Ice Hockey Trivia Questions

They're against the rules but not illegal—players get a 5-minute major penalty, not ejection, unless things get violent or a third man jumps in.

Actually, slap shots frequently hit goalies. The myth likely comes from players aiming high, but goalies face pucks over 100 mph regularly.

It wasn't awarded in 1919 due to the Spanish flu pandemic, and in 2005 due to the NHL lockout. Two cancellations total.

Frank Zamboni was an American inventor from New York who ran an ice rink. He was not a hockey player—he just hated slow manual resurfacing.

Pucks are standardized worldwide. This myth probably comes from confusion with Olympic ice size, which is slightly wider than NHL rinks.

Before that, the game was basically rugby on ice—only lateral or backward passes were legal, making offense much slower.

Mandatory helmets for goalies were only introduced in 1972. Before that, many played barefaced. Today, it's still technically a grandfather rule for very old players.

In the 19th century, players used frozen cow dung or wooden balls. The first recorded rubber puck was used in Montreal around 1875.