JANUARY 2008 TOP TEN

1.  Roger Maynard           55
2.  Bryan McCready          53
3.  Tom Mascioli            50
4.  Mark Calandra           48
5.  Kevin Cameron           47
6.  Pete Hibbard            45
7.  Kevin Belobaba          40
8.  Ken Ellis               29
9.  Terry Lashyn            27
10. Spitfirez               25

TWO-POINT QUESTION: With the Winter Classic being held on New Year's Day in Buffalo, there have now been three major outdoor stadium ice hockey contests in North America. Interestingly, each starter from Tuesday's game has appeared in a previous game of this type - who are they?
CORRECT ANSWER: On October 6, 2001, Michigan State University's Ryan Miller squared off against the University of Michigan (and goaltender Josh Blackburn) in a 3-3 draw at MSU's Spartan Stadium in the "Cold War". On November 22, 2003, Ty Conklin and the Edmonton Oilers fell to the Montreal Canadiens (and Jose Theodore) in the "Heritage Classic" at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium.

(Note that I missed an outdoor game - the February 11, 2006 game at Lambeau Field between Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin.)

THREE-POINT QUESTION: Following in the footsteps of Chris Levesque, this CIAU goaltender recently sat on a National Hockey League bench as an emergency backup. Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: With starter Dwayne Roloson suffering from the flu, the Edmonton Oilers did not have time to recall a goaltender from any of their minor-league affiliates in time for their December 21, 2007 game against New Jersey. Enter former WHL netminder Aaron Sorochan, whom the club hastily signed to an amateur tryout contract. Mathieu Garon played the entire game for the Oilers, who lost by a 3-1 margin to the Devils.

FIVE-POINT QUESTION: Name the first goaltender in National Hockey League history to make his league debut on non-North American soil.
CORRECT ANSWER: At the 02 Arena in London, nineteen-year-old Los Angeles netminder Jonathan Bernier earned the start after making the team's roster. The following night, Jonas Hiller made his first league start for the Anaheim Ducks. Both won their debut matches.

PICTORAL QUESTION: Name the following goaltender:

CORRECT ANSWER: Late in his career with the Edmonton Oilers, this is longtime Winnipeg goaltender Bob Essensa. Essensa finished third in 1992 Vezina Trophy balloting, compiling a 173-176-47 record over his twelve-year National Hockey League career.

TWO-POINT QUESTION: This IIHF World Junior Hockey championship winning goaltender was recently recalled to his National Hockey League club on an emergency basis. Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: Steve Mason, who certainly had a busy holiday season. During the tournament, he was traded by his junior club, and then recalled to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He backed up Fredrik Norrena on January 8 before being returned to Kitchener.

THREE-POINT QUESTION: The greatest goalscorer in the history of the National Hockey League, Wayne Gretzky only scored on one penalty shot in his illustrious career. Which goaltender did he victimize?
CORRECT ANSWER: On January 13, 1983, the Great One beat Richard Brodeur of the Vancouver Canucks. I should have specified "regular season" in the phrasing of the question, because Don Beaupre allowed a playoff penalty shot goal to Gretzky on April 28, 1984.

FIVE-POINT QUESTION: A few weeks ago, I brought forth a question involving Washington centre David Steckel, who scored his first three National Hockey League goals in three different games against three different goaltenders (all from the same franchise). Well, Edmonton forward Raimo Summanen also scored his first three NHL goals against three different goaltenders from the same franchise - but he did it over the course of just two games! Name the goaltenders involved.
CORRECT ANSWER: Between March 31, 1984 and October 20, 1985, Los Angeles netminders Markus Mattsson, Bob Janecyk and Darren Eliot allowed one goal apiece to Summanen. The goals came so far apart that Mattsson was never on the same roster as either Janecyk or Eliot, but Summanen did score thirty-three more goals (and two playoff goals) over his career.

PICTORAL QUESTION: Name the following goaltender:

CORRECT ANSWER: Tobias Stephan, in a Dallas preseason contest against the Atlanta Thrashers. Currently with the AHL Iowa Stars, the Swiss-born Stephan turns twenty-four years old tomorrow.

TWO-POINT QUESTION: Recently, this goaltender set a National Hockey League record for the most saves in a single shootout without allowing a goal. Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: Well, the question was a bit misleading, but that's because I botched this one myself. The record holder is the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped all of thirteen Philadephia shots on October 7, 2006. Lundqvist was also the winning goaltender in the longest shootout in league history.

THREE-POINT QUESTION: Name the goaltender who holds the National Hockey League record for the longest shutout streak to begin a career.
CORRECT ANSWER: The Detroit Red Wings' Dave Gatherum stepped in for an injured Terry Sawchuk in October of 1953, going 2-0-1 in three games and not allowing a goal over the first 100 minutes, 21 seconds of his career. Somewhat surprisingly, those were the only three games of his NHL career.

FIVE-POINT QUESTION: Evgeni Nabokov started the first forty-three games of his team's 2007-08 National Hockey League games before giving way to Thomas Greiss on January 13. Name the most recent goaltender to hold a longer starting streak to begin a season.
CORRECT ANSWER: In 1996-97, Grant Fuhr started the first seventy-six regular season games for the St. Louis Blues, until a knee injury sidelined late in the year. Jon Casey finally stepped in to start for the club on April 3.

PICTORAL QUESTION: Name the following goaltender:

CORRECT ANSWER: A young Pete Peeters with the Philadelphia Flyers. Peeters later played for Boston and Washington before finishing his big-league career back in Philadelphia.

TWO-POINT QUESTION: This goaltender was the first Polish-born player ever drafted by a National Hockey League franchise. Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: Selected 91st overall in the 1981 entry draft by the Washington Capitals, Peter Sidorkiewicz might be best known as the last line of defense for the moribund 1992-93 Ottawa expansion club. Despite losing forty-six times, Sidorkiewicz was the lone Senator all-star that year.

THREE-POINT QUESTION: When asked what the highlight of his Hall-of-Fame career had been, this goaltender chose the 1978 World Championships in Prague. Name him. CORRECT ANSWER: Vladislav Tretiak, who also won three Olympic gold medals (and one silver) with the powerhouse Soviet Union squads in the 1970s and 1980s. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame without ever playing in the NHL, many say that Tretiak retired at the young age of thirty-two due to his country's refusal to allow him to play in the league.

FIVE-POINT QUESTION: As the nature of the position lends itself to intense study of the sport, many goaltenders become hockey coaches after their playing career has ended. Name the first National Hockey League goaltender to become a head coach in the league.
CORRECT ANSWER: Chicago's Hugh Lehman made the transition from goaltender to coach during the 1927-28 season. Lehman led the club to a 3-17-1 mark and was dismissed at year's end. Lehman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

PICTORAL QUESTION: Name the following goaltender:

CORRECT ANSWER: Mario Lessard of the Kings was in goal for the Wales Conference All-Stars on February 10, 1981, in his club's home city of Los Angeles. In this game, it was the other goaltender - Mike Liut - who stole the show with 32 saves (in half of a game) in a 4-1 Campbell Conference win.