#fun fact: McDonalds was founded in 1940

[beezter]

I just discovered the McDonalds audio.

When was the last time Arthur ate protein?? how is he alive (currently on s4 btw i just met Oscar!! oh boy i sure hope nothing bad happens to these fun new characters)

[rabbitcruiser]

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

Both sandwiches and fried chicken have been around for centuries, but making the chicken boneless and putting it on a bun is certainly a notable and delicious way to change the experience.

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day is here to celebrate and pay heed to this delicious food that feels deeply American!

History of National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

Though it was not created in the southern parts of the United States, fried chicken has certainly become a part of the culture when it comes to southern, down home, country cooking. The deliciousness of the breading combined with the yumminess of a bun or a biscuit makes the fried chicken sandwich something worth celebrating!

Claiming that they invented the chicken sandwich in the 1940s, Chick-fil-A, which is an Atlanta-based fast food restaurant founded by Samuel Truett Cathy, was probably the first to put a fried chicken sandwich on a fast food menu. And certainly that is no small thing as fast food was mostly filled with burgers and fries at the time.

Slowly and without a lot of fanfare, the 1980s and 90s brought the chicken sandwich to Burger King, McDonald’s, and Kentucky. But just a few decades later, the competition has gotten fierce and fried chicken sandwiches have become all the rage in fast food.

In fact, during the so-called “Chicken Sandwich Wars” of summer 2019, Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A had a rather large rivalry on Twitter, resulting in shortages and lines of people out the door waiting to try the new Popeye’s fried chicken sandwich. Even Taco Bell took its turn at introducing a chicken sandwich, which seems like quite a stretch!

But no matter if it is served at a fast food place like McDonald’s or at a casual sit-down dining place such as TGI Fridays or Applebee’s, National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day offers an amazing opportunity to enjoy this delicious dish and celebrate!

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day Timeline

1747 First Fried Chicken recipe is published

Hannah Glass, an English cookery writer, publishes her recipe for fried chicken in The Art of Cookery Made Easy.

1762 Earl of Sandwich requests convenience food

To avoid leaving the gambling table, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, asks the cook to make something easy to eat and he becomes its namesake.

1946 First Fried Chicken Sandwich at a Fast Food Joint

S. Truett Cathy, owner of Chick-fil-A, places a chicken breast in a bun and serves the first fast food chicken sandwich.

1980 McDonald’s debuts the McChicken

A disappointment at first, the McChicken is taken away in lieu of McNuggets and then brought back again in 1988.

2019 America’s Chicken Sandwich Wars begin

A summertime release of Popeye’s new fried chicken sandwich turns into a social media frenzy between Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A, leaving lines out the door at Popeye’s.

How to Celebrate National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

Getting involved with National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day is really no problem. In fact, it’s a delicious day that everyone who wants to can celebrate. Though its origins are probably in the US, it can certainly be enjoyed all over the world. All it takes is some chicken and a bun!

Consider some of these ideas for enjoying National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day:

Enjoy Eating a Fried Chicken Sandwich

Head over to one of the restaurants mentioned above, like Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Wendy’s or Burger King and enjoy a fried chicken sandwich from the menu. And because it is National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, don’t forget to ask at the counter about any special deals or discounts that might be offered in honor of the day.

Make Fried Chicken Sandwiches for Family and Friends

For those people who enjoy cooking, this would be a fun day to celebrate a classic American dish by whipping up a delicious recipe in the kitchen! Invite a few friends over for a National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day gathering and get cooking!

Making these sandwiches is actually not that difficult. Start with some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and make a breading for them out of buttermilk, eggs, flour and spices. Then deep fry the chicken until done in the middle and golden brown on the outside.

Place the chicken on a tasty buttered bun and add condiments such as pickles, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, barbecue sauce or honey mustard. Some people even like to add bacon or a fried onion ring on top. Make it fun and adventurous in honor of National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day!

Try a Chick-fil-A Copycat Recipe

For those who want to get that juicy chicken sandwich flavor but find it difficult with just plain chicken breasts, perhaps try the “secret” recipe used by Chick-fil-A. They soak their chicken ahead of time in a marinade of pickle juice and refrigerate it that way for at least 30 minutes. It turns the chicken into something super juicy, without it tasting like pickles!

Consider Others’ Opinions About Fried Chicken Sandwiches

According to a recent poll, Americans have strong opinions about the Fried Chicken Sandwich! In celebration of National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, take a look at some of these interesting responses to a national survey that was given on the topic.

The biggest preference for sauces on chicken sandwiches is either no sauces (16%), barbecue sauce only (15%) or ranch dressing (12%).

Despite the increase in popularity of Popeye’s during the Chicken Sandwich Wars, Chick-fil-A remains America’s number one chicken chain.

50% of Americans say they love fried chicken sandwiches, and 16% said they would marry one!

A whopping 71% of Americans surveyed say they eat a fried chicken sandwich at least once every two weeks or so. Wow!

Perform a National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day Taste Test

Since the Chicken Sandwich Wars started, some people have been wondering what all of the hype is about, particularly when it comes down to Chick-fil-A vs. Popeye’s. So it seems like this would be a great time to find out!

One easy way to make a side-by-side determination of the better fried chicken sandwich might be to have them both delivered, whether at home or at work. Choose a food delivery service like GrubHub or Uber Eats and make an order from both places to have them delivered at a similar time.

Put them next to one another and judge them by the way they look as well as the way they taste. It’s your own personal version of the Chicken Sandwich Wars!

Take a Foodie Tour

All of the food holidays offer cool opportunities to celebrate, and National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day is no exception. Perhaps this would be a good time to go on that tour of a local restaurant you’ve been talking about. Even better, turn it into a road trip and head over to Atlanta, Georgia to take a tour of the Chick-fil-A headquarters.

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day FAQs

Who has the best Fried Chicken Sandwich?

It’s subjective, of course, but many people love the Chik-fil-A sandwich while others think Popeye’s fried chicken sandwich is better!

What to serve with a Fried Chicken Sandwich?

Mac and cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, fries, and mashed potatoes are all great ideas for serving with a fried chicken sandwich.

Are Fried Chicken Sandwiches healthy?

Unfortunately, because they are high in trans fats and sodium, a fried chicken sandwich should be a special treat instead of part of a regular diet.

How to make a Fried Chicken Sandwich?

Making a fried chicken sandwich is fairly easy. Simply place a chicken breast in batter, fry it up and place it on a bun!

Who invented the Fried Chicken Sandwich?

S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A takes credit for inventing the fried chicken sandwich in Atlanta, Georgia in 1964.

Source

[mcdonaldsurvey]

Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About McDonald’s

When thinking of fast food chains, McDonald’s is probably the first option that comes to mind. Famous for its burgers, there are very few people in the world who have not heard of this business as there are restaurants in almost every location across the globe. As the biggest fast food chain in the world, it is hard to avoid McDonald’s altogether. It seems impossible not to find a McDonald’s restaurant, no matter where you are traveling to on your vacation. Similarly, barely a day goes by without seeing a television advertisement or poster advertising this fast-food chain. It is now difficult to imagine a world without McDonald’s. Despite its fame and global success, there are many facts that people do not know about this fast-food chain. Here are 20 interesting facts about McDonald’s.

McDonald’s was founded in 1940 by siblings Richard and Maurice McDonald. Their first restaurant was completely unrecognizable to what the chain is today and was located on the corner of 1398 North E Street and West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California. In 1948, the brothers decided to implement the Speedee Service System in their restaurant. Two decades earlier, this system had been introduced by White Castle. At McDonald’s, it was used to put in place many of the principles of a modern day fast food restaurant. Ray Kroc became involved in the business and it was he who was responsible for getting the trademark for the business. He later bought the McDonald brothers equity in the business and gradually forced them out of the company they had founded. The company is now run by a board of directors and led by chairman Enrique Hernandez and Steve Easterbrook, who serves as both president and CEO of McDonald’s Corporation.

In terms of revenue, McDonald’s is the largest restaurant chain in the world. A large proportion of the revenue earned by the McDonald’s Corporation comes from their franchises as these pay rent, fees, and royalties. The rest of their money comes from sales in their company-operated restaurants. In 2016, the total revenue of the company was $24.622 billion. Of this, $7.745 billion was operating income, $4.686 billion was net income, and $2.2043 billion was total equity. They also had total assets valued at $31.024 billion.

They Serve 69 Million Customers Every Day

Not only do people love the delicious burgers and fries served at McDonald’s they are also fans of this fast food chain because they serve the food so quickly and the meals are affordable. Therefore, it is no wonder that people are so keen to eat at one of their establishments. It is estimated that McDonald’s serve approximately 69 million customers every single day. This is more than the entire population of France, which is around 66 million people. This means that they sell 75 hamburgers every single second and more than 5 billion burgers annually. To achieve such sales, they require herds of cows totaling 25 million cows. McDonald’s now say that 70% of their food sales are from the drive-thru sections of their restaurants.

McDonald’s is the World’s Second Largest Private Employer

In 2012, a BBC report revealed that McDonald’s is the world’s second-largest private employer as they employ 1.8 million people. It is estimated that 1.5 million of these are working in franchises. They are only beaten by Walmart who employ 1.9 million. This company is also the biggest private employer in the United Kingdom. The number of people employed by McDonald’s is greater than the population of Philadelphia, which is home to 1.5 million people. Employees must be happy to work for this fast-food chain as their oldest employee is 92. Goh Gwek Eng works in one of the outlets in Singapore and is happy to go to work now her 10 children and 20 grandchildren have all left home. Her one complaint about working for McDonald’s is that it can get a little too hot when you are standing by the fryers.

