As has become routine, the paper put together a feature: trivia questions about the news of 2010. I tossed in a couple:
–What team knocked the Bridgeport Sound Tigers out of the AHL playoffs and went on to win the Calder Cup?
A) Hartford Wolf Pack
B) Lowell Devils
C) Hershey Bears
D) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
–Which Bridgeport Sound Tigers coach was promoted to run the New York Islanders’ bench last month, and who replaced him as head coach in Bridgeport?
A) Scott Gordon/Mike Milbury
B) Steve Stirling/Greg Cronin
C) Howard Saffan/Kimber Auerbach
D) Jack Capuano/Pat Bingham
Not too hard. But you’re not off the hook. (Although some of these feel really easy. Could just be biased.) There’s a little more historical bent to some of these this year (#bst10thyear), though they’re all tied to 2010 in some way. Get crackin’.
(1) Explain the significance: “1-4-2–7”
(2) The streak ended! How many consecutive playoff home games (an AHL record) did the Sound Tigers lose before they finally won Game 4?
(3) True or false: Bridgeport lost more shootouts in 2010 than in any other calendar year.
(4) There’s only one referee who has worked a Sound Tigers game in all 10 seasons. (Just made it in the lockout year and in 2006-07: one game in each.) Name him.
(5) The Sound Tigers began the year with three losses on the first three days of January. One goalie played two of those. Who?
(6) Bridgeport didn’t score more than three goals in any of the first 16 games of 2010. Against whom did they explode for six in Game 17?
(6a) Bonus: Who was in goal for Bridgeport in that game?
(7) Eric Castonguay drove up from Reading on Dec. 4, scored a goal and went right back to Reading. Coming into this season, who had been the only player to score a goal in his only regular-season game as a Sound Tiger?
(8) With Mark Wotton topping 300 games as a Sound Tiger and 800 games in the AHL this year, it strikes us to wonder if he’ll be the last man to wear No. 4. (That’s not to say they’ll ever get to retire it for him, because he might just keep on playing forever.) But who was the last to wear 4 before him?
(9) While we’re on numbers… You know 46 and 48 are the only two numbers under 50 that a Sound Tiger has never worn. But no Sound Tiger has worn 30 since Mike Mole in 2006-07. There’s one other number under 30 that hasn’t been worn in Bridgeport since 2007-08. Which one?
(10) Jeremy Colliton became the third player to play for the Sound Tigers on loan from an NHL club, then return on a pro tryout. Name the first two. Hint: For one of those two, the NHL contract wasn’t an Islanders contract.
(11) The Sound Tigers challