NHL Trivia: Vancouver Canucks Retired Numbers

The Vancouver Canucks have just four numbers that have been retired and permanently raised to the rafters. However, there are three other numbers that have been taken out of circulation. The last player to be honoured in this fashion was Pavel Bure in 2013. Bure's number 10 now hangs from the rafters of the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Interestingly, Bure switched to number 96 for the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons. Esa Tikkanen wore number 10 for parts of those two years. Tikkanen was traded to the Canucks shortly into to the 1995-96 season and was then shipped to the New York Rangers near the end of the 1996-97 season. Pavel is the only one of the four players to have a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, inducted in 2012.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge with these four questions regarding the retired jersey numbers of the Vancouver Canucks, etc.

Q. Number 12 is retired by the Canucks in honour of what player?

A. Stan Smyl played his entire NHL career, from 1978-79 to 1990-91, in a Vancouver Canucks uniform. Smyl was team captain from 1982 to 1990 and had his number retired in the fall of 1991. Stan won the Cylcone Taylor Award as team MVP on three occasions.

An Alberta boy, Smyl played his junior hockey in the Vancouver area for the New Westminster Bruins. He was team captain and Memorial Cup champion with the Bruins in his final two years, 1976-77 and 1977-78. Stan then stayed in the area after retiring as a player and is still with the Canucks organization today.

Q. What two numbers have been taken out of circulation in honour of fallen hockey heroes that left too soon?

A. Number 11 was worn by Wayne Maki, a Canuck from 1970 to 1973. Maki died of brain cancer in 1974. The number 11 has since been worn by one other Vancouver player, Mark Messier. During the summer after his first partial season with the Canucks, Luc Bourdon succumbed to injuries resulting from a motorcycle accident. Bourdon’s number 28 has since been taken out of circulation. There is a third number, 99, that has been taken out of circulation by every team in the NHL in honour of Wayne Gretzky.

Q. Number 16 is retired in honour of what long time Canuck?

A. Trevor Linden played nineteen seasons in the NHL, the majority in a Canucks jersey. Linden began his career with Vancouver in 1988-89 after being the second overall pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, behind just Mike Modano who was selected by the Minnesota North Stars. Along the way, Linden played for the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals before returning to Vancouver to finish out his NHL career. Number 16 was retired in December of 2008.

Interestingly, like Smyl, Linden is an Alberta boy and like Smyl, Trevor won consecutive Memorial Cup championships. However, it was with a team in Alberta, the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Q. Before Pavel Bure, who was the most recent Vancouver player to have his number retired by the club?

A. Number 19 belonging to Markus Naslund was retired in December, 2010. Naslund was originally the 16^th overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. Markus played with Vancouver from 1995-96 to 2007-08. He played one more season in the NHL with the New York Rangers before retiring.

He was the Ted Lindsay Award winner in 2002-03. Perhaps the truer measure of the league's MVP over the Hart Trophy, simply because it's an award selected by the players. That year, Naslund finished second in goal scoring with 48, behind Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche. Markus finished two points behind Peter Forsberg of the Avalanche in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 104 points.

When Naslund went to the Rangers, he wore number 91. At the time Scott Gomez was wearing 19 for New York and Markus lost the battle for the number.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Edmonton Oilers Retired Numbers

The Edmonton Oilers began as the Alberta Oilers in the World Hockey Association. The Oilers played in the WHA from 1972-73 until 1978-79. Edmonton was one of four WHA teams to merge into the NHL for the 1979-80 season as the WHA came to an end.

In all, the Oilers have retired seven numbers. Test and expand your knowledge of Edmonton Oilers retired jersey numbers with these trivia questions.

Q. Number 3 is retired by the Edmonton Oilers for which original Oiler?

A. Al Hamilton was with the Oilers for each of their seasons in the WHA and served as the team’s first captain. Hamilton played in the NHL from 1965-66 to 1971-72 with the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres then played one more season in 1979-80 with the Oilers before retiring.

Although a native of the hockey rich Flin Flon, Manitoba, Hamilton played much of his junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He competed in three consecutive Memorial Cup finals, winning with the Oil Kings in 1965-66, his final year of junior.

Al served as team captain of the Oilers from their inception in 1972-73 until 1975-76. He also played three games for Team Canada in the WHA version of the Summit Series in 1974.

Hamilton is the only one of the seven to have their numbers retired by Edmonton to not have a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is also the only one of the seven to not have won a Stanley Cup with the Oilers.

Q. The Oilers retired number 7 in honour of what player?

A. Paul Coffey played with Edmonton from 1980-81 to 1986-87. Coffey’s NHL career lasted until 2000-01 and he played for Edmonton, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins. Paul was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Q. Which Oiler is the number 17 retired in honour of?

