Events

303 – Roman Emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.

1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.

1660 – Charles XI becomes King of Sweden.

1739 – Richard Palmer is identified at York Castle, by his former schoolteacher, as the outlaw Dick Turpin.

1778 – American Revolution: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.

1820 – Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.

1821 – Alexander Ypsilantis starts the Greek War of Independence in Iași, Wallachia, modern-day Romania.

1836 – The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas.

1846 – John Henry Newman leaves the Church of England and is received into the Roman Catholic Church.

1847 – Mexican-American War: Battle of Buena Vista – In Mexico, American troops under General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

1848 – The French Revolution of 1848, which would lead to the establishment of the French Second Republic, begins.

1854 – The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.

1861 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.

1870 – In the United States, post-Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.

1883 – Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.

1886 – Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of man-made aluminum, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall.

1887 – The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.

1896 – The Tootsie Roll is invented.

1898 – Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse", a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.

1900 – In South Africa, Boers and British troops fight in the Battle of Hart's Hill.

1903 – Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".

1905 – Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club.

1909 – The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.

1917 – First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution.

1918 – First victory of Red Army over the Kaiser's German troops near Narva and Pskov. In honor of this victory, the date is celebrated from 1923 onward as "Red Army Day"; it is renamed Defender of the Fatherland Day after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and is colloquially known as "Men's Day".

1927 – The Federal Radio Commission (later renamed the Federal Communications Commission) begins to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.

1927 – German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time.

1934 – Leopold III becomes King of Belgium.

1941 – Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.

1942 – World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the California coastline near Santa Barbara.

1943 – A fire breaks out at St. Joseph's Orphanage, County Cavan, Ireland, killing 36 people (35 of whom are children).

1944 – The Soviet Union begins the forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.

1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a commonly forgotten U.S. Navy Corpsman, reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.

1945 – World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, free the captives of the Los Baños internment camp.

1945 – World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by American forces.

1945 – World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.

1945 – World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is completely destroyed in a raid by 379 British bombers.

1947 – The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.

1954 – The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.

1955 – First meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).

1958 – Cuban rebels kidnap 5-time world driving champion Juan Manuel Fangio.

1966 – In Syria, Baath party member Salah Jadid leads an intra-party military coup that replaces the previous government of General Amin Hafiz, also a Baathist.

1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.

1980 – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran's parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.

1981 – In Spain, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d'état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.

1983 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.

1987 – Supernova 1987a is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

1991 – Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq, thus beginning the ground phase of the war.

1991 – In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d'état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.

1997 – A small fire occurs in the Russian Space station, Mir.

1998 – In the United States, tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42.

1998 – Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and "Crusaders"; the latter term is commonly interpreted to refer to the people of Europe and the United States.

1999 – Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.

1999 – An avalanche destroys the Austrian village of Galtür, killing 31.

2005 – The controversial French law on colonialism is passed, requiring teachers to teach the "positive values of colonialism". After public outcry, it is repealed at the beginning of 2006.

2007 – A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.

2008 – A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit crashes on Guam. It is the first operational loss of a B-2.

2010 – Unknown criminals pour more than 2.5 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in Northern Italy, causing an environmental disaster.

Births

1417 – Pope Paul II (d. 1471)

1443 – Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, King of Hungary and Croatia (d. 1490)

1583 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French scientist (d. 1656)

1633 – Samuel Pepys, English naval administrator and man of letters, posthumously famous as a diarist (d. 1703)

1646 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shogun (d. 1709)

1648 – Arabella Churchill, English mistress of James II of England (d. 1730)

1680 – Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, French colonizer and Governor of Louisiana (d. 1767)

1685 – George Frideric Handel, German/British Baroque composer (d. 1759)

1723 – Richard Price, Welsh philosopher (d. 1791)

1729 – Josiah Hornblower, American statesman (d. 1809)

1744 – Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German-born banker (d. 1812)

1809 – William Sprague, American minister and politician from Michigan (d. 1868)

1840 – Frederick Wicks, English author and inventor (d. 1910)

1842 – Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher (d. 1906)

1850 – César Ritz, Swiss hotelier (d. 1918)

1852 – Emperor Duc Duc (pronounced ''"dzup-duc"''), the fifth emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyễn Dynasty (d. 1883)

1868 – W. E. B. Du Bois, American civil rights leader (d. 1963)

1868 – Anna Hoffman-Uddgren, Swedish director and actress (d. 1947)

1873 – Liang Qichao, Chinese scholar (d. 1929)

1874 – Konstantin Päts, Estonian president (d. 1956)

1878 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian painter and art theorist (d. 1935)

1883 – Karl Jaspers, German philosopher (d. 1969)

1889 – Victor Fleming, American director (d. 1949)

1889 – Musidora, French actress and director (d. 1957)

1889 – John Gilbert Winant, American politician (d. 1947)

1891 – Harold Horder, Australian rugby league player (d. 1978)

1899 – Erich Kästner, German writer (d. 1974)

1899 – Norman Taurog, American film director (d. 1981)

1901 – Edgar Ende, German painter (d. 1965)

1904 – Terence Fisher, English film director (d. 1980)

1904 – William L. Shirer, American historian (d. 1993)

1904 – Leopold Trepper, Soviet spy (d. 1982)

1908 – William McMahon, twentieth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1988)

1914 – Theofiel Middelkamp, Dutch cyclist (d. 2005)

1915 – Jon Hall, American actor (d. 1979)

1915 – Paul Tibbets, US Air Force retired Brigadier General and pilot of B-29 "Enola Gay" over Hiroshima (d. 2007)

1918 – Richard G. Butler, founder of Aryan Nations (d. 2004)

1920 – Paul Gérin-Lajoie, Canadian politician

1923 – Miljenko Smoje, Dalmatian writer and journalist (d. 1995)

1923 – Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan politician

1923 – Yiannis Grivas, Greek judge, 87th Prime Minister of Greece

1923 – Mary Francis Shura, American writer (d. 1991)

1924 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South-African born physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)

1924 – Claude Sautet, French film director (d. 2000)

1927 – Régine Crespin, French operatic soprano (d. 2007)

1928 – Hans Herrmann, German race car driver

1928 – Vasili Lazarev, cosmonaut (d. 1990)

1929 – Elston Howard, American baseball player (d. 1980)

1931 – Tom Wesselmann, American collage artist (d. 2004)

1932 – Majel Barrett, American actress (d. 2008)

1933 – Donna J. Stone, American poet (d. 1994)

1937 – Tom Osborne, American football coach and politician

1938 – Paul Morrissey, American film director

1938 – Diane Varsi, American actress (d. 1992)

1940 – Peter Fonda, American actor

1941 – Ron Hunt, baseball player

1943 – Fred Biletnikoff, American football player and coach

1944 – Bernard Cornwell, English historical novelist

1944 – John Sandford, American novelist

1944 – Johnny Winter, American musician

1945 – Allan Boesak, South African activist

1946 – Rusty Young, American country-rock guitarist (Poco)

1947 – John McWethy, American journalist (d. 2008)

1947 – Pia Kjærsgaard, Danish politician

1948 – Doug Moench, American comic book writer

1949 – Marc Garneau, Canadian astronaut

1950 – Maxi, Irish singer and radio personality

1951 – Ed Jones, American football player

1951 – Patricia Richardson, American actress

1952 – Brad Whitford, American musician (Aerosmith)

1953 – Kenny Bee,Hong Kong actor,musician and singer

1953 – Satoru Nakajima, Japanese racing driver

1954 – Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine

1955 – Tom Bodett, American voice actor, radio personality, and writer

1955 – Howard Jones, British pop singer

1955 – Flip Saunders, American basketball coach

1957 – Ria Brieffies, Dutch singer (d. 2009)

1958 – Tony Barrell, English writer and journalist

1958 – David Sylvian, English musician (Japan, Nine Horses)

1959 – Clayton Anderson, American astronaut

1959 – Richard Dodds, British field hockey player

1960 – Ivan Vdović, also known as VD, Yugoslavian musician (Šarlo Akrobata) (d. 1992)

1960 – Alan Griffin, Australian politician

1960 – Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan

1961 – Kelly Hansen, American drummer (Summer Lights)

1962 – Michael Wilton, American musician (Queensrÿche)

1962 – John David Brown, American illustrator, cartoonist

1963 – Bobby Bonilla, former baseball player

1963 – Radosław Sikorski, Polish politician

1964 – John Norum, Norwegian guitarist (Europe)

1965 – David E. Clemmer, American ion mobility-mass spectrometrist, 2006 recipient of Biemann Medal

1965 – Michael Dell, American computer manufacturer

1965 – Helena Suková, Czech former tennis player

1966 – Neal McDonough, American actor

1967 – Tamsin Greig, English actress

1967 – Chris Vrenna, American musician, producer and sound engineer Nine Inch Nails, Tweaker

1968 – Justin Bell, British racing driver

1969 – Marc Wauters, Belgian cyclist

1969 – Michael Campbell, New Zealand golfer

1970 – Marie-Josée Croze, Canadian actress

1970 – Niecy Nash, American actress

1971 – Jeong Chan, South Korean actor

1971 – Don Maxwell, Canadian cricketer

1971 – Melinda Messenger, English television presenter

1971 – Joe-Max Moore, American soccer player

1972 – Steve Holy, American country singer

1972 – Alessandro Sturba, Italian footballer

1972 – Rondell White, American baseball player

1973 – Jack Case, American artist

1973 – Lars-Olof Johansson, Swedish musician (The Cardigans)

1974 – Leko, American DJ

1974 – Herschelle Gibbs, South African cricketer

1975 – Michael Cornacchia, American actor

1975 – Robert Lopez, American composer

1975 – Natalia Verbeke, Argentine actress

1976 – Kelly Macdonald, British actress

1976 – Scott Elarton, American baseball player

1977 – Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, Estonian cross-country skier

