This Day in Sports History: February 17
On this day, February 17, three NBA All-Star games took place, and two of the MVPs were among the biggest names in the game, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Additionally, there were notable NHL records, overall achievements, and historic sports moments. Let’s take a closer look at these and other highlights.
The Stars of the NBA
Feb. 17th witnessed great moments from legends of the NBA:
- 2008: The 57th NBA All-Star Game occurred at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. The East defeated the West 134-128, and the MVP was the King himself, LeBron James.
- 2013: The 62nd NBA All-Star Game happened at the Toyota Centre in Houston, Texas. The West defeated the East 143-138, and the MVP was Chris Paul.
- 2019: The 68th NBA All-Star Game took place at the Spectrum Centre in Charlotte, North Carolina. Team LeBron beat Team Giannis 178-164, and the MVP was Kevin Durant.
Unforgettable NHL Moments
Feb. 17 saw notable hockey records and international highlights:
- 1923: Ottawa left wing Cy Denneny passes Joe Malone as the all-time NHL goal-scoring leader. It was his 143rd career goal in a Senators’ 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
- 1951: Detroit right win Gordie Howe scores his 100th career NHL goal and adds an assist in a 2-1 Red Wings’ victory over the Canadiens, in Montreal, Quebec.
- 1968: The Soviet Union wins its third Olympic ice hockey gold medal in Grenoble. The Soviets won the game 5-0 over Canada.
- 1998: The USA Women’s Ice Hockey Team beats Canada and wins the first Olympic Gold medal.
Sports History
Feb. 17 featured some offseason baseball stories and even a notable moment in chess:
- 1943: NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio enlists in the US Army.
- 1965: US-Japan baseball relations were suspended over the Masanori Murakami dispute.
- 1987: New York Yankees Don Mattingly wins highest salary arbitration ($1,975,000 per year)
- 1989: Former baseball player and manager Leo Durocher is injured in a car crash.
- 1995: Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson takes unpaid leave due to the baseball strike.
- 1996: Garry Kasparov defeats chess-playing computer Deep Blue 4-2.
Looking back on these Feb. 17 statistics, some of the biggest names in their respective sports made history. LeBron James ranks in the top five all-time NBA players. Kevin Durant is known as one of the best tall shooters in the game and was a key part of the Warriors dynasty. In the NHL, Cy Denneny finished his career with 247 goals and currently ranks 364th on the all-time goals list, while Gordie Howe sits in third place with 801 goals.
Baseball statistics were all over the place but still featured unique moments. There have been five baseball strikes, with the 1994-1995 strike canceling 938 games, including the entire 1994 postseason. Baseball can sometimes resemble chess, and just like Garry Kasparov’s historic victory, beating computers remains a significant challenge today.