A. Jari Kurri played for the Oilers from 1980-81 to 1989-90. His NHL career concluded after the 1997-98 season after also playing for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Colorado Avalanche. Kurri had seasons of 71 and 68 goals with the Oilers and his final regular season NHL total was 601. Jari was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Kurri came to the NHL already a seasoned pro. He played three years with Jokerit in Finland's SM-Liiga before joining the Oilers in 1980-81. Before the European invasion, Kurri was a lowly fourth round pick by Edmonton at he 1980 NHL Entry Draft, 69^th overall. He is now the general manager of Jokerit with the team now playing in the KHL.

On the international stage, Jari has played at two Olympic Games for Finland. His first was in 1980, before he reached the NHL. His last was in 1998, during his final year in the NHL. Because Kurri always found himself on successful teams in North America, he was only able to play at the IIHF World Championships on four occasions.

Q. What goaltender has his number 31 retired by the Edmonton Oilers?

A. Grant Fuhr played between the pipes in an Oilers uniform from 1981-82 to 1990-91. He played until the end of the 1999-00 season with Edmonton, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. Fuhr has his name on the Stanley Cup five times and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

A true goalie from the 1980's and 1990's, Fuhr got into the HHOF with a career NHL goals against average of 3.38 and a save percentage of .887. Those numbers would get a goalie dropped to the ECHL in today's game.

Like Al Hamilton, Grant reached the Memorial Cup as a junior. With the Victoria Cougars in 1980-81, Fuhr helped the team to the tournament but it was the Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL beating out the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL in the final game.

NHL Hockey Trivia: New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a National Hockey League that began play in 1972-73 along with their expansion partners, the Atlanta Flames. The Islanders reached their pinnacle less than a decade later when they ruled the NHL with four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. Since, the organization has fallen into disarray but a move to Brooklyn may change the fortunes of the franchise.

Test and expand your knowledge of the NHL’s New York Islanders with these four hockey trivia questions.

Q. Which player is the New York Islanders all-time leader in regular season points?

A. Bryan Trottier contributed 1,353 points over his fifteen seasons in an Islanders jersey. Trottier was an essential part of the formula during the Stanley Cup streak of the 1980’s. Mike Bossy comes in second with 1,126 points. However, Bossy played just 752 games for the Islanders, compared to 1,123 for Trottier. Denis Potvin is the only other player in NYI history to top 1,000 points with 1,052 over 1,060 games.

Q. Who was the first team captain of the New York Islanders?

A. Ed Westfall was taken away from the Boston Bruins in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft. Westfall had played eleven seasons with the Bruins before coming to New York. He served as captain until the end of the 1976-77 season. At the point, the ‘C’ was transferred to Clark Gillies. Westfall remained with the team for two more seasons and retired after the 1978-79 season, missing the New York’s first Stanley Cup victory by one year.

Q. What New York Islander holds the team record for the most goals in a single regular season?

A. Mike Bossy scored 69 goals in 1978-79. Bossy surpassed the 60 goal plateau on five occasions and scored less than 50 in only one season during his career, his last. Bossy is one of just four players in Islanders history to top the 50 goal plateau. Bryan Trottier scored 50 in 1981-82, Pat Lafontaine scored 54 in 1989-90 and Pierre Turgeon netted 58 in 1992-93.

Q. The number 9 is retired by the New York Islanders in honour of what player?

A. Clark Gillies was the fifth of six players to have their number retired by the Islanders.  Clark was a fourth overall pick of the Islanders at the 1974 NHL Entry Draft. Gillies played twelve seasons with the Islanders and two additional seasons with the Buffalo Sabres before retiring.

As metioned, he took over the captaincy of the Islanders from Ed Westfall for the 1977-78 season. That responsibility was transferred to Denis Potvin two years later. Gillies sits fourth all-time for the Islanders in goals, assists and points behind Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin. Clark was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Tony and Phil Esposito

Phil and Tony Esposito are two brothers that played in the National Hockey League in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. Both are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, both have their jersey numbers retired by an NHL club and both were members of Team Canada at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

One brother started his National Hockey League career with the same team the other ended up with. Read on and find out what team that was.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the Esposito brothers with the following four trivia questions.

Q. What NHL team did Tony Esposito first play for?

A. All but thirteen of Tony’s NHL games were played with the Chicago Black Hawks. However, in 1968-69, he played those thirteen games with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, both regular goalies were injured and Esposito was a call-up from the Houston Apollos of the Central Hockey League. Tony did not take part in the Stanley Cup playoffs that season when the Canadiens won the Cup.

