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A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey

Did you know  ...

1 ... that James Robertson Justice (1905-1975) was a Netminder. Born in Wigtown, Scotland, he was forced to retire by a skiing injury. He became assistant secretary of the BIHA and a referee. He officiated in the match between England and Austria at Golders Green Ice Rink in 1933. His full name was James Norval Harald Robertson-Justice. He was a Ph.D., a journalist, a naturalist, a falconer and a racing car driver - he went on to become a famous film actor appearing in over forty movies. He played Sir Lancelot Spratt in the Doctor in the House series of films. He managed Great Britain in the 1932 European Championship in Berlin, where they finished 8th. He played for London Lions 1931-32.

2 ... that in the summer of 2002 the IIHF officially recognised the 3rd March 1875 game at the Victoria Skating Rink as the earliest eyewitness account of a specific game of hockey. The circumstances that surround that event, fulfil the IIHFs criteria for what can be recognized as the site of the first game of hockey.

3 ... that in ice hockey circles, the term Hat-Trick is generally accepted to derive from the habit of a Toronto haberdasher presenting a new hat to any three-goal scorer in Maple Leaf Gardens - although it is also said that the originator was the Biltmore Hat Company, who sponsored the Guelph Biltmores of the Ontario Hockey League. In truth, it seems to originate from the game of Cricket and refers to a bowler taking three wickets with three successive balls - a very unusual achievement. Similar to the ice hockey version of events, the 19th century custom of a cricket club awarding a new club hat to mark the success, gave rise to the phrase which was first recorded in print in the 1858.

4 ... that the game of cricket is the source of the term crease. One dictionary definition of crease is "a slight depression in the smoothness of a surface". When early cricketers marked out their playing area in front of their wickets, they made a furrow in the turf. The term crease was used to describe these markings. This method of marking lasted until the mid 1800s, when painted white lines were introduced. It was natural for the early ice hockey players to use a term they were familiar with for something that served a similar purpose - hence the area in front of the goal is known as the crease.

5 ... that Canada beat Denmark 47-0 in the 1949 World Championship.

6 ... that the temperature of the hot water poured onto the ice by a Zamboni is between 50 and 60 degrees centigrade.

7 ... that vulcanized rubber was invented by Goodyear in 1839 but was not used for puck construction until the 1880s. In 1886, an official ruling was adopted by the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada designating the vulcanized disc as the "official" puck of the association.

8 ... that goal judges count shots that would have gone into the net if a player or the goalie had not intervened. Hitting the pipework does not count as a shot on goal.

9 ... that the first World Championship match was played on the 23rd April 1920 - the result Sweden 8-0 Belgium.

10 ... that the honour of sharing the first NHL game ever played goes to four teams ? Two games were played on 19th December 1917 : Montreal Canadiens 7-4 Ottawa Senators and Montreal Wanderers 10-9 Toronto Arenas.

11 ... that the first black player in the NHL was Willie O'Ree. He was bon in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. An accident playing hockey as a junior left him blind in one eye. He played left-wing and had a career that covered three decades 1951-79 - his first season was with Fredericton Merchants and his final season was played with San Diego Hawks. He became the first black player in NHL history on the 18th January 1958 when he played for Boston Bruins in a 3-0 win over Montreal Canadiens at the Forum. He played for Boston Bruins 1957-58 & 1960-61, Los Angeles Blades 1961-67, San Diego Gulls 1967-72, New Haven Nighthawks 1972-73 and San Diego Gulls 1973-74.

12 ... that the first NHL goalie to wear a mask was Clint Benedict. He wore a crude leather mask when he returned to the nets, from a bad facial injury, towards the end of the 1929-30 season.

13 ... that the first live TV hockey game broadcast took place way back in 1938. It was on the 29th October from Harringay Arena in London. The second and third periods of Harringay Racers v Streatham were transmitted by the BBC via their studios at Alexandra Palace - where the world's first regular high definition TV channel commenced two years earlier.

14 ... that Fred Waghorne (1866-1956), who was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, refereed for over 50 years and officiated at 2,400 games in his career (all pre NHL-era). He also introduced several innovations (e.g. the modern face-off style & use of the whistle) that have remained in the modern game. In 1900, he had a situation where a puck split in two and one half ended up in the goal, after much deliberation he ruled it as 'no goal' because the official definition of a puck included specific dimensions and since the piece of rubber in the goal did not meet these specifications, it could not be a puck. He therefore instituted the rule that the entire puck must cross the line for a goal to count. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.

15 ... that Aarne Honkavaara Trophy is an annual award for the player who has scored most goals during the regular season in the SM-liiga. The award was first introduced to the Finnish SM-liiga in 1978 and was renamed in honour of Aarne Honkavaara in 1995.

16 ... that the BBC 'Grandstand TV Trophy' was awarded to the winners of an ice hockey competition organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the mid 1960s. Some of the games were televised. In 1963-64 it was contested by Altrincham Aces, Ayr Rangers, Brighton Tigers, Fife Flyers, Glasgow Flyers, Paisley Mohawks, The Wasps and Wembley Lions. It was played on a knockout basis with the final at the Empire Pool Wembley where Fife Flyers beat Wembley Lions 5-4. It was not contested during the 1964-65 season. In 1965-66 Ayr Rangers, Edinburgh Royals, Fife Flyers and Paisley Mohawks played on a league basis. A final was played at Kirkcaldy where Paisley Mohawks defeated Fife Flyers 4-1. The final season for the trophy was 1966-67 when Fife Flyers, Paisley Mohawks, Perth Blackhawks and Wembley Lions played on a knockout basis again with the final at Kirkcaldy where Fife Flyers beat Wembley Lions 3-2.

17 ... that a Mr Tackaberry, a Winnipeg shoe maker, made specially re-inforced hockey boots. He lived next door to Joe Hall, a professional hockey player. He listened to Hall's complaints about his blades and boots and came up with a custom Kangaroo leather boot featuring re-enforced toe and heel in 1905. The style of boot became known as the Tackaberry. In 1937 the Canadian Cycle and Motor Company Limited (CCM) acquired the Tackaberry name following the death of boot designer. CCM continuously refined the hockey boot and made the name 'Tackaberry' world famous.

18 ... that CCM stands for Canadian Cycle and Motor Company Limited. It was founded in 1899 by a group of companies including Lozier, Welland Vale, Gendron, Goold and Massey-Harris. The company was created to compete with The American Bicycle Company - which had set up a bicycle manufacturing plant in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1905 the company began to manufacture winter sports equipment producing CCM Automobile Skates. In the 1930's CCM produced "Matched Sets" of blades and boots based on the principle of the modern skate. In the mid 1930s, CCM employed King Clancy to promote their skates - the first hockey player to act as a consultant in the design, testing, and marketing of their equipment. In 1937 the company acquired the Tackaberry trade name - an established brand of skate already a favourite with professional players. CCM had also become a hockey stick distributor and purchased the Joseph Choquette Company in 1940 to become the leading manufacturer of sticks as well as skates.

19 ... that "Matched Sets" was a term used by the Canadian Cycle and Motor Company Limited (CCM) to describe hockey skates sold with boots. In one of their 1936 advertisements the CCM Prolite Matched Sets were on sale for $22.50.

20 ... that the Detroit Red Wings began life as the Detroit Cougars. This was the original name for the Detroit franchise granted by the National Hockey League in 1926 (known as the Cougars because the majority of players were from Victoria Cougars). They played in the NHL under this name 1927-30. The name then changed to Detroit Falcons for the 1930-32 season before the name changed again, to Detroit Red Wings from the 1932-33 season.

21 ... that two teams from the USA turned up for the 1948 Olympics - one from the Amateur Athletic Union and one from the Amateur Hockey Association. It nearly caused the abandonment of the competition but a compromise was reach - the AAU team marched in the Olympic parade and the AHA team played in the tournament. Control of the sport in America subsequently moved from the AAU to the AHA.

22 ... that Britain's first recorded ice hockey matches took place in 1895 and were played at the Princes and Niagara rinks in London's Westminster - and on the lake at Buckingham Palace!

23 ... that NHL veteran John McKenzie, who played for 13 different teams between 1958 and 1979 (Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Stampeders, Detroit Red Wings, Hershey Bears, Buffalo Bisons, St Louis Braves, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Blazers, Vancouver Blazers, Minnesota Fighting Saints, Cincinnati Stingers and New England Whalers) had his #19 shirt retired by the Hartford Whalers although he never dressed for the team. The shirt number was retired in the Hartford Whalers first NHL season in honour of McKenzie's career with the club when it was known as the New England Whalers.

24 ... that the first English ice hockey league was formed in 1903 with five teams - Princes, Cambridge University, London Canadians and two teams from Henglers. Five years later on the 16th May 1908, England were founder members with France, Belgium and Switzerland, of the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG), now the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The first ice hockey games are were played in Scotland in the same year, at the old Crossmyloof rink in Glasgow which boasted a bandstand on pillars in the middle of the ice.

25 ... that the Dayton Bombers (from Dayton, Ohio, USA) play their East Coast Hockey League games in the Nutter Center. The Nutter Center is part of the Wright State University
complex, has 9,950 seats for ice hockey and is named in honour of Ervin J Nutter ...

26 ... that in 1934 The Empire Pool Wembley opened. It was the first of the big arenas in London, seating 10,000. Similar arenas followed at Earl's Court (1935) and Harringay (1936). The size of these stadiums revolutionised the sport which was to be dominated by Canadian players for the next quarter-century (sound familiar!). With Canadians included in the Great Britain side GB went on to win the European Championship in 1935 and the Olympic, World and European titles at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany the following year.

27 ... that the Edinburgh Trophy was the name given to a cup presented to the winners of a challenge series played between teams representing the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Hockey League in Canada. It was contested for three seasons - 1953-56.

