Friday, May 22, 2015

NHL Hockey Trivia: Player Nicknames


howie morenz o-pee-chee hockey card
The names our parents gave us never seem to be good enough! Quite often we’re handed a new moniker that better describes us physically, emotionally or mentally. Professional sports used to be the breeding grounds of great nicknames but not so much anymore.

Test and expand your knowledge of National Hockey League players and their unique nicknames with the following four hockey trivia questions.

Q. What Toronto Maple Leafs legend was dubbed “The Big Bomber”?

A. Charlie Conacher was also called “Little Train”. The Big Bomber played in the NHL from 1929-30 to 1940-41 with Toronto, the Detroit Red Wings and New York Americans. He later coached the Chicago Black Hawks for three years from 1947-48 to 1949-50. The Hawks did not make the playoffs during Charlie’s tenure. Conacher was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.

Brother Lionel was “The Big Train”. Lionel played in the NHL from 1925-26 to 1936-37 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Americans, Montreal Maroons and Chicago Blackhawks. Other brother Roy simply went by “Roy”. He played in the NHL from 1938-39 to 1951-52 with the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. All three Conacher brothers have a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
 
Charlie's son, Brian Conacher, also played in the National Hockey League.

Q. What agitator who played the bulk of his NHL career in the 1970’s and 1980’s was coined “The Rat”?

A. Ken Linseman had a great talent for getting under the skin of his opponents but also had a great talent for playing the game. The Rat played in the NHL from 1978-79 to 1991-92 with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs. Linseman ended his NHL career with a respectable 807 points in 860 regular season games and averaged over a point per game in his 113 playoff games.

Linseman was a 60 goal scorer in junior with the Kingston Canadians. He topped out in the NHL with 33 goals as a member of the Edmonton Oilers in 1982-83. In 1981-82, Ken had a career high 92 points with the Flyers. He was a seventh overall pick by the Flyers at the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft and won his only Stanley Cup with the Oilers in 1983-84.

Q. What NHL legend was nicknamed “The Stratford Streak”, despite being from nearby Mitchell, Ontario?

A. Howie Morenz was perhaps one of the greatest hockey players ever to grace the NHL. Morenz played in the NHL from 1923-24 to 1936-37 with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP three times, all as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. With the Habs, Howie was part of three Stanley Cup championship teams. Morenz died in 1937 as a result of complications from a broken leg that occurred while playing for the Canadiens. He was just 34 years old. Howie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

Yes, Morenz was born in Mitchell, Ontario. The sign as you're entering the small town proudly displays this fact. Indeed, it should. Yes, Howie played his minor hockey in nearby Stratford, Ontario where he earned the nickname.

Q. This question is in reverse because everyone knows Gump Worsley by his nickname and not his real first name. What was the real first name of Mr. Worsley?

A. Lorne Worsley played between the pipes in the NHL from 1952-53 to 1973-74 with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars. Worsley won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1952-53 as the NHL’s top rookie. He won the Vezina Trophy twice with the Montreal Canadiens. Gump was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 and passed away in 2007.

Worsley is one of a special group of athletes that have had their real names dropped by fellow players and fans, replaced by a nickname. Irvine and Garnet are two Bailey's that are both much better known as "Ace". Frank McGraw Junior is known throughout the sporting world as "Tug". McGraw is one of the great relief pitchers in MLB history.


Thursday, May 14, 2015

NHL Hockey Trivia: The Stanley Cup


stanley cup hockey card
The Stanley Cup is the holy grail of hockey. Lord Stanley’s Mug is handed to the National Hockey League’s playoff champion each season. Test your knowledge and broaden your hockey horizons with the following four bits of trivia.

Q. What was the first non-‘Original Six’ NHL team to win the Stanley in the post expansion era?

A. The Philadelphia Flyers, known as the ‘Broad Street Bullies’ won the Stanley Cup with a victory over the Boston Bruins in the 1974 Stanley Cup. The Flyers would repeat the accomplishment the following season with a victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Those were the only two times the Flyers have ever won the Cup, although Philadelphia reached the finals in 1975-76 against the Montreal Canadiens, 1979-80 against the New York Islanders, 1984-85 and 1986-87 against the Edmonton Oilers, 1996-97 against the Detroit Red Wings and 2009-10 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Flyers entered the NHL for the 1967-68 season. Previous to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1973-74, Philadelphia had won just one playoff series. In 1972-73, the Flyers knocked off the Minnesota North Stars in the quarter-finals before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-finals.

Q. Unfortunately, there are defunct franchises throughout the history of the NHL. What was the last now-defunct team to win the Stanley Cup?

A. The Montreal Maroons were the darlings of the English population in Montreal. The Maroons won the Stanley Cup in 1935. In that 1934-35 NHL season, Montreal was just fourth in the nine team league during the regular season. In the finals, they swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in three games. Toronto had finished first overall.

