In the Penalty Box Trivia Quiz

Answer: Holding the stick

In the NHL minor penalties send the offending player to the penalty box for two minutes whereas a major penalty incurs a five minute time in the box. For penalties like fighting that typically have players from opposing teams going to the penalty box another player may enter the game so that the teams remain at even strength.

Answer: Power play

A power play is considered a huge advantage and very good teams will score within the allotted team more than 20% of the time. In rare situations two players from the same team may receive a penalty and a double-man advantage occurs in which there is a 5-on-3 power play. If a goal is scored on a power play for a minor penalty the offending player may return back to the ice without serving the full penalty time but for a major penalty the offending player must serve the full penalty time regardless of if the advantaged team scores a goal or not.

Answer: A player goes one-on-one against a goalie to try to score a goal.

A penalty shot begins with a player taking the puck at center ice and then moving toward the opposing goalie. Certain players may opt to try and fake out (deke) the goalie with skillful puck handling before shooting while other players may take a forceful shot to try and score. Play stops once the shot is taken after which both teams' players will return to the ice for a face-off.

Answer: David "Tiger" Williams

David "Tiger" Williams played in the NHL for fourteen seasons for five different teams: Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Hartford Whalers. While he was primarily known as an intimidating enforcer, Williams did have abilities as a scorer as evidenced by his 241 career goals.

However, Tiger Williams will likely be best remembered for his frequent trips to the penalty box as he retired with 3,966 PIM in the regular season and 455 PIN in the playoffs.

Answer: Toronto

George Reginald "Red" Horner was a defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs where he led the NHL in PIM seven times and he retired with a then career record of 1,264 PIM. Horner was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1965 joining fellow teammates King Clancy and Hap Day who had previously received the honor.

Answer: Dave Schultz

During the 1973-74 season Dave Schultz recorded 348 PIM breaking the prior record of 291. Apparently that total wasn't enough for Schultz as the next season he would record a staggering 472 PIM. Schultz's role throughout his career was mainly as an enforcer and during his two record-setting seasons for PIM his Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup.

Answer: Ron Hextall

Ron Hextall burst onto the NHL scene in 1986 as a rookie winning the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best player during the playoffs. Hextall would retire with 296 wins and set a goalie record with 584 PIM.

Interestingly, when a goalie receives a penalty rather than forcing a team to play without a goalie any player from the offending team that was on the ice at the time of the penalty can serve the penalty time.

Answer: Buffalo Sabres

The 1991-92 Buffalo Sabres finished the regular season with a 31-37-12 record. The team's most frequent visitors to the penalty box were Rob Ray with 354 PIM, Brad May with 309 PIM, and Gord Donnelly with 305 PIM.

Answer: Chris Nilan

Chris Nilan played in the NHL from 1979 to 1982 as a right wing for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins. Although he retired with more than 3,000 PIM, Nilan may be best remembered for a game on March 31, 1991 against the Hartford Whalers in which he had six minor penalties, two majors, one misconduct, and one game misconduct for 42 total penalty minutes. Surprisingly the 42 PIM in one game was well below the 67 PIM that Randy Holt received in one game in 1979.

Answer: Dale Hunter

Dale Hunter was the first player in NHL history to have more than 1,000 career points (1,020) and accumulate over 3,000 PIM (3,565) but his frequency of trips to the penalty box during the playoffs may be his lasting legacy. Other NHL players that had more than 500 PIM during their playoff careers include Chris Nilan with 541 and Claude Lemieux with 529.