[worldfootprints]

The route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas may be a heavily traveled highway, but it’s still a long strip of road through the desert of the American Southwest. As such, it offers plenty of the weird and wacky roadside stops that characterize this part of the world. Whether you’re going to Las Vegas for fun or to Los Angeles for business, be sure to make the most of this drive. If you keep both your eyes and your itinerary open, you can make memories and get awesome photos before you ever arrive at your destination. Here are a few of my favorite stops between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Breakfast and Archery

The first thing you should do as you head out of Los Angeles is to eat breakfast at Riley’s Farm. This stop is a small detour from the main route, especially if you are leaving from northern LA. If you have time to spare, this working u-pick farm that offers guests a Colonial-era experience is definitely worth it. The fact that it is on the West Coast makes it a delightfully unexpected excursion. When I visited, I enjoyed the world’s best omelets at the Hog’s Head Tavern, tried some archery, and made my own hand-dipped candle.

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Unless you plan to hike in Angeles National Forest, your next interesting stop will be Barstow. This is one of those little towns that appears bland at first glance, but actually offers fun and unique experiences. On my trip, I didn’t make it two of Barstow’s well-known sites, the original Del Taco restaurant or the Route 66 Museum, which is only open on weekends, but I did eat at the train station McDonald’s. Even if you hate McDonald’s on principle, you should at least grab a salad here. You order inside a historic train station and enjoy your meal in a refurbished train car.

Photo of author’s family with Ronald McDonald

A Giant Ice Cream Sundae

After staring at Joshua trees and barren hills for a while, you can stop for gas at Eddie World. You will know you’ve found Eddie World when you see a gigantic ice cream sundae on the side of the road. Although you can’t go inside the sundae, you can go inside the massive convenience store and check out the ice cream, coffee, and mounds of brightly-colored candy. I spent way too much time here.

If you have kids, be sure to take a break at Calico Ghost Town. History buffs will have fun at this 1880s silver mining town. I was disappointed to find out that they charge admission to walk through the old community, but it was cool to see the rickety buildings and abandoned mine shaft.

Spooky Sites

Don’t miss the chance to explore Zzyzx Road. This bizarre stop was my favorite part of the Los Angeles to Las Vegas road trip. I first heard about Zzyzx Road in Michael Connelly’s murder mystery The Narrows. In the novel, Zzyzx Road led to the place where Connelly’s villain killed and buried his victims. My curiosity was piqued when I drove past the infamous road. Perhaps it was a bit morbid to take the exit and see where it led, but I wasn’t disappointed. At the end of Zzyzx Road, I found Soda Springs, a ghostly 1940s health spa that was built by a quack doctor who claimed to have found the Fountain of Youth. The whole sordid story is quite fascinating… almost as fascinating as the lonely buildings that overlook a moon-like lakebed devoid of vegetation.

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Once you’re back on the highway, you’ll see a lot of small communities trying to grab your attention (and your business.) Every little town seems to have a “World’s Biggest” claim, but the World’s Tallest Thermometer in Baker, CA is worth a stop. This is especially true if you visit in summer, and you can get a selfie with the temperature to wow your friends with the heat you’re currently enduring. Stop by the attached gift shop to visit Buzz the Vulture and buy a postcard. If you want to send the card from the store, they’ll mail it for free. Tag Buzz Therm in your social media posts, and maybe you’ll get your shots featured on their Instagram or Facebook page.

Take a short break from the highway to drive along the dusty frontage road to Seven Magic Mountains. Rumor has it that this roadside art installation is disappearing soon, so hurry if you want to see the seven, three-story towers, made of brightly painted boulders. This stop offers the perfect opportunity to get artsy travel photos or trendy selfies.

Seven Magic Mountains. Photo of author Breana Johnson

World’s Tallest Thermometer. Photo: Breana Johnson

Internet and Roller Coasters

Once you cross the California-Nevada border, you’ll find yourself in Primm. While this is not the place to take a break for dinner or get gas if you’re on a budget, this charmingly garish town was put on the map thanks to bootlegger Whiskey Pete, and now offers gambling, entertainment, and free internet to travelers. The castles and music might not be as impressive as the Strip’s shimmering neon, but does the Strip have a gigantic roller coaster? I don’t think so.

Just outside of Las Vegas, you can get in touch with nature at Red Rock Canyon National Park. If you get to Vegas before Freemont Street’s canopy lights up for the night, Red Rock offers the perfect opportunity to stretch your legs and catch the last rays of sunshine before your night out (or your night snuggled up in bed, if you’re like me.) You can hike deep into the wilderness, or just enjoy a stroll in the shadow of the breathtaking amber hills. Here’s a tip: if you’re planning to hit Lake Mead, Mojave National Park, Death Valley, or the Grand Canyon, it is probably worth it to purchase a National Parks Pass before your trip. This can save you a lot of money if you’ll be visiting more than a couple of national parks in the next 12 months. Just be sure to order early, because they take a while to arrive.

Whew! You’ve finally made it! If you stopped at all these places, you probably turned a four-hour drive into an all-day road trip. But it was more than worth it for the adventure. Now it’s time to unwind and enjoy the glitz and glamour of Sin City.

Roadside Stops between Los Angeles and Las Vegas The route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas may be a heavily traveled highway, but it’s still a long strip of road through the desert of the American Southwest.

[goldeagleprice]

Coin Finds: If you want it, you can find it

Based on the long-running “Coin Finds” column in Coins Magazine, which will continue to appear in print, this online version will give additional exposure to the thrill of the hunt.

Submit your own discoveries via email to David C. Harper at david.harper@fwmedia.com.

  I’ve been a collector, off and on, for probably 30 years now, starting at a pretty young age. My grandpa originally got me interested in coins, and over the years I’ve gone down different paths as far as what I collected. I’ve always made sure to check my change, though. In recent years, it has seemed much more difficult to find anything, especially the older silver coins, but yesterday while grabbing lunch in downtown Cedar Rapids, I discovered a 1948-S dime in my change! So I guess there are still finds to be had!

Mark S via email.

  I’m a long-time collector for 50-plus years, and I still buy rolls and pick up change in parking lots to keep looking for gems. I bought two rolls of cents last hunt and found one wheat cent, 1957-D, and a 1998 Wide AM variety cent in AU condition. Then I went to Walmart and found two coins in the Coinstar reject slot, a 2001 Canadian quarter and a 2009 South Korean coin about the same size. All in one week. I’ll keep looking. They are still out there. Even free ones!

Gene K. Southern Minnesota

  Here is an unusual one:

An elderly friend of mine told me he had “some old coins” from the U.S. Mint and asked if I would look at them and maybe sell them for him. I said sure, and the next day he handed me two small, heavy cardboard packages, both from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, one from 1961 and the other from 1962. He had been sitting on them for 57 and 56 years without opening them! I opened the 1961 package carefully, and stuffed inside were 25 Proof sets of the usual penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half. All 25 were in sealed brown envelopes. Ditto for the 1962 carton, 25 more.

Initial selling price back in the day was $2.10, so he paid $52.50 twice to get two boxes that have been untouched for over half a century.

I checked with four Indiana dealers, and the best price I was offered is $14.50 per set, for all 50 sets. I’m a bit disappointed, as my two-year-old Blue Book says $18, but then again, $725 is not a bad return for two boxes that sat in a drawer for 57 and 56 years! Deal struck, and now my friend has a check for $725.

Steve B. Fishers, Ind.

  I’ve only been a serious coin collector for maybe one or two years now. I collect for the historic value, and investment, and just the fun of finding coins of interest or value. So to make a long story short, I called my bank looking for Kennedy halves and Eisenhower dollars. The manager at my bank told me to go to another branch, as they had a couple of Eisenhowers. Went over and, to my amazement, they handed me two rolls of uncirculated Eisenhower dollars! What a find! All were Bicentennial dollars, too! Just goes to show you, if you want it, you can find it.

Jim B. Tonawanda, N.Y.

P.S. My daughter shares the same interest in coin collecting as I do, probably because I give her doubles of what I have collected, but she has a very nice collection herself.

  I very much enjoy your magazine, especially the “Coin Finds” section. I haven’t had as much luck or success in finding hard-to-find items as some of the other readers have, but I’m still searching.

My youngest son, who has no real interest in the hobby, has brought me coins on occasions. On one such occasion, he called me from his job and asked if coins are counterfeited. I told him if there is some value to the coin, some people will try.

He proceeded to describe a quarter he had come across at work. I asked a few questions and told him to swap it out and bring it to me if he could. A few hours later, he showed it to me.

It turned out to be a 2005 Minnesota state silver proof quarter. This was a big surprise. It had been circulated for some time, by the scratches and blemishes on it, but still had some mint proof luster to it.

On another occasion, a couple of weeks later, my son brought home six Teddy Roosevelt presidential dollar coins he received at work. They were bright, new, shiny coins that looked as though they just came out of the package. I don’t know how or why these coins were in circulation, but it’s pleasing that I was able to acquire them.

Good luck and happy hunting to all.

Joe S. via email

  I’ve enjoyed “Coin Finds” in this magazine for a while. I want to write about one of the most unusual finds I’ve ever made.

One morning in August of 2017, I decided to go to the store for some items. As I walked to the Coinstar machine, I could see some coins in the reject tray. I got everything out, which included (as I somewhat remember) two dimes, three pennies, and four foreign coins.