1978 – René Pérez, Puerto Rican musician (Calle 13)

1978 – Dan Snyder, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2003)

1978 – Jo Joyner, English actress

1979 – S.E. Cupp, American author and political commentator

1981 – Gareth Barry, English footballer

1981 – Charles Tillman, American football player

1982 – Adam Hann-Byrd, American actor

1982 – Karan Singh, Indian actor

1982 – Malia Metella, French swimmer

1983 – Mirco Bergamasco, Italian rugby player

1983 – Mido, Egyptian footballer

1983 – Emily Blunt, British actress

1983 – Aziz Ansari, Indian-American comedian

1983 – Courtney Culkin, American Playboy Playmate

1986 – Ola Svensson, Swedish pop singer

1986 – Skylar Grey, American musician

1986 – Kazuya Kamenashi, Japanese idol (KAT-TUN)

1986 – Jerod Mayo, American football player

1987 – Elysa Montfort, Gay rights activist

1989 – Evan Bates, American ice dancer

1992 – Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Greek footballer

1994 – Dakota Fanning, American actress

Deaths

155 – Polycarp, Christian bishop of Smyrna (b. 69)

943 – Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, (b. 884)

1011 – Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz (b. 940)

1072 – Peter Damian, theologian and Doctor of the Church (b. 1007)

1100 – Emperor Zhezong of China (b. 1076)

1270 – Saint Isabel of France, daughter of Louis VIII of France (b. 1225)

1447 – Pope Eugene IV (b. 1383)

1447 – Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1390)

1464 – Zhengtong, Emperor of China (b. 1427)

1526 – Diego Colón, Spanish Viceroy of the Indies

1554 – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English politician and nobelman (b. c.1515)

1572 – Pierre Certon, French composer

1603 – Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (b. 1519)

1669 – Leo Aitzema, Dutch historian and statesman (b. 1600)

1704 – Georg Muffat, French composer (b. 1653)

1766 – Stanisław I Leszczyński, King of Poland (b. 1677)

1781 – George Taylor, American signatory to the Declaration of Independence (b. c.1716)

1792 – Joshua Reynolds, English painter (b. 1723)

1800 – Joseph Warton, English literary critic (b. 1722)

1821 – John Keats, English poet (b. 1795)

1848 – John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States (b. 1767)

1855 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (b. 1777)

1859 – Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish Romantic poet (b. 1812)

1879 – Albrecht Graf von Roon, Prime Minister of Prussia (b. 1803)

1897 – Woldemar Bargiel, German composer (b. 1828)

1908 – Johannes Friedrich August von Esmarch, German surgeon (b. 1823)

1922 – Albert Victor Bäcklund, Swedish physicist (b. 1845)

1930 – Horst Wessel, Nazi ideologue and composer (b. 1907)

1931 – Dame Nellie Melba, Australian opera soprano (b. 1861)

1934 – Edward Elgar, English composer (b. 1857)

1944 – Leo Hendrik Baekeland, Flemish-American chemist and inventor of the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite (b. 1863)

1946 – Tomoyuki Yamashita, Japanese general (hanged) (b. 1885)

1948 – John Robert Gregg, Irish-born publisher and inventor (b. 1866)

1955 – Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (b. 1868)

1957 – Marika Ninou, Greek singer (b. 1918)

1960 – Arthur Legat, Belgian racing driver (b. 1898)

1961 – Davey Crockett, American baseball player (b. 1875)

1965 – Stan Laurel, British actor and comedian (b. 1890)

1969 – King Saud of Saudi Arabia (b. 1902)

1970 – Hirsch Jacobs, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (b. 1904)

1973 – Dickinson W. Richards, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1895)

1974 – Harry Ruby, American composer and writer (b. 1895)

1976 – L. S. Lowry, English artist (b. 1887)

1979 – W.A.C. Bennett, Canadian politician (b. 1900)

1983 – Herbert Howells, English composer (b. 1892)

1990 – José Napoleón Duarte, President of El Salvador (b. 1925)

1992 – Markos Vafiadis, Greek politician (b. 1906)

1995 – Melvin Franklin, American singer (The Temptations) (b. 1942)

1995 – James Herriot, English writer (b. 1916)

1996 – William Bonin, American serial killer and sex offender (b. 1947)

1997 – Tony Williams, American jazz drummer (b. 1945)

1999 – Carlos Hathcock, USMC sniper (b. 1942)

2000 – Ofra Haza, Israeli singer (b. 1957)

2000 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer (b. 1915)

2001 – Robert Enrico, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1931)

2003 – Robert K. Merton, American sociologist (b. 1910)

2003 – Howie Epstein, American bass guitarist (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) (b. 1955)

2003 – Titos Vandis, Greek actor (b. 1917)

2004 – Vijay Anand, Indian film director (b. 1934)

2004 – Neil Ardley, English jazz pianist and composer (b. 1937)

