Today In History

On May 24, 1980 in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, Bobby Nystrom scored 7:11 into overtime of Game 6 of the NHL Finals vs. the Philadelphia Flyers to give the New York Islanders their first ever Stanley Cup Championship, just eight years after the team was founded. Nystrom’s dramatic goal not only won the Stanley Cup, but also started one of the most memorable dynasties in sports history. Led by Hall of Fame Head Coach Al Arbour, the Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980-1983. Hockey fans will fondly remember that this team included Hall of Famers Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, and many other talented players. After winning four straight Stanley Cups, the Islanders advanced to the 1984 NHL Finals, but lost to Wayne Gretzky and the upstart Edmonton Oilers, hockey’s next dynasty. The loss snapped the Islanders incredible streak of 19 postseason series in a row.

Billie Holiday The future "Lady Day" first heard the music of Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith on a victrola at Alice Dean's, the Baltimore "house of ill repute" where she ran errands and scrubbed floors as a young girl. She made her singing debut in obscure Harlem nightclubs (borrowing her professional name from screen star Billie Dove), then toured with Count Basie and Artie Shaw before going solo. Benny Goodman dragged the frightened singer to her first studio session. Between 1933 and 1944, she recorded over 200 "sides," but she never received royalties for any of them. Her own compositions included "God Bless the Child," espousing the virtues of financial independence and "Don't Explain," lament on infidelity. White gardenias, worn in her hair, became her trademark.