Jim Sands
CHARLIE SANDS HOCKEY TRIVIA CHALLENGE
THE ANSWERS
1) Which now-retired sweater numbers did Charlie Sands wear during his NHL career?
a. #4 - Boston Bruins (last worn by Bobbie Orr)
b. #9 - Montreal Canadiens (last worn by Maurice Richard)
c. Both of the above.
d. None of the above
ANSWER: c. - Both of the above. Charlie Sands wore #4 for most of his career with the Boston Bruins (1934 - 39) and #9 for most of his career with the Montreal Canadiens (1939-43). When Charlie was loaned to the New York Rangers in 1943 Montreal coach Dick Irvin famously asked Richard how much his recently born child weighed. When Richard answered "9 pounds," Irvin said, "That's going to be your new number."
2) During a barn-storming tour of Canada in 1934, Charlie Sands played NHL exhibition games in which of the following Canadian cities and towns?
a. Winnipeg, MA
b. Calgary, AB
c. Trail, BC
d. Vancouver, BC
e. All of the above
ANSWER: e. - All of the above. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings toured across Canada shortly after the Red Wings won the 1934 Stanley Cup. Interest in the NHL was high across Canada ever since Foster Hewitt's Saturday night radio broadcasts from Maple Leaf Gardens had begun in 1932. Detroit and Toronto played a series of exhibition games in artificial ice arenas including Trail, BC. In Vancouver, the series took place in a sold-out Denman Street Arena located near where the present-day Bayshore Inn is located. The arena burned to the ground in 1936.
3) Charlie played in a record setting game against the Boston Bruins shortly after he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. What was the record and does it still stand?
a. Most penalty minutes ever recorded in a single playoff game (164)
b. Most goals scored in one game by team (16)
c. Longest NHL play-off game played (164:43)
d. Most points in a game by a single player (10)
e. All of the above
Answer: c. - Longest game played. Charlie was in the starting line-up for this famous game that started on April 3, 1933 and finally finished at 1:40 am on April 4, 1933 in the ninth period following 164:43 minutes of hockey. The record was broken March 24-25, 1936 in a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Maroons that lasted 176:30, nearly nine full periods. Lorne Chabot was the winning Goalie for Toronto in 1933 (winning 1-0) and the losing Goalie for the Maroons in 1936 (losing 1-0).
4) Which of the following original six sweaters did Charlie Sands NOT wear during his 12-season NHL career?
a. Toronto Maple Leafs
b. Detroit Red Wings
c. Boston Bruins
d. Montreal Canadiens
e. New York Rangers
f. Chicago Blackhawks
ANSWER: f. - Chicago Blackhawks. Charlie was first signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and played for them for a portion of the 1932-33 season and all of the 1933-34 season. Following that season, he was loaned to the Detroit Red Wings for the series of post-season exhibition games the two teams played across Canada. He continued with Boston Bruins (1934-1939), the Montreal Canadians (1939-1943) and played with the New York Rangers for part of the 1943-44 season.
5) How many penalty minutes did Charlie Sands serve during the 34 NHL playoff games he played in during his career?
a. 4
b. 32
c. 68
d. 100
ANSWER: a. - 4 penalty minutes in 34 NHL playoff games. Charlie Sands was one of the LEAST penalized players of his era. His first playoff penalty came on April 3, 1933 during the first overtime period of the final game of the division final between Toronto and Boston (the game that set a record for the longest NHL game played to that point). It was reported that the crowd booed the ref because if was not seen as a fair penalty. Charlie's only other NHL playoff penalty came nine seasons later in 1942 when he was penalized with the Montreal Canadiens during the third period of the second game of a first-round series against the Detroit Red Wings. During those nine seasons, Charlie played a remarkable 24 NHL playoff games without incurring a single penalty.
6) Which of the following was NOT a nickname for Boston Bruins Defenseman Eddie Shore?
a. The Edmonton Express
b. The Assiniboine Assassin
c .Eddie "Blood and Guts" Shore
d. The Alberta Wheat King
e. Mr. Hockey
f. All of the above were used as nicknames for Eddie Shore.
