-game home losing streak when they tied the New York Islanders 3-3.

2004 - The Indianapolis Colts signed Peyton Manning to a seven-year, $98 million deal with a $34.5 million signing bonus. It was the largest package to date in the NFL.


Sports Quote

We didn't want to weaken the rest of the league. - Frank Lane, Milwaukee Brewers executive, on why he didn't make any off-season trades