2004 – Carl Anderson, American singer (b. 1945)

2004 – Sikander Bakht, Governor of Kerala (b. 1918)

2004 – Don Cornell, American singer (b. 1919)

2004 – Carl Liscombe, Canadian hockey player (b. 1915)

2006 – Benno Besson, Swiss actor and film director (b. 1922)

2006 – Telmo Zarraonaindía, Spanish footballer (b. 1921)

2007 – Donnie Brooks, American singer (b. 1936)

2007 – John Ritchie, British footballer (b. 1941)

2008 – Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian prime minister and president (b. 1950)

2008 – Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and motorsport journalist (b. 1917)

2008 – Douglas Fraser, Scottish pilot (b. 1916)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

*Polycarp of Smyrna (Catholic Church)

*Blessed Isabelle of France

*Serenus the Gardener

*February 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Mashramani-Republic Day (Guyana)

National Day (Brunei)

Red Army Day or Day of Soviet Army and Navy in the former Soviet Union, also held in various former Soviet republics:

*Defender of the Fatherland Day (Russia)

Terminalia held in honor of Terminus (Ancient Rome)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:February

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
team	San Jose Sharks
former teams	Edmonton OilersPhoenix CoyotesCalgary FlamesPhiladelphia FlyersChicago Blackhawks
league	NHL
position	Defence
shoots	Left
height ft	6
height in	1
weight lb	214
nationality	CAN
birth date	February 21, 1980
birth place	Red Deer, AB, CAN
career start	2001 }}

James Patrick "Jim" Vandermeer (born February 21, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jim was born and raised in Caroline, Alberta.

Playing career

Prior to playing professionally, Vandermeer played four seasons of junior hockey for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his final season (2000–01), Vandermeer was the Captain of the Rebels team that won the WHL Championship and the Memorial Cup. He then signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers as an undrafted free agent.

Vandermeer was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on February 19, 2004, with Colin Fraser and a 2004 2nd round draft pick in exchange for Alexei Zhamnov. During the NHL lock-out, he played with the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate to the Chicago Blackhawks.

During the 2005-2006 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, Jim earned $1.225 million per year and was named one of the teams "A" Alternate Captain for select games.

On December 18, 2007, Jim was traded back to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Ben Eager.

On February 20, 2008, Jim was traded to the Calgary Flames for a third round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

On July 1, 2008, James signed a 3 year deal work $6.9 million as an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) with the Calgary Flames.

On June 27, 2009, Jim was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Brandon Prust.

On April 7, 2010, Jim was named Man of the Year by the Phoenix Coyotes.

On June 30, 2010, Jim was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Patrick O'Sullivan.

On March 22, 2011, Jim recorded his 100th career point vs the Nashville Predators with an assist on a goal by Jordan Eberle.

During the 2010-2011 season with the Edmonton Oilers, Jim was named one of the teams "A" Alternate Captain for select games.

On July 1, 2011, Jim became a unrestricted free agent and signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the San Jose Sharks.

Community Involvement

Jim, along with Trent Hunter of the New York Islanders and Kris Russell of the Columbus Blue Jackets, host an annual Young Guns Charity Golf Tournament at Alberta Springs Golf Course in Red Deer, Alberta. Ryan Smyth of the Edmonton Oilers is one of the tournaments founding members. Ryan's Mother, Dixie, remains extremely active on the tournaments Board of Directors and plays a key roll in the continuing success of the annual event. The money raised from the tournament is divided between many local charities, including The Stollery Children's Hospital, The Lending Cupboard, The Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, Shalom Counseling Center, The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Society and Red Deer Minor Hockey.

In 2010 Jim was named Man of the Year by the Phoenix Coyotes for his dedication, commitment and passion for bettering the lives of those in the community during his first season as a member of the Coyotes. Vandermeer and his wife Stefanie participated in many community initiatives including adopting a class at Children First Academy, delivering food and blankets to Watkins Homeless Shelter and supporting the Teammates for Kids Foundation. Vandermeer’s charitable endeavors are an example of what it means to wholeheartedly support those who are less fortunate. Vandermeer has served as a role model to both his teammates and the community.

In lieu of gifts at their 2009 nuptials, Jim and his Wife invited guests to donate to their favorite charity, Garth Brooks' Teammates For Kids Foundation. At the time Jim was playing with the Calgary Flames (he was traded to Phoenix less than a week before tying the knot) and the couple also invited guests to donate to another charity close to their hearts, The Calgary Flames Foundation For Life.

Personal Life

Jim was introduced to his wife by his close friend and ex-teammate Brent Seabrook. Jim has noted both Brent Seabrook and James Wisniewski as two of his closest friends in the NHL. Both served as groomsmen at Jim's wedding in Vancouver, BC on July 3, 2009. Lisa, wife of Scott Hartnell, served as a bridesmaid. James Wisniewski, along with Ajay Baines, served as co-MC's at Jim's wedding.

