May 18 — Toughest Trophy & Penguins Trivia

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Monday’s Moon Shots

GROUNDBREAKING HIRE: ESPN’s NHL broadcasting team is starting to come together, and the network’s latest hire is a big one. Leah Hextall — who’s no stranger to making history — is now the first-ever woman to ink a national NHL play-by-play gig after reportedly agreeing to terms with the network on Monday. Can’t wait to watch!

PUTTING THE FUN IN FUNGIBLE: The Devils have partnered with Fanaply to produce digital collectibles inspired by iconic moments in the team’s history. Want to learn more about the craze? Check out njdnft.com

STORMIN’ INTO HISTORY: Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic is the first Hurricane rookie to record a win in the playoffs since Cam Ward did it in 2006. Omen alert: Ward won the Conn Smythe Trophy that season.

GABRIEL’S NO SAINT: Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog notched a Gordie Howe hat trick in Monday’s Game 1 thrashing of St. Louis, mixing it up with Brayden Schenn in addition to tallying a goal and assist.

THERE’S SOMETHIN’ BRUIN: Brad Marchand’s Game 2 overtime heroics made history on Monday: It’s now the fastest-ever playoff overtime goal scored in Bruins’ history. At 39 seconds, it was one tick faster than Bobby Orr’s unforgettable 1970 Stanley Cup clinching goal.

Trivia Tuesday

Do you know your Pittsburgh Penguins’ Trivia?

  1. The Pittsburgh Penguins were founded in what year?
    • 1963
    • 1965
    • 1967
    • 1969

  2. The Miracle on Ice is considered the best sports moment of the 20th century. Which player from that 1980 US Olympic team was drafted 66th overall by the Penguins? 
    • Mark Johnson
    • Rob McClanahan
    • John Harrington
    • Ken Morrow

  3. Who was the first Penguin to appear in the NHL All-Star Game? 
    • Val Fonteyne
    • Mel Pearson
    • Ken Schinkel
    • Art Stratton 

  4. The Penguins won their first Stanley Cup championship in 1991. Who did they defeat?
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Minnesota North Stars
    • St. Louis Blues
    • Detroit Red Wings

  5. Pittsburgh’s mascot is a penguin named Iceburgh. What season did he make his debut?
    • 1990-91
    • 1992-93
    • 1994-95
    • 1997-98

Why NHL Playoff Hockey’s the Best:

The Toughest Trophy to Win

The Stanley Cup has a history unlike any other professional sports trophy. It is through that history — and the Cup’s revered, treasured status — that it developed a widespread reputation as being the toughest championship to win. Of course, such a reputation is built on more than just a piece of hardware, no matter how impressive it might be.

Just think about what an NHL player must endure to hoist hockey’s holy grail. In a normal season, they have to survive a grueling 82-game grind just for the chance to be among one of the 16 teams to vie for the Cup — not that this year’s 56-game shortened season was a cakewalk.

From there, it becomes a war of attrition. The daunting task of winning four best-of-seven series — featuring the most relentless, physically demanding, high-pressure hockey that the NHL has to offer.

The Stanley Cup shares a history with another famous Canadian trophy. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

It’s tough to find another comparable across the other ‘Big Four’ North American major pro sports. Basketball? Sure, the NBA requires those same 16 wins, but absent is the same level of speed or physical toll. Football? Yes, the raw physicality is there, but Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed just four wins (only three are needed if your team earns a first round bye) to hoist the Lombardi trophy. Baseball? With all due respect to the MLB fans out there — NOPE!

There is, of course, no definitive data that can offer indisputable, cross-sport proof of the “hardest trophy to win” claim. Instead, you simply need to employ the old-fashioned eye test. Through the first three days of postseason play, we’ve seen what the Cup means to players and how much they’re willing to give to get their names engraved on it.

Trivia Answers

  1. 1967
  2. Mark Johnson 
  3. Ken Schinkel 
  4. Minnesota North Stars 
  5. 1992-93

Click here for more interesting facts about the Pittsburgh Penguins