It’s normal to find foreign coins at the Coinstar machine, as it is calibrated to reject such coins. What was unusual, however, were the dates of these examples. They include (from most recent to earliest): 1979 Australian 10 cents (the size of a U.S. quarter), 1958 Mexican 5 Contavos (I like the brown color of it), 1950 German 1 Pfennig (the smallest of the group), and 1923 Canadian 5 cents (with King George V on the obverse).

This was definitely among my oddest coin finds, but still very exciting.

James via email

  I first wrote to Coins Magazine back in December of 2016 regarding Wheat back pennies and was pleasantly surprised that my letter, and finds were printed in the August 2017 edition. Since that letter, I have a new find to share with you. I call it “The Mother of All Finds…….EVER.” Well, at least it was to me. Here’s the back story:

My eldest son is not at all a coin collector, but rather the grandson and son of coin collectors. He has listened to me for countless hours ramble on about every aspect of coins and collecting coins for as long as I can remember, much of the time with two minutes of enthusiasm (then his eyes become glossed over from information overload). Hey, I understand that. I was the same way with my Dad years ago. However, something happened to him recently that made him change his outlook on his Grandfather’s and father’s passion. You can say HE STRUCK GOLD.

My son works for a house flipper and recently came across a small metal bank tucked away in the back of an old dresser in a house they were prepping for rehab. He took it to his boss and asked what he wanted to do with it. The boss said keep it and get back to work. So, he did just that. At the end of his work day, he decided to smash open his rehab find as clearly there were coins inside. How many, what kind, and what condition remained to be seen.

He called me two weeks after his discovery to tell me the story and what he found inside. As he began to describe each coin, it soon became clear to me that, condition notwithstanding, his find was not your average, everyday piggy bank variety. In fact, it was exemplary. Here is what was inside:

• Three each Walking Liberty Half Dollars dated: 1935, 1944 and 1947 • Nine each Mercury Head Dimes dated: 1920, 1926, 1936 (two), 1939 (two), 1940, 1942 and 1945 •Four Buffalo Head Nickels dated: 1934, 1937, and two unreadable dates • Two Mexican Cinco Centavos dated: 1968 and 1969 • Nine Washington Quarters dated: 1936, 1942 (two), 1943 (two), 1944, 1949, 1954 and 1957 • Three Roosevelt Dimes dated: 1946, 1954, and 1957 • One Standing Liberty Quarter dated: unknown – worn off • Six Jefferson Nickels dated: 1940, 1944 (two), 1947, 1948 and 1949 • One Canadian Penny dated: 1981 • Twenty Lincoln Head Pennies dated: 1959, 1962, 1964 (two), 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 (four), 1969 (two), 1970 (two), 1971, 1980, 1983, 1984 and 1990 • Thirty-six Wheat Back Pennies dated: 1910, 1920, 1928, 1930, 1935, 1937, 1939 (three), 1940, 1941, 1942 (three), 1943, 1944 (four), 1945 (three), 1946 (two), 1947 (three), 1949, 1950 (two), 1951, 1952, 1953 (two), 1955 and 1957

And last but not least, the gem of the bunch: one Gold Liberty Head $5 piece dated: 1882

Few of these coins, all which were gifted to me by my son, have any higher grade than an EF, and most not even that. But the 1882 Gold Liberty Head has the highest grade of them all, with an estimate of AU-56-MS-61, in my humble opinion.

So is there a moral to this story? I’d say so. Involve your kids or grandkids at an early age by planting the seeds of knowledge and appreciation for the things you love most. Their eyes may soon gloss over, but I assure you, your passion means more to them than even THEY realize.

Happy hunting, everyone!

M.D. Elgin, Illinois

  Editor’s Note: Upon reading a recent blog post by my colleague and Numismatic News and World Coin News Editor Dave Harper, I thought it was a perfect fit for this space and a story many of you would enjoy.

I am eating too many lunches at McDonald’s these days.

I have become addicted to speed eating since we moved our office from Iola, Wis., to Stevens Point.

The franchise is handy. It is fast.

I get back to the office so I can work during the remaining portion of lunch hour.

How long I can keep this up is a good question, but it has been going long enough that I can now claim a circulation find in change.

Recently, I ordered three cheeseburgers off the Dollar Menu.

The bill came to $3.17.

I tendered a $20 bill.

The change came back in the form of three $5s and a $1 bill.

The 83 cents was made up of two quarters, three dimes and three cents.

I knew I had something as soon as I looked in my palm.

There was the unmistakable look of silver to one of the dimes.

My rational brain immediately kicked in.

“It can’t be. You haven’t gotten a silver dime in years.”

But it was silver. The unmistakable white color was obscured a bit by some light dirt or dried grease.

The dime will win no prizes for beauty or top grade, but the date is 1963.

Flipping it over, the mintmark to the left of the base of the torch was “D” for Denver.

Beyond the satisfaction of getting a silver coin was a sense of nostalgia for having to flip the coin over to see a mintmark on the reverse.

It is kind of fun to be successful in circulation finds mode.

I will report on the rest of the coins.

The other two dimes were 2006-P and 2008-P.

The three cents are a 1977-D, 1983-D and a 2013-D, reflecting the dominance of Denver coins here.

Two quarters are a very worn 1973-D and a 2014-P Arches America the Beautiful quarter.

Now I can hold my head up among the readers of Numismatic News who continue to scan their change and search bank rolls.

  This article was originally printed in Coins Magazine. >> Subscribe today.

  If you like what you’ve read here, we invite you to visit our online bookstore to learn more about Strike It Rich With Pocket Change.

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The post Coin Finds: If you want it, you can find it appeared first on Numismatic News.

[ahs0kalives]

i hate la la land, but I hate the film critics who loved la la land more

Musicals. Have you seen a movie musical besides Singin’ in the Rain? If the answer is no, or I’ve also seen The Sound of Music, you are not allowed to have an opinion on the history of classic movie musicals until you have an understanding of the canon.

If in response to my question you say that movies in the so-called olden days movies all had happy endings so newfound brave cinema is calling Hollywood out on their shit and going against the man and writing new and fearless stories even if they are sort of boring (seriously, I don’t understand why these movies are so slow and boring)-YOU HAVE NOT SEEN VERY MUCH CLASSIC CINEMA. Also, its not like there is a dearth of these kinds of movies these days. This never was a revolutionary plot, but it certainly isn’t now.

Now, if you want to say well, Michelle, just because you don’t like these stories doesn’t mean they aren’t worth telling, to you I say Touche, on one condition. Promise me you won’t follow that sentence with the sheer realism of these films is in such contrast to the movies of the olden days of Classic Hollywood Movies ™. Those movies were cheap and fluffy and aimed only to entertain housewives. Because if you were going to say that to me, I would say I think you are thinking of Transformers and not CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD MOVIES ™.  

The fact that “serious” movies end with mildly unhappy endings with a dash of dramatic tension and an empty soul become award winners, because they are “realistic” and “not like the movies of the olden days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and oh god racism” is a harmful stereotype.  

Now, was their sexism, misogyny, and homophobia in “Classic Old Hollywood?” Absolutely. Is there any proof that mainstream Hollywood has improved AT ALL since the dawn of MGM and the huge, sparkling, at times disastrous and at times MAGICAL domination of the studios? NO. Seriously, we are worse by every metric. I’m not saying that society as a whole hasn’t changed. I’m just talking about the mainstream American Hollywood film industry and how they respect and acknowledge women actors and actors of color.

Hattie McDonald won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1939 for Gone with the Wind. Last year in 2016, no people of ANY color were nominated for an Oscar.

There used to be roles for women. And not just manic pixie dream girls. I mean meaty roles that women viewers would flock to. There was ONE mainstream movie in 2016 with women as protagonists. And it was a reboot of an all male film.

You know when there were roles in movies for women? Not now. Not anytime in recent decades. I’m tired of progress being characterized as a slow progression towards a certain and more fair and TRUTHFUL future. You know when there were roles for women in movies? MANY DECADES AGO. All kinds of roles, big roles, fun roles, serious roles. You know what movies they went to go see from the 1940s-1950s? Judy Garland movies. This is one of those cases where if you even try to bring up your sliver of knowledge about my girl JG, in which you think you can assess her career by saying you’ve watched The Wizard of Oz and you know she was a drug addict, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you.

In old movies, the manic pixie dream girl would kill you. Its called NOIR. In new movies, the manic pixie dream girl and the guy who does not imagine women complexly sort of pull away from each other in what is supposed to be a REAL and somehow more TRUTHFUL and CINEMATIC and DEEP ending. What is deep about that? No seriously I want to know.

It doesn’t help that as soon as I exited the theater after watching the aforementioned terrible film that I found out one of the best and last remaining actresses from old hollywood, Debbie Reynolds had passed away. 

[flauntpage]

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: This KHL player – This is technically from last week, but qualifies for this week's list due to the time zone difference.

The second star: The Travelling Jagrs add a member –

You've seen these guys before. They're a roving pack of Jagr impersonators who represent every one of the star's many stops around the hockey world. Now that he's in Calgary they need a new member, and the auditions seem to be going well.

The first star: Nathan Walker's butt makes history– He's the first Australian to ever play in the NHL, which earned him a call from the prime minister, during which he awkwardly had to talk about his own butt until the PM said "Well that's fantastic."

Bonus points to the Australian ambassador to the U.S., who shows up as a supporting character in this story and somehow has this actual name.