Jim served as a groomsman at the wedding of Nicole and James Wisniewski on July 10, 2010.

Awards

2001 - CHL Humanitarian of the Year Award

2001 - WHL Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy

2001 - WHL East First All-Star Team

2001 - WHL Plus-Minus Award

2001 - AHL Philadelphia Phantoms Most Coachable Player Award

2002 - AHL Philadelphia Phantoms Most Coachable Player Award

2010 - NHL Phoenix Coyotes Man of the Year Award

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season (sports)>Season	! Team	! League		! GP	Goal (ice hockey)>G	Assist (ice hockey)>A	Point (ice hockey)>Pts	Penalty (ice hockey)>PIM		! GP	! G	! A	! Pts	! PIM
	Red Deer Rebels			35	0	3	3	55		2	0	0	0	0
	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		70	5	23	28	258		9	0	1	1	24
	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		71	8	30	38	221		4	0	1	1	16
	Red Deer Rebels	WHL		72	21	44	65	180		22	3	13	16	43
	Philadelphia Phantoms			74	1	13	14	88		5	0	2	2	14
	Philadelphia Phantoms	AHL		48	4	8	12	122		—	—	—	—	—
	Philadelphia Flyers			24	2	1	3	27		8	0	1	1	9
	Philadelphia Phantoms	AHL		26	1	6	7	120		—	—	—	—	—
	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		23	3	2	5	25		—	—	—	—	—
	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		23	2	10	12	58		—	—	—	—	—
	Norfolk Admirals	AHL		52	3	10	13	164		—	—	—	—	—
	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		76	6	18	24	116		—	—	—	—	—
	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		46	1	6	7	53		—	—	—	—	—
	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		26	2	7	9	44		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		28	1	5	6	27		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Calgary Flames	NHL		21	0	2	2	39		7	0	0	0	4
	Calgary Flames	NHL		45	1	6	7	108		6	0	1	1	4
	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		62	4	8	12	60		—	—	—	—	—
	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		62	2	12	14	74		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				! 436	! 24	! 77	! 101	! 557		! 21	! 0	! 2	! 2	! 17
AHL totals				! 200	! 9	! 37	! 46	! 494		! 5	! 0	! 2	! 2	! 14
WHL totals				! 241	! 41	! 93	! 134	! 714		! 37	! 3	! 15	! 18	! 83

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Calgary Flames players Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen Category:Canadian people of Dutch descent Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:Edmonton Oilers players Category:Ice hockey people from Alberta Category:Norfolk Admirals players Category:People from Clearwater County, Alberta Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Philadelphia Phantoms players Category:Phoenix Coyotes players Category:Red Deer Rebels alumni Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players

de:Jim Vandermeer fr:Jim Vandermeer

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Jeremy Lin
Position	Point guard
Team	Golden State Warriors
Number	7
Career start	2010
Height ft	6
Height in	3
Weight lb	200
Birth date	August 23, 1988
Birth place
Nationality	American
High school	Palo Alto
College	Harvard (2006-2010)
Draft year	2010
Years1	–present |team1Golden State Warriors
Years2	2010–2011 |team2→Reno Bighorns (D-League)
Highlights	2× All-Ivy League First Team (2009–2010) All-Ivy League Second Team (2008) CIF Division II champion (2006) 2× SCVAL MVP (2005–2006) }}

)}} Jeremy Shu-How Lin () (born August 23, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After receiving no athletic scholarship offers out of high school and being undrafted out of college, the Harvard University graduate reached a partially-guaranteed contract deal with his hometown Warriors. Lin is the first American player in the NBA to be of Chinese or of Taiwanese descent.

High school career

In his senior year in 2005–2006, Lin captained Palo Alto High School to a 32–1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei, 51–47, for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II state title. According to Dana O'Neil of ESPN, "... Lin was the runaway choice for player of the year by virtually every California publication." He was named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year ending his senior year averaging 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 steals.

College career

Recruiting process

Lin sent his resume and a DVD of highlights to all the Ivy League schools, Cal, Stanford, and his dream school, UCLA. The Pac-10 schools wanted him to walk-on. Harvard and Brown were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Lin chose to attend Harvard.

Joe Lacob, incoming Warriors' owner and Stanford booster, said Stanford's failure to recruit Lin "was really stupid. The kid was right across the street. You can’t recognize that, [then] you've got a problem."

Kerry Keating, the UCLA assistant who offered Lin the opportunity to walk-on, would say in hindsight that Lin would probably have ended up starting at point guard for UCLA.

Rex Walters, University of San Francisco men's basketball coach and a retired NBA player, said NCAA limits on coaches’ recruiting visits impacted Lin. “Most colleges start recruiting a guy in the first five minutes they see him because he runs really fast, jumps really high, does the quick, easy thing to evaluate," Walters said. Lin added, “I just think in order for someone to understand my game, they have to watch me more than once, because I’m not going to do anything that’s extra flashy or freakishly athletic."

Bill Holden, Harvard assistant coach, had initially told Lin's high school coach, Peter Diepenbrock, that Harvard was not interested in Lin. "Three weeks later, he calls me and says, 'I may have spoken a little too soon,'" Diepenbrock said.

Harvard

In his sophomore season (2007–08), Lin averaged 12.6 points and was named All-Ivy League Second Team.

By his junior year during the 2008–09 season, he was the only NCAA Division I men's basketball player who ranked in the top ten in his conference for scoring (17.8), rebounding (5.5), assists (4.3), steals (2.4), blocked shots (0.6), field goal percentage (0.502), free throw percentage (0.744), and 3 point shot percentage (0.400), and was a consensus selection for All-Ivy League First Team. He had 27 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds in an 82–70 win over 17th-ranked Boston College, three days after the Eagles had knocked off No. 1 North Carolina.

In his senior year (2009–10), Lin averaged 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks, and was again a unanimous selection for All-Ivy League First Team. He was one of 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award and one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award. He was also invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Fran Fraschilla of ESPN picked Lin among the 12 most versatile players in college basketball. He gained national attention for his performance against the 12th ranked Connecticut Huskies, against whom he scored a career-high tying 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds on the road. After the game, Hall of Fame Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said of Lin:

"I've seen a lot of teams come through here, and he could play for any of them. He's got great, great composure on the court. He knows how to play."

For the season, Harvard set numerous program records including wins (21), non-conference wins (11), home wins (11) and road/neutral wins (10).

Lin finished his career as the first player in the history of the Ivy League to record at least 1,450 points (1,483), 450 rebounds (487), 400 assists (406) and 200 steals (225).

He graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics and a 3.1 grade-point average.

NBA career

Undrafted

If drafted, Lin would have been the first Ivy Leaguer selected by the NBA since Jerome Allen of Pennsylvania in the second round in 1995. The last Ivy Leaguer to play in the NBA was Yale's Chris Dudley in , while the last Harvard player in the league was Ed Smith in . After graduating from Harvard University, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft. Eight teams had invited Lin to predraft workouts. Diepenbrock said that NBA tryouts do not play five on five. Lin acknowledged that the workouts were "one on one or two on two or three on three, and that’s not where I excel. I’ve never played basketball like that."

He later joined the Dallas Mavericks for mini-camp as well as their NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas. Donnie Nelson of the Mavericks was the only General Manager that offered him an invitation to play in the Summer League. "Donnie took care of me," said Lin. "He has a different type of vision than most people do."

In five Summer League games, while playing both guard positions, Lin averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in 18.6 minutes per game and shot a team leading 54.5% from the floor. Lin turned heads in his matchup against first overall pick John Wall when Lin scored 13 points to Wall's 21, but did so on 6-for-12 shooting in 28 minutes. Wall was 4-for-19 in 33 minutes.

While Wall received the biggest cheer for any player during introductions, the crowd had turned on Wall and was cheering for Lin by the end of the game.

Lin received offers to sign from the Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and an unnamed Eastern Conference team. The Golden State Warriors would also offer Lin a contract in addition to the original three teams.

Golden State Warriors

On July 21, 2010, Lin signed a two-year deal with his hometown Warriors, his favorite team growing up. Lin's deal was partially guaranteed for 2010-11, and the Warriors hold a team option for the second season. The reports noted that the deal would include a first-year salary of close to $500,000 with more than half of it guaranteed. Lacob had made the decision to sign Lin. Lin said the counteroffers from the three other teams were higher, but he wanted to come home and play for the Warriors.

Lin also signed a three-year guaranteed contract with Nike. His jersey was already on sale before his first NBA game.

On October 8 in the Warriors' exhibition opener at their home in Oracle Arena, the loudest ovation of the night from the crowd of 10,004 was for Lin when he entered the game with 10:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. The crowd started chanting for Lin in the third quarter. They cheered whenever he touched the ball. "That really touched me. It's something I'll remember forever," Lin said. He ended up with seven points, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes. Warriors' head coach Keith Smart said Lin drew the crowd's attention on the road as well. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com attributes the attention Lin had received out of town to the unique angle of "an Asian-American rising to rare basketball prominence".

Lin notices the expectations that follow him. "I've got news for them," Lin said with a smile, "I won't be an All-Star this year."

The attention Lin has received is tricky for him. While he would prefer to be able to just concentrate on his play without all the attention, he is appreciative of the unbelievable support he has received, especially from the Asian-American community. Lin wants to be a role model to young Asian-Americans. He has found the attention awkward as he says he has not "proven anything to anybody."

Frank Hughes of ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote that Lin talks with the occasional "seeds of self-doubt" which is not common to hear in the NBA. Hughes also found it rare when Lin compared himself to the Phoenix Suns' backup point guard Goran Dragić. “Neither of us is a freak athlete, but we’re both effective and know how to play the game,” Lin said.

