This is something new we’re trying and we hope you’ll take a look. Relax for a few minutes and check out ‘Hockey Trivia TV’. The first episode is a little crude but should provide some entertainment for hockey trivia fans.
The ten questions in the first episode come from our hockey trivia e-book, Hockey Trivia: The Cold, Hard Facts. The e-book is available for free download with no strings attached – just click the link above to go to the download page. The link goes to our sister site OHL Alumni Central – don’t worry, it’s safe!
Below the video are detailed notes on each of the ten answers.
1. Stan Mikita not only was a two time ‘triple crown’ winner in the National Hockey League – he is, to this day, the only player to accomplish this feat. In both 1966-67 and 1967-68, Mikita was awarded the Lady Byng, Art Ross and Hart trophies. It could have been predicted that Stan would win the Hart and Art Ross but the Lady Byng came as a shocker. Just two years before, Mikita sat 154 minutes in the sin bin for the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1966-67, he was called on just six minor penalties.
2. Pat Burns may have won the Jack Adams Award three times, the most of any NHL head coach – but apparently not a big enough accomplishment to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but Jacques Demers is the only coach to win in consecutive seasons. Demers accomplished this behind the bench of the Detroit Red Wings in 1986-87 and 1987-88.
3. The New York Rangers finished second overall in 1971-72, ten points behind the first place Boston Bruins. After sweeping the Chicago Black Hawks in the semi-finals, the Rangers came up against a big bad wall and were swept by Orr, Esposito and the rest of the Bruins.
4. There was no doubt that Bernie Nicholls had a knack around the net. He scored 475 over his NHL career and had a 63 goal season with the Kingston Canadians of the Ontario Hockey League in 1980-81. 1988-89 with the Los Angeles Kings was the pinnacle of Bernie’s hockey career. Playing with Gretzky, Nicholls scored 70 goals and totalled 150 points in 79 regular season games.
5. In 1973-74, the Philadelphia Flyers literally fought their way to a Stanley Cup championship, downing the Boston Bruins in the finals. The Broad Street Bullies captured the Cup in the following season, as well, with a victory over the Buffalo Sabres in the final. To date, those are the only Stanley Cup wins for the Flyers.
6. The Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts entered the NHL for the 1974-75 season and were the last expansion teams until the WHA merged four teams into the league for the 1979-80 season. Both teams did terrible in that inaugural season but the Capitals were the worst. Washington won just eight games that year.
7. In what would be his last full season in the National Hockey League, Bobby Orr set the mark for defensemen with 46 goals for the Boston Bruins. In 1985-86, Paul Coffey of the Edmonton Oilers set the current record with 48 goals.
8. Yvan Cournoyer got the nickname ‘Roadrunner’ because his size (5’7″) and his amazing speed took a likeness to the cartoon character. Cournoyer played in the NHL from 1963-64 to 1978-79, all with the Montreal Canadiens.
9. In 1968-69, Phil Esposito shattered the single season record of 97, owned by both Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita of the Chicago Black Hawks, with 126 points. In the process, Esposito became the first to reach the 100 point plateau in a single season. Of course, Wayne Gretzky is the only player to reach the 200 point plateau.
10. From 1995-96 to 1996-97, John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers reached the 50 goal plateau. These were the only three times in LeClair’s career he would accomplish the feat. He was helped greatly by teammate Eric Lindros who, ironically, never did reach the 50 goal mark.