1968-69 was before Ken Dryden came on the scene in Montreal. However, Tony still had Gump Worsley and Rogie Vachon to compete with. Worsley soon after entered the HHOF and Vachon should be there but has repeatedly been denied. The following year, 1969-70, Esposito walked into the number one spot in Chicago, appearing in 63 of 76 regular season games for the Blackhawks with Gerry Desjardins and Denis DeJordy seeing sparse action in backup roles.

Q. What NHL team did Phil Esposito first play for?

A. Phil was sponsored by the Chicago Black Hawks right from junior hockey with the St. Catherines TeePees of the Ontario Hockey Association. Esposito played four seasons with Chicago, in the shadow of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita before being traded to the Boston Bruins where his career rocketed.

That trade is notorious for its one-sidedness. On May 15, 1967, going to Boston along with Phil were Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield. Heading to Chicago were Gilles Marotte, Pit Martin and Jack Norris. Esposito was part of another blockbuster trade in November, 1975 that sent him to the Rangers. Phil and Carol Vadnais went to the Big Apple while Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi went to Bean Town. He ended his career with New York.

Q. Which Esposito’s rookie hockey card is worth the most, according to Beckett Hockey?

A. The Tony Esposito rookie card was part of the 1969-70 O-Pee-Chee series and has a book value of $150. However, the Phil Esposito rookie card from the 1965-66 Topps series tops that with a book value of $400. Both Esposito rookie cards show the brothers as members of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Q. Which Esposito brother entered the Hockey Hall of Fame first?

A. Phil Esposito was the first of the two brothers to enter, being inducted in 1984. Tony followed in 1988. Phil played his final games in the National Hockey League during the 1980-81 season with the New York Rangers. This meant that he entered the Hockey Hall of Fame after the minimum three year waiting period. At his side in 1984 were goaltender Bernie Parent and career Montreal Canadien Jacques Lemaire.

Tony appeared in 18 games with the Blackhawks in 1983-84, his last games in the NHL. Four years later, he entered the HHOF, along with Guy Lafleur and Brad Park. Buddy O’Connor was also posthumously inducted.

NHL Hockey Trivia: New York Rangers

The New York Rangers entered the National Hockey League for the 1926-27 season, a year after their roommates, the New York Americans, joined the league. It took the Rangers just two seasons before they were hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the New York Rangers with these four trivia questions.

Q. What venue was the first home of the New York Rangers?

A. The New York Rangers arena has always been Madison Square Garden. However, it was the third incarnation of MSG that the Rangers first called home. The New York Americans also played home games out of the same venue. They played in MSG III until 1968 when they moved into their present home, MSG IV, which, of course, has just recently undergone renovations.

Q. From 1930’s to 1950’s, what was the New York Rangers farm team that also played out of Madison Square Garden?

A. The New York Rovers were the New York Rangers farm team playing in the Eastern Hockey League and later the Quebec Senior Hockey League. The team had some famous Rangers behind the bench as head coach, including Frank Nighbor and Frank Boucher. Many great Rangers players also played for the Rovers at one time or another. The roster of all-time greats includes outstanding goaltenders like Gump Worsley, Ed Giacomin, Al Rollins and Gilles Villemure.

Q. Who wore the number 7 that was the first of nine New York Rangers retired numbers to be hang from the rafters at MSG?

A. Despite the long history of the Rangers, Rod Gilbert’s number 7 was the first to be retired by the team and it wasn’t until 1979. Gilbert played 1,065 regular season NHL games between 1960-61 and 1977-78, all in a Rangers jersey. Rod was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982. He was an integral part of the 1972 Summit Series that pitted Team Canada against Russia.

Gilbert stands as the New York Rangers all-time leader in goals and points. Over his 1,065 games with the club, Rod scored 406 goals and totalled 1,021 points.

Q. What is the song that is played after every New York Rangers goal when they play at Madison Square Garden?

A. The song is called ‘Slapshot’ and was written by Madison Square Garden Music Director, Ray Castoldi. The song has been played after ever Rangers goal since 1995. It is also the goal song of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Stan Mikita

Stan Mikita is one of the most decorated Chicago Blackhawk to ever play in the National Hockey League. Between 1959 and 1980, Mikita was an ever-present force in a Black Hawks uniform. After all, he spent his entire NHL career with Chicago. Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of Stan Mikita with the following four trivia questions.

Q. How many times was Stan Mikita a ‘triple crown’ winner, taking home the Lady Byng, Art Ross and Hart Trophies all in the same season?

A. Mikita was a triple crown winner twice. He is the only NHL player to accomplish this and certainly the only NHL player to do it in consecutive seasons. In both 1966-67 and 1967-68, Stan won the Byng, Ross and Hart. He won the Byng in 1966-67, accumulating just 12 PIM. Just two years before, Mikita was a completely different player, sitting out 154 minutes in penalties.

