The year 1951 consisted of Sports Championship winners New York Yankees (MLB), Rochester Royals (NBA), Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
HIGHLIGHTS
The
1951 World Series was a rematch of the previous year, with the
New York Yankees facing off against the
New York Giants. The series went the full seven games, with the Yankees ultimately emerging victorious. The Yankees were led by Joe DiMaggio, who batted .367 and hit two home runs in the series, and Whitey Ford, who won two games and had an ERA of 1.72. The Giants were led by Monte Irvin, who batted .458 and scored seven runs, and Sal Maglie, who won two games and had an ERA of 2.54. The Yankees won the series 4-2-1, with the deciding game ending on a walk-off home run by Bobby Thomson. The
1951 World Series was one of the most thrilling in baseball history, with the Yankees ultimately emerging as champions.
The
1951 NBA Championship Final Series between the
Rochester Royals and the
New York Knickerbockers was a hard-fought series that went the full seven games. The Royals, led by player-coach Bob Davies, had the home court advantage, but the Knickerbockers had the star power of players like Harry Gallatin and Vince Boryla. The Royals won the first two games in
Rochester, but the Knickerbockers won the next two in
New York to even the series. The Royals then won the next two games in
Rochester to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Knickerbockers then won the sixth game in
New York to force a decisive seventh game back in
Rochester. The Royals ultimately won the seventh game 79-75 to clinch the
NBA championship.
The
1951 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the
Toronto Maple Leafs and the
Montreal Canadiens. The series was won by the Maple Leafs in five games, with
Toronto’s Bill Barilko scoring the series-winning goal in overtime of the fifth and deciding game. The Maple Leafs were led by goaltender Turk Broda, who allowed only seven goals in the five games, and by a strong group of forwards, including Ted Kennedy, Sid Smith, and Max Bentley. The Canadiens were led by goaltender Gerry McNeil and forwards Maurice Richard and Elmer Lach. The Maple Leafs won the first three games of the series, but the Canadiens won the fourth game to extend the series. The fifth and deciding game was a back-and-forth affair, with the teams trading goals until Barilko’s overtime goal sealed the victory for
Toronto.