April 12
1939 — Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Chicago Black Hawks beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 for a 3-1 series win; only team to win Cup with losing regular season record.
1941 — The Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 to cap a four-game sweep in the Stanley Cup finals.
1942 — Byron Nelson wins his second Masters, edging Ben Hogan by one stroke.
1945 — Toronto rookie goalie Frank McCool set a playoff record with his third consecutive shutout, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
1953 — Ben Hogan takes his second Masters with a five-stroke victory over Porky Oliver.
1954 — Sam Snead edges Ben Hogan by one stroke in a playoff round to win his third Masters.
1954 — 8th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat Syracuse Nationals, 4 games to 3.
1958 — St. Louis’ Bob Pettit scores a record 50 points as the Hawks beat the Boston Celtics in six games for the NBA title. Pettit hit 19 shots from the field and 12 from the free-throw line in the Hawks 110-109 win.
1960 — Maurice Richard scored his NHL-record 82nd, and final, playoff goal in the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-2 victory against the Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Richard retired before the 1960-61 season.
1964 — Arnold Palmer wins the Masters for the fourth time and comes within the course record by two strokes with a 274.
1980 — U.S. Olympic Committee endorses a boycott of the Moscow Olympic games.
1981 — Tom Watson wins his second Masters with a two-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus.
1987 — Larry Mize hits a 48-foot chip shot to defeat Greg Norman on the second hole of sudden death at the Masters.
1987 — Ahmed Salah wins 2nd World Cup marathon (2:10:55).
1988 — Frank Robinson replaces Cal Ripkin as manager of Baltimore Orioles.
1992 — Fred Couples wins the Masters by two strokes to end a string of four consecutive British victories. Couples beats Ray Floyd, who was attempting to become the oldest player to win a major at age 49.
1993 — American Jeff Rouse swims world record 100m backstroke (51.43 sec).
1997 — Allen Iverson scores a career-high 50 points, for his fourth straight game with at least 40, as Philadelphia loses to Cleveland 125-118. Iverson breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s rookie record of three consecutive 40-point games, set during the 1959-60 season.
1998 — Mark O’Meara wins the Masters with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole. O’Meara becomes the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1960 to win by closing with two consecutive birdies.
2005 — Smithtown (N.Y.) High School’s co-ed badminton team defeats Miller Place (N.Y.) High School 10-5 to end Miller Place’s 504-match win streak, the longest sports winning streak in U.S. history. For Miller Place, it is the first loss in the program’s history, which began in 1973.
2009 — In Hameenlinna, Finland, the United States wins its second straight women’s World Hockey Championship title, beating Canada 4-1 behind defenseman Caitlin Cahow’s two goals.
2009 — 73rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ángel Cabrera wins his 2nd major title in a playoff with Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry; Cabrera, first Masters champion.
2015 — Jordan Spieth romps to his first major championship with a record-tying performance at the Masters, shooting an 18-under 270 to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the green jacket since 1976. Spieth is the first Masters champion to lead after every round since Raymond Floyd 39 years ago.
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April 13
1927 — Stanley Cup Final, Ottawa Senators beat Boston Bruins, 3-1 for a 2-0-2 series win.
1933 — Stanley Cup Final, New York Rangers beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 1-0 in OT for a 3-1 series win; first best-of-4 Finals series.
1940 — The New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1940 — Dutch Warmerdam becomes the first man to clear 15 feet in the pole vault in a small track meet at Cal-Berkeley. Warmerdam, the last to set records with a bamboo pole, will have 43 vaults over 15 feet at a time when no other vaulter in the world clears 15 feet.
1942 — 9th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Byron Nelson wins an 18-hole playoff by 1 stroke over runner-up Ben Hogan.
1944 — Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4 in overtime for a 4-0 series sweep.
1949 — Basketball Association of America Finals: Minneapolis Lakers beat Washington Capitols, 77-56 to take series, 4 games to 2.
1954 — Milwaukee Braves’ Hank Aaron’s 1st game.
1957 — The Boston Celtics capture their first NBA championship as rookie Tommy Heinsohn scores 37 points and grabs 23 rebounds in a 125-123 double overtime victory over the St. Louis Hawks in Game 7. Rookie Bill Russell scores 19 points and pulls down a game-high 32 rebounds. Russell wins a NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA championship in 13 months.