In 1966-67, Stan totalled an NHL record (at the time) 97 points over 70 regular season games. He finished with 17 points more than teammate Bobby Hull, who finished in second. Hull led the league in goals with 52 while Mikita was second with 35. Stan obviously led the league with his 62 assists, 13 more than Phil Goyette of the New York Rangers.

In 1967-68, the first year of the 12 team National Hockey League, Mikita dropped to 87 points on 47 assists and 40 goals over 72 games. Stan led the league with just three more points than Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins. He came within four goals of league leader Bobby Hull and placed fourth for assists behind Esposito, Rod Gilbert and Alex Delvecchio. All four were within two assists.

Q. In 1966-67, Stan Mikita totalled 97 points. At the time, he tied an NHL record. Who did he share the NHL record for most points in a single season with?

A. Just the season before, Mikita’s teammate, Bobby Hull, set the league mark with 97 points. After the 1968-69 season, these numbers would become just distant memories with Phil Esposito shattering the mark with 126 points. Esposito would increase the record to 152 points in 1970-71 and that would be considered unreachable until a kid named Wayne Gretzky came along in the 1980’s.

Q. In 1980, the Chicago Black Hawks retired Stan Mikita’s jersey number. What number did he wear during his NHL career with Chicago?

A. Stan Mikita’s number 21 was retired at the start of the 1980-81 season. It was just a year after his final season in the National Hockey League. Mikita wore number 21 right from 1958-59 when he appeared in just three games with Chicago while still a junior with the St. Catherines Teepees of the OHA.

Q. In what year was Stan Mikita inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

A. Mikita was part of the HHOF class of 1983. Joining him was long-time teammate in Chicago, Bobby Hull and goaltending great Ken Dryden. Harry Sinden was inducted the same year in the builder category.

Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1956-57	St. Catharines Teepees	OHA	52	16	31	47	0
1957-58	St. Catharines Teepees	OHA	52	31	47	78	0
1958-59	St. Catharines Teepees	OHA	45	38	59	97	0
1958-59	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	3	0	1	1	4
1959-60	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	67	8	18	26	119
1960-61	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	66	19	34	53	100
1961-62	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	70	25	52	77	97
1962-63	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	65	31	45	76	69
1963-64	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	70	39	50	89	146
1964-65	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	70	28	59	87	154
1965-66	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	68	30	48	78	58
1966-67	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	70	35	62	97	12
1967-68	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	72	40	47	87	14
1968-69	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	74	30	67	97	52
1969-70	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	76	39	47	86	50
1970-71	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	74	24	48	72	85
1971-72	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	74	26	39	65	46
1972-73	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	57	27	56	83	32
1973-74	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	76	30	50	80	46
1974-75	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	79	36	50	86	48
1975-76	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	48	16	41	57	37
1976-77	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	57	19	30	49	20
1977-78	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	76	18	41	59	35
1978-79	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	65	19	36	55	34
1979-80	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	17	2	5	7	12
	NHL Totals		1394	541	926	1467	1270

Hockey Trivia TV - Episode 3 - San Jose Sharks

This is the more detailed show notes for the YouTube episode number 3 of Hockey Trivia TV. Featured in this episode is hockey trivia related to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. It’s been a long time between episodes but interest in the first two has spurred us to carry on with the series. In the video, there are ten trivia questions. Here, there is a bonus with eleven. The video can be found at the bottom of this article.

1. Who was the first head coach in San Jose Sharks franchise history?

George Kingston served as head coach of the Sharks for the first two years, 1991-92 and 1992-93. Over that time, San Jose won just 28 games while losing 129 and tying seven for 63 points or a winning percentage of just .192.

Kingston was a long time head coach of the University of Calgary and spent the two years previous to his time with the Sharks as head coach of Norway’s National Team. He was replaced for the 1993-94 season by Kevin Constantine. George was never a head coach again in the NHL. He did have a stint as assistant coach with the Minnesota North Stars before San Jose and stints as assistant coach with the Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers after his days with the Sharks.

2. What team did the Sharks beat in their first home win?

On October 8, 1991, San Jose hosted the Calgary Flames and won the game 4-3.

3. What team did the Sharks beat in the first road win?

Ironically, it was once again the Calgary Flames. However, it took until November 30, 1991 before they registered that first win away from home. It was another one goal game as the Sharks took out the Flames 2-1.

4. What team did San Jose face in their first ever regular season game?

In the opening game in franchise history, the Sharks took on the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver came out on top by a score of 4-3.

5. Who is the first player to appear with the Sharks and be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Igor Larionov entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. Igor played for San Jose from 1993-94 until a trade sent him to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Ray Sheppard four games into the 1995-96 season.

Larionov appeared in 921 regular season games in the NHL between 1989-90 and 2003-04 with the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils. Over that time, Igor scored 169 goals and assisted on 475 for 644 points. He appeared in an amazing 150 Stanley Cup playoff games, adding another 97 points. Larionov was a lowly 11^th round pick by the Canucks at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, 214^th overall.

6. Who was the first team captain of the San Jose Sharks?

Doug Wilson ended his NHL career with the Sharks, playing 44 games in 1991-92 and 42 in 1992-93. He served as team captain during both those years. Doug played 1,024 regular season games in the NHL from 1977-78 to 1992-93 with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Sharks. The defenseman scored 237 and assisted on 590 for 827 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Wilson played 95 additional games, adding 80 points.

After a stellar junior career in the Ontario Hockey League with the Ottawa 67’s, Doug was the sixth overall pick by Chicago at the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft. He was awarded the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman with the Blackhawks in 1981-82.

7. Who is San Jose’s only Calder Trophy winner?

Goaltender Evgeni Nabakov played 66 games for the Sharks in 2000-01, posting a 2.19 goals against average and recording six shutouts. His first NHL action came in 1999-00 but his eleven games that year meant he still qualified as a rookie.

Nabakov was a ninth round pick by the Sharks way back at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 219^th overall. He played with San Jose until the end of the 2009-10 season.

8. Who is San Jose’s only Rocket Richard Trophy winner?

Jonathan Cheechoo led the National Hockey League with 56 goals in 2005-06 and remains the only 50 goal scorer in franchise history. Cheechoo was a second round pick by the Sharks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft after his second of three years in the OHL with the Belleville Bulls. He played with the club through the end of the 2008-09 season.

Cheechoo’s first year with the Sharks came in 2002-03. That year, he had just nine goals over 66 games. On September 12, 2009, Jonathan was traded to the Ottawa Senators, along with Milan Michalek for Dany Heatley.

9. Who has scored the most points in a single season for the Sharks?

Joe Thornton totalled 114 points in 2006-07, his first full season with San Jose. The previous year, Thornton won the Art Ross Trophy with 125 points. However, the first 33 points were with the Boston Bruins with the final 92 with the Sharks. That year, Joe was also honoured with the Hart Trophy.

Thornton was the first overall pick at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Bruins. At the time, he was a junior with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Joe was traded to San Jose from Boston in exchange for Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart and Marco Sturm.

10. How many games did San Jose lose in 1992-93?

The answer is 71. No other team in the history of the National Hockey League has lost as many games. In their defense, the NHL had just moved to a 84 game schedule that season from the 80 the year before.

11. What three teams did San Jose beat on the road in 1992-93?

With losing 71 of 84 games, there wasn’t a whole lot of winning going on. San Jose won just three games on the road and eight at home for eleven total. On the road, the Sharks were only able to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. Of their eight home wins, two each were against the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings with a single against the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators.

Check out the video:

NHL Hockey Trivia: Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have been in the National Hockey League for over forty years, entering the league for the 1970-71 season. In that time, they have yet to win the Stanley Cup but have been to the finals on two different occasions. Although the franchise is going through a rough stretch as of the 2013-14 season, the team does have a storied past housing players like Eddie Shack, Tim Horton, Pat Lafontaine, Gilbert Perreault and Alex Mogilny, among others.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge with these four trivia questions focused on the Buffalo Sabres.

Q. When the Buffalo Sabres joined the NHL for the 1970-71 season, what other team came onboard with them?

A. The Vancouver Canucks joined in 1970-71 along with the Sabres in what was the beginning of the second generation of NHL expansion. In that inaugural season, Buffalo had more points than the Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and California Golden Seals. The Sabres ended up tied with the Los Angeles Kings with 63 points in the 14 team league. However, Buffalo finished 19 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the fourth and final playoff position in the East Division.

Q. Who was the first overall draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres?

A. Gilbert Perreault was selected first overall and became the centre piece of the Sabres organization for seventeen years. In Buffalo’s first season in the NHL, Perreault won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Gilbert was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.

Buffalo and Vancouver were slated to take the top two picks in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. The teams spun a wheel to determine who would go first and Buffalo won. Vancouver took defenseman Dale Tallon second overall. Tallon played 642 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1970-71 and 1979-80 with the Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Q. The number 2 is retired by the Buffalo Sabres for what player?

A. Tim Horton wore number 2 for the 1972-73 season and the 1973-74 season up until his death on February 21, 1974. With the Toronto Maple Leafs, number 7 is honoured for Horton. Tim switched to number 4 with Buffalo because Rick Martin was already in possession of number 7 when he arrived. Horton played in the NHL from 1949-50 with the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Penguins and Sabres. Horton posthumously entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.