ANSWER: f. - All of the above were Eddie Shore nicknames. Eddie Shore was one of the most colourful characters ever to play the game of hockey. He had so many nicknames simply because he was written about so often by the sports writers of the day. Shore's sometime nickname "Mr. Hockey" later became the famous moniker of Gordie Howe.
7) What famous game did Charlie Sands play in on Valentine's Day, 1934?
a. A salute to Toronto Defenseman King Clancy in honour of his forthcoming marriage
b. The first NHL All-Star Game held as a benefit for injured player Ace Bailey
c. Howie Morenz Memorial Game following his recent death
d. Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament final in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Answer: b - The first NHL All-Star Game. After Bailey's hockey career was ended by a vicious attack by Eddie Shore a benefit game was held at Maple Leaf Gardens February 14, 1934. Proceeds went to cover Bailey's hospital costs and future living expenses. The Toronto Maple Leafs (renamed the "Toronto Aces" for the night) played a team of NHL All Stars composed of the best players in the league (including Shore). Final score was 7-3 for the Toronto squad.
8) What was the assessment of Maurice Richard by the Montreal Canadiens coaching staff after his first season in 1942?
a. He was a future super-star
b. He would make the team, but would never be more than a third line player
c. He had no future in hockey because his bones were too brittle
d. None of the above
ANSWER: c. - He had no future in hockey. After Richard was lost for the season due to a broken ankle it was assumed that this promising prospect would never make it in the NHL because he was too prone to injury.
9) What is Charlie Sands' Goal Against Average (GAA)?
a. 12.00
b. 2.00
c. .986
d. This is a trick question. Charlie was a forward and GAA is a statistic for goaltenders.
ANSWER: a. - 12.00. During a grueling road trip with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1939-40 season, Goalie Wilf Cude complained of a sore shoulder. Since NHL teams in that era did not carry back-up goalies, Charlie volunteered to take his place towards the end of the 2nd period. He had 5 goals scored against him by the Chicago Blackhawks in just over one period of hockey in a 10-1 Chicago victory. The Chicago Daily Tribune (Feb. 23, 1940) noted, "It was apparent that as a goaltender, Sands was a great forward..."
10) Three of the following plays by William Shakespeare are quoted from in Charlie: A Hockey Story. Only one was once performed in a hockey arena with a hockey theme. Which one was it?
a. Romeo and Juliet
b. Henry V
c. Midsummer Night's Dream
d. Comedy of Errors
ANSWER: b - Henry V. In 2000, Canadian director Ken Hudson presented King #5 Henry in an ice hockey arena complete with players in full gear depicting the battle of Agincourt. "In Canada, hockey is Shakespeare," says Hudson. Comedy of Errors is the only play above not quoted from in Charlie: A Hockey Story.
11) Speaking of William Shakespeare, which of the following actors were known associates of the great bard?
a. Richard Burbage
b. William Kempe
c. James Sands
d. All of the above
ANSWER: d. - All of the above. Richard Burbage was the member of Shakespeare's troupe who first played lead roles such as Hamlet, Othello, Richard III and King Lear. Will Kempe was a comic actor who is believed to have originated the roles of Falstaff (King Henry IV, King Henry V), Bottom (Midsummer Night's Dream), and Dogberry (Much Ado about Nothing). Little is know about James Sands who was a boy player and apprentice with the King's Men (one of Shakespeare's performing troupes) in the early 1600s.
12) Which of these auspicious events occurred on September 8th, 2011?
a. Star Trek celebrated the 45th anniversary of its first broadcast
b. Jim Sands celebrated his birthday
c. Charlie: A Hockey Story opens at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival.
d. All of the above.
ANSWER: d. - All of the above. Jim Sands was born September 8, 1956. Star Trek made its television debut on September 8, 1966. And Charlie: A Hockey Story opened at Havana Theatre (1212 Commercial Drive) on September 8, 2011.
