Edit: The answers are now here.
This was a long year around here, by any measure (well, by any that don’t include actual measurements, anyway; by those, it was the same 365-with-a-quarter-deferred days as usual). But if nothing else, it gave us a trivia question or two. (Yep, it’s that time of year again.)
For good or ill, a lot of those trivia questions are kind of esoteric. I sent along one for the paper’s year-end trivia quiz that wasn’t, at least I didn’t think, so hard to guess.
Which Bridgeport Sound Tiger became the team’s all-time leading scorer in March, then was named captain in October?
A. Mark Wotton
B. Jeremy Colliton
C. Rhett Rakhshani
D. Dylan Reese
Hey, his picture’s even on page A4 today.
You guys get the fun ones.
(1) NAME! THAT! ATO!
Name the amateur tryout player who…
(a) …was on an AHL contract while he played in the NHL under a different contract.
(b) …was the first to wear No. 48.
(c) …played his first two pro games in Portland, for two different teams. (Hat tip: Dan Hickling)
(d) …left Mercyhurst before his junior season was over.
(e) …attended 2010 New York Islanders rookie camp as an unsigned, undrafted tryout.
(f) …attended 2011 New York Islanders rookie camp as an unsigned, undrafted tryout.
(g) …was Stephane Da Costa’s linemate at Merrimack.
(h) …was drafted in between Andrew MacDonald and Tony Romano.
(i) …played more games than any other ATO last season.
(j) …scored his first pro goal on a breakaway out of the penalty box.
(k) …had a fight in each of Bridgeport’s last three games of 2010-11.
(l) …was Bridgeport’s 16th-leading scorer. For the season.
(No tricks: Each answer is a different player. Or should be, anyway.)
(2) There were those 62 players who actually played in a game last season. Four more came close.
(a) Name the player who skated in warmup Dec. 30, 2010, at Worcester in case Jean Bourbeau (ill) couldn’t play.
(b) Name the one goalie who only backed up on a road trip.
(c) Name the player who was here most of the season but never dressed because of injury.
(d) Name the player who was assigned to Bridgeport but never had to report.
(3) Which of the following did not wear an ‘A’ in 2011 for Bridgeport:
(a) Justin DiBenedetto
(b) Jesse Joensuu
(c) Dustin Kohn
(d) Brett Motherwell
(e) Wes O’Neill
(4) (a) Of uniform numbers under 30, which were the only two that weren’t worn by a Sound Tiger in 2011?
(b) Coincidentally, all five wore it in 2011: Which number was worn by more Sound Tigers last season than any other number?
(5) As we noted last year at this time, Jeff Smith was the only referee to work a Sound Tigers game in each of the first 10 seasons. The streak is on the line, though: Smith hasn’t worked a Bridgeport game yet this year and isn’t scheduled to work either Friday’s or Saturday’s. (We weep.) In the meantime, who are the only other two referees to work a Sound Tigers game in 10 different seasons? (Wouldn’t call this a hint, but they did, in fact, miss 2001-02.)
(6) Which player scored a league-record four goals in the third period March 9 against Bridgeport to lead his team back from a 4-1 deficit?
(7) This was, indeed, the worst calendar year of Bridgeport’s 11. Yes, it’s the annual calendar-year-records question.
(a) Before this, which calendar year was the worst, points-percentage-wise, the only year before this one that finished under .500?
(b) Before this, not counting 2001, in which year did Bridgeport win the fewest games?
(c) Take out shootout effects: Before this, again not counting 2001, in which year did Bridgeport win the fewest games decided in regulation or overtime?
(8) Joe Fallon came in for the third period earlier this month in Springfield. As we noted at the time, those 20 minutes are the second-fewest for a Sound Tiger who got into a game. (And then we forgot to add Anders Nilsson to the list, which knocks Fallon down one ordinal, but the point stands.) You smelled this question coming, then, right?
(a) Who is the only Bridgeport goalie to play, but play under 20 minutes?
(b) Sadly, he is relegated to last place not only in minutes, but also in goals-against average and save percentage. How many goals did he allow, on how many shots?
(c) Which starting goalie did he replace?
(9) As you might expect, Bridgeport didn’t sweep any teams in calendar-year 2011. There were, though, two teams against whom Bridgeport didn’t lose in regulation, earning at least a point in each game in 2011. Which teams?
(10) (a) From Jan. 1 to the end of the 2010-11 season, who led Bridgeport in scoring?
(b) There’s a very outside chance this could change, but who leads Bridgeport in scoring for the calendar year overall?
(c) Who scored the most goals and was (or at least is right now, Thursday night, pending what the guy in third does this weekend) second in scoring for the calendar year?
I’ll hold comments for a few days to let you think (and since it’s now a few days later, here you go). Have fun.