28 ... that on Friday, 11th September 1998 (the first day of the DEL 1998-99 season) the game between the Cologne Sharks (Kölner Haie) and the Frankfurt Lions was the first event to take place in the new Köln Arena (the official opening in October was a Luciano Pavarotti concert). The arena was sold out for the hockey match with 17,000 spectators - for security reasons, just a short time after the building was finished, they did not sell all 18,000 seats. The current record attendance at the Köln Arena is 18,670 - 14th April 2002 when Cologne Sharks beat Mannheim Eagles 3-2.

29 ... that the Chicago Blackhawks were originally referred to as the Chicago Black Hawks because of a poor stitching job. In May 1926, when Major Frederic McLaughlin became the owner of the new NHL franchise in Chicago, he named the team after his WWI battalion in the 86th Division - also known as the Blackhawk Division. The team jersey was designed with the Indian head encircled with Blackhawks at the top and Chicago at the bottom - because the k and the h didn't quite meet, the sportswriters reported the team name as Black Hawks. It wasn't until 1986 that the error was officially corrected.

30 ... that Sam Lichtenhein, the owner of the Montreal Wanderers, had more trouble with fires that can reasonably be attributed to bad luck. His father owned a department store in Chicago which was destroyed in the great Chicago Fire of 1871. The family moved to Montreal. When the Westmount Arena burnt down in 1918, Lichtenhein also lost part of the adjoining Baseball Park. Some years later there was a second fire at the baseball stadium and one of his businesses.

31 ... that the famous Boston Bruins logo, the Spoked-B, was introduced during the 1948-49 season as a celebration of Boston Bruins 25th anniversary as an NHL team. The logo first used a rounded B but was changed the next season to the block B we see today. The letter B was placed in a spoked wheel to represent Boston's nickname in those days, which was The Hub. In the 1948-49 season the logo had the number 24 on the left spoke and 49 on the right spoke which related to the years 1924 & 1949.

32 ... that David Beckham's fame has reached the ears of ice hockey commentators. During the first Western Conference final game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Play-Offs between Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Minnesota Wild, the CBC commentator said after four periods of a 0-0 game - "perhaps we need David Beckham to break this tie". It wasn't Beckham, it was Sykora who won it for the Ducks in the "89th minute" of the game - so perhaps there was a Manchester United connection after all!

33 ... that Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock once played for Whitley Warriors. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native played defence for the north east side in 1987-88 and was named British Ice Hockey Writer's Association All-Star defenceman in 1987.

34 ... that TV star Matt Frewer, who was born Washington DC (raised in Victoria, British Columbia and Peterborough, Ontario) and starred in "Max Headroom" & Steven Spielberg's "Taken" (as well as appearing in many films and TV series including Honey I Shrunk The Kids, National Lampoon's Senior Trip, The Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, Miami Vice, The Outer Limits and Star Trek The Next Generation), at one time played ice hockey with the Avon Arrows while he attend Bristol Old Vic Repertory Company.

35 ... that the first president of the IIHF was born Kingston, Jamaica. Louis Magnus (1881-1950) moved to France in 1889 and became interested in ice sports. He was French figure skating champion on five occasions.  He organised the inaugural meeting in Paris on 15th of May 1908 (inviting Great Britain, Switzerland and Belgium) which resulted in the establishment of the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (which later became the IIHF). He was elected IIHF President and served until 1914 and was the IIHF Vice President 1923-1924. He worked as journalist and publisher all his life supporting ice hockey and was a delegate of the French National Olympic Committee to organise the inaugural Olympic Winter Games in 1924 at Chamonix. The Louis Magnus Cup was established in his honour.
He was elected to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997.

36 ... that NHL Hall of Famer Cyclone Taylor was the holder of an OBE. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire by King George VI, for his services during World War II.

37 ... that when coach Frank Boucher pulled goalie Dave Kerr with two minutes left in a 1939-40 regular season game when coaching the New York Rangers, it was the first time an NHL coach had pulled his goalie for the extra forward to try and win a game.

38 ... that Sergei Gomolyako wore the number 135 during the 1994-95 Spengler Cup - 135 was his weight in kilograms (about 280 pounds). During that regular season with Traktor Chelyabinsk he wore number 13.

39 ... that Canadian Garry Monahan was the NHL's first ever draft pick when he was selected by Montreal Canadiens in the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft. He played for 16 pro seasons including spells with Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. He played his last three seasons in Japan with Seibu Tetsudo and hung up his skates in 1982.

40 ... that Boston Bruins 1st ever draft pick (3rd overall) in the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft was Orest Romashyma. Chicago Blackhawks 1st ever draft pick (5th overall) was Art Hampson. Neither player went on to play professionally.

41 ... that during the period 1942-67 only Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers & Toronto Maple Leafs competed in the National Hockey League and that is why they are known as the Original Six. In the 2003-04 season there are 30 teams.

42 ... that the first NHL season was 1917-18 and there were four teams in the league - Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators & Toronto Arenas. The NHL finished the season with just three teams when the Montreal Wanderers home arena (The Montreal Arena) burned down after just six games and they withdrew from the league.