1963 — Pete Rose triples for his 1st major league base hit.
1963 — 33rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: George Archer wins his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Billy Casper, George Knudson, and Tom Weiskopf.
1970 — Billy Casper wins the Masters with a five-stroke playoff victory over Gene Littler.
1972 — The first player strike in baseball history ends and the season is set to start April 15.
1975 — 39th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus wins his 5th Masters title.
1976 — 1st NBA playoff game for Cleveland Cavliers.
1980 — Seve Ballesteros, 23, becomes the youngest to win the Masters, with a four-stroke victory.
1980 — U.S. and its allies boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest against Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan.
1984 — Pete Rose of the Montreal Expos collects the 4,000th hit of his career with a double off Philadelphia’s Jerry Koosman in the fourth inning.
1986 — Jack Nicklaus wins the Masters for a record sixth time and at 46 becomes the oldest to win the event.
1986 — The Celtics end the 1985-86 season with a 135-107 win over the New Jersey Nets at Boston Garden and finish with an NBA-record 40-1 at home.
1991 — Pete Weber wins four games to become the second player in PBA history to win the BPAA U.S. Open twice, this time with a 289-184 victory over Mark Thayer.
1992 — Lou Carnesecca retires as head-coach of St John’s Men’s Basketball Team.
1997 — Tiger Woods wins the Masters by a record 12 strokes at Augusta National. Closing with a 69, Woods finished at 18-under 270, the lowest score in the Masters and matching the most under par by anyone in any of the four Grand Slam events.
1997 — Pittsburgh Penguins’ Mario Lemieux’s last NHL regular season game.
2003 — Mike Weir becomes the first Canadian to win the Masters after the first sudden-death playoff in 13 years.
2004 — Barry Bonds hits his 661st career home run, passing his godfather Willie Mays for 3rd most.
2008 — Trevor Immelman handles the wind and pressure of Augusta National far better than anyone chasing him to win the Masters, the first South African in a green jacket in 30 years.
2012 — Martin Brodeur stops 24 shots for his 100th postseason win, and a three-goal first period is enough to help the New Jersey Devils spoil the Florida Panthers’ long-awaited return to the Stanley Cup playoffs in a 3-2 victory. Brodeur also picks up an assist for his 10th postseason point, while becoming the second goalie in NHL history to reach triple-figures in playoff wins. Only Patrick Roy has more, with 151.
2014 — 78th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Bubba Watson wins his 2nd Masters, 3 shots ahead of runners-up Jonas Blixt and Jordan Spieth.
2014 — Manny Pacquiao defeats Timothy Bradley to regain his WBO welterweight boxing title.
2019 — San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich surpasses Lenny Wilkens to became the all-time winningest coach in NBA history with his 1,413th win.
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April 14
1928 — The New York Rangers beat the Montreal Maroons for the Stanley Cup, 3-games-to-2.
1931 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks 2-0 in the fifth game to win the Stanley Cup after trailing 2-games-to-1.
1941 — 45th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson in 2:30:38; his third victory in the event.
1948 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in four games as they beat the Detroit Red Wings 7-2.
1955 — Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings win back-to-back titles; beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 for a 4-3 series victory.
1960 — The Montreal Canadiens win their fifth straight Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs, including tonight’s 4-0 victory.
1962 — Elgin Baylor of Los Angeles scores a record 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126-121 triumph over the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals.
1964 — LA Dodgers’ future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax throws his 9th complete game without allowing a walk.
1968 — Bob Goalby wins the Masters when Roberto de Vincenzo of Argentina is penalized for signing an incorrect scorecard.
1974 — 38th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Gary Player wins the 2nd of his 3 Masters titles.
1985 — Bernhard Langer beats Curtis Strange, Ray Floyd and Seve Ballesteros by two strokes to win the Masters.
1991 — Ian Woosnam of Wales made a par putt to turn back Tom Watson on the last hole and capture the Masters.