Lin and Stephen Curry, 2009–10 runner-up Rookie of the Year and a gold medal winner in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, get more interview requests than any other Warrior. Team officials regularly deny requests for Lin to help him keep his focus. He has been approached to be the subject of documentaries.

Smart planned to take pressure off Lin since Lin has a tendency to be hard on himself and get frustrated. Smart admitted that he succumbed to the home crowd's wishes and put Lin into a game in the wrong situation. He vowed not to repeat that mistake.

Lin made the Warriors' opening day roster for the 2010–11 regular season, but he was placed on the inactive list. While he was disappointed, Lin noted that "part of being on this team is putting your ego aside." Lin made his official NBA debut in the next game against the Los Angeles Clippers. It was Asian Heritage Night for the Warriors' home game, and Lin received a standing ovation from the crowd of 17,408 when he entered the game with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. He did not score in the 109–91 win but recorded one steal after tying up the ball and winning the subsequent jump ball.

In the next game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Lin scored his first NBA basket, had three assists, and recorded four steals. He was applauded by the road crowd at Staples Center when he entered the game in the third quarter. He played 11 of his 16 minutes in the third quarter and committed five fouls but played a role in a 12-1 run by the Warriors. "[Lin] came in and did a good job, gave us a good tempo," Smart said after the 107–83 loss to the defending NBA champions. Lakers' guard Derek Fisher praised him for his energy and aggressiveness.

Similar to the exhibition home opener, Oracle Arena fans continued to root for Lin to play in the end of games and cheered every time he touched the ball. "When I'm on the road, I don't feel like the spotlight is on me," Lin admitted. Smart noted that Lin looked more relaxed on the road. "There's a lot of pressure on him at home, with all of the applause for just checking into the game, so I'm sure that cranks his nerves up a little bit," said Curry. "You can tell on the road he plays a lot better, because he can just go out there, play and have fun."

At Toronto on November 8, the Raptors held Asian Heritage Night to coincide with Lin's visit with the Warriors. Over 20 members of Toronto's Chinese media covered the game. Lin played 15 minutes, most coming in the first half, and finished with three points, three assists, two steals and two blocks in the 109–102 Warriors' win. In the following game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Lin again entered the game in the first half. According to ESPN.com NBA editor Matt Wong, "Lin checked into the game to loud applause, presumably from the many Asian-Americans in attendance." He had scored seven total points in his first six games played during the year. In a 89-117 road loss to the Lakers, Lin scored a career-high 13 points in 18 minutes and again earned big cheers from fans in Los Angeles.

An April 5, 2011, article posted by Slam Online stated that during intrasquad scrimmages between Warriors players, head coach Keith Smart implemented a rule. The rule was that no foul committed against Lin would ever be called. The idea behind this is that since Lin was rookie and a not a well-known established player, he would not get many calls from the referees. Thus Jeremy would learn how to play through it and coach Smart acknowledged that Jeremy has. In the same article, Lin credits Reno Bighorns coach Eric Musselman with "helping him regain [his] swagger."

Three times during the season, Lin was assigned to the Warriors' D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. Each time, he was later recalled by the Warriors. He competed in the NBA D-League Showcase and was named to the All-NBA D-League Showcase First Team on January 14, 2011. He helped lead the Bighorns to a 2-0 record at the Showcase with averages of 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals. Lin posted a season-high 27 points with the Bighorns on March 18. Lin had some misgivings when sent to the D-League because he felt he was being demoted and was not good enough to play in the NBA. After playing in the D-League, he realized he was still learning and putting in work and getting playing time in the D-League, which he wouldn't have received at the time with the Warriors. Lacob said the Warriors received more than one trade offer for Lin while he was in the D-League, but he was happy with Lin's progress as an undrafted free agent. "He’s a minimum, inexpensive asset. You need to look at him as a developing asset. Is he going to be a superstar? No."

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 29 || 0 || 9.8 || .389 || .200 || .760 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 29 || 0 || 9.8 || .389 || .200 || .760 || 1.2 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 2.6

International competition

Lin has been invited by Chinese Taipei, which is the designated name used by the Republic of China (Taiwan) in international events, to play for their men's national basketball team in FIBA competitions. On July 28, 2010 while in Taipei to play in Yao Ming's charity game, Lin said he had not made a decision yet on whether he would represent Chinese Taipei. In June 2011, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) included Lin in its preliminary squad of 24 players for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. The next month, however, the CTBA announced that Lin would not be included on their roster due to a knee injury. Lin was also approached by People's Republic of China to play in the same tournament, but he declined their offer.

On August 4, 2011, Lin stated that he would consider playing overseas during the 2011 NBA lockout. He wants to be fully recovered from his injury before making a decision.

Asian American stereotypes

Sean Gregory of ''Time'' wrote of Lin's zero Division I scholarship offers: "[Lin] was scrawny, but don't doubt that a little racial profiling, intentional or otherwise, contributed to his underrecruitment." Lin said: "I'm not saying top-5 state automatically gets you offers, but I do think (my ethnicity) did affect the way coaches recruited me. I think if I were a different race, I would've been treated differently."

