Cooke Makes His Dream Come True

How can you put an ice hockey team in a city where palm trees grow?

That was an early reaction to the announcement, 33 years ago today, that the six-team National Hockey League doubled its size in one day.

Having not expanded in 34 years, the NHL awarded new teams to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

In Los Angeles, many wondered about the fate of the Sports Arena, already home to Jack Kent Cooke’s NBA Lakers. He had previously said that if he got an NHL team, he would build his own arena to house both teams.

The team he would call the Kings cost the 53-year-old Cooke $2 million. The previous September, he’d paid $5,175,000 for the Lakers. He also owned 25% of the Washington Redskins.

Cooke, a U.S. citizen by an act of Congress, was thrilled.

“I was born in Canada, and in Canada every boy has one dream,” he said. “He doesn’t dream of becoming prime minister, he dreams of the day he can be a professional hockey player.”

Also on this date: In 1992, Magic Johnson, three months after announcing he was infected with HIV, was the NBA All-Star game’s most valuable player with 25 points and nine assists. . . . In 1967, Roger Maris, two seasons from retirement, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for $75,000. . . . In 1963, the Dallas Texans of the American Football League announced they were leaving Dallas and would become the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 1969, onetime welterweight boxing champion Marty Servo died at 49. . . . In 1949, the Yankees’ Tommy Henrich signed for $40,000. . . . In 1963, Boston’s Bill Russell had a 28-rebound game against San Francisco and Wilt Chamberlain to become the NBA’s all-time rebound leader. . . . In 1975, Johnny Miller birdied three of the last six holes to win the Bob Hope Desert Classic and earn $32,000. . . . In 1966, Billy Casper shot a last-day 66 to win the Hope by three strokes and earn $20,000.