Do you know why Bobby Orr didn’t wear socks in his skates, or which famous player was traded for $1? Test your hockey knowledge with the following 10 fast facts. The more you know, the more betting prowess you’ll have around Bovada Sportsbook.
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#1 – The NHL Was Formed To Exclude Unpopular Toronto Franchise Owner
Before the NHL was created, there was the NHA, which had five franchises, including a Toronto military team called the Blueshirts. The Blueshirts owner, Eddie Livingstone was unpopular among the NHA directors and when an opportunity to reorganize without him presented itself in 1917, the NHA directors went forward with it, thus creating the NHL.
#2 – Maurice Richard’s Most Spectacular Goal
Fans of Maurice Richard will always remember what was arguably his greatest goal which came in a Stanley Cup Semi-Final Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. After getting rocked by two Bruins’ defenders, Richard was taken off the ice on a stretcher, unconscious and bleeding from the head. After getting stitched up in the first aid room and regaining consciousness, Richard returned to the ice in the final four minutes of the game, which was knotted at 1-1. Richard hopped over the boards, weaved through Boston’s forwards and defensive line, tricked the goalie with a fake shot and netted the winner.
#3 – Jean Beliveau’s Dominance Prompted Rule Change
Taking a minor penalty against the Montreal Canadiens was a death wish for the opposition when Jean Beliveau was with the Habs. After he scored a hat trick during a single minor penalty, the league voted on a rule change that would end the penalty as soon as the team on the power play scored, the vote passed 5-1, with only the Canadiens opposing.
#4 – Bobby Orr Played Sockless
On his way to a juniors tournament, NHL legend Bobby Orr realized that he forgot his socks and was forced to play without them. He enjoyed the way his feet felt in his skates and never went back to wearing hockey socks.
#5 – Buffalo Sabres Draft Imaginary Player Taro Tsujimoto
The 1974 NHL draft was particularly tedious for general managers, as the results were intended to be kept concealed from the rival league World Hockey Association. Frustrated by the process, the GM of the Buffalo Sabres, George Imlach created a fictitious player by the name of Taro Tsujimoto, who was supposed to come from the Tokyo Katanas (translated to Tokyo Sabres) to fill his 11th round (183rd overall) pick.
#6 – 334 Fans Brave Blizzard to see New Jersey Devils-Calgary Flames Game
A historic snow storm hit New York the day the New Jersey Devils were supposed to face the Calgary Flames in January 1987, creating massive traffic congestion. In the end, 334 fans of the 11,247 ticket sales actually showed up, which spurred the Devils, who won 7-5, to create the 334 Club.
#7 – Kris Draper Acquired for $1 by the Detroit Red Wings in 1993
Perhaps the greatest steal in NHL history was Kris Draper, who after spending four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and seeing very little ice time, was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for $1 and future considerations. He became a franchise player for Red Wings, known as the One-Dollar Man, where he played 17 seasons and was part of four Stanley Cup-winning rosters.
#8 – St. Louis Blues Go From Last to First in 2019 Fairy-tale Run
The St. Louis Blues made history in 2019 when they went from last place in the league on January 2 to Stanley Cup champions 161 days later. That feat had not been accomplished by any other team in the expansion era. Anyone who got them on the futures market in December would have made a killing.
#9 – Zamboni Driver Steps in to Serve as Emergency Backup Goalie for Carolina Hurricanes
When the Carolina Hurricanes were up against the Toronto Maple Leafs in February 2020, they encountered a situation that no team wants to face: both of their goalies were injured on the ice. The rink’s 42-year-old Zamboni driver, Dave Ayres, was a practice goalie for the Leafs and stepped in to serve as the Hurricanes’ netminder for the remainder of the game. He made eight saves and allowed two goals, leading the Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory.
#10 – Eleven Goals Scored by NHL Goaltenders
Over the years, just nine NHL goalies have been credited with scoring 11 total goals. The first one to score a goal by actually shooting the puck into the net was Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ron Hextall in 1987; both Hextall and Martin Brodeur are the only goalies to have scored twice in their careers.
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There we have odd 10 NHL facts that you never knew. If you did happen to know some of these already, then consider yourself an NHL expert. If you knew all of them, then consider yourself an NHL genius! Why not put your newly knowledge to use and make some NHL bets at Bovada.
