Lone Fatality Brought Change to the NHL

With pucks traveling up to 100 mph, it’s remarkable to many that only one fatality has occurred in National Hockey League history--on this date in 1968.

But the death of Bill Masterton of the Minnesota North Stars was not the result of a slap shot or a stick, but a fall. After a hard check into the boards, he landed heavily on the ice, on the back of his head, and suffered a skull fracture.

Only a few NHL players wore helmets at the time, and Masterton’s death launched a cry for mandatory helmets. Today, every NHL player is helmeted.

Thirty-two years ago today, pro football fans got a definitive answer to the question: Who’s better, the NFL or the AFL?

The two leagues’ champions, Green Bay and Kansas City, played for the first time at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . . . and Los Angeles yawned. On a day scalpers got skinned, only 61,946. showed up.

Green Bay, behind Bart Starr’s errorless pass offense, won going away, 35-10.

Packer Coach Vince Lombardi, who had refused to say anything during the game’s buildup about the quality of AFL play, finally did during the postgame trophy presentation.

“OK, you want me to say it?” he barked, with his famous gap-toothed grin.

“OK, I’ll say it. Their league isn’t as good as our league. There, I said it. You happy now?”

Also on this date: In 1918, Babe Ruth signed a $7,000 contract to play for the Boston Red Sox.