Some really hard hockey trivia.

[Eleven]

If you already saw this on reddit yesterday or today, please ignore it.  I didn't come up with this, but I thought it might be fun for some folks...

There are two current NHL players who had their first names on the front of their sweaters.  One still does.  Who are they?

Since this is DEFINITELY a trick question, with elements of wordplay, I offer the following hints:

1.  

 

You're going to have to get really creative.  The first names are on the fronts of the sweaters, but they aren't intended to be their names.

2.  

 

Maybe their names are hidden in some other word on the sweaters?

3.  

 

For one of them, it only worked with his former third sweater.  

 

Answer:  

 

Jack Johnson, whose name appeared in the word "Jackets" on the CBJ thirds, and Anders Lee, whose name appears in "Islanders."

Edited April 24, 2020 by Eleven

[Stoner]

A. Ron Hubbard. Except it's L. Ron, and he never played in the NHL.

[Eleven]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

A. Ron Hubbard. Except it's L. Ron, and he never played in the NHL.

I know what you're trying to do here, but you whiffed on it!

[Stoner]

B.J. Hunnicutt would disagree. @New Scotland (NS)

Wait... I GOT ONE! Thanks, B.J.

[Eleven]

3 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

B.J. Hunnicutt would disagree. @New Scotland (NS)

Wait... I GOT ONE! Thanks, B.J.

 

If you're trying to suggest that an A. Ron Hubbard's name would fit in the Leaves logo, you need only remember that "Toronto" doesn't have an "A" in it... O. Ron Hubbard would be more appropriate.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Eleven

[Stoner]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

 

  Hide contents

If you're trying to suggest that an A. Ron Hubbard's name would fit in the Leaves logo, you need only remember that "Toronto" doesn't have an "A" in it... O. Ron Hubbard would be more appropriate.

 

I meant the A for alternate captain.

[Eleven]

7 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I meant the A for alternate captain.

You know, I'm just going to let you off the hook with this.  I'm in a decent mood for the first time all week.

[Stoner]

Yay! So what does this mean? If L. Ron Hubbard had been A. Ron Hubbard and played in the NHL as an alternate captain I would be correct? I'll take it!

[Neo]

I was going to say Uff Samuelsson, but he never played for the Sabres.

Edited April 25, 2020 by Neo

[Neo]

Or, Lindy Buff, but you said first names.  Was Ew Krupp was an Islander! 

[Marvin]

Here's one I saw in what we would now call a "hockey analytics" book, _The Klein and Reif Hockey Compendium_.

First, we define adjusted plus-minus to be a player's plus-minus minus the team-average plus-minus.  Crude, yes, but the numbers did generally find top 2-way players.  (Obviously Dave "Cementhead" Semenko does well on a line with Gretzky and Kurri, so you should take the numbers with a grain of salt.)

Name all the defencemen from The Great Expansion to 2001 who had an adjusted plus-minus higher than Bill Hajt.

Answer: Bobby Orr and Larry Robinson.  That's it.

Other former Sabres defencemen at the top of that list are Jim Schoenfeld, Lee Fogolin, and Mike Ramsey.  They obviously benefitted from having good partners, being on good teams (as we all have become too aware of, bad players tend to drag down good players more than good players elevate bad players), but still, these guys are up there with Dennis Potvin, Mark Howe, Ray Bourque, and Nik Lidstrom.