Be It Resolved

The first week of the season featured plenty of impressive performances, some of which even closed in on all-time records. In fact, you probably got pretty used to seeing stats like this:

Or this:

Or this:

And eventually, you probably stopped and went: Wait, what the heck was going on back in 1917?

You wouldn't be alone. The NHL has this weird thing about its history. The league has been around for 100 years, as they're constantly reminding us this season. But for the most part, they tend to ignore the first quarter-century or so and just skip right to the Original Six era starting in the 1940s. Plenty of casual fans have no idea that there were once teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Eagles and Hamilton Tigers, and unless you're Dick Beddoes you don't know about Joe Malone and other stars of those early years. To hear the league tell it, history basically begins when Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard showed up, and everything before that was some sort of warmup.

And then we see all these stats show up this week, and you think "Gee, the 1917 version of the NHL sounds fun as hell."

I think the league should embrace this. Ideally, they'd do that by marketing their entire history, not just three-quarters of it, but that ship has sailed. The league has spent decades making it clear that they don't want to do that, so I'm not going to bang my head against a wall.

No, I think the league should go in the other direction. So be it resolved, the NHL needs to start making stuff up about the 1917-18 season.

It's a perfect opportunity. Nobody knows anything about what was going on back then anyway, so you may as well have fun with it. The NHL should just start dropping random "facts" about their inaugural season and see how long it takes everyone else to catch on. Stuff like:

In 1917, it was a minor penalty for a goaltender to let his skates touch the ice.

There were five pucks on the ice at all times, but you could only score with the one that had bees inside it.

Player awarded an automatic penalty shot any time an opposing goaltender made a save.

The league only started with only four teams, but quickly dropped to three because one of the arenas burned down. (Wait, that one is actually true.)

Goalies wore full face masks, but they were made out balsa wood and didn't have eyeholes.

Jaromir Jagr won rookie of the year.

Literally everyone involved was drunk at all times. (Also probably true.)

Have some fun with it, NHL. You've never told us anything about that first season before, so you've got a blank canvas to work with. Don't let it go to waste.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

While Walker is the first Australian-trained player in league history, he was born in the UK, meaning there has still yet to be an Australian-born NHLer. According to the hockey-reference.com database of player birthplaces, that leaves 16 countries that have produced one and only one NHL player. That includes this week's obscure player: Willi Plett.

Plett was born in Paraguay to Soviet parents but raised in Ontario, where he didn't start playing organized hockey until he was nearly in his teens. He was a big kid who could also play, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1975 draft by the Atlanta Flames. He debuted that year, playing four games, then scored 33 goals as a rookie in 1976-77 to win the Calder. He'd top that with 38 goals in the team's first year in Calgary in 1980-81, a season that saw him become the first player to ever have that many goals and at least 230 PIM. (He's since been joined in that club by eight other players.)

He was traded to the North Stars in 1982 because in those days, everyone who could fight had to serve some time in the Norris Division. He played five years in Minnesota, then ended his career with a season in Boston after they nabbed him from the Rangers in the waiver draft.

Overall, Plett was a skilled tough guy, or maybe a tough skill guy depending on how you wanted to look at it. He crossed the line once or twice, including a nasty stick-swinging incident with Wings' goalie Greg Stefan that earned him a big suspension, but he was generally considered a respected enforcer in an era packed with them. He finished with 834 games, 222 goals and 2,572 PIM, one of only six players to record 200+ goals and 2,500+ PIM.

(And yes, his name was "Willi", not Willie or Willy. It's an Eastern European thing. What, you want to tell this guy that he spells his name wrong?)

The NHL Actually Got Something Right

Given what happen in Las Vegas two weeks ago, it felt like there was really no right way for the Golden Knights to handle their home opener on Tuesday. A big splashy ceremony would have felt inappropriate, obviously. But at the same time, it's the first home game in franchise history; you can't treat it like any other game, because there haven't been any others. The team was left to walk what seemed like a near-impossible line.

And they basically nailed it. On Tuesday, they managed to be respectful without being maudlin. They found a way to say what needed to be said without making it all about them, and hit the right notes in the process.

Does that fix anything? Not even close, as others have argued. But we knew they weren't going to be able to do that. So they did what they could.

When these things are done well, they always seem easy in hindsight. But this couldn't have been. As Elliotte Friedman pointed out, the Knights no doubt spent weeks preparing a big show designed to make an impression on their new home. It's almost a tradition that new teams have to do something embarrassingly over-the-top to mark their first game, as Grab Bag readers already know all about. Instead, the Knights had to scrap all that (including a mascot unveiling) for something more fitting.

And it worked. Full credit to the team and league for making it happen. And if they want to loosen up a bit and have some fun at tonight's second game, that's cool too. Things won't ever go back to normal in Las Vegas, but they'll inch their way in that direction, and the NHL can be a small part of that.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Today is Friday the 13th, which conjures images of a madman in a goalie mask hacking and slashing innocent people to pieces. Or, as NHL fans of the 1980s called it, Billy Smith.

Yes, it's our old pal Smith, the craziest goaltender to ever strap on the pads. When he wasn't winning four straight Stanley Cups, he was blazing a trail that would be followed by guys like Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy, Ray Emery, and others. He was nuts.

How nuts? Well, today's video features a selection of suspension-worthy stick fouls involving Smith and just one of the NHL's other 20 teams from a single playoff series. It's still five minutes long. You do the math.

Our clip begins with Game One of the 1983 final between Smith's Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers. We're midway through the first period, with the Islanders leading 1-0, and the Oilers have the puck deep in the New York zone. Glenn Anderson circles the net on a wraparound, then mysteriously falls over for no reason. Huh. Might want to see a replay on that one.

On a second look, we get a clear view of Smith executing a one-handed slash to Anderson's knee. Let's just point out two things. First, that play is dangerous and downright dirty, and should absolutely be a penalty if not an outright suspension. Second…I mean, that's a pretty cool move, right? Think of the combination of timing, hand-eye coordination and arm strength you need to pull that off and score a direct hit. I bet he couldn't do that again if he tried!

We skip ahead to late in game two, as Wayne Gretzky sets up behind the net. We used to call that Gretzky's "office," because it was where he did his best work. Unfortunately, he then skates out to the side of the net, which is Billy Smith's office, in the sense that it's where he performs amputations.

Yes, Smith manages to pull off the exact same move again, hacking Gretzky on the knee. That leads to a stare down, followed by a scrum. I can't tell who every player on the ice is, but the Oilers have Gretzky, Anderson and Jari Kurri, while the Islanders have a Sutter. So, advantage New York.

The announcer, longtime Islanders homer Jiggs McDonald, is great here. "Smith with a swing at the puck, and Gretzky has gone down like he was shot." Those 1980s pucks sure were tricky, always disguising themselves as the MVP's kneecap.

"You have to remember back to the time when Billy Smith… did it to Anderson." Ah, yes, back to those distant and hazy times of literally 48 hours ago. We were all so young then.

"He didn't hit Anderson obviously that bad." These announcers are great. "They're acting like a bunch of little kids now." Seriously, so great.

Hey, can we just point that legendary linesman Swede Knox is looking sharp out there? Not a hair out of place.

Meanwhile, a policeman who weighs 120 pounds and is clearly packing a loaded gun just casually climbs over the glass behind the bench to settle some fans down. He's never seen again. My guess is he's still there.

Gretzky is furious, getting in the face of referee Wally Harris to plead his case. I can't read his lips, but I'm pretty sure he's explaining that dangerous stick-related fouls need to be called consistently, even when they're committed by star players late in crucial playoff games.

Smith does indeed get five minutes, which needless to say outrages our neutral announcers. "Look how low the stick is!" If I'm ever charged with a violent crime, I want these two to be my defense lawyers.

We cut to the end of the game, as Edmonton's turns the tables by spearing Smith, causing the goalie to execute a full backflip in his crease while shedding all his equipment, Beetle Bailey-style. You'd think this would make the Islanders angry, but Dave Semenko is standing nearby so everyone just pretends they didn't notice.

For the record, the NHL responded to all this by being furious at…the Oilers. For complaining too much about the Anderson slash. As league VP Brian O'Neill put it, "[Oilers coach Glen] Sather has created a situation where Billy Smith is a monster. Billy Smith has had his problems, but he's made an effort to tone it down." Seriously, right? He's slashing guys in the knee now instead of directly in the eye. If he tones it down any further he'll be hacking ankles, and at that point why even bother?

We skip ahead to later in the series, as Anderson gets his payback by blatantly running Smith on a loose puck. That leads to Smith dramatically dragging himself back towards his crease like a wounded Terminator before making a miraculous recovery once he realizes there's no penalty being called.

Our last moment comes from the final game of the series, as Smith nudges Anderson and gets rewarded with a swat to the head that once again causes him to temporarily die. Smith basically admitted to taking a dive after the game, telling reporters ''I was hurt about as much as Gretzky was hurt in the second game…when I hit Gretzky he lay down and he cried to the referee, so I just took a chapter out of his book. I put myself on my back, and I squirmed and kicked and I played dead just like he did."

I mean, can you imagine someone dropping that quote today? We'd all lose our minds for a week. Back then, everyone shrugged and went "Yeah, seems reasonable".

By the way, the Islanders won the series in four games, and Smith got the Conn Smythe. I think he won this round, you guys.

[Turns earnestly towards camera.] If you'd like to learn more about Billy Smith losing his mind, please enjoy clips of him getting into it with Scott Stevens, fracturing Curt Fraser's cheekbone, and fighting everyone from Tiger Williams to Eddie Johnstone to Lanny McDonald.

Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, the only goalie to make it in that decade. HHOF officials could not be reached for comment, as they were all suffering from mysterious knee injuries.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com .

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[amtushinfosolutionspage]

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: This KHL player – This is technically from last week, but qualifies for this week’s list due to the time zone difference.

The second star: The Travelling Jagrs add a member –

You’ve seen these guys before. They’re a roving pack of Jagr impersonators who represent every one of the star’s many stops around the hockey world. Now that he’s in Calgary they need a new member, and the auditions seem to be going well.

The first star: Nathan Walker’s butt makes history– He’s the first Australian to ever play in the NHL, which earned him a call from the prime minister, during which he awkwardly had to talk about his own butt until the PM said “Well that’s fantastic.”

Bonus points to the Australian ambassador to the U.S., who shows up as a supporting character in this story and somehow has this actual name.

Be It Resolved

The first week of the season featured plenty of impressive performances, some of which even closed in on all-time records. In fact, you probably got pretty used to seeing stats like this:

Or this:

Or this:

And eventually, you probably stopped and went: Wait, what the heck was going on back in 1917?

You wouldn’t be alone. The NHL has this weird thing about its history. The league has been around for 100 years, as they’re constantly reminding us this season. But for the most part, they tend to ignore the first quarter-century or so and just skip right to the Original Six era starting in the 1940s. Plenty of casual fans have no idea that there were once teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Eagles and Hamilton Tigers, and unless you’re Dick Beddoes you don’t know about Joe Malone and other stars of those early years. To hear the league tell it, history basically begins when Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard showed up, and everything before that was some sort of warmup.

And then we see all these stats show up this week, and you think “Gee, the 1917 version of the NHL sounds fun as hell.”

I think the league should embrace this. Ideally, they’d do that by marketing their entire history, not just three-quarters of it, but that ship has sailed. The league has spent decades making it clear that they don’t want to do that, so I’m not going to bang my head against a wall.

No, I think the league should go in the other direction. So be it resolved, the NHL needs to start making stuff up about the 1917-18 season.

It’s a perfect opportunity. Nobody knows anything about what was going on back then anyway, so you may as well have fun with it. The NHL should just start dropping random “facts” about their inaugural season and see how long it takes everyone else to catch on. Stuff like:

In 1917, it was a minor penalty for a goaltender to let his skates touch the ice.

There were five pucks on the ice at all times, but you could only score with the one that had bees inside it.

Player awarded an automatic penalty shot any time an opposing goaltender made a save.

The league only started with only four teams, but quickly dropped to three because one of the arenas burned down. (Wait, that one is actually true.)

Goalies wore full face masks, but they were made out balsa wood and didn’t have eyeholes.

Jaromir Jagr won rookie of the year.

Literally everyone involved was drunk at all times. (Also probably true.)

Have some fun with it, NHL. You’ve never told us anything about that first season before, so you’ve got a blank canvas to work with. Don’t let it go to waste.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

While Walker is the first Australian-trained player in league history, he was born in the UK, meaning there has still yet to be an Australian-born NHLer. According to the hockey-reference.com database of player birthplaces, that leaves 16 countries that have produced one and only one NHL player. That includes this week’s obscure player: Willi Plett.

Plett was born in Paraguay to Soviet parents but raised in Ontario, where he didn’t start playing organized hockey until he was nearly in his teens. He was a big kid who could also play, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1975 draft by the Atlanta Flames. He debuted that year, playing four games, then scored 33 goals as a rookie in 1976-77 to win the Calder. He’d top that with 38 goals in the team’s first year in Calgary in 1980-81, a season that saw him become the first player to ever have that many goals and at least 230 PIM. (He’s since been joined in that club by eight other players.)

He was traded to the North Stars in 1982 because in those days, everyone who could fight had to serve some time in the Norris Division. He played five years in Minnesota, then ended his career with a season in Boston after they nabbed him from the Rangers in the waiver draft.

Overall, Plett was a skilled tough guy, or maybe a tough skill guy depending on how you wanted to look at it. He crossed the line once or twice, including a nasty stick-swinging incident with Wings’ goalie Greg Stefan that earned him a big suspension, but he was generally considered a respected enforcer in an era packed with them. He finished with 834 games, 222 goals and 2,572 PIM, one of only six players to record 200+ goals and 2,500+ PIM.

(And yes, his name was “Willi”, not Willie or Willy. It’s an Eastern European thing. What, you want to tell this guy that he spells his name wrong?)

The NHL Actually Got Something Right

Given what happen in Las Vegas two weeks ago, it felt like there was really no right way for the Golden Knights to handle their home opener on Tuesday. A big splashy ceremony would have felt inappropriate, obviously. But at the same time, it’s the first home game in franchise history; you can’t treat it like any other game, because there haven’t been any others. The team was left to walk what seemed like a near-impossible line.

And they basically nailed it. On Tuesday, they managed to be respectful without being maudlin. They found a way to say what needed to be said without making it all about them, and hit the right notes in the process.

Does that fix anything? Not even close, as others have argued. But we knew they weren’t going to be able to do that. So they did what they could.

When these things are done well, they always seem easy in hindsight. But this couldn’t have been. As Elliotte Friedman pointed out, the Knights no doubt spent weeks preparing a big show designed to make an impression on their new home. It’s almost a tradition that new teams have to do something embarrassingly over-the-top to mark their first game, as Grab Bag readers already know all about. Instead, the Knights had to scrap all that (including a mascot unveiling) for something more fitting.

And it worked. Full credit to the team and league for making it happen. And if they want to loosen up a bit and have some fun at tonight’s second game, that’s cool too. Things won’t ever go back to normal in Las Vegas, but they’ll inch their way in that direction, and the NHL can be a small part of that.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Today is Friday the 13th, which conjures images of a madman in a goalie mask hacking and slashing innocent people to pieces. Or, as NHL fans of the 1980s called it, Billy Smith.

Yes, it’s our old pal Smith, the craziest goaltender to ever strap on the pads. When he wasn’t winning four straight Stanley Cups, he was blazing a trail that would be followed by guys like Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy, Ray Emery, and others. He was nuts.

How nuts? Well, today’s video features a selection of suspension-worthy stick fouls involving Smith and just one of the NHL’s other 20 teams from a single playoff series. It’s still five minutes long. You do the math.

Our clip begins with Game One of the 1983 final between Smith’s Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers. We’re midway through the first period, with the Islanders leading 1-0, and the Oilers have the puck deep in the New York zone. Glenn Anderson circles the net on a wraparound, then mysteriously falls over for no reason. Huh. Might want to see a replay on that one.

On a second look, we get a clear view of Smith executing a one-handed slash to Anderson’s knee. Let’s just point out two things. First, that play is dangerous and downright dirty, and should absolutely be a penalty if not an outright suspension. Second…I mean, that’s a pretty cool move, right? Think of the combination of timing, hand-eye coordination and arm strength you need to pull that off and score a direct hit. I bet he couldn’t do that again if he tried!

We skip ahead to late in game two, as Wayne Gretzky sets up behind the net. We used to call that Gretzky’s “office,” because it was where he did his best work. Unfortunately, he then skates out to the side of the net, which is Billy Smith’s office, in the sense that it’s where he performs amputations.

Yes, Smith manages to pull off the exact same move again, hacking Gretzky on the knee. That leads to a stare down, followed by a scrum. I can’t tell who every player on the ice is, but the Oilers have Gretzky, Anderson and Jari Kurri, while the Islanders have a Sutter. So, advantage New York.

The announcer, longtime Islanders homer Jiggs McDonald, is great here. “Smith with a swing at the puck, and Gretzky has gone down like he was shot.” Those 1980s pucks sure were tricky, always disguising themselves as the MVP’s kneecap.

“You have to remember back to the time when Billy Smith… did it to Anderson.” Ah, yes, back to those distant and hazy times of literally 48 hours ago. We were all so young then.

“He didn’t hit Anderson obviously that bad.” These announcers are great. “They’re acting like a bunch of little kids now.” Seriously, so great.

Hey, can we just point that legendary linesman Swede Knox is looking sharp out there? Not a hair out of place.

Meanwhile, a policeman who weighs 120 pounds and is clearly packing a loaded gun just casually climbs over the glass behind the bench to settle some fans down. He’s never seen again. My guess is he’s still there.

Gretzky is furious, getting in the face of referee Wally Harris to plead his case. I can’t read his lips, but I’m pretty sure he’s explaining that dangerous stick-related fouls need to be called consistently, even when they’re committed by star players late in crucial playoff games.

Smith does indeed get five minutes, which needless to say outrages our neutral announcers. “Look how low the stick is!” If I’m ever charged with a violent crime, I want these two to be my defense lawyers.

We cut to the end of the game, as Edmonton’s turns the tables by spearing Smith, causing the goalie to execute a full backflip in his crease while shedding all his equipment, Beetle Bailey-style. You’d think this would make the Islanders angry, but Dave Semenko is standing nearby so everyone just pretends they didn’t notice.

For the record, the NHL responded to all this by being furious at…the Oilers. For complaining too much about the Anderson slash. As league VP Brian O’Neill put it, “[Oilers coach Glen] Sather has created a situation where Billy Smith is a monster. Billy Smith has had his problems, but he’s made an effort to tone it down.” Seriously, right? He’s slashing guys in the knee now instead of directly in the eye. If he tones it down any further he’ll be hacking ankles, and at that point why even bother?