43 ... that for 10 seasons, 1983-93, the name given to the British National League was the Heineken League. There was a Premier Division, a Division One and during some of Heineken's sponsorship years there was also a Division Two - all playing under the same banner.

44 ... that the first ice rink to be built in Australia was in Adelaide, South Australia. It closed after one year. Scrimmage type hockey was played in October 1904.

45 ... that Finland´s first artificial rink opened in Tampere on 22nd November 1955.

46 ... that in 1937 South Africa became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The first ice rink was built in Johannesburg and was named the Wembley Ice Rink. The first ice hockey matches were played in South Africa that year with exhibition games between Oxford University and Cambridge University.

47 ... that in 1938 Sweden played in jerseys with three crowns on the chest for the first time. The nickname "Tre Kronor" was born.

48 ... that Toronto Maple Leafs new arena, the Air Canada Centre was built at a cost of $265 million and opened in 1999. The Leafs transferred to the Air Canada Centre on the 20th February 1999 after 68 years at the Maple Leaf Gardens.

49 ... that is wasn't until 1947 that the first Soviet ice hockey championship started. Dynamo Moscow were the first champions of the USSR. It wasn't until 1954 that the USSR team first appeared in the World Championships - which they won.

50 ... that the plus/minus statistic is a way of measuring a player's defensive contribution to the team. It is based on the following - if a player is on the ice when an even-strength or short-handed goal is scored for his team then 1 is added to his +/- statistic, if a player is on the ice when an even-strength or short-handed goal is conceded by his team then 1 is taken away from his +/- statistic. Power-play goals, for or against, are not included in the plus/minus statistic. Penalty shots do not apply with regard to +/-.

51 ... that Edmonton Oilers won the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals by four games to zero against Boston Bruins but that five games were actually started. Game 4 had the teams level at 3-3 as the second period drew to a close. With 3:23 left on the clock there was a power failure at Boston Gardens and the game had to be called off.

52 ... that a Gordie Howe Hat-trick refers to a player getting a goal and an assist in a game where he also drops his gloves and gets involved in a fight - something Gordie Howe often managed during his career.

53 ... that the first hockey match played at Madison Square Garden took place on the 15th December 1925. The game between Montreal Canadiens and New York Americans finished with a 3-1 win to the visiting Canadiens.

54 ... that in the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Prince of Wales Conference Division Finals, Montreal Canadiens swept Buffalo Sabres four games to nil. All four games finished 4-3 in Montreal's favour. Montreal went on to win the Stanley Cup that year defeating Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings four games to one.

55 ... that the club colours of German club Berliner SC from the mid 1920s were black & white stripes. The first official to wear the stripes in the UK is thought to be Ray Shilling, in the early 1970s. NHL referees and linesmen wore shirts with black and white vertical stripes for the first time in the 1954-55 season.

56 ... that after the Boston Bruins captured the Stanley Cup in 1970, for the first time in 29 years, there was a long, loud celebration in and around Beantown which left-winger Wayne Cashman embraced with great enthusiasm. At one point in the long spree of merrymaking, Cashman decided that his services were needed to improve the flow of traffic at a busy intersection. His work at the corner was not up to the standards of his work in the corners of a hockey rink, however, and a large traffic snarl resulted. When the state police arrived to provide assistance, Cashman felt unappreciated and refused to relinquish his post. As a result, he was arrested - not without some difficulty - and taken to the Lynnfield (Massachusetts) State Police Barracks where he was informed of his right to make one phone call. The police were somewhat embarrassed to have a local hero in their jail and waited impatiently for a lawyer or a bail bondsman to arrive and extricate Cashman. Finally, there was a knock at the door of the barracks. An Oriental gentleman responding to Cashman's one phone call, announced: "Have order of sweet and sour pork, won ton soup and egg rolls for a Mr Wayne Cash-a-man."

57 ... that Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Mercurys Goaldiggers were big rivals. Things sometimes got out of hand and former Komet Doug Rigler said "The one thing you always heard was that fans from Fort Wayne wouldn't go to Toledo, because they would try damaging cars or pushing our bus in the river. The fans there were everything they said they were." The rivalry during the regular season and playoffs was bitter - most games totalling more than 150 minutes in penalties. "It was like going to war," former Komet George Kotsopoulos said. "They had a lot of goon squads." In 1984, the rivals played in a thick Toledo Sports Arena fog. With the Komets hitting the post eight times, the Goaldiggers scored the only goal late in the game - at least the red light went on. Komets goaltender Darren Jensen complained he couldn't see three feet in front of him, and the shot came from 10 feet away.

58 ... that Robert Picard was a first round draft choice of the Washington Capitals in 1977 and signed a letter of intent with the NHL club the day of the draft. The talented defenceman also took some of his bonus money and immediately purchased a new car, the way many young hockey players did. Then along came another agent who convinced Picard that his original agent had sold his talents too cheaply. The 20-year old athlete then signed another contract, this time with the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA. When the Capitals protested, Picard responded, somewhat undiplomatically, "I would rather sell pizzas in Quebec than play hockey in Washington." The Capitals chose to overlook the Montreal native's insult but did threaten to go to court and the WHA relinquished its claim. Picard went back to Washington, reluctantly, in time for the exhibition season. One of his first games was against the Nordiques, in Quebec City, and how did the local hockey fans greet the local hero? They threw pizzas at him when he came on the ice.

