The NHL's Top Ten? Trivia Quiz

Answer: 6

Ace Bailey played his entire, albeit too short, NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1927 and December of the 1933-34 season when a head injury ended his career. During his time with the Leafs he led the team and the league in scoring, and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1932.

Bailey's #6 was the first number ever to be retired by an NHL team; it happened on February 14th, 1934.

Final stats: 111 goals, 82 assists for 193 points in 313 games.

Answer: 8

Cam Neely kicked off his career in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks in 1983, wearing #21. With his trade to the Boston Bruins in 1986, he started wearing #8, which he would have until his retirement at the end of the 1995-96 season (still with Boston).

The Boston Bruins organization retired his number on January 12th, 2004.

Final stats: 395 goals, 299 assists for 694 points in 726 games.

Answer: 1

Terry Sawchuk spent the majority of his 21 years in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings (14 seasons). He wore #1 for his first 15 seasons, with Detroit and Boston, then had one year wearing #24, and the rest of his career with #30. He won the Vezina Trophy four times (1952, 1953, 1955, and 1965) and also raised the Stanley Cup on four occasions 1952, 1954, 1955, and 1967).

The Detroit Red Wings retired his #1 on March 6th, 1994.

Final stats: 447 wins, 330 losses, 172 ties, and 103 shutouts in 971 games played, with a 2.52 goals against average.

Answer: 4

Bobby Orr began his NHL career in 1966, spending his first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins before spending his last two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. Orr achieved many milestones in his short 12-season career, and some of his records (as of the writing of this quiz) still stand.

Most notably, Orr was the first defenceman to achieve the following:
- score nine hat tricks
- score 30 goals (1969-70)
- score 40 goals (1974-75)
- score 100 assists in a season (1970-71)
- win the Art Ross Trophy as league leader in scoring (1969-70, 1974-75)
- win the Norris Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Conn Smythe Trophy in one season (1969-70)

Bobby Orr's #4 was retired by the Boston Bruins on January 9th, 1979.

Final stats: 270 goals, 645 assists for 915 points in 657 games.

Answer: 7

Phil Esposito began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1963, but it was during his tenure in Boston that he flourished. He played with the Bruins from 1967 through to the 1975-76 season when he was traded after 12 games to the New York Rangers.

Esposito set a number of records during his career, and he had a banner year in the 1970-71 season when he set new records of 76 goals and 152 points in a single season (both records since surpassed). He also recorded an unprecedented 550 shots on goal that same year. He won the Art Ross Trophy (for the player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season) five times in his career (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974).

The Boston Bruins retired his #7 on December 3rd, 1987.

Final stats: 717 goals, 873 assists for 1,590 points in 1,282 games.

Answer: 3

Pierre Pilote played all but one of his 14 NHL seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, wearing #3; in his final year with Toronto, he sported a #2, instead. During his career, Pilote earned the Norris Trophy (for the "defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position") on three occasions (1963, 1964, and 1965), and helped the Blackhawks win their third Stanley Cup in 1961).

Pierre Pilote's #3 was retired by the Chicago Blackhawks on November 12th, 2008.

Final stats: 80 goals, 418 assists for 498 points in 890 games.

Answer: 9

Gordie Howe spent 25 of his 26 NHL seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, beginning in 1946 and going until the 1970-71 season. In 1973, after a one-year hiatus, he returned to hockey with the Houston Aeros of the WHA. After moving to the New England Whalers in 1977, he was with the team when it transitioned to the NHL as the Hartford Whalers in 1979. A return to professional hockey for one game with the Detroit Vipers (IHL) in 1997 set a record as Howe had then played professional hockey in six different decades.

The famous #9 of 'Mr. Hockey' was retired by the Red Wings on March 12th, 1972.

Final stats: 801 goals, 1,049 assists for 1,850 points in 1,767 games.

Answer: 10

Guy Lafleur began his NHL career in 1971 with the Canadiens, staying with them until his first retirement at the end of the 1984-85 season. He returned to the NHL with the NY Rangers in 1988, playing one year with them and two with the Québec Nordiques before retiring for a second time in 1991.

Lafleur won multiple awards during his career, including the Art Ross Trophy (league leader in points) three times (1976, 1977, and 1978), and set the bar by being the first NHL player to record six consecutive 50 goal/100 point seasons.

Guy Lafleur's #10 was retired by the Montréal Canadiens on February 16th, 1985.

Final stats: 560 goals, 793 assists for 1,353 points in 1,126 games.

Answer: 2

Al MacInnis began his NHL career with Calgary in 1981, playing 13 seasons with them before being traded to the Blues. He played another ten seasons before retiring in 2005 (he missed most of the 2003-04 season and the whole shortened 2004-05 season due to injury).

MacInnis helped lead the Calgary Flames to their first Stanley Cup Championship in 1989, also earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP.

Al MacInnis' #2 was retired by the St. Louis Blues on April 9th, 2006, and then by the Calgary Flames on February 27th, 2012.

Final stats: 340 goals, 934 assists for 1,274 points in 1,416 games.

Answer: 5

Nicklas Lidström played his entire 21-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, winning four Stanley Cups along the way (1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008). He also managed to secure the Norris Trophy (top defenceman) seven times (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011).

His #5 was retired by the Detroit Red Wings on March 6th, 2014.

Final stats: 264 goals, 878 assists for 1,142 points in 1,564 games.