We skip ahead to later in the series, as Anderson gets his payback by blatantly running Smith on a loose puck. That leads to Smith dramatically dragging himself back towards his crease like a wounded Terminator before making a miraculous recovery once he realizes there’s no penalty being called.

Our last moment comes from the final game of the series, as Smith nudges Anderson and gets rewarded with a swat to the head that once again causes him to temporarily die. Smith basically admitted to taking a dive after the game, telling reporters ”I was hurt about as much as Gretzky was hurt in the second game…when I hit Gretzky he lay down and he cried to the referee, so I just took a chapter out of his book. I put myself on my back, and I squirmed and kicked and I played dead just like he did.”

I mean, can you imagine someone dropping that quote today? We’d all lose our minds for a week. Back then, everyone shrugged and went “Yeah, seems reasonable”.

By the way, the Islanders won the series in four games, and Smith got the Conn Smythe. I think he won this round, you guys.

[Turns earnestly towards camera.] If you’d like to learn more about Billy Smith losing his mind, please enjoy clips of him getting into it with Scott Stevens, fracturing Curt Fraser’s cheekbone, and fighting everyone from Tiger Williams to Eddie Johnstone to Lanny McDonald.

Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, the only goalie to make it in that decade. HHOF officials could not be reached for comment, as they were all suffering from mysterious knee injuries.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you’d like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com .

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

[rabbitcruiser]

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

Picture the crispiest, juiciest, most delicious bite you've ever taken - that's what you'll get with this mouth-watering sandwich!

Both sandwiches and fried chicken have been around for centuries, but making the chicken boneless and putting it on a bun is certainly a notable and delicious way to change the experience.

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day is here to celebrate and pay heed to this delicious food that feels deeply American!

History of National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

Though it was not created in the southern parts of the United States, fried chicken has certainly become a part of the culture when it comes to southern, down home, country cooking. The deliciousness of the breading combined with the yumminess of a bun or a biscuit makes the fried chicken sandwich something worth celebrating!

Claiming that they invented the chicken sandwich in the 1940s, Chick-fil-A, which is an Atlanta-based fast food restaurant founded by Samuel Truett Cathy, was probably the first to put a fried chicken sandwich on a fast food menu. And certainly that is no small thing as fast food was mostly filled with burgers and fries at the time.

Slowly and without a lot of fanfare, the 1980s and 90s brought the chicken sandwich to Burger King, McDonald’s, and Kentucky. But just a few decades later, the competition has gotten fierce and fried chicken sandwiches have become all the rage in fast food.

In fact, during the so-called “Chicken Sandwich Wars” of summer 2019, Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A had a rather large rivalry on Twitter, resulting in shortages and lines of people out the door waiting to try the new Popeye’s fried chicken sandwich. Even Taco Bell took its turn at introducing a chicken sandwich, which seems like quite a stretch!

But no matter if it is served at a fast food place like McDonald’s or at a casual sit-down dining place such as TGI Fridays or Applebee’s, National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day offers an amazing opportunity to enjoy this delicious dish and celebrate!

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day Timeline

1747

First Fried Chicken recipe is published 

Hannah Glass, an English cookery writer, publishes her recipe for fried chicken in The Art of Cookery Made Easy.

1762

Earl of Sandwich requests convenience food

To avoid leaving the gambling table, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, asks the cook to make something easy to eat and he becomes its namesake.

1946

First Fried Chicken Sandwich at a Fast Food Joint

S. Truett Cathy, owner of Chick-fil-A, places a chicken breast in a bun and serves the first fast food chicken sandwich.

1980

McDonald’s debuts the McChicken

A disappointment at first, the McChicken is taken away in lieu of McNuggets and then brought back again in 1988.

2019

America’s Chicken Sandwich Wars begin

A summertime release of Popeye’s new fried chicken sandwich turns into a social media frenzy between Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A, leaving lines out the door at Popeye’s.

How to Celebrate National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

Getting involved with National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day is really no problem. In fact, it’s a delicious day that everyone who wants to can celebrate. Though its origins are probably in the US, it can certainly be enjoyed all over the world. All it takes is some chicken and a bun!

Consider some of these ideas for enjoying National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day:

Enjoy Eating a Fried Chicken Sandwich

Head over to one of the restaurants mentioned above, like Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Wendy’s or Burger King and enjoy a fried chicken sandwich from the menu. And because it is National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, don’t forget to ask at the counter about any special deals or discounts that might be offered in honor of the day.

Make Fried Chicken Sandwiches for Family and Friends

For those people who enjoy cooking, this would be a fun day to celebrate a classic American dish by whipping up a delicious recipe in the kitchen! Invite a few friends over for a National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day gathering and get cooking!

Making these sandwiches is actually not that difficult. Start with some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and make a breading for them out of buttermilk, eggs, flour and spices. Then deep fry the chicken until done in the middle and golden brown on the outside.

Place the chicken on a tasty buttered bun and add condiments such as pickles, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, barbecue sauce or honey mustard. Some people even like to add bacon or a fried onion ring on top. Make it fun and adventurous in honor of National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day!

Try a Chick-fil-A Copycat Recipe

For those who want to get that juicy chicken sandwich flavor but find it difficult with just plain chicken breasts, perhaps try the “secret” recipe used by Chick-fil-A. They soak their chicken ahead of time in a marinade of pickle juice and refrigerate it that way for at least 30 minutes. It turns the chicken into something super juicy, without it tasting like pickles!

Consider Others’ Opinions About Fried Chicken Sandwiches

According to a recent poll, Americans have strong opinions about the Fried Chicken Sandwich! In celebration of National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day, take a look at some of these interesting responses to a national survey that was given on the topic.

The biggest preference for sauces on chicken sandwiches is either no sauces (16%), barbecue sauce only (15%) or ranch dressing (12%).

Despite the increase in popularity of Popeye’s during the Chicken Sandwich Wars, Chick-fil-A remains America’s number one chicken chain.

50% of Americans say they love fried chicken sandwiches, and 16% said they would marry one!

A whopping 71% of Americans surveyed say they eat a fried chicken sandwich at least once every two weeks or so. Wow!

Perform a National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day Taste Test

Since the Chicken Sandwich Wars started, some people have been wondering what all of the hype is about, particularly when it comes down to Chick-fil-A vs. Popeye’s. So it seems like this would be a great time to find out!

One easy way to make a side-by-side determination of the better fried chicken sandwich might be to have them both delivered, whether at home or at work. Choose a food delivery service like GrubHub or Uber Eats and make an order from both places to have them delivered at a similar time.

Put them next to one another and judge them by the way they look as well as the way they taste. It’s your own personal version of the Chicken Sandwich Wars!

Take a Foodie Tour

All of the food holidays offer cool opportunities to celebrate, and National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day is no exception. Perhaps this would be a good time to go on that tour of a local restaurant you’ve been talking about. Even better, turn it into a road trip and head over to Atlanta, Georgia to take a tour of the Chick-fil-A headquarters.

National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day FAQs

Who has the best Fried Chicken Sandwich?

It’s subjective, of course, but many people love the Chik-fil-A sandwich while others think Popeye’s fried chicken sandwich is better!

What to serve with a Fried Chicken Sandwich?

Mac and cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, fries, and mashed potatoes are all great ideas for serving with a fried chicken sandwich.

Are Fried Chicken Sandwiches healthy?

Unfortunately, because they are high in trans fats and sodium, a fried chicken sandwich should be a special treat instead of part of a regular diet.

How to make a Fried Chicken Sandwich?

Making a fried chicken sandwich is fairly easy. Simply place a chicken breast in batter, fry it up and place it on a bun!

Who invented the Fried Chicken Sandwich?

S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A takes credit for inventing the fried chicken sandwich in Atlanta, Georgia in 1964.

Source

[flauntpage]

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: This KHL player – This is technically from last week, but qualifies for this week's list due to the time zone difference.

The second star: The Travelling Jagrs add a member –

You've seen these guys before. They're a roving pack of Jagr impersonators who represent every one of the star's many stops around the hockey world. Now that he's in Calgary they need a new member, and the auditions seem to be going well.

The first star: Nathan Walker's butt makes history– He's the first Australian to ever play in the NHL, which earned him a call from the prime minister, during which he awkwardly had to talk about his own butt until the PM said "Well that's fantastic."

Bonus points to the Australian ambassador to the U.S., who shows up as a supporting character in this story and somehow has this actual name.

Be It Resolved

The first week of the season featured plenty of impressive performances, some of which even closed in on all-time records. In fact, you probably got pretty used to seeing stats like this:

Or this:

Or this:

And eventually, you probably stopped and went: Wait, what the heck was going on back in 1917?

You wouldn't be alone. The NHL has this weird thing about its history. The league has been around for 100 years, as they're constantly reminding us this season. But for the most part, they tend to ignore the first quarter-century or so and just skip right to the Original Six era starting in the 1940s. Plenty of casual fans have no idea that there were once teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Eagles and Hamilton Tigers, and unless you're Dick Beddoes you don't know about Joe Malone and other stars of those early years. To hear the league tell it, history basically begins when Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard showed up, and everything before that was some sort of warmup.

And then we see all these stats show up this week, and you think "Gee, the 1917 version of the NHL sounds fun as hell."

I think the league should embrace this. Ideally, they'd do that by marketing their entire history, not just three-quarters of it, but that ship has sailed. The league has spent decades making it clear that they don't want to do that, so I'm not going to bang my head against a wall.

No, I think the league should go in the other direction. So be it resolved, the NHL needs to start making stuff up about the 1917-18 season.

