Free Hockey Facts From
Hockey Coach 1.com!
1. The first year a formal ice hockey game was played on record was 1855 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Hockey was adapted from the Native American game of lacrosse to play on a frozen ice surface.
2. In 1917 the NHL began with the following “Original Six” teams: Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
3. Billy Coutu received a lifetime suspension for assaulting referee Jerry LaFlamme and assistant Billy Bell after the last game of the 1927 finals.
4. Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins was the first player to record 100 points in the NHL - March 2, 1969.
5. Wilf Paiement from Earlton scored the NHL 's 100,000th goal on October 12,1980.
6. In the 1920s the average size of our players was 5 '9 " and 168 lbs. In the 1990s it was 6 '1 " and 202 lbs.
7. The Stanley Cup was purchased in 1892 by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Frederick Stanley, who wanted a challenge cup that the best hockey teams in Canada could compete for.
8. During the 1905 Stanley Cup Finals, Frank McGee of the Ottawa Silver Seven scored 14 goals in one game.
9. When the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2003, goaltender, Martin Brodeur took the Cup to a movie theater and ate popcorn out of it.
10. The Stanley Cup is two feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 34. 5 pounds.
11. Wayne Gretsky played on a ten year old hockey team when he was six.
12. Wayne Gretsky’s favorite player as a kid was Gordie Howe.
13. Mark Messier is the first player to captain two different NHL championship teams.
14. There are nine designated face-off spots on a hockey rink.
15.Before 1914, referees used to place the puck on the ice between the players’ sticks for face-offs. This led to many cuts, bruises, and even broken hands for the referees. Starting in 1914, the referees were allowed to drop the puck between the players’ stick.
16. The best ice for professional hockey is approximately 3/4 of an inch thick and is held at 16 degrees Fahrenheit for proper hardness. The thicker the sheet of ice becomes, the softer and “slower” it is. Commercial ice shows often perform on “warmer”, slower ice.
17. It takes 15,000 gallons of water to make a regulation-size rink ready before hockey games are to be played on them.
18. On average, a Zamboni machine "travels" close to 2,000 miles each year in the course of resurfacing.
19. In 1894, the first artificial ice rink was opened in Baltimore.
20. The World Hockey Association commenced in October 1972 but dissolved after the 1978-79 season when the NHL absorbed four of the teams.
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