1993 — The NHL’s longest winning streak ends at 17 games as the Pittsburgh Penguins settled for a 6-6 tie with the New Jersey Devils on a late goal by Joe Mullen.
1996 — The Detroit Red Wings wrap up the winningest season in NHL history by defeating Dallas 5-1. The Red Wings finished with 62 victories, beating the 60 wins of the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.
1996 — Greg Norman shoots a startling 78 in the greatest collapse in Masters history, giving Nick Faldo his third green jacket and sixth major championship.
2002 — Tiger Woods becomes the third player to win back-to-back Masters titles. He closes with a 1-under 71 to claim a three-stroke victory over Retief Goosen.
2013 — Adam Scott becomes the first Australian to win the Masters, beating Angel Cabrera on the second hole of a playoff on a rainy day at Augusta National.
2016 — Breanna Stewart leads a UConn sweep of the first three picks in the WNBA draft, going first overall to the Seattle Storm. Moriah Jefferson went second to San Antonio and Morgan Tuck third to Connecticut, the first time in draft history that three players from the same school went 1-2-3. It’s a first in any major sport.
2019 — 83rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his 5th Masters title by 1 stroke from Xander Schauffele.
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April 15
1901 — Boston Marathon won for second straight year by Canadian Jim Caffrey.
1907 — Boston Marathon won by Canadian Tom Longboat.
1927 — Yankees slugger Babe Ruth hits MLB record 60 HRs is a season.
1937 — The Detroit Red Wings beat the New York Rangers 3-0 to take the Stanley Cup in the fifth and final game.
1947 — Jackie Robinson becomes 1st African-American to play in US major league baseball.
1952 — The Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 to capture the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings holds the Canadiens to two goals in the four-game sweep.
1958 — 1st baseball game in California, SF Giants beat LA Dodgers, 8-0.
1979 — 43rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Fuzzy Zoeller wins his only Masters with a birdie on the 2nd hole of a playoff with Ed Sneed and Tom Watson.
1984 — Ben Crenshaw wins the Masters by two strokes over Tom Watson.
1985 — Marvin Hagler retains his world middleweight title by stopping Tommas Hearns in the third round at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Both slug it out with reckless abandon for eight minutes, which many consider the most electrifying three rounds in boxing history.
1990 — PGA Seniors’ Championship Men’s Golf, PGA National GC: South African Gary Player wins his third event title by 2 strokes.
1991 — Magic Johnson sets an NBA record for career assists in a 112-106 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Johnson, who needed nine assists to break Oscar Robertson’s record of 9,887, gets 19.
1993 — Sparky Anderson earns his 2,000th victory as a manager as the Detroit Tigers rally to beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2.
1993 — Andre Dawson becomes the 25th player to hit 400 home runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 4-3.
1997 — Baseball honors Jackie Robinson by retiring #42 for all teams.
1998 — The first-ever AL-NL doubleheader is held in New York’s Shea Stadium. The New York Yankees beat the Anaheim Angels 6-3 and the New York Mets edge the Chicago Cubs 2-1.
2000 — Cal Ripken becomes the 24th player to reach 3,000 hits when he lines a clean single to center off Twins reliever Hector Carrasco. He reaches the milestone with his third hit in a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins and becomes the seventh player in major league history to get 3,000 hits and 400 home runs.
2000 — NFL Draft: Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown first pick by Cleveland Browns.
2005 — Top-ranked Roger Federer’s 25-match winning streak ends when French teenager Richard Gasquet saves three match points before capturing a third-set tiebreaker at the Monte Carlo Masters. Federer’s 35-1 record this year is the best start on the men’s tour since John McEnroe was 39-0 in 1984.
2005 — Two-time Olympic champion Steven Lopez of the United States wins his third world taekwondo title, capturing the welterweight gold medal with a 3-2 victory over Ali Tajik of Iran.
2018 — Victor Oladipo scores 32 points and the Indiana Pacers hold off Cleveland’s second-half rally for a stunning 98-80 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series, handing LeBron James and the Cavaliers’ their first loss in the opening round in eight years.
2019 — LA Clippers overcome an NBA record 31-point deficit to score an improbable 135-131 Game 2 playoff victory over the Golden State Warriors.
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