Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 12/11/2007

12/11/1977:
One assist by a goalie in an NHL game is unusual and two is quite rare, so when two goalies record two assists in two separate games on the same night it's a record-tying event and an unprecedented occurrence. Tony Esposito of the Chicago Blackhawks and Dan Bouchard of the Atlanta Flames each receive credit for two assists in victories by their teams when two of their clearing passes apiece result in goals. They equal the league mark set by Gilles Meloche of the Cleveland Barons three years ago. For his part, Meloche has somewhat less success in his game this evening. He's in the nets as Cleveland is routed, 11-1, by the Flyers.

Birthdays:
Doc Blanchard b. 1924
Pierre Pilote b. 1931
Moose Vasko b. 1935
Willie McGinest b. 1971
Shareef Abdur-Rahim b. 1976


Wouldn’t you like to be someplace warm now—say, Spain? No, don’t get up, unless it’s to buy a copy of Mañana Mañana, which will transport you to Mallorca as surely as Air Iberia would, and with much less hassle. Kerr, a Scottish farmer, moves with his family to the Spanish island and there learns much more than just how to grow oranges. Not the usual memoir of a wealthy foreigner looking for adventure, Kerr’s story is more sincere, honest, and yes, warm.

MAÑANA MAÑANA, by Peter Kerr (The Lyons Press, 2004)