When Time Is Running Out Trivia Quiz

Answer: Easter Epic

It is unusual for an NHL hockey game to be played over the course of two days, however, this became the case during Game 7 of the 1987 Patrick Division Semifinals. On April 18, the game began just shortly after 7:30 pm and ended at 1:58 am on April 19. Players were clearly fatigued at this point in the game and it was inevitable that someone would finally score to win the game. At the 8:47 minute mark of the fourth overtime, Pat LaFontaine of the Islanders took a slap shot resulting from a deflection scoring glove side on Capitals goaltender Bob Mason.

At the time, this was the fifth longest game in NHL history, the longest elimination game in cup history, and the longest Division Semi-Final. The New York Islanders also had the strange distinction of having scored the game winner in both the "longest" and "shortest" overtime games for a playoff elimination situation. The longest elimination game was later surpassed by the Dallas Stars when they eliminated the San Jose Sharks during the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs (in a game that was just 16 seconds longer than the Easter Epic).

Answer: Hungary

In the five years prior to the 1954 World Cup, the Hungarian National Team had been unbeaten in its previous 31 international games. Some sources suggest they were unbeaten in 32 straight games (if statistics count a friendly they played against East Germany. During the first two games of the tournament, Hungary outscored their opponents by a score of 17-3. They were the clear favorites to win the tournament.

The championship game was played under heavy rains and unfavorable weather. Just six minutes into the game it appeared that the German team was going to cave into the pressure of the Hungarian squad conceding a goal to striker Ferenc Puskás. Just two minutes later, Hungary would score again when left winger Zoltán Czibor put the ball past goalkeeper Toni Turek. The Germans would come back to tie the game up scoring in the tenth and eighteenth minutes. It appeared that the game was going to be headed into extra time when German forward Helmut Rahn scored a goal in the eighty-fourth minute. Hungary would score what appeared to be a game tying goal two minutes prior to the final whistle but the goal was called back due to an offside. The final score was 3-2 for the German team giving them their first ever World Cup championship.

Answer: Come back after trailing a series 3-0

In MLBs 100th World Series, the Boston Red Sox did not disappoint after coming back from being down 3-0 to the New York Yankees to win the American League Championship Series becoming the first team to do so since the inaugural tournament in 1903. At this time, only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders of the NHL had come back from a 3-0 deficit during a professional sports playoff.

After coming back from this deficit, they would go on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in the World Series championship series.

In doing so, the Red Sox won their first World Series title since the 1918 championship series ending the superstition known as "The Curse of the Bambino".

Answer: Christian Laettner

With just 2.1 seconds remaining in the Eastern Regional Final of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, delivered what ultimately became known as "The Shot". Trailing 103-102, forward Grant Hill threw a pass to Laettner. Laettner in turn would then fake, dribble, and throw a jumper just before the final buzzer went off to score the winning two points giving Duke a 104-103 victory.

In 2002, this game was ranked by USA Today as the greatest game in NCAA history. The game featured three notable players Laettner, Hill, and Jamal Mashburn (a sophomore for Kentucky) would all go on to have successful careers in the NBA. Kentucky featured four seniors that later became known as "The Unforgettables" (Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey, and Sean Woods) due to their commitment with the Kentucky Wildcats program all through the two year ban but never played in the NBA.

Answer: 1 yard

The Tennessee Titans would overcome a 16-0 deficit and tie the game with just 2:12 seconds remaining in the game. On the ensuing drive, the St. Louis Rams would score a 73-yard touchdown to take a 23-16 lead in the game. In what has become one of the most epic and memorable final drives in NFL history, the Titans would use their final timeout of the game to stop the clock with just six seconds remaining on the St. Louis 10-yard line. Receiver Kevin Dyson would catch a pass from quarterback Steve McNair on the 5-yard line and attempted to bring the ball into the end zone, but was taken down on the 1-yard line by linebacker Mike Jones.

The play is significant as had the Titans managed to tie the game, it would have been the first Super Bowl to ever go into overtime. Had they score on the play, it would have also given the Titans the opportunity to possibly score a 2-point conversion and ultimately win the Super Bowl in the dying seconds.

Answer: Paul Lawrie

Lawrie was down by ten strokes going into the fourth round of the 1999 Open Championships and mounted the biggest final round comeback to that point in history. Jean van de Velde of France held what appeared to be a comfortable five point lead over Craig Parry of Australia and Justin Leonard of the USA, but would end the day at +3 and was brought into a forced three-way playoff against Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard.

It became Lawrie's first Open championship victory. Many regard van de Velde's collapse during the final round as the worst "choke" in golf history.

In fact, many golfers that suffer epic collapses during tournaments refer to it as "pulling a van de Velde".

Answer: True

Henri Cochet was a number one ranked tennis player and a member of a group of French tennis players known as "The Four Musketeers" during the 1920s and 1930s. In his career he would go on to win ten amateur Major tournaments and one professional major tournament. During the 1927 Wimbledon Championships, he would come back three times after trailing his opponents by two-sets and win the title. Cochet would beat American Frank Hunter after losing the first two sets 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals, American Bill Tilden after losing the first two sets 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals, and then come back to defeat fellow Frenchman Jean Borotra in the final after losing the first two sets 6-4, 6-4.

Answer: Snooker

Northern Irish snooker player Dennis Taylor reached his second world final in 1985, but was considered an underdog playing against world number one ranked player Steve Davis. The final was a 35-frame match. Trailing 8-0, it appeared unlikely that Taylor could mount any comeback, but did so against the odds.

The two players would eventually be tied 17-17 entering the final round. The final frame marked the first time in championship history that the black ball would determine the winner. Davis over-cut the black ball on his final shot leaving Taylor a straightforward shot to win the game 66-62 and win the tournament in what has been deemed as one of the greatest comebacks in snooker history.

Answer: Soviet Union

Going into the final, the United States had a record of 63-0 all-time at the Olympic Games. During the tournament itself, they had convincingly won all of their games outscoring their opponents by 230 points. With three seconds remaining on the clock, the Americans were up by a score of 50-49 after scoring twice on free throws. The rules at this time stipulated that after the second throw, the play was "live". The Soviet Union claimed that they had called a time-out after the second play, but it was not granted to them. This resulted in a series of three inbound plays (amazing considering there were only three seconds remaining in the game!)

There was confusion and chaos on the first two inbound plays which had to be redone. On the third inbound play, American center Tom McMillen re-positioned himself after he believed official Artenik Arabadjian gestured for him to back off of Soviet substitute player Ivan Edeshko. Edeshko threw the ball down court to center Aleksandr Belov in what has become referred to as "the golden pass". Belov was able to make a layup shot and the Soviet Union won the game 51-50. Replays show that Edeshko's show may have stepped on the white end line (a clear violation of the rules), but the officials never looked into the potential violation.

Although the Americans protested the final decision of the game, the final score was never overturned and they were awarded the silver medal. In what has been deemed by many as "the worst sportsmanship in history", the Americans refused to accept their silver medals. American guard Kenny Davis has even reported that a clause in his will prevents his family from ever receiving his silver medal even after his death.

Answer: Tom Brady

On February 5, 2017, the New England Patriots overcame a 21-point deficit going into the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots tied the game with just 57 seconds left in regulation time. The Falcons failed to get into scoring range forcing the game to go into overtime.

This would be the first time in NFL history that the Super Bowl went into overtime. The Patriots would win the coin toss at the beginning of overtime, elected to receive the ball and scored a touchdown to win the game 34-28.

It would be Tom Brady's fifth Super Bowl victory, the largest margin of victory overcome in Super Bowl history, the first Super Bowl to go into overtime, and a game that either set or matched 30 team or individual Super Bowl records.