NHL's Golden Goalies Quiz | NHL Players

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which first ballot hall of fame goalie holds numerous NHL records including games played, wins, and shutouts?

Answer: Martin Brodeur

Brodeur spent the vast majority of his career with the New Jersey Devils, but did have a tiny stint as a fill-in goalie with the St. Louis Blues. Among his records include 125 shutouts and 691 wins.

2. In 2012 three years after retirement and therefore eligible for election to the NHL Hall of Fame, this retired goalie was fourth in all-time wins, yet was the only one among the top 7 of all-time winning goalies to not inducted in the Hall of Fame. He provided strong goaltending to the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Who was he?

Answer: Curtis Joseph

Despite being considered among the game's greats, CuJo never won a Vezina or Hart trophy, and was never chosen as a first or second team all-star.

3. This goalie was drafted 219th overall (ninth round) and was drafted despite no one from the team's scouting staff ever watching him play in person or on tape. He is also the first European goalie to score a goal in the NHL. Who is this rag-to-riches goalie?

Answer: Evgeni Nabokov

Nabokov was only drafted because Time Burke, the San Jose scout who suggested him, was in Russia scouting a different goalie. He suggested drafting Nabokov simply because of who his father was. He went from being a last minute thought to the team's all time leader in virtually every goaltending category.

4. This 1987 Hall Of Fame inductee only got his big break by pretending to be his older brother when called upon by the Eastern League team the Washington Presidents. By the end of his career, he had won a Vezina, was a five time first or second all star. Who is he?

Answer: Ed Giacomin

Ed's older brother, Rollie, was the one requested by the Washington Presidents but he was happy with his job that he had in Sudbury, so without telling John O'Flaherty, the team's boss, he sent his kid brother.

5. Yet another goalie who wasn't drafted by a NHL team, which 2011 Hall of Fame inductee won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars, won a Calder and two Vezina trophies, and was a three time first or second all-star?

Answer: Ed Belfour

Ed Belfour's nickname the "eagle" that he infamously had on his masks comes from his admiration of the bird, due to its confidence, independence, vision, and leadership.

6. This goalie went from being a third stringer in San Jose to an all-star in Calgary, eventually retiring as the team's all-time leader in wins, GAA, SO, and save percentage Who is he?

Answer: Miika Kiprusoff

Buried behind Evgeny Nabokov as San Jose's starter and struggling on the losing end of his fight with Vesa Toskala as their backup, Kiprusoff was a 27 year old goalie with no good prospects. Calgary tossed San Jose a 2nd round pick and was rewarded with a starting goalie who produced a GAA of 1.69 and a .933 save percentage Being a first team all star and winning a Vezina cemented his status as Calgary's best ever goalie.

7. This deceased Philadelphia Flyers goalie was foreseen as being among the top 20 goalies of all time with the way his career was heading when tragedy struck and killed him at the young age of 26. What is his name?

Answer: Pelle Lindbergh

By the age of 26, Lindbergh played against Wayne Gretzky in the Stanley Cup finals, won a Vezina trophy, and even finished third in Hart trophy voting. Unfortunately his love of hockey was only matched by his love of fast cars. After securing a six year contract on the back of a 10 game winning streak, his team went out to celebrate. With a blood alcohol level of 0.24 (the legal limit was 0.10) he crashed his Porsche into a concrete wall in front of a school with two of his friends on board. They survived... he didn't.

8. This unheralded goalie never won any championships or trophies, didn't have any career defining streaks, nor finished on any all star team. Instead he was a solid and reliable goalie during his entire career, in which some of it was spent with the Nashville Predators. Who is this personal favourite of mine goalie?

Answer: Tomas Vokoun

Vokoun was a right catching goalie who was claimed in the 1998 expansion draft, and became consistently reliable goalie. Although he never got any real hardware, he finished in the top 10 Vezina voting three straight seasons, ranked fourth in games played and shutouts, sixth in wins, and fifth in save % among goalie who played at least 250 games (compared to other goalies in the same time period). During he years as Florida's starter, he posted an overall save % of .923.

This is actually all the more impressive when you factor in he was diagnosed with OCD which caused him to have obsessive and constant negative thoughts.

He couldn't put his mind to rest after games or shake off personal problems. Add the fact his career ended after suffering blood clots that his him in 2006 and then in 2014.

The clots were the result of scar tissue from where a catheter was inserted after hot coffee was spilled on him when he was 10 months old. He quietly retired as a member of the 300 win club with far less recognition then he deserved.

9. Which 1945 Hall of Fame inductee had his life cut short literally due to his desire to win it all as a goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks back in the 1920s and 30s?

Answer: Charlie Gardiner

"Smiling Charlie" played for a dreadful Blackhawks team. In his second season with the team the leading scorer had only 13 points in 38 games, and the team scored 33 in the 44 game season. They actually won seven games in that season, thanks to Gardiner.

In all he won a Stanley Cup, two Vezinas, and was a four time first or second team all star. He also pushed through collapsing in a game due to chronic tonsil infection and the resulting intense throat pain, pain in his kidneys, black spots, and uremic convulsions.

This didn't stop him. His team won the Cup despite his pain and fatigue. After the final game, he collapsed. He again collapsed a few months later and went into a coma. He died from a brain hemorrhage brought on by the tonsil infection.

10. Despite being a goalie since his university days, this retired goalie didn't crack the NHL until he was 31 and never let go, and made headlines for rejecting an invitation to the White House after winning the Stanley Cup in 2011. Who is this unique figure?

Answer: Tim Thomas

Despite not having the longevity of some other all star goalies, Thomas made his mark. In his Cup winning year, he posted a .938 save percentage which is the highest ever by a goalie playing more then 40 games in a season. He's also won the Vezina and Conn Smythe trophy, and has a career .920 save percentage which places him fourth best among all goalies playing at least 200 games (the others being Dominik Hasek, Tuukka Rask, and Ken Dryden). Thomas retired shortly afterwards and no one knows what he has done since or where he is. Rumors are he settled in Colorado, but his agent said he got a birthday card for his child from Thomas postmarked from Idaho.

Source: Author thirstydeer

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor 1nn1 before going online.
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NHL's Golden Goalies Trivia Quiz

This is the follow-up to my NHL Golden Years of Goalies, with more of an emphasis on more modern day goalies.

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