THERE HASN’T BEEN A GAME 7 OVERTIME SINCE IN THE FINAL

There was Babe Ruth vs. Frankie Frisch in the 1920s and then a pair of memorable three-peat matchups in the 1950s featuring Otto Graham against Bobby Layne in the NFL and Gordie Howe against Maurice Richard in the NHL.

Here is a look at the other pro sports championship trilogies:

These teams that have spent much of the postmerger days near the bottom of the standings were the cream of the crop in the 1950s, led by star quarterback Graham and innovative coach Paul Brown in Cleveland and Lions Hall of Fame passer Layne and running back Doak Walker.

In the first championship meeting in 1952, Layne and Walker ran for TDs to give the Lions a 17-7 win and their first championship since 1935. Detroit became the league’s third repeat winner in the championship game the following season when Layne threw a 33-yard TD pass to Jim Doran with just over two minutes remaining for a 17-16 victory.

The Browns came out on top the following year, ending a run of three-straight title-game losses (they also lost to the Rams in 1951). Graham threw three TD passes and running for three more in a 56-10 win.

The first matchup of this trilogy started with one of the most memorable in 1954. In a series full of megastars like Howe, Terry Sawchuk, Ted Lindsay and Red Kelly in Detroit and Richard, Jean Beliveau, Doug Harvey and Boom Boom Geoffrion in Montreal, it was an unsung player who became the hero.

In overtime in Game 7, Red Wings forward Tony Leswick got credit for the series-clinching goal when his innocent looking shot from the point was deflected by Harvey past Gerry McNeil for a 2-1 win 4:29 into OT. There hasn’t been a Game 7 overtime since in the Final.

The Red Wings won the rematch in an all home team seven-game series the following year. Howe set a record with 12 points in the round and Lindsay scored four goals in a Game 2 win. Richard missed the series because of a suspension for slashing Boston’s Hal Laycoe in the head and punching linesman Cliff Thompson.

With Richard back, the Canadiens won the following year in five games with the Rocket getting the gamewinning goal in the clincher.