Feb. 28th saw the NBA have a couple of records. There were some baseball offseason stories, great Olympic accomplishments, and NHL records. Let's take a closer look at these and other moments.
Wilt's Field Goal Record and a Free Throw Streak
This day in the NBA was about efficient shooting:
- 1967: Wilt Chamberlain sinks a record 35th consecutive field goal.
- 1981: Calvin Murphy of the Houston Rockets, sets a record with 78 consecutive free throws.
Baseball Stories
This day in baseball dealt with some offseason drama:
- 1966: Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin a joint holdout against the Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1986: Peter Uberroth suspended seven baseball players for one year, after they admitted in Curtis Strong's trial in September, that they used drugs.
- 1989: 10-time All-Star second baseman and manager Red Schoendienst and umpire Al Barlick are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1991: The New York Yankees Don Mattingly is named the tenth team captain.
Olympic Moments
This day had some Olympic gold victories and a few closing ceremonies:
- 1936: Karl Schafer of Austria followed up on his Winter Olympics victory with his seventh consecutive men's figure skating World Championship title in Paris, France.
- 1936: Olympic champions Ernst Baier and Maxi Herber of Germany win their fourth consecutive pairs figure skating gold medal at the World Championships in Paris, France.
- 1960: Home team United States wins its first Olympic ice hockey gold medal at Squaw Valley. The USA beat Czechoslovakia 9-4.
- 1960: VII Winter Olympic Games close in Squaw Valley, California.
- 1988: XV Winter Olympic Games finished in Calgary, Canada.
- 2010: XXI Winter Olympic Games came to a close in Vancouver, Canada.
- 2020: Court of Arbitration for Sport bans Chinese triple Olympic gold medallist Sun Yang from swimming for eight years for breaking anti-doping rules.
NHL Records
This day had an ugly streak and a great points milestone:
- 1929: The Chicago Blackhawks lose a league-record 15th straight game at home.
- 1988: Pat Verbeek becomes the first New Jersey Devil to score four goals in an NHL game.
- 1998: Vancouver Canucks Mark Messier is the fourth NHLer to get 1,600 points.
Looking back on Feb. 28th, the theme is efficiency and longevity. Wilt Chamberlain's streak of 35 consecutive field goals remains the longest in history. Calvin Murphy's free throw streak was later surpassed by Michael Williams, who made 97 consecutive free throws for the Minnesota Timberwolves between March 24 and November 9, 1993. The NHL had both highs and lows. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres share the record for the longest losing streak, with 18 consecutive losses. On a brighter note, Hall of Famer Mark Messier reached the 1,600-point milestone. He finished his career ranked third all-time with 1,887 points.
