1. Daryl Turner 69
2. Tom Mascioli 68
3. Bryan McCready 67
4. Mike Taylor 48
5. Kimberly Neufeld 31
6. Eric Hansen 28
7. Paul Branchaud 18
Doug Simmons 18
9. Gary Balentine 17
10. Brett Wilmotte 12
TWO-POINT QUESTION (#2.1): (As of March 13) Name the most recent
goaltender to make his debut in a National Hockey League net.
CORRECT ANSWER: The New York Islanders' Stephen Valiquette came in in
relief of Kevin Weekes last week, allowing
one goal on five shots in the third period. Meanwhile, Phoenix's
Sean Burke was shutting out the Islanders
to win, 5-0.
TWO-POINT QUESTION (#2.2): The National Hockey League recently announced
the creation of a new year-end award to be given to the netminder with the
highest save percentage over the previous season. Who is the award named
after?
CORRECT ANSWER: The full title of the award is the "MBNA
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award", named
after the first goaltender to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Crozier, who passed
away a few years ago, did a lot of work for the hockey community in his
time.
THREE-POINT QUESTION (#3.1): Six years before this coach made his NHL
goaltending debut in a Stanley Cup Finals game, he had actually previously
played ten minutes in net for Victoria of the PCHA. Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick, who came in to replace
Rangers' starter Lorne Chabot in the 1928 Cup Finals. Patrick, who won
the game, was forty-five years old at the time.
THREE-POINT QUESTION (#3.2): Name this active netminder, whom USA
Today's Kevin Allen once referred to as the "Muhammad Ali of hockey".
CORRECT ANSWER: Allen was talking about Colorado netminder
Patrick Roy, whom nearly everyone will agree
likes to talk. As an Avalanche fan, my favourite memory was probably his
verbal duel with Chicago's Jeremy Roenick in the 1996 Western Conference
Semi-Finals, when Roy remarked that he couldn't hear Roenick because of the
"two Stanley Cup rings in [his] ears."
FIVE-POINT QUESTION (#5.1): Hall-of-Famer
Cecil "Tiny" Thompson actually
was quite tall for his day, standing 5'10". Tell me, then, what Cecil's
moniker "Tiny" referred to.
CORRECT ANSWER: Two conflicting stories here; thus, two possibilities
for an answer. One (the more common story) was that "tiny" referred to the
size of his goals-aganist average, which certainly was small. The other
was that Thompson was the tallest player on his midget hockey team. This,
as Cliff Claven will tell you, is the best way to create a nickname.
FIVE-POINT QUESTION (#5.2): When Jock Callander assisted on a goal
February 21, becoming the International Hockey League's career scoring
leader on February 21, which netminder gave up the goal?
CORRECT ANSWER: Carolina Hurricanes' prospect
Jean-Marc Pelletier, acquired from the
Flyers in the Keith Primeau trade, gave up this goal, but no others, as the
Cincinnati Cyclones defeated Callander's Lumberjacks, by a score of 4-1.
BONUS QUESTION (#B.1): The preeminent goaltender of the PCHA, this
Stanley Cup-winning netminder was graced with the nickname "Eagle Eyes".
Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: Hugh "Eagle Eyes" Lehman, who played twenty-one
professional hockey seasons, including every season of the PCHA. Lehman played
in six Stanley Cup Finals, winning one (in 1915).
BONUS QUESTION (#B.2): Name the first goaltender to have his name appear
on the Stanley Cup.
CORRECT ANSWER: In 1893, the Cup was first awarded to the champions of
the Amateur Hockey Assocation, Montreal AAA. The netminder was Tom Paton.
TWO-POINT QUESTION: Perhaps the most important goal to Canadians was
Paul Henderson's game-winning tally in the decisive game of the 1972 Summit
Series. Against which netminder did Henderson score his goal?
CORRECT ANSWER: Hall-of-Famer Vladislav
Tretiak was in the Soviet net for all eight games of the Summit Series. I
think that this question is somewhere on the exam you have to take to graduate
from a Canadian high school.
THREE-POINT QUESTION: What was the given first name of 1920's standout
goaltender Jake Forbes?
CORRECT ANSWER: His parents named him "Vernon", which, of course, was a
much more popular baby name at that time than it is today.
FIVE-POINT QUESTION: Bobby Orr was the first defenseman to tally a hat
trick in a Stanley Cup playoff game. Which goaltender allowed Orr's trifecta?
CORRECT ANSWER: Cornell graduate (and NHL rookie)
Ken Dryden. Despite the results of this April
11 game, Dryden's Canadiens upset the Bruins, and went on to win the Stanley
Cup.
BONUS QUESTION: As of today (March 20), who holds the National Hockey
League record for most (regular-season) games played in by a European-born
goaltender?
CORRECT ANSWER: Some are calling him the greatest goaltender of
all-time (I'm not ready to bestow that title just yet), and - now that he's
returning for another season - Dominik Hasek
will add to his games-played totals. I had him at 437 (as of March 20), but
then again, I've never been much good at math.
TWO-POINT QUESTION: Name the New York goaltender who was inducted into
the Long Island Sports Hall of Fame while still active.
I think that everyone that attempted this one got it. Certainly the most
prolific goaltender - and arguably, the most prolific player - in Islanders
history was Billy "the Axeman" Smith, who won
304 over seventeen seasons on the Island.
THREE-POINT QUESTION: This son of an National Hockey League forward was
also the last major professional (North American) netminder to go without
a mask. Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: The son of forward Adam Brown, netminder Andy Brown
went sans mask right up until his last pro season, in 1976-77 with the WHA's
Indianapolis Racers. Brown was quite a spark in the net, racking up fifty
(or more) penalty minutes three times in his professional career.
FIVE-POINT QUESTION: In the November 1977 transaction that sent Pit
Martin from the Chicago Black Hawks to the Vancouver Canucks, the Canucks had
to choose one of two goaltenders to send back as "future considerations". Who
were they?
CORRECT ANSWER: As I expected, this was a toughie. Most of you
correctly chose the one that Chicago picked, Murray Bannerman, who had a decent seven
year career with the Hawks, playing in two All-Star Games. The other? Glen
Hanlon, who - as coach of the AHL Portland Pirates - was named the American
Hockey League's coach of the year this past weekend. Congrats to Glen - I've
always thought that goaltenders make the best coaches, because we see the
entire game.
BONUS QUESTION: This future NHL coach made his NHL goaltending debut in
a December 15, 1962 game. Name him.
CORRECT ANSWER: Speaking of goaltenders that make good coaches (Doug
Norris - king of the awkward segue),
Eddie Johnston's NHL career spanned two
decades before he went behind the bench. One thing that many don't remember
about Eddie was that he was traded for the legendary
Jacques Plante (in 1973).