Obscure NHL Facts [2] Trivia Quiz

Answer: Plante got hit in the face by a slapshot, breaking his jaw and giving him many stitches in his face

On 1st November 1959, Jacques Plante made NHL history by wearing a mask during a game. Earlier that game, New York Rangers power forward Andy Bathgate took a hard slapshot, hitting Plante in the face. After getting his face patched back up with a few stitches, Plante told his coach Toe Blake that he refused to go back on the ice without a mask. Blake agreed to let Plante wear a mask only until his nose and jaw were healed. Montreal ended up winning this game, and Plante remained undefeated in the 11 games it took before his nose healed. Blake then agreed to let Plante wear his mask regularly.

Answer: He frequently broke his bones and was considered too fragile to play in the NHL

Playing junior hockey, Maurice "Rocket" Richard broke many of his bones, such as his collarbone, his wrist, and his ankle. Many people thought that he was too fragile, and he would be injured most of the time if he played NHL hockey. Once he did enter the NHL, he quickly became a star, and earning him the famous nickname, "Rocket". No one really knows where the nickname, "Rocket", came from, but Richard said that he thinks it came from his teammates. Most people think it was coined in an issue of the Montreal Gazette.

Answer: Baseball

Jarome Iginla was a great baseball player as a child. He was best at playing the position of shortstop. As Iginla grew older, he developed a larger interest in hockey. He made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames in 1996, and in 2003, became the first African-American player to become captain of an NHL team.

Answer: Pacific Coast Hockey Association

The Pacific Coast Hockey Association, known as the PCHA, was founded by brothers Lester and Frank Patrick. The champion team of the PCHA competed in a Stanley cup final against the champion team of the NHA. The Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHA defeated the Montreal Canadiens of the NHA in a best-of-five series.

They won three games to one in 1917, becoming the first American team to win the Stanley Cup. The New York Rangers of the NHL were the next American team to win the Stanley Cup. They defeated the Montreal Maroons three game to two in 1928.

Answer: There was a major Spanish flu epidemic at the time, and the NHL didn't want players getting sick

There was a serious flu epidemic in 1919. It had killed Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joe Hall. The league didn't want any other people to get sick, so they canceled the Stanley cup final. Joe Hall was an angry and often violent player on the ice. He had earned the nickname, "Bad" Joe, from the league. Hall would often get game suspensions for going and apologizing to his opponents in their dressing rooms for his violent actions on the ice, as that was against the rules.

Answer: He began his playing career in the 1940s

Former NHL defenseman Willie O'Ree made NHL history in 1958 by becoming the first African-American to play in the NHL. He began his career playing with the Boston Bruins. He was also keeping an important secret from the league. He was legally blind in his right eye.

He kept this a secret, otherwise he would've been banned from playing in the league. He played just 45 games in the NHL, tallying 4 goals and 10 assist, all of which coming in the 1960-61 season.

Answer: 1929

In 1917, the year the NHL first began, there was a rule that said that you could only pass backwards. This rule was made so that no one could get injured from a "suicide pass". A suicide pass is when a player passes the puck forward to their teammate, and their teammate must turn their head to receive the puck.

This is called a suicide pass because when the player receiving the puck receives the puck, an opposing player can then body check the player with the puck. The NHL disbanded this rule because they figured no one would get injured.

There have been some minor concussions due to suicide passes, but no one has since been seriously injured due to a suicide pass.

Answer: Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs

Before the Zamboni was invented, the excess snow on the ice was cleaned by being pushed off the ice by brooms. The Zamboni is a large vehicle that drives on the ice in between periods and cleans the ice by scraping up all the ice's excess snow and putting very hot water on the ice.

The Zamboni is a very slow machine, and takes over 15 minutes to resurface the entire ice sheet. The Zamboni's top speed is slower than 12 kilometers per hour.

Answer: Garry Monahan

Before the annual NHL entry drafts, NHL teams would get their rookie players by scouting them and inviting them to their pre-season training camps. In 1963 the NHL introduced the NHL entry draft, an event that allows each team to select a certain amount of players from junior teams. Gary Monahan was the first player ever selected in an entry draft.

He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. Despite being drafted first overall, he never did play an NHL game.

Answer: Montreal Maroons

The Montreal Maroons are a defunct NHL team, created for the Montreal hockey fans born outside of Quebec. When the Maroons became defunct due to financial issues in 1938, the Montreal Forum became the home of the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens moved from the Forum into the Molson Center in 1996, which has since been re-named the Bell Center.