59 ... That many coaches and general managers have exhorted their players to "fight team, fight." Many have also taken themselves seriously. Few, however, have taken themselves literally. Emile Francis did. He was the GM when the New York Rangers were leading the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1, at Madison Square Garden on 21st November 1965, and Norm Ullman scored a goal that tied the game midway in the third period. At least, goal judge Arthur Reichert thought it did. Francis didn't. He charged Reichert while the game was in progress. Reichert argued back. A fan sitting next to Reichert told Francis to "get lost". Francis, who always said his teams needed some punch, then swung at the fan. The fan swung back. The Rangers rushed to help Francis, some of them even scaling the eight-foot high glass boards, which was no easy task. Neither was calming Francis. The free-for-all lasted 20 minutes. Francis emerged bloodied and rumpled, his tie wrapped around his face and anger covering it. The Rangers threatened to ban Reichert from the Garden, but he went on to be a goal judge for almost another 20 years. The game ended in a 3-3 tie.

60 ... that on Saturday night, 3rd March 1979, the Toronto Maple Leafs lined up before their home game against Philadelphia without a coach behind their bench. Roger Neilson had been fired in a most bizarre fashion following the Leafs' fifth straight loss, 2-1 at Montreal the previous Thursday.
Toronto's bombastic owner, Harold Ballard, who had announced that Neilson's job was in jeopardy the week before, told reporters, "Neilson is gone," after the loss to the Canadiens. The next day, Ballard ordered general manager Jim Gregory to ask for Neilson's resignation but the coach would not comply. Ballard publicly confirmed his decision to fire the coach and said he planned to offer Neilson another job in the organization. Neilson, meanwhile, had his players fill out a questionnaire, indicating what mistakes they thought he had made to help him in future coaching work. The players met on Saturday, blamed themselves for the slump and asked Ballard to retain Neilson. The owner, who had been unable to find another coach in the meantime, decided to make a joke out of the incident and asked Neilson to appear behind the bench wearing a mask. Neilson declined but finally agreed to make a late entrance. He appeared, to a standing ovation, just before the puck was dropped and guided his team to a 4-2 victory over the Flyers.

61 ... that the Russian Hall of Fame opened on 6th March 2004 - the 50th anniversary of the first participation of the USSR in the World Championships. Although there is no physical home for the Hall of Fame at present, a new stadium to be built in Moscow for the 2007 World Championships will house the Russian Hall of Fame. Inductions to the Hall of Fame will be made twice during the season: December (during the Baltic Cup) & May (after the end of the season).

62 ... that Lou Nanne, the Minnesota North Stars' former general manager, was playing for Team USA in Prague during the 1976 World Championship Tournament and things weren't going well for the overmatched Americans against a strong Soviet team. When Nanne's work as a right-winger was criticized loudly by Team USA coach John Mariucci, the usually mild-mannered defensive specialist charged his coach and the two men were soon trading punches on the bench as the game continued.
Peace was restored by teammates but the incident was a shocker because both men were North Stars employees and longtime friends. Mariucci had been Nanne's hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and the two remained close when Nanne went on to play for the North Stars and Mariucci became one of the team's scouts. How did the two old friends react after the game ? They had a rematch, again necessitating mass intervention by players and officials. But the oddest moment was when Nanne was named GM in February 1978, who did he name as his assistant GM ? Mariucci, of course.

63 ... that one of the most bizarre on-ice incidents ever, involved a player named Abie Goldberry who played as a junior in Quebec back in 1930. He was hit by a puck that ignited a box of matches in his pocket, setting his uniform on fire. He was badly burned before his teammates managed to put the fire out.

64 ... that on 1st April 1979, the Colorado Rockies set a club record for most goals, defeated the St Louis Blues 9-5 and in the process replaced goal judge Rod Lippman. It was the highest scoring game in which the Rockies had ever been involved and that was the problem. One shot went into the net. No goal light. Two other shots never reached the net. The light flashed. Finally, referee Greg Madill ordered Lippman out of the judge's cage and ordered a replacement into it. No one could remember that happening before.

65 ... that Czechoslovakia's first international achievement was to win the bronze medal at the 1920 Olympics. Czechoslovakia's last international triumph was when they took the bronze medal in the 1992 Olympics.

66 ... that Dave Hanson, one of the brawling Hanson brothers in the classic 'Slap Shot', was trying to make his mark for the Birmingham Bulls in the WHA when he battled Chicago great Bobby Hull in Winnipeg. "In the middle of the melee we both stopped," Hanson said. "All the screaming stopped, and I look up, and Bobby doesn't look the same as when we started. I look at my hand, and I had just pulled off his toupee..." "I was a bit shocked. I threw it on the ice."  Bobby Hull left the ice and later returned with a helmet on.