Q. Who is the only Buffalo Sabre player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player?

A. Dominik Hasek won the Hart Trophy in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Not only is he the only Sabre to win the Hart, he is the only goaltender to ever win the trophy more than once. Hasek played for Buffalo from 1992-93 to 2000-01 and in the NHL from 1990-91 to 2007-08. Along with the Sabres, Dominik also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings.

NHL Hockey Trivia: Wins and Losses

In the end, most NHL hockey fans remember who won the Stanley Cup and maybe which player won the scoring title. After that, it’s mostly all forgotten unless you’re a true hockey fan. Are you a true hockey fan? Test and expand your knowledge of the wins and losses columns with the following four trivia questions. Well, mostly the losses column.

Q. What team lost 67 of 80 games during the 1974-75 season?

A. A far cry from their current success, the Washington Capitals won just eight games during their first season in the National Hockey League. The Capitals joined the league for 1974-75, along with the Kansas City Scouts.

Washington was led offensively by Tom Williams with 58 points. Williams had spent the past two years in the WHA with the New England Whalers. Previous to that, he played in the NHL from 1961-62 with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars and California Golden Seals. Tom played just 34 games with the Capitals in 1975-76 before retiring from the game.

The Capitals went through a trio of head coaches in that inaugural season. Jim Anderson was behind the bench for 54 games, winning just four. Anderson was a long time member of the Springfield Indians and is a member of the AHL Hall of Fame. Next up was Red Sulllivan. The former head coach of the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins lasted just 19 games behind the Washington bench. Hockey legend Milt Schmidt coached the team for the final seven games of the season.

Q. What team was the first to lose 60 games during a single regular season?

A. The New York Islanders entered the NHL for the 1972-73 season along with the Atlanta Flames. The Islanders lost an even 60 games that season. The Flames lost just 38. Just six years later, the Islanders would win the first of four Stanley Cups in a row.

During that first season, the Islanders were coached by two former NHLers. Phil Goyette started the year behind the bench and made it through 50 games before being replaced by Earl Ingarfield. The following year, Al Arbour was brought in.

Billy Harris led the 1972-73 Islanders with just 50 points. Billy Smith backed up Gerry Desjardins in net with both posting a goals against average well over 4.00.

Q. During the 1992-93 season, what two teams became the first to surpass the 70 loss mark?

A. The Ottawa Senators lost 70 games and the San Jose Sharks lost 71 although both finished with 24 points. 1992-93 was one of the few years when the NHL had an 84 game regular season schedule. The 71 losses by San Jose stands today as a single season National Hockey League record. However, it is Ottawa that set the mark with most losses at home with 41.

Q. What was the only NHL team to surpass the 50 win mark during the 1974-75 season?

A. Eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Philadelphia Flyers, won 51 games in 1974-75. This fact is surprising considering there were two new expansion teams, Washington and Kansas City, that lost well over 50 games and the Minnesota North Stars lost exactly 50. You would think there’d be lots of wins to go around but the league was tied up in ties.

The Flyers tied for first overall with the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, all with 113 points. Buffalo won 49 games and Montreal won 47.

Hockey Trivia: Cleveland Barons of the AHL

The Cleveland Barons were an American Hockey League franchise from 1936-37 to 1973-74. The team thrived in the Cleveland market until the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association came along in the early 1970’s and diluted the waters. The Barons failed soon after the arrival of the Crusaders and the Crusaders didn’t last long. The curse continued with the NHL version of the Barons that came along soon after and lasted just a few seasons. Test and expand your knowledge of the AHL Barons with the following four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. What player holds the AHL’s Cleveland Barons records for most career goals, assists, points and penalty minutes?

A. Fred Glover played for the Barons from 1952-53 to 1967-68. In that time, he scored 410 goals, assisted on 695 and totalled 1,105 points while sitting 2,164 minutes in the sin bin. Inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in its 2006 inaugural season, Glover is also the AHL career leader in each of those categories with 520 goals, 814 assists, 1,334 points and 2,402 PIM. Before he was a Baron, Fred also played for the Indianapolis Capitals. He saw brief NHL action early in his career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks.

Q. What arena did the Cleveland Barons play their home games at?

A. The Cleveland Arena was built for the AHL team’s first season. The seating capacity of the Cleveland Arena was 9,900 for hockey games. The rink closed in 1974, replaced by the Richfield Coliseum, and was demolished three years later.

The Richfield Coliseum held 18,544 for hockey but didn’t have a much better fate. The venue was closed in 1994 and demolished in 1999.

