The Montreal Canadiens nabbed their first Stanley Cup as an NHL team March 25, 1924. A 3-0 blanking of the Calgary Tigers cemented a best-of-three sweep and delivered the Habs’ first title since they were still NHA tenants in 1916.
Over the next seven decades, Montreal would add another 22 banners, which remains a runaway for the all-time lead. But on this occasion, they were just another pro hockey franchise who happened to rule the season. And on this day, their victory was just another toy-department headline eclipsed by a coinciding political development overseas.
Two weeks into his first of two abbreviated terms as Prime Minister of Greece, Alexandros Papanastasiou’s National Assembly declared the Second Hellenic Republic in his country. He followed up by issuing a referendum for April 13. In a landslide of nearly 70-30 percent, the voters endorsed Papanastasiou’s plan to abolish the Greek monarchy.
As was customary in the country, Papanastasiou had a short tenure. He would give way to Themistoklis Sofoulis on July 25. Another six men came and went before he assumed the PM’s office again on May 25, 1932.
That stint would last all of 10 days. But the Second Hellenic Republic would go on for another three years, officially ending Oct. 10, 1935. Papanastasiou passed away a little more than a year later, suffering a heart attack at the age of 60.
Back in North America, one event of deferred significance occurred March 25, 1924. Actor Roberts Blossom was born in New Haven, Conn.
Blossom burgeoned relatively late, achieving his first acting credit in 1958. But he went on to enjoy four-plus decades of success, working under such legendary directors as Jonathan Demme, Steven Spielberg (twice) and Martin Scorsese.
His second non-TV movie role was in 1972’s Slaughterhouse-five, directed by future Slap Shot director George Roy Hill. Upon becoming a silver-screen regular, Blossom went on to portray Mr. Gatz in 1974’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby and the farmer in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He later played Old Man Marley in Home Alone.
In between, he won the “favorite villain” title at the 1978 Soapy Awards for his performance as Bert Ordway on Another World. That would be the program’s last Soapy victory in its 35-year run, which ended in 1999.
Coincidentally, Blossom retired from acting that same year, living for 12 more years before succumbing to stroke-related complications at age 87.
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