67 ... that on 8th October 1995, Scott Mellanby killed a rat with his hockey stick inside the Miami Arena’s home locker room. That same night Scott went on to score two goals. The net minder, John Vanbiesbrouck, later said that Scott had scored a "Rat Trick." At this point in the season no Florida Panther had scored a hat trick so this was the next best thing. A few fans a couple of nights later started throwing toy rubber rats on the ice after Scott scored. From this point the rat concept steamrolled and progressed with the season. Fed up with the plastic rats, freshly dead octopuses and other objects tossed on the ice of NHL arenas, the league soon instituted a rule designed to keep fans from littering the ice. A 2-minute delay-of-game penalty can be assessed against the home team if a game is held up because of objects on the ice. However, it's still OK to throw hats when a player gets a hat trick, a long-standing NHL tradition.

68 ... that Latvia first played in the World Championships in the 1932-33 season. Sixty years later, after the break-up of the USSR, Latvia won World Championship (Pool C) in the 1992-93 season.

69 ... that hockey players are tough! Wayne Bianchin suffered a broken neck while surfing in Hawaii. He had a neck fusion operation and returned to the NHL.

70 ... that goalie Andy Moog, while visiting a ward of sick children at a local hospital, accidentally entered a quarantined area, caught a viral infection and lost six pounds in weight.

71 ... that some amazing things appear to happen in the realms of recreational hockey - a recreational player with the Ayr Jackals somehow managed to get a 5+Game penalty for fighting with the Zamboni driver!

72 ... that in 1977 the St Louis Blues were mired in money troubles, the biggest problem being they didn't have much money. On the 17th February, general manager Emile Francis spotted an official of the electric company sneaking around the rink trying to pry open power boxes. Francis asked him why. The Blues hadn't paid their electric bill, he was told. The alternative was paying the bill, or opening the doors and windows and hoping the water would freeze. Francis promised to pay, the Blues beat the Washington Capitals 4-1, and the club sent out a cheque the next morning. And around St Louis, it is known as the best power play the Blues ever had.

73 ... that one of the wackiest things ever witnessed in a hockey rink happened during an Italian league game in 1993-94. Canadian born Tony Iob took a cigarette lighter and tried to set an opponent on fire during a game! His actions were caught on tape and he was charged with several offences.

74 ... that Springfield Indians owner, and future Hockey Hall of Famer, Eddie Shore was responsible for the infamous Jake Milford trade when he moved the future fellow Hall of Famer from Springfield to Buffalo - in exchange for a pair of used goal nets!

75 ... that on the afternoon of Sunday, 18th March 1979, the Quebec Nordiques were scheduled to play a league game in Edmonton Oilers when coach Jacques Demers realized what a problem he would have dressing the minimum number of players - 15. Six Nordiques couldn't play. Knee injuries had claimed JC Tremblay, Richard Brodeur and Serge Bernier. Pierre Lagace and Marc Tardif couldn't play because of ailing shoulders. Dale Hoganson had a broken nose and couldn't see because his eyes were closed. But when the game began there were 15 bodies there, though one looked a little plump. Coach Jacques Demers had dressed himself, but, to do so, he had to sign a five-game tryout. Demers never played but the Nordiques surely did. Led by Buddy Cloutier's three goals and two assists, the Nordiques clobbered Edmonton 7-2.

76 ... that Tom Rowe scored his first NHL goal, on his first shot, in his first shift of his first ever NHL game in December 1976, when the Washington Capitals played the Bruins in Boston. In the 1978-79 season, he became the first American born player to score 30 goals an NHL season. He is currently an assistant coach with the Lowell Loch Monsters.

77 ... Detroit Red Wings ice appropriately named goalie Dave Gatherum in the 1953-54 season when legend Terry Sawchuck was out injured. Gatherum registered a 4-0 shutout in his debut NHL game against Toronto Maple Leafs and still holds the NHL record for the longest shutout sequence by a goalie from the start of his career - 100.21 minutes. Not bad for just 3 NHL career games.

78 ... the first player to win the MVP award in the Ontario Hockey League twice was Andre Lacroix - in the 1964-65 & 1965-66 seasons. He went on to play in both the WHA and the NHL. In the World Hockey Association he was the scoring leader in 1972-73 & 1974-75.

79 ... "The Scottish Star" was a weekly four page tabloid founded, edited & published by Johnny Kelly and devoted to ice hockey in Scotland. It was published during the hockey season and ran for 123 issues - from September 1947 until April 1951.

80 ... that goalie Wendell Young had an incredible career from Junior 'A' hockey with the Kitchener Rangers to his days with the Chicago Wolves, being the only player in the history of hockey to have won the following championships - the Ontario Hockey Association Championship, the Ontario Hockey League Championship, the Canadian Hockey League Championship, the American Hockey League Championship, the Stanley Cup and the International Hockey League Championship.