The Maroons entered the National Hockey League for the 1924-25 season. The following year, they captured their first of two Stanley Cup championships. Montreal would also lose in the finals in 1927-28 to the New York Rangers. It was New York's first ever championship in only their second year in the league. The Maroons played their final NHL season in 1937-38.

Q. How many Stanley Cups did the Montreal Canadiens win during the 1970’s?

A. The Habs won a total of six Stanley Cups in the 1970’s. They dominated the Cup from four years from 1976 to 1979. They also won in 1971 and 1973. Montreal has won 24 championships, to date. Since the 1970's, however, the Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup just twice, in 1985-86 over the Calgary Flames and in 1992-93 over the Los Angeles Kings.

Q. What team has gone the longest without winning the Stanley Cup?

A. Until the 2009-10 season ended, the answer to this question was the Chicago Blackhawks, not having won the Stanley Cup since 1961. Chicago's win left the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team that has gone the longest without a Stanley Cup victory. The Leafs last won in 1967, a year before the league expanded to twelve teams. The St. Louis Blues remain the only 1967 expansion team to have never won a Stanley Cup but entered the league a year after Toronto won their last Cup.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Only 2 To Win Both The Hart Trophy And George Leader Cup


The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded to the Most Valuable Player in the National Hockey League since the 1923-24 season. The George Leader Cup was awarded to the MVP of the Western Hockey League from 1948-49 to 1972-73. Of course, Wayne Gretzky has won the Hart Trophy more times than any other player. The George Leader Cup was dominated by Guyle Fielder who won the award five times. Just two players in the history of professional hockey have won both awards.

Walter ‘Babe’ Pratt


babe pratt toronto maple leafs
Babe Pratt played pro hockey from 1935-36 to 1951-52, in the NHL to 1946-47. In the NHL, he appeared with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Pratt also played in the CAHL, AHL and PCHL. Over his NHL career, he played 517 regular season games, scoring 83 goals and assisting on 209 for 292 points. In 63 Stanley Cup playoff games, he scored 12 goals and assisted on 17 for 29 points.

In 1939-40, Babe helped the New York Rangers to a Stanley Cup championship with a four games to two victory over the Maple Leafs. In 1944-45, he won his second and last Stanley Cup, this time with Toronto. The Maple Leafs took the full seven games to defeat the Detroit Red Wings. In 1966, Pratt was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In 1943-44, Pratt was awarded the Hart Trophy in his first full year with the Maple Leafs. Playing the full 50 game schedule, Babe scored 17 goals and assisted on 40 for 57 points. It was his NHL career high for assists and points. The assist total tied him for seventh in the league. Toronto finished third with an even 50 points in 50 games. The Maple Leafs met their cruel demise in the opening round of the playoffs as the Montreal Canadiens easily won the series 4-1. The Habs outscored Toronto 23-6, including a game five 11-0 trouncing.

Pratt was awarded the George Leader Cup in two consecutive seasons, 1948-49 and 1949-50, the first two years the trophy was handed out. Both years, he was a member of the New Westminster Royals of the PCHL. After 1951-52, the PCHL would become the WHL.

In 1948-49, he scored 18 and assisted on 48 for 66 points in 63 regular season games. He tied for fifth in the league for assists. The Royals placed first in the five team North Division and first overall in the ten team league with 83 points in 70 games. New Westminster reached the finals before losing to the San Diego Skyhawks, four games to two.

The following season, Pratt played just 59 of the team’s 71 games, scoring eight goals and adding 29 assists for 37 points. Babe also acted as the team’s head coach. The Royals placed first overall in the PCHL, which had shrunk to just six teams. In a closely fought final series, New Westminster captured the championship with a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Monarchs. Each team scored 26 goals in the series. Two games were decided in overtime, including game seven.

Andy Bathgate


andy bathgate new york rangers
Bathgate won his Hart Trophy in 1958-59 as a member of the New York Rangers. He played the full 70 games, scoring 40 goals and totalling 88 points. He placed third in the NHL for goals, five behind the leader, Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens. He also placed third in points, eight behind leader Dickie Moore of the Canadiens. The Rangers finished fifth out of six and did not qualify for the post season.

In 1969-70, he was awarded the George Leader Cup as a member of the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL. Bathgate finished the regular season playing the full 72 game schedule. He scored 40 and added 68 assists for 108 points. Andy was fourth in goals and second in points, 19 behind Art Jones of the Portland Buckaroos. For Jones, a minor hockey legend, it was his fourth of six scoring titles in the WHL. The Canucks finished first in the seven team league with 102 points in 72 games. Vancouver won the championship with a four games to one victory over the Portland Buckaroos.

Andy Bathgate played in the NHL from 1952-53 to 1967-68 and returned for a year in 1970-71. Andy appeared with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. His only Stanley Cup victory came in 1963-64 as the Maple Leafs downed the Red Wings in seven games. In 1961-62, Bathgate tied Bobby Hull for the NHL lead with 84 points. However, Hull was awarded the Art Ross Trophy with more goals. Andy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.