Lin's high school coach, Peter Diepenbrock, said that people without meaning any harm assume since Lin is Asian that he is not a basketball player. The first time Lin went to a Pro-Am game in Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, his coach said, someone there informed him: "Sorry, sir, there's no volleyball here tonight. It's basketball." During Lin's college career, fewer than 0.5% of men's Division 1 basketball players were Asian-American.

Lin has regularly heard bigoted jeers at games such as "Wonton soup", "Sweet and sour pork", "Open your eyes!", "Go back to China", "Orchestra is on the other side of campus", or Chinese gibberish. Lin says this occurred even at most if not all Ivy League gyms. He does not react to it. "I expect it, I'm used to it, it is what it is," says Lin. The heckling came mostly from fans and not as much from players. According to Harvard teammate Oliver McNally, a fellow Ivy League player did once call Lin a "chink".

In January 2010, Harvard played against Santa Clara University at the Leavey Center, just 15 miles from his hometown of Palo Alto, California. Playing to a capacity crowd that included droves of Asian Americans wanting to see his homecoming, his teammates told him, "It was like Hong Kong."

Lin considers himself a basketball player more than an Asian American. He understands that there are not many Asians in the NBA. "Maybe I can help break the stereotype," said Lin. Asian Americans who have played in the NBA prior to the 2010–11 NBA season include Wataru Misaka, Raymond Townsend, Corey Gaines, Rex Walters, and Robert Swift. "[Lin's] carrying the hopes of an entire continent. I only had to carry the hopes of Little Rock, Arkansas. He's accomplished a lot more than I have already," said Derek Fisher, who had won five NBA championships with the Lakers, after his first game against Lin. Lin is setting an example for prospective Asian athletes in America who rarely see Asian-Americans playing on their favorite teams. "I don't look Japanese," Walters said, referring to his mother's ethnicity. "When they see [Lin], it's an Asian-American.

Larry Riley, the Warriors' general manager, denied that Lin’s signing was done to cater to the Bay Area’s large Asian population. He understood that some people would look at it that way. “We evaluated him throughout summer league," Riley said. “All that had to happen was for him to confirm what we already believed." While the team was creating a campaign around him, Riley said it would not have been advisable if Lin was not a basketball player first.

Personal

Lin grew up in Palo Alto, California. His parents, Gie-Ming and Shirley, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s. They are both 5 feet 6 inches tall. His paternal family comes from Beidou, Changhua in Taiwan. with ancestry in Zhangpu, Fujian; while his maternal grandmother is from Pinghu, Zhejiang in today's China. He has an older brother, Josh, and a younger brother, Joseph, who is set to play basketball for Dickinson College in the fall of 2010. Gie-Ming taught his sons to play basketball at the local YMCA. Lin grew up in a devout Christian family and would one day like to be a pastor who can head up non-profit organizations, either home or abroad. He has also talked of working in inner-city communities to help with underprivileged children.

In a video interview conducted by Elie Seckbach, he asked Jeremy how it felt to be representing so many people. Jeremy responded by stating, "It's humbling, a privilege, and a honor. I'm really proud of being Chinese, I'm really proud of my parents being from Taiwan. I just thank God for the opportunity." He was then asked if he was fluent in Chinese. Jeremy stated that he could understand it, but could use some help speaking it. In an interview conducted with NBADraft.net, Jeremy stated that he could only speak Mandarin, not Cantonese but can only read and write a little but had also taken classes while attending Harvard to try to improve. In a later interview attended by basketball players (under the age of 19) from Taiwan, he stated he would like to visit Taiwan again but also work on speaking Chinese. Later this summer Jeremy will being making a trip to Asia, which is sponsored by Nike where he hopes to converse with fans in Mandarin.

Public image

In July 2011, ''Vivid Magazine'', a glossy magazine dedicated to overseas Chinese around the world, named Lin one of its top eight influential Chinese-Americans.

References

Further reading

The Faith and Fate of Jeremy Lin at Patheos – part 1

Jeremy Lin – Faith and Ethnicity at Patheos – part 2

Harvard Basketball Takes Off on InterVarsity.org (from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship)

Jeremy Lin: Taking Harvard basketball to new levels – Student Soul interview with Jeremy

Jeremy Lin at Ivy League Basketball News – Jeremy Lin videos & news clips at Ivybbn.com

External links

NBA profile

NBA biography

NBA D-League profile

NBA.com 2010 Draft profile

Category:American sportspeople of Taiwanese descent Category:American sportspeople of Chinese descent Category:American Christians Category:Basketball players from California Category:Harvard Crimson men's basketball players Category:Palo Alto High School alumni Category:Living people Category:1988 births Category:Golden State Warriors players Category:Undrafted National Basketball Association players Category:Reno Bighorns players

es:Jeremy Lin fr:Jeremy Lin it:Jeremy Lin zh:林書豪