81 ... "The Ringbearer" is the name of a tribute web site for goalie Wendell Young. The site was created by Bryan McCready - it provides a complete history of Wendell Young's career including stats, photos, draft lists, accomplishments, injuries, trades, championships (Robertson, Memorial, Calder, Turner & Stanley Cups), and a lot more. Find it at www.wendellyoung.homestead.com/wy.html

82 ... that in the 1986 film "Youngblood" - a drama starring Rob Lowe (as hockey rookie "Dean Youngblood") and Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reaves made his screen debut as the goalie.

83 ... that "Ice Hockey World" was the world's first newspaper on the sport. It was founded in 1935 by Rene Francis Galbraith 'Bob' Giddens and was published in the UK from 1935 to 1940 and then, after World War II, from 1946 to 1958. There were 542 editions of this weekly newspaper and during its heyday in the mid-fifties, it reached a circulation of 35,000.

84 ... that "Ice Hockey World" was relaunched in 1984 as a monthly magazine formally titled "Ice Hockey World & Skating Review, incorporating Puck". It became a bi-monthly magazine in October 1987 and closed after the publication of its April 1993 issue. There were 49 issues in total. It was edited by Phil Drackett, who also was involved with the original weekly newspaper, of the same name, some 40 years previously.

85 ... that the first hockey played in Poland took place during World War I. The students of Lvov college organized the first ice hockey event. It was not played strictly to the rules because the students did not know the rules - it was just amateur hockey.

86 ... that in 1900, Fred C Waghorn refereed a game where a puck split in two and one half ended up in the goal, after much deliberation he ruled it as 'no goal' because the official definition of a puck included specific dimensions and since the piece of rubber in the goal did not meet these specifications, it could not be a puck. He therefore instituted the rule that the entire puck must cross the line for a goal to count.

87 ... that Marc Claude Boileau was suspended by Montreal Canadiens for the 1954-55 season after he refused to be assigned to Fort Wayne Komets, who ironically became his last club as a player where he managed 143 games in the early 1970s.

88 ... that when hockey player Stan Long visited his local tailor, Tobe Kersey, to be measured for a suit, the tailor assumed he had gotten his numbers reversed and had to call Stan back to double check. Kersey recalled this as the most amazing thing that ever happened to him as a tailor. He had the numbers right. The circumference of each of Stan's thighs was 34 inches. His waist was 32.

89 ... that during the 1952-53 season, in a collision with an opposing player whose stick broke, Stan Long's thigh was pierced through severing the femoral artery, Stan lost more than half his blood. Only the quick thinking of the team trainer and the presence of a doctor in the arena saved his life. Roy Jennings, a former deputy sheriff in Nanaimo, British Columbia , who was a stick boy with the Victoria Cougars when Stan had the horrendous accident said it was one of the most horrible things he had ever seen. The doctors declared that Stan would never walk again, let alone play hockey, but he played for another eight seasons.

90 ... that during the 1930s the Scottish National League held a knock-out competition known as "The President's Puck" and also "Silver Pucks" - each player in the winning team was presented with a puck on a silver tripod engraved 'President's Puck'.

91 ... that Scottish National League team, Bridge of Weir, made the pages of the Montreal Daily Star on Wednesday 23rd October 1929. The article read "All known records for an early start in actual play in hockey have been shattered, and not by a Canadian or American team. This honour goes without reserve to Scotland, according to a paragraph in the Glasgow News, which has just reached the National League headquarters. The game was played on October 4 in the famous Crossmyloof artificial ice rink and was a city league affair between the Glasgow Mohawks and Bridge of Weir. There is a flourishing city league in Glasgow which is arousing considerable hockey enthusiasm. Bridge of Weir won by 2-1 and apparently they have their defensive hockey over there as well as here. The Bridge of Weir team, victors of the occasion, are apparently somewhat of a family affair as there are three Muirheads on the team, two McLeods, and a Woodrow. Hockey is making considerable strides in Glasgow, and their enterprise in starting the actual competition so early has set up a record which will hardly be surpassed for some time to come."

92 ... that Jack Caffery, 1934-92, a centre for both Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, missed four entire seasons of hockey (1958-60 & 1961-63) when played professional baseball for Milwaukee Braves farm team. He returned to hockey after each baseball spell - for the Springfield Indians 1960-61 and Greensboro Generals 1963-64.

93 ... that Canada dominated the early Olympic ice hockey tournaments, winning 4 out of the first 5 gold medals. In 1924, the Toronto Granites, the Ontario "Senior A" team and Allan Cup holders who represented Canada, racked up 110 goals in only 5 games - Harry Watson scored 36 of them!

94 ... that the first ever NHL All-Star First Team goalie was a Scottish lad born Edinburgh in 1904. Charlie Gardiner received the award in respect of the 1930-31 season. Gardiner, who played for Chicago Blackhawks, was also NHL All-Star First Team goalie in 1931-32 & 1933-34. He won the Stanley Cup in 1934 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

95 ... that goalie George Abbott, played just one NHL game and that was for the Boston Bruins although he wasn't a Boston player. He was Toronto Maple Leafs practice goalie and was loaned to Boston by Toronto when Boston netminder Bert Gardiner was injured before the game. The game was played on the 27th November 1943 and the score was Toronto 7-4 Boston.