It's a perfect opportunity. Nobody knows anything about what was going on back then anyway, so you may as well have fun with it. The NHL should just start dropping random "facts" about their inaugural season and see how long it takes everyone else to catch on. Stuff like:

In 1917, it was a minor penalty for a goaltender to let his skates touch the ice.

There were five pucks on the ice at all times, but you could only score with the one that had bees inside it.

Player awarded an automatic penalty shot any time an opposing goaltender made a save.

The league only started with only four teams, but quickly dropped to three because one of the arenas burned down. (Wait, that one is actually true.)

Goalies wore full face masks, but they were made out balsa wood and didn't have eyeholes.

Jaromir Jagr won rookie of the year.

Literally everyone involved was drunk at all times. (Also probably true.)

Have some fun with it, NHL. You've never told us anything about that first season before, so you've got a blank canvas to work with. Don't let it go to waste.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

While Walker is the first Australian-trained player in league history, he was born in the UK, meaning there has still yet to be an Australian-born NHLer. According to the hockey-reference.com database of player birthplaces, that leaves 16 countries that have produced one and only one NHL player. That includes this week's obscure player: Willi Plett.

Plett was born in Paraguay to Soviet parents but raised in Ontario, where he didn't start playing organized hockey until he was nearly in his teens. He was a big kid who could also play, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1975 draft by the Atlanta Flames. He debuted that year, playing four games, then scored 33 goals as a rookie in 1976-77 to win the Calder. He'd top that with 38 goals in the team's first year in Calgary in 1980-81, a season that saw him become the first player to ever have that many goals and at least 230 PIM. (He's since been joined in that club by eight other players.)

He was traded to the North Stars in 1982 because in those days, everyone who could fight had to serve some time in the Norris Division. He played five years in Minnesota, then ended his career with a season in Boston after they nabbed him from the Rangers in the waiver draft.

Overall, Plett was a skilled tough guy, or maybe a tough skill guy depending on how you wanted to look at it. He crossed the line once or twice, including a nasty stick-swinging incident with Wings' goalie Greg Stefan that earned him a big suspension, but he was generally considered a respected enforcer in an era packed with them. He finished with 834 games, 222 goals and 2,572 PIM, one of only six players to record 200+ goals and 2,500+ PIM.

(And yes, his name was "Willi", not Willie or Willy. It's an Eastern European thing. What, you want to tell this guy that he spells his name wrong?)

The NHL Actually Got Something Right

Given what happen in Las Vegas two weeks ago, it felt like there was really no right way for the Golden Knights to handle their home opener on Tuesday. A big splashy ceremony would have felt inappropriate, obviously. But at the same time, it's the first home game in franchise history; you can't treat it like any other game, because there haven't been any others. The team was left to walk what seemed like a near-impossible line.

And they basically nailed it. On Tuesday, they managed to be respectful without being maudlin. They found a way to say what needed to be said without making it all about them, and hit the right notes in the process.

Does that fix anything? Not even close, as others have argued. But we knew they weren't going to be able to do that. So they did what they could.

When these things are done well, they always seem easy in hindsight. But this couldn't have been. As Elliotte Friedman pointed out, the Knights no doubt spent weeks preparing a big show designed to make an impression on their new home. It's almost a tradition that new teams have to do something embarrassingly over-the-top to mark their first game, as Grab Bag readers already know all about. Instead, the Knights had to scrap all that (including a mascot unveiling) for something more fitting.

And it worked. Full credit to the team and league for making it happen. And if they want to loosen up a bit and have some fun at tonight's second game, that's cool too. Things won't ever go back to normal in Las Vegas, but they'll inch their way in that direction, and the NHL can be a small part of that.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Today is Friday the 13th, which conjures images of a madman in a goalie mask hacking and slashing innocent people to pieces. Or, as NHL fans of the 1980s called it, Billy Smith.

Yes, it's our old pal Smith, the craziest goaltender to ever strap on the pads. When he wasn't winning four straight Stanley Cups, he was blazing a trail that would be followed by guys like Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy, Ray Emery, and others. He was nuts.

How nuts? Well, today's video features a selection of suspension-worthy stick fouls involving Smith and just one of the NHL's other 20 teams from a single playoff series. It's still five minutes long. You do the math.

Our clip begins with Game One of the 1983 final between Smith's Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers. We're midway through the first period, with the Islanders leading 1-0, and the Oilers have the puck deep in the New York zone. Glenn Anderson circles the net on a wraparound, then mysteriously falls over for no reason. Huh. Might want to see a replay on that one.

On a second look, we get a clear view of Smith executing a one-handed slash to Anderson's knee. Let's just point out two things. First, that play is dangerous and downright dirty, and should absolutely be a penalty if not an outright suspension. Second…I mean, that's a pretty cool move, right? Think of the combination of timing, hand-eye coordination and arm strength you need to pull that off and score a direct hit. I bet he couldn't do that again if he tried!

We skip ahead to late in game two, as Wayne Gretzky sets up behind the net. We used to call that Gretzky's "office," because it was where he did his best work. Unfortunately, he then skates out to the side of the net, which is Billy Smith's office, in the sense that it's where he performs amputations.

Yes, Smith manages to pull off the exact same move again, hacking Gretzky on the knee. That leads to a stare down, followed by a scrum. I can't tell who every player on the ice is, but the Oilers have Gretzky, Anderson and Jari Kurri, while the Islanders have a Sutter. So, advantage New York.

The announcer, longtime Islanders homer Jiggs McDonald, is great here. "Smith with a swing at the puck, and Gretzky has gone down like he was shot." Those 1980s pucks sure were tricky, always disguising themselves as the MVP's kneecap.

"You have to remember back to the time when Billy Smith… did it to Anderson." Ah, yes, back to those distant and hazy times of literally 48 hours ago. We were all so young then.

"He didn't hit Anderson obviously that bad." These announcers are great. "They're acting like a bunch of little kids now." Seriously, so great.

Hey, can we just point that legendary linesman Swede Knox is looking sharp out there? Not a hair out of place.

Meanwhile, a policeman who weighs 120 pounds and is clearly packing a loaded gun just casually climbs over the glass behind the bench to settle some fans down. He's never seen again. My guess is he's still there.

Gretzky is furious, getting in the face of referee Wally Harris to plead his case. I can't read his lips, but I'm pretty sure he's explaining that dangerous stick-related fouls need to be called consistently, even when they're committed by star players late in crucial playoff games.

Smith does indeed get five minutes, which needless to say outrages our neutral announcers. "Look how low the stick is!" If I'm ever charged with a violent crime, I want these two to be my defense lawyers.

We cut to the end of the game, as Edmonton's turns the tables by spearing Smith, causing the goalie to execute a full backflip in his crease while shedding all his equipment, Beetle Bailey-style. You'd think this would make the Islanders angry, but Dave Semenko is standing nearby so everyone just pretends they didn't notice.

For the record, the NHL responded to all this by being furious at…the Oilers. For complaining too much about the Anderson slash. As league VP Brian O'Neill put it, "[Oilers coach Glen] Sather has created a situation where Billy Smith is a monster. Billy Smith has had his problems, but he's made an effort to tone it down." Seriously, right? He's slashing guys in the knee now instead of directly in the eye. If he tones it down any further he'll be hacking ankles, and at that point why even bother?

We skip ahead to later in the series, as Anderson gets his payback by blatantly running Smith on a loose puck. That leads to Smith dramatically dragging himself back towards his crease like a wounded Terminator before making a miraculous recovery once he realizes there's no penalty being called.

Our last moment comes from the final game of the series, as Smith nudges Anderson and gets rewarded with a swat to the head that once again causes him to temporarily die. Smith basically admitted to taking a dive after the game, telling reporters ''I was hurt about as much as Gretzky was hurt in the second game…when I hit Gretzky he lay down and he cried to the referee, so I just took a chapter out of his book. I put myself on my back, and I squirmed and kicked and I played dead just like he did."

I mean, can you imagine someone dropping that quote today? We'd all lose our minds for a week. Back then, everyone shrugged and went "Yeah, seems reasonable".

By the way, the Islanders won the series in four games, and Smith got the Conn Smythe. I think he won this round, you guys.

[Turns earnestly towards camera.] If you'd like to learn more about Billy Smith losing his mind, please enjoy clips of him getting into it with Scott Stevens, fracturing Curt Fraser's cheekbone, and fighting everyone from Tiger Williams to Eddie Johnstone to Lanny McDonald.

Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, the only goalie to make it in that decade. HHOF officials could not be reached for comment, as they were all suffering from mysterious knee injuries.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com .

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[flauntpage]

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: This KHL player – This is technically from last week, but qualifies for this week's list due to the time zone difference.

The second star: The Travelling Jagrs add a member –

You've seen these guys before. They're a roving pack of Jagr impersonators who represent every one of the star's many stops around the hockey world. Now that he's in Calgary they need a new member, and the auditions seem to be going well.

The first star: Nathan Walker's butt makes history– He's the first Australian to ever play in the NHL, which earned him a call from the prime minister, during which he awkwardly had to talk about his own butt until the PM said "Well that's fantastic."

Bonus points to the Australian ambassador to the U.S., who shows up as a supporting character in this story and somehow has this actual name.

Be It Resolved

The first week of the season featured plenty of impressive performances, some of which even closed in on all-time records. In fact, you probably got pretty used to seeing stats like this:

Or this:

Or this:

And eventually, you probably stopped and went: Wait, what the heck was going on back in 1917?

