The Hockey Obscurities/Trivia Thread

[Resolute 14]

^As a direct result of Hainsworth's season, the NHL changed its rules to allow for forward passing in the offensive zone. Scoring went from 3 goals per game in 1928-29 to 7 goals per game in 1929-30 because of it, which led directly to the NHL creating the offside rule to eliminate cherry picking.

Speaking of rule changes, the NHL introduced the icing rule after Charles Adams protested against the defensive tactic of repeatedly firing the puck down the ice by commanding his Bruins to do so every chance they got. Boston iced the puck 87 times in a 0-0 game against the New York Americans, leading to the new rule.

The Montreal Canadiens nearly relocated to Cleveland in 1935.

[Puppet Guy]

Former California Angels/Chicago White Sox pitcher Kirk McCaskill was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1981. He played one season in the AHL before focusing on baseball.

[albertGQ]

Tom Glavine was drafted by the Kings

[albertGQ]

The NHL doesn't really count Hainsworth shutout record as they have a seperate column for modern day shutouts. Which Esposito holds with 15. In his rookie year.

[albertGQ]

Gretzky scored 50 goals before the New Year one season. And 100 points before Xmas another season

[Resolute 14]

Rainy Drinkwater, "the first Native American in the NHL", was actually a French-Canadian named Rene Boileau. The New York Americans gave him the pseudonym and back story as part of a publicity stunt.

Tom Martin was traded from the WHL's Spokane Flyers to the Victoria Cougars in exchange for a used bus. Both teams were pleased with the deal.

Spinner Spencer's dad was so enraged by the fact that the CBC was showing a Vancouver-Oakland game in BC rather than his son's game with the Maple Leafs that he drove 70 miles to the Prince George affiliate and forced the program manager to switch feeds at gun point. Not long after Spinner was interviewed on HNIC and praised his dad for allowing him to make the NHL, dad was shot dead by the RCMP. Spinner himself was later tried and acquitted for murder before being shot to death following a drug deal.

[Dion]

[Puppet Guy]

Victor Nechayev played 3 games for the Kings in 1982-83 season, making him the first Soviet-born player in the NHL.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Dion

Good Lethbridge boy

[timbit]

Originally Posted by pylon

Nobody believed me about this in the CP live draft.

But Dirk Graham, was the first black captain in the history of the NHL.

His father was all time great fullback in CFL and NFL....Cookie Gilchrist.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Howie Morenz once scored a goal by skating the length of the ice backwards.

The All-Star game came to be after Eddie Shore nearly killed Irving "Ace" Baily with a vicious body check and ended his career, the All-Star game was used to raise money for Baily and in a strange moment Eddie Shore who was playing in the game shook Bailey's hand and apologized. It was the last apology uttered by Shore in his life.

There used to be 6 players on the ice at the time, 3 forwards two defensemen and a rover.

It used to be illegal for goalies to drop to their knees.

The first time a goalie was pulled near the end of a game a too many men on the ice penalty was issued because it had never been done before.

I love the story of Eddie Shore's wild ride. Here's an excerpt from the Sport's Illustrated article on it:

A Rough Time On The Road
Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins made it to the game the hard way after missing the team train to Montreal.

On January 2, 1929 the Boston Bruins took the night train to Montreal for a National Hockey League game with the Montreal Maroons the following evening. As the Pullman slowly rolled away from the platform, Boston Manager Art Ross walked through the sleeping car, counting his players. When Ross reached the last berth he realized that one of them—All-Star Defenseman Eddie Shore—was missing.

" Mr. Ross didn't know it," said Shore recently, "but I was running down the station platform trying to jump on the last car of the train. I didn't make it and had just missed the train because my taxi had been tied up in a traffic accident coming across town."

Shore was determined to reach Montreal in time for the game, however. The Bruins already were shorthanded because of injuries, and Shore was well aware of the $500 fine Ross levied against any player who missed a road-trip train. He first checked the train schedules and found that the next express wouldn't reach Montreal until after game time. He tried the airlines and was told all plane service had been canceled because of a sleet storm. He then decided to rent an automobile but changed his mind when a wealthy friend offered him his limousine and a chauffeur.

At 11:30 p.m. Shore and the chauffeur headed north on a 350-mile trip over icy, snow-blocked New England mountains. It was sleeting and there were no paved superhighways, no road patrols, no sanders.

Full article here:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...30/1/index.htm

[Puppet Guy]

There are 13 Women's names engraved on the Stanley Cup: Marguerite Norris, Sonia Scurfield, Marie Denise DeBartolo York, Marian Ilitch, Denise Ilitch Lites, Lisa Ilitch Murray, Carole Ilitch, Marie Carnevale, Callie Smith, Charlotte Grahame, Nancy Beard, Susan Samueli, Nancy Anschutz.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

There are 13 Women's names engraved on the Stanley Cup: Marguerite Norris, Sonia Scurfield, Marie Denise DeBartolo York, Marian Ilitch, Denise Ilitch Lites, Lisa Ilitch Murray, Carole Ilitch, Marie Carnevale, Callie Smith, Charlotte Grahame, Nancy Beard, Susan Samueli, Nancy Anschutz.

Normie Kwong has his name on both the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup.

[FakenHaken]

Originally Posted by Komskies

Normie Kwong has his name on both the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup.

So does Wayne Gretzky.

[Puppet Guy]

Originally Posted by Barnes

http://www.seattlehockey.net/Seattle...d_the_NHL.html

An interesting article about the history between Seattle and the NHL. I didn't know any of this.

I have a hat with that Sen's logo in the OP.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Komskies

Normie Kwong has his name on both the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup.

Originally Posted by FakenHaken

So does Wayne Gretzky.

Lionel Conacher was first (and the only one to be on both as a player)

[Komskies]

On the Stanley Cup theme, during Montreal's 5 consecutive cup run from 1956-1960 they spelled goaltender Jacques Plante's name differently each and every time.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Lionel Conacher was first (and the only one to be on both as a player)

Lionel 'Big Train' Conacher. He was the first true two-sport All-star, decades before Bo Jackson was even born.

[Muffins]

The surest way to identify the replica from the real Stanley Cup is to check the engraving for the 1984 Stanley Cup winning Edmonton Oilers. The authenticated version has x's engraved over Basil Pocklington's name whereas his name is completely missing from the replica version.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

Victor Nechayev played 3 games for the Kings in 1982-83 season, making him the first Soviet-born player in the NHL.

But not the first Russian born player. Sweeney Schriner was born in Saratov in the Russian Empire in 1917. His family immigrated to Calgary when he was an infant.

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Lionel Conacher was first (and the only one to be on both as a player)

Originally Posted by Komskies

Lionel 'Big Train' Conacher. He was the first true two-sport All-star, decades before Bo Jackson was even born.

Conacher was actually a FIVE sport superstar. In addition to hockey and football, he was a Hall of Fame lacrosse player, won the Little World Series with the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team, was a champion wrestler and boxer.

Conacher, as an MP, died on the baseball field after legging out a triple in a charity game between politicians and members of the press.