Forgotten Brothers of the Greats Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Gordie Howe was one of the NHLs premier point scorers, predating Wayne Gretzky's NHL debut by 33 years. Little did most people know that Gordie Howe had a brother named Vic Howe. Vic did not make the impact his brother made on hockey. Vic only lasted 33 games in the league as a member of which team?

Answer: New York Rangers

Gordie Howe played a total of 1767 NHL games, and acquired a career total of 1850 points. His brother Vic paled in every way imaginable. He played a mere 33 games, less than 1/54 of his brother. He scored a grand point total of only seven, comprising of three goals and four assists.

2. "The Great One", Wayne Gretzky, was perhaps the greatest NHLer ever. Recording nearly 3000 points, he paled in comparison to no-one. Unbeknownst to a lot of people, he had a brother by the name of Brent Gretzky. Together they share an all-time record. What is it?

Answer: They were brothers with the highest combined points total.

The brothers hold the NHL record for most points by two brothers. Wayne Gretzky finished his career with 894 goals, 1963 assists and a grand total of 2857 points. While his points total is an NHL record itself, his forgotten brother Brent, contributed a little to the total.

In his 13 career games, Brent contributed one goal and three assists to his family total. Combined, Brent and Wayne amassed a total of 2861 points.

3. Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky's teammate for many years, also had his own brother. Just like Wayne, Mark's brother was also a forgettable player. Mark finished with the second greatest points total in history. Did his brother, Paul Messier, record any points at all in his career?

Answer: No

Despite a solid brotherhood with Mark, Paul Messier failed to impress at the NHL level. Mark Messier remained a consistent performer for 24 years, recording 694 goals, 1193 assists and 1887 career points. He played for the Edmonton Oilers, the New York Rangers, and the Vancouver Canucks. Mark's brother Paul Messier played a total of only nine games for the Colorado Rockies in 1978.

In his nine games, Paul Messier recorded zero points, one of the primary reasons he failed at the NHL level.

4. Despite his troubles with illness and injuries, Mario Lemieux was consistently a scoring threat in the NHL. His older brother Alain, was a good player but by no means memorable like his brother. Mario's skill and pre-draft hype all but put the final nail into Alain's NHL coffin. The brothers did, however, do one thing together in the NHL. What was it?

Answer: They both played on the same team for one game.

Alain Lemieux was drafted 96th overall in 1980, whereas Mario was drafted 1st overall in 1984. Alain played in a total of 119 games, recording a respectable 72 points. Mario Lemieux, on the other hand, played in 915 games, recording a god-like 1723 points.

While Alain was largely forgotten once Mario got into the picture, they did play together on the same team in one game. In the 1986-87 season, both Mario and Alain dressed and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins. While that was in an early stage of Mario's career, that game with Mario was the final game of Alain's NHL career.

5. Patrick Roy was one of the greatest goaltenders of all-time. He won several Stanley Cups, and other awards. He also had the record for most wins all-time by a goalie. While his results may be impressive, his brother Stephane Roy, was far less impressive. Stephane played in a total of twelve NHL games. He recorded one point. Was the point a goal, or an assist?

Answer: goal

Stephane Roy played all 12 games of his career for the Minnesota North Stars in the 1987-88 season. He scored one goal in his career. His brother Patrick, on the other hand, played a total of 1029 games for the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche.

He finished his career with 551 wins, 315 losses, 131 ties, 66 shutouts, four Stanley Cups, three Conn Smythe Trophies, two Vezina Trophies, and five William M. Jennings Trophies. Needless to say one brother was a hit, and the other was a miss in the NHL.

6. Sergei Fedorov became the highest scoring Russian ever in the 2008-09 season. Because of his success, it is a little known fact that he had a brother. While Sergei became a household name, the other brother was a bust in the NHL. Who was his brother?

Answer: Fedor Fedorov

Even though Sergei Fedorov was chosen 74th overall, he made a household name of himself after becoming the all-time leading Russian scorer. He had recorded over 1100 points in his career and beat Alexander Mogilny's all-time total by a Russian in 2008-09. Sergei's brother, Fedor, met limited NHL success. Fedor was drafted 182nd overall in 1999, but he didn't like it so he played more junior hockey.

In 2001, he was drafted 66th overall by Vancouver. Because of his bloodline, much was expected but little was delivered.

In 18 games over a course of three seasons, Fedor Fedorov recorded two assists, all with the Canucks.

7. Paul Kariya was one of the most dynamic scorers of the 1990s. While he maintained consistency in the 2000s, his brother Steve Kariya was the next up-and-comer. Despite not being drafted, he was given a chance to play hockey because of the family name. What team was Steve a member of?

Answer: Vancouver Canucks

While Paul Kariya was a consistently high-scoring player, Steve was greatly overlooked. In his second year in the league, Paul scored 108 points. That was his career high although he did hit the 100-point plateau once since then. Steve Kariya was not in the same class as his brother. Steve Kariya played in 65 games for the Vancouver Canucks. Between 1999-00 and 2001-02, Steve recorded a points total of only 27.

8. Ryan Smyth was once a cornerstone of the Edmonton Oilers franchise. Playing for the Oilers from 1994-2007, he was eventually dealt for little more than a few prospects. His brother Brad Smyth played only 88 games and for a number of teams. Which team was Brad never a member of?

Answer: Detroit Red Wings

While Ryan Smyth was one of those players that was always given long term deals and stability, Brad Smyth was quite the contrary. From his first season in 1995-96 to his last in 2002-03, Brad Smyth played 88 games with a total of five teams. Those teams were the Florida Panthers, the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Rangers, the Nashville Predators, and the Ottawa Senators.

In his 88 career games, Brad recorded 15 goals and 13 assists.

9. Miikka Kiprusoff was a relatively unknown goaltender in the NHL until the 2003-04 season, when he led the Calgary Flames to within a game of winning the Stanley Cup. His brother Marko was even more unknown. Marko only played two seasons in the NHL, six years apart. Which two teams did he play for?

Answer: Montreal and New York Islanders

Marko Kiprusoff was drafted by Montreal in 1994 and saw himself on the big team for 24 games in 1995-96. He recorded four points. He did not see the NHL again until the 2001-02 season, when the Islanders needed some help. They signed Marko Kiprusoff and he played 27 games for them.

He recorded six points. In total, Marko played in 51 games and finished his career with a total of 10 assists.

10. Believe it or not, Chris Pronger, one of the most intimidating d-men of the modern NHL, had a brother. Sean Pronger was drafted 51st overall in 1991 and paled in comparison to his brother. Did Sean and Chris Pronger play the same position?

Answer: No

Chris Pronger had always been a defenseman in the league. Sean Pronger, on the other hand was a center. Sean played in 260 NHL contests for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Vancouver Canucks.

In his career, Sean recorded 23 goals and 36 assists. His career high was in 1997-98 when he scored 20 points. Chris Pronger only had under 20 points in two years. The first was in his sophomore season when he had 14 points in 43 games, and the second was in 2002-03 when he was limited to only five games because of injury.

Source: Author Bruce007

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

We are all familiar with the greats of hockey: Sergei Fedorov, Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Patrick Roy and others, but do you know that they had brothers that didn't quite make it in the NHL? This quiz will inform you about the NHLs forgotten brothers.

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