You wouldn't be alone. The NHL has this weird thing about its history. The league has been around for 100 years, as they're constantly reminding us this season. But for the most part, they tend to ignore the first quarter-century or so and just skip right to the Original Six era starting in the 1940s. Plenty of casual fans have no idea that there were once teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Eagles and Hamilton Tigers, and unless you're Dick Beddoes you don't know about Joe Malone and other stars of those early years. To hear the league tell it, history basically begins when Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard showed up, and everything before that was some sort of warmup.

And then we see all these stats show up this week, and you think "Gee, the 1917 version of the NHL sounds fun as hell."

I think the league should embrace this. Ideally, they'd do that by marketing their entire history, not just three-quarters of it, but that ship has sailed. The league has spent decades making it clear that they don't want to do that, so I'm not going to bang my head against a wall.

No, I think the league should go in the other direction. So be it resolved, the NHL needs to start making stuff up about the 1917-18 season.

It's a perfect opportunity. Nobody knows anything about what was going on back then anyway, so you may as well have fun with it. The NHL should just start dropping random "facts" about their inaugural season and see how long it takes everyone else to catch on. Stuff like:

In 1917, it was a minor penalty for a goaltender to let his skates touch the ice.

There were five pucks on the ice at all times, but you could only score with the one that had bees inside it.

Player awarded an automatic penalty shot any time an opposing goaltender made a save.

The league only started with only four teams, but quickly dropped to three because one of the arenas burned down. (Wait, that one is actually true.)

Goalies wore full face masks, but they were made out balsa wood and didn't have eyeholes.

Jaromir Jagr won rookie of the year.

Literally everyone involved was drunk at all times. (Also probably true.)

Have some fun with it, NHL. You've never told us anything about that first season before, so you've got a blank canvas to work with. Don't let it go to waste.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

While Walker is the first Australian-trained player in league history, he was born in the UK, meaning there has still yet to be an Australian-born NHLer. According to the hockey-reference.com database of player birthplaces, that leaves 16 countries that have produced one and only one NHL player. That includes this week's obscure player: Willi Plett.

Plett was born in Paraguay to Soviet parents but raised in Ontario, where he didn't start playing organized hockey until he was nearly in his teens. He was a big kid who could also play, and he was picked in the fifth round of the 1975 draft by the Atlanta Flames. He debuted that year, playing four games, then scored 33 goals as a rookie in 1976-77 to win the Calder. He'd top that with 38 goals in the team's first year in Calgary in 1980-81, a season that saw him become the first player to ever have that many goals and at least 230 PIM. (He's since been joined in that club by eight other players.)

He was traded to the North Stars in 1982 because in those days, everyone who could fight had to serve some time in the Norris Division. He played five years in Minnesota, then ended his career with a season in Boston after they nabbed him from the Rangers in the waiver draft.

Overall, Plett was a skilled tough guy, or maybe a tough skill guy depending on how you wanted to look at it. He crossed the line once or twice, including a nasty stick-swinging incident with Wings' goalie Greg Stefan that earned him a big suspension, but he was generally considered a respected enforcer in an era packed with them. He finished with 834 games, 222 goals and 2,572 PIM, one of only six players to record 200+ goals and 2,500+ PIM.

(And yes, his name was "Willi", not Willie or Willy. It's an Eastern European thing. What, you want to tell this guy that he spells his name wrong?)

The NHL Actually Got Something Right

Given what happen in Las Vegas two weeks ago, it felt like there was really no right way for the Golden Knights to handle their home opener on Tuesday. A big splashy ceremony would have felt inappropriate, obviously. But at the same time, it's the first home game in franchise history; you can't treat it like any other game, because there haven't been any others. The team was left to walk what seemed like a near-impossible line.

And they basically nailed it. On Tuesday, they managed to be respectful without being maudlin. They found a way to say what needed to be said without making it all about them, and hit the right notes in the process.

Does that fix anything? Not even close, as others have argued. But we knew they weren't going to be able to do that. So they did what they could.

When these things are done well, they always seem easy in hindsight. But this couldn't have been. As Elliotte Friedman pointed out, the Knights no doubt spent weeks preparing a big show designed to make an impression on their new home. It's almost a tradition that new teams have to do something embarrassingly over-the-top to mark their first game, as Grab Bag readers already know all about. Instead, the Knights had to scrap all that (including a mascot unveiling) for something more fitting.

And it worked. Full credit to the team and league for making it happen. And if they want to loosen up a bit and have some fun at tonight's second game, that's cool too. Things won't ever go back to normal in Las Vegas, but they'll inch their way in that direction, and the NHL can be a small part of that.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Today is Friday the 13th, which conjures images of a madman in a goalie mask hacking and slashing innocent people to pieces. Or, as NHL fans of the 1980s called it, Billy Smith.

Yes, it's our old pal Smith, the craziest goaltender to ever strap on the pads. When he wasn't winning four straight Stanley Cups, he was blazing a trail that would be followed by guys like Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy, Ray Emery, and others. He was nuts.

How nuts? Well, today's video features a selection of suspension-worthy stick fouls involving Smith and just one of the NHL's other 20 teams from a single playoff series. It's still five minutes long. You do the math.

Our clip begins with Game One of the 1983 final between Smith's Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers. We're midway through the first period, with the Islanders leading 1-0, and the Oilers have the puck deep in the New York zone. Glenn Anderson circles the net on a wraparound, then mysteriously falls over for no reason. Huh. Might want to see a replay on that one.

On a second look, we get a clear view of Smith executing a one-handed slash to Anderson's knee. Let's just point out two things. First, that play is dangerous and downright dirty, and should absolutely be a penalty if not an outright suspension. Second…I mean, that's a pretty cool move, right? Think of the combination of timing, hand-eye coordination and arm strength you need to pull that off and score a direct hit. I bet he couldn't do that again if he tried!

We skip ahead to late in game two, as Wayne Gretzky sets up behind the net. We used to call that Gretzky's "office," because it was where he did his best work. Unfortunately, he then skates out to the side of the net, which is Billy Smith's office, in the sense that it's where he performs amputations.

Yes, Smith manages to pull off the exact same move again, hacking Gretzky on the knee. That leads to a stare down, followed by a scrum. I can't tell who every player on the ice is, but the Oilers have Gretzky, Anderson and Jari Kurri, while the Islanders have a Sutter. So, advantage New York.

The announcer, longtime Islanders homer Jiggs McDonald, is great here. "Smith with a swing at the puck, and Gretzky has gone down like he was shot." Those 1980s pucks sure were tricky, always disguising themselves as the MVP's kneecap.

"You have to remember back to the time when Billy Smith… did it to Anderson." Ah, yes, back to those distant and hazy times of literally 48 hours ago. We were all so young then.

"He didn't hit Anderson obviously that bad." These announcers are great. "They're acting like a bunch of little kids now." Seriously, so great.

Hey, can we just point that legendary linesman Swede Knox is looking sharp out there? Not a hair out of place.

Meanwhile, a policeman who weighs 120 pounds and is clearly packing a loaded gun just casually climbs over the glass behind the bench to settle some fans down. He's never seen again. My guess is he's still there.

Gretzky is furious, getting in the face of referee Wally Harris to plead his case. I can't read his lips, but I'm pretty sure he's explaining that dangerous stick-related fouls need to be called consistently, even when they're committed by star players late in crucial playoff games.

Smith does indeed get five minutes, which needless to say outrages our neutral announcers. "Look how low the stick is!" If I'm ever charged with a violent crime, I want these two to be my defense lawyers.

We cut to the end of the game, as Edmonton's turns the tables by spearing Smith, causing the goalie to execute a full backflip in his crease while shedding all his equipment, Beetle Bailey-style. You'd think this would make the Islanders angry, but Dave Semenko is standing nearby so everyone just pretends they didn't notice.

For the record, the NHL responded to all this by being furious at…the Oilers. For complaining too much about the Anderson slash. As league VP Brian O'Neill put it, "[Oilers coach Glen] Sather has created a situation where Billy Smith is a monster. Billy Smith has had his problems, but he's made an effort to tone it down." Seriously, right? He's slashing guys in the knee now instead of directly in the eye. If he tones it down any further he'll be hacking ankles, and at that point why even bother?

We skip ahead to later in the series, as Anderson gets his payback by blatantly running Smith on a loose puck. That leads to Smith dramatically dragging himself back towards his crease like a wounded Terminator before making a miraculous recovery once he realizes there's no penalty being called.

Our last moment comes from the final game of the series, as Smith nudges Anderson and gets rewarded with a swat to the head that once again causes him to temporarily die. Smith basically admitted to taking a dive after the game, telling reporters ''I was hurt about as much as Gretzky was hurt in the second game…when I hit Gretzky he lay down and he cried to the referee, so I just took a chapter out of his book. I put myself on my back, and I squirmed and kicked and I played dead just like he did."

I mean, can you imagine someone dropping that quote today? We'd all lose our minds for a week. Back then, everyone shrugged and went "Yeah, seems reasonable".

By the way, the Islanders won the series in four games, and Smith got the Conn Smythe. I think he won this round, you guys.

[Turns earnestly towards camera.] If you'd like to learn more about Billy Smith losing his mind, please enjoy clips of him getting into it with Scott Stevens, fracturing Curt Fraser's cheekbone, and fighting everyone from Tiger Williams to Eddie Johnstone to Lanny McDonald.

Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, the only goalie to make it in that decade. HHOF officials could not be reached for comment, as they were all suffering from mysterious knee injuries.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com .

DGB Grab Bag: Traveling Jagrs, Mythical 1917, and Nutso Billy Smith published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv