Random Trivia as We Await the Return of the Sabres

Some of us are really into the Olympic hockey games right now while others are eagerly anticipating the return of NHL action and the Buffalo Sabres conclusion to this season. The team is on the brink of flushing the past 14 seasons down the toilet and becoming relevant again. Stacked with talent, they could even become great again in the not too distant future. Only time will tell, so hold on tight for the big finish.

As we wait, I thought I would provide some obvious filler content. Today, I am sharing 12 NHL fun facts, oddities and records that will almost assuredly never be broken. This is for entertainment purposes only, there is no quiz before, during or after. You can file some of these away for later, for stronger trivia knowledge in your hockey brain. Hopefully, most of these are new to you. Enjoy.

1. Connor the Captain

Connor McDavid was the youngest captain in NHL history, named team captain of the Edmonton Oilers on October 5th, 2016, at 19 years and 266 days old. He broke the previous record held by Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche, 2012) by 20 days. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins, 2007) is the third-youngest.

2. San Jose Sharks Secret

This one is easy to miss and most fans and casual observers have never noticed it. There is a secret SJ in the Sharks logo, the initials for San Jose. The letters are part of the shark itself, the left side fin and body making the S. The J is the dorsal fin. The strokes of teal color within the black coloring of the predator help outline the lettering. See if you can spot it now.

3. Going for a Stroll

Former Montreal and Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy was once penalized for skating out of his net and over center ice DURING the game. This was a contest between the Avs and the Rangers. He came out to play the puck and for some reason, decided to go for a stroll. He skated out over the blue line and just kept on going. Finally, when he was challenged at center ice, he stick handled over the red line with a spin and passed it off to a teammate. But the whistle blew for a very rare penalty, as goaltenders are not allowed to cross center ice. Not sure why he risked that crazy stunt or his motivation for it either!

4. Glenn Hall of Fame

I dare say this record will NEVER be broken. Legendary goaltender Glenn Hall holds the NHL record for the most consecutive regular-season starts by a goaltender with 502, achieved between 1955 and 1962. Including playoffs, his streak reached 552 consecutive games, a mark considered untouchable now. Even the best goalies in today’s game only play about 60-65 games a year. It’s even more impressive when you remember Hall played with inferior goaltender equipment and NO GOALIE MASK. This amazing feat was accomplished over the course of playing for two different teams, Detroit and Chicago. Glenn Hall was an absolute WORKHORSE.

5. TIE Fighter

Tie Domi holds the record for the most fighting majors in NHL history with 333 career regular-season fights over a sixteen-year career. Everybody else on the list of top fighters (Including Rob Ray with 290) played in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. We just don’t see that level of fighting in the NHL anymore and it’s not likely to return. There are only 12 players in NHL history with over 200 fights so Tie Domi’s mark looks pretty safe. The other players near him are all long retired.

6. Daneyko Drought

Former New Jersey Devils defender Ken Daneyko was a stay at home defensman who didn’t score many goals. In fact, he once went more than three full NHL seasons without getting on the scoresheet. He went 255 games without a goal, the record for the most games played between goals scored. That is one serious dry spell.

7. Unlucky Seven

The ’07-’08 L.A. Kings, the ’02-’03 St. Louis Blues, and the ’89-’90 Quebec Nordiques were all forced to go through SEVEN different goalies in one season. Only one of those teams made the playoffs, that was the Blues. The worst team was easily the Nordiques, who were a floundering 12-61-7 that year.

The goalies they used that season were Ron Tugnutt, Greg Millen, Scott Gordon, Mario Brunetta, Sergei Mylnikov, Stephane Fiset, and John Tanner. Tugnutt led the team in wins with just five!

8. Avalanche Double Dare

After Colorado won the Cup in 2001, former NHL winger Shjon Podein was double dared in the locker room to keep his entire uniform on, skates included, for 24 hours. He actually did it for 25 hours, including sleeping in bed with his wife.

9. Jonathan Huberdon’t

Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau scored 115 points for the Florida Panthers in 2021-22. He was then traded to the Flames (along with MacKenzie Weegar) for Matthew Tkachuk. Not only did Huberdeau miss out on three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances from Florida (along with two Cup wins) but after the trade he dropped from 115 points to just 55 points with Calgary. That is a 60 point free-fall in production and an NHL record for points drop off from one season to the next. (not counting injury plagued seasons obviously)

Florida GP 80G 30A 85PTS 115

Calgary GP 79G 15A 40PTS 55

10. OT Hat-Trick?

Before there was a sudden death overtime in the NHL, teams would play a 10-minute overtime period at the conclusion of a regulation tie. Ken Doraty, who only scored 15 goals in his NHL career, somehow notched 3 goals in the extra session and led his 1934 Toronto Maple Leafs to a 7-4 overtime victory. Doraty will forever hold the record for the only hat-trick in NHL overtime history.

11. Shanahan Shenanigans

No confirmation on this one but according to Brendan Shanahan himself, as a rookie, he once attacked Buffalo’s Rick Vaive immediately upon the puck dropping. He later revealed that he was still salty because Vaive had refused to give him an autograph four years earlier when Shanahan was just a teenage fan. That is the story, at least according to him.

12. Flying by the Seat of Their Pants

Does everyone here remember the Philadelphia Flyers wearing those long hockey pants for two seasons back in the 80s? They were called Cooperall pants and Philly wore them for two seasons before the NHL outlawed them for safety concerns. They were supposed to be lightweight and more comfortable but many complained that they were restrictive and not protective enough. Either way, it wasn’t a good look. But believe it or not, in a game between the Hartford Whalers and the Flyers on December 11th, 1982, BOTH teams wore the long pants. It was the first and last time every player on the ice wore the Cooperalls in the same game.