96 ... that Swedish defenceman Lasse Björn did not miss a game in 16 seasons with Djurgårdens IF. At international level he played 239 games for Sweden between 1951 and 1961, playing in nine World Championships and three Olympics - winning World Championship gold in 1953 & 1957. He was elected to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1998.

97 ... that the Empire Pool (Wembley in Middlesex), which opened in 1934 was operated pre World War II as a dual purpose Swimming Pool and Ice Rink. It was requisitioned by the Government in Summer 1940 and used, first as a dispersal centre for troops lifted off the Dunkirk beaches, then as a home for refugees from Holland & Belgium and finally it housed evacuees from Gibraltar. Ice came back in December 1945. Its full name was the Empire Pool & Sports Arena but in 1976 it became known as Wembley Arena. It served as home ice for Wembley Lions & Wembley Monarchs.

98 ... that the number 0 (zero) has been worn in the NHL by two players. Paul Bibeault wore the shirt when playing for the Montreal Canadiens as backup goalie during the 1942-43 season and Neil Sheehy wore the shirt when playing defence for the Hartford Whalers in 1988. Neil told the A to Z that he had two reasons for wearing the number zero - "0 is the furthest number from 99 and talent-wise I was as far away from 99 as possible but remember opposites attract" and "When my grandparents came to the United States from Ireland our family name was O'Sheehy, I wore 0 to get the O back".

99... that the number 00 (double-zero) has been worn in the NHL by two players. John Davidson, the New York Rangers goalie, wore the shirt for one season in the 1970s and Martin Biron, goalie with the Buffalo Sabres, wore the shirt during his rookie season in 1995-96.

100... that the weirdest jersey number we have heard of is 95.2 - which was worn by Thomas Eichberger when playing for EHC Linz.

101... that Mel Hewitt of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles worn the number 19 and 111 during the 1986-87 season.

102... that jersey number 135 was worn by Sergei Gomolyako during the 1994-95 Spengler Cup - 135 was his weight in kilograms (about 280 pounds). During that regular season with Traktor Chelyabinsk he wore number 13.

103... that the highest jersey number (that we've heard of so far) was 917, worn by Fredrik Andersson for three seasons (1991-94) when he played for Shelleftea AIK.

104 ... that Alex Shibicky is credited with being the first player to use a slap shot. "I learned it from Bun Cook," Shibicky recalled, "but he only used it in practice. I was the first to use it in a game." Shibicky and Cook were teammates during the 1935-36 season.

105 ... that in 1919 the Montreal Canadiens (NHL) and Seattle Metropolitans (Pacific Coast League) were competing in the final of the Stanley Cup but after five games the health department halted the competition because Montreal player Joe Hall died in the flu pandemic.

106 ... that the Stanley Cup was presented in 1893 by the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Stanley, as a trophy for the amateur champions of Canada (winners of the AHAC). Said to have originally cost $48.67. In 1896 and 1907 there were two Stanley Cup championships because at that time there where no regular play offs and the champions could be challenged by any team. Since 1910 it has been the emblem of North American hockey supremacy and from 1926 it has been competed for exclusively by NHL teams. Prior to 1926 the winners of Western Hockey League and the Pacific Coast Hockey League would play the NHL champion in Stanley Cup finals. The Stanley Cup is the oldest award competed for by professional athletes in North America.

107 ... that Red Stapleford (1912-1983) moved to Britain in 1934. He returned to London after a coaching spell on the Continent in the late 1950s and acted as Commissioner for the Government of Ontario. He played for Streatham before and after the 1939-40 season, which he spent with the Wembley Lions. He mainly coached for Streatham after World War II and when Streatham folded in 1954 he retired from British hockey.

108 ... that the plus/minus statistic is a way of measuring a player's defensive contribution to the team. It is based on the following - if a player is on the ice when an even-strength or short-handed goal is scored for his team then 1 is added to his +/- statistic, if a player is on the ice when an even-strength or short-handed goal is conceded by his team then 1 is taken away from his +/- statistic. Power-play goals, for or against, are not included in the plus/minus statistic.

109 ... that the Stein Larger Trophy was a well supported end of the season multi-team competition held annually at Blackpool Ice Drome during the 1970s. Teams picked 10 players of which seven could dress for any one game. There were up to 20 teams playing in groups in a round robin format, with 30 minute games and the group leaders going forward to knock out semi-finals and a one-off final. The tournament ran for about 12 hours so there was plenty of time for players and supporters to sample the delights of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and its rides. The winners in 1974 were Bristol Redwings.

110 ... that at the end of the 1987-88 season the Stanley Cup Final was contested by the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins. The Oilers won the first three games and were in Boston for game 4 - but the game did not finish because, with 3:23 of the second period left on the clock, there was a power failure at Boston Gardens and the game had to be called off. Game 5 back in Edmonton was won 6-3 by the Oilers who registered a 4 games to nil victory.
 

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