Q. What Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender was the AHL MVP in 1957-58?

A. Johnny Bower and the above mentioned Fred Glover are the only two AHL players to be awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s MVP on three occasions. Bower won the award with Cleveland in 1957-58 and had previously won twice with the Providence Reds. Bower moved on to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs in 1958-59 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. Like Glover, Bower was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006.

Q. The Cleveland Barons won the Calder Cup as AHL playoff champion on nine occasions. In which year did they win their first?

A. The Barons entered the AHL in 1936-37 and in 1938-39, just their third year in the league, Cleveland was crowned Calder Cup champions. Although finishing the year just one game over .500 and in third place in the four team West Division, Cleveland beat the Springfield Indians, Providence Reds and the Philadelphia Ramblers in the playoffs to capture the Calder.

Cleveland’s final Calder Cup championship came in 1963-64 with Fred Glover leading the way. After a somewhat mediocre regular season where the Barons placed third in the four team West Division and fourth overall in the nine team league, Cleveland went undefeated in the post season. The Barons swept the Rochester Americans and Hershey Bears before taking out the Quebec Aces in four games in the finals to win the title. That year, Fred Glover won the Les Cunningham Award as AHL MVP and Ted Harris won the Eddie Shore Award as defenseman of the year.

 

 

 

Hockey Trivia: NHL Records Not Belonging to Wayne Gretzky

Believe it or not, there are actually some individual NHL records not owned by Wayne Gretzky. Of course, you have to look to categories that Wayne didn’t involve himself in like penalties and defenseman scoring.

Test and expand your knowledge of the NHL’s single season individual records with these four trivia questions.

Q. Who holds the record for the most goals in a single NHL season by a defenseman?

A. No, it’s not Bobby Orr. Paul Coffey broke Orr’s record of 46 goals during the 1985-86 season when he put 48 past opposing goaltenders. Coffey and Orr are the only defensemen to score 40 or more in a single season with Coffey doing it twice and Orr just the once.

The only current blue liner to surpass 30 in a season is Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, scoring 31 in 2008-09. The list of defensemen throughout the history of the NHL scoring 30 or more in a season is slim with just Doug Wilson, Kevin Hatcher, Ray Bourque, Denis Potvin and Phil Housley added to Coffey, Orr and Green.

Q. With 76, what player holds the record for the most goals by a rookie?

A. Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets broke Mike Bossy’s previous record by a whopping 23 goals in 1992-93. Selanne, Bossy and Joe Nieuwendyk are the only first year NHL players to surpass the 50 goal plateau.

In a weird twist of fate, Selanne did not share the league lead in goal scoring in 1992-93. Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres also scored 76. Mogilny was in his fourth year in the National Hockey League and nearly doubled his previous career high of 39 goals, set the previous year. Mogilny would surpass the 50 goal plateau just once more in his career while Selanne would do it just twice more.

Q. Who holds the record for the most points in a single season by a defenseman?

A. No, it’s not Paul Coffey! Bobby Orr won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading point getter in 1970-71 with 139 points. Orr still remains the only defenseman to win the Art Ross. Coffey came within one point of the record with 138 in 1985-86.

Just five defensemen in NHL history have topped the 100 point plateau. Along with Coffey and Orr, Denis Potvin, Al MacInnis and Bryan Leetch have accomplished the feat. Leetch was the last to do it with 102 points way back in 1991-92, over 20 years ago.

Q. What 1970’s super goon holds the record for the most penalty minutes in a single season?

A. Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz sat out 472 minutes in the penalty box during the 1974-75 season. This number amounts to nearly eight whole hours in the sin bin! Paul Baxter was the next closest challenger with just 409 minutes in 1981-82.

Current member of the Calgary Flames, Brian McGrattan, holds the American Hockey League record with 551 PIM in 2004-05 with the Binghamton Senators. Joel Theriault, a fourth round pick by the Washington Capitals in 1995, holds the CHL record with 573 PIM in 1995-96 in a QMJHL season split between the Halifax Mooseheads and Drummondville Voltigeurs.

 

 

Hockey Trivia: 1971-72 Boston Bruins

Before 2011, the 1972 Boston Bruins were the last to bring the Stanley Cup to Beantown. The 1971-72 Boston Bruins can be considered among the top National Hockey League teams of all time, losing just 13 of 78 games during the regular season and finishing ten points beyond the second place team before storming their way to the Stanley Cup victory.

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the 1972 Boston Bruins with the following four hockey trivia questions:

Q. What Bruins player was the team leader in both goals and points in 1971-72?

A. Phil Esposito, coming off a record 76 goals and 152 points in 1970-71, led the team with lower, but still impressive, numbers than the year before. Esposito finished out the year with 66 goals and 130 points.

There’s a bit of an asterix here as Esposito tied Bobby Orr for the team lead with 24 points during the playoffs. In the goals department, Esposito, John Bucyk and Ken Hodge all tied for the team lead in the post season with nine each. Assists? It was all Bobby Orr. Orr led the team during the regular season with 80 assists and led in the playoffs with 19.

Q. Each of the Boston Bruins goaltending tandem finished off the 1971-72 season with an equal 27 wins. Although Gerry Cheevers is thought of when the topic of Boston goaltenders from the 1970’s comes up, who was the goalie that platooned with Cheevers that season?

A. Eddie Johnston quietly had the same number of wins, although his goals against average was slightly higher than that of Gerry Cheevers. Johnston played in the National Hockey League from 1962-63 to 1977-78 with the Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. His days in Chicago were limited to the final four games of his Eddie’s NHL career.

Q. What team did the Boston Bruins beat in the finals to win the 1972 Stanley Cup?

A. The Bruins met the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals and won the series in four games. The Rangers finished second overall in the NHL during the regular season, ten points behind the Bruins. The Rangers took out the Montreal Canadiens in the quarter-finals then swept the Chicago Black Hawks in the semi-finals to earn the match-up against Boston.

Even though the teams had both been in the NHL since the mid 1920’s, it was just the second time Boston and New York met in the Stanley Cup finals. The previous time came in 1928-29 with the Bruins sweeping the best of three series in two games.

Q. The Boston Bruins lost just thirteen games in 1971-72. One team was responsible for nearly a quarter of those losses. Which team did Boston lose three games to in the regular season?

A. Not too shockingly, the Bruins lost three to the Montreal Canadiens. Interestingly, two of the thirteen losses came at the hands of the lowly California Golden Seals. Seven of the thirteen losses came against teams that finished the year below .500.
 

Hershey Bears Trivia

The Hershey Bears are the longest lasting American Hockey League team to remain in one location, a member of the league since 1938-39. The Bears are also one of the most successful AHL teams with four Calder Cup victories in the new millennium. Test and expand your knowledge of the Hershey Bears with the following four trivia questions and answers.

Q. What member of the Hershey Bears is the latest AHL player to lead the league in goals in consecutive seasons?

A. Alexandre Giroux led the AHL in goals in 2008-09 and 2009-10 with 60 and 50 goals. By doing so, Giroux earned the Willie Marshall Award. Alexandre is the first to lead in goals scored in consecutive seasons since Paul Gardner in the mid 1980’s. Only five AHL players have accomplished this feat since the league began in 1936-37. Giroux did this while also playing 12 games with the Washington Capitals in 2008-09 and nine with the NHL club in 2009-10.

Since, Giroux has played sparsely with the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets before heading to Europe. 2012-13 was split between Dynamo Riga in the KHL and the Kloten Flyers in Switzerland’s National League A. For 2013-14, Alexandre will remain in Switzerland but has switched to Ambri-Piotta.

Q. In what year did the Hershey Bears win their first Calder Cup as AHL playoff champions?

A. In 1946-47, the Hershey Bears beat the Pittsburgh Hornets in the Calder Cup final series, four games to three. The Bears finished first in the East Division during the regular season. In a very odd playoff format, the Bears and the West Division regular season champ, the Cleveland Barons, were both given a bye through the first round. However, the two division champs then met in the semi-finals, while the two weaker teams played off in the other semi-final.

As of the end of 2012-13, the Bears have won eleven Calder Cup championships in total. Twice, they won in consecutive seasons, 1957-58 and 1958-59, along with 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Q. What Hershey Bears player has the club retired jersey number 16 for?

A. If you answered Willie Marshall, you are right. If you answered Mitch Lamoureux, you are also right. The team retired the number in honour of both players. Marshall played with the Bears from 1956-57 to 1962-63. He played over 1,200 games in the AHL and was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006. Lamoureux is also a member of the AHL Hall of Fame, inducted in 2011.

Q. What Hockey Hall of Fame player, who played his entire NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, coached the Hershey Bears for one full season, 1995-96?

A. Bill Barber coached the team in 1984-85, as well, but for only 17 games. In 1995-96, Barber was behind the bench as the Bears finished second in the South and made a first round exit from the Calder Cup playoffs.

Barber was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 after playing 903 regular season National Hockey League games between 1972-73 and 1983-84, all with the Flyers. In 1997-98, Bill coached the Philadelphia Phantoms to a Calder Cup championship in the AHL. Ironically, the Phantoms swept the Hershey Bears in the second round before taking out the Saint John Flames in the finals. Barber was awarded the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL coach of the year as head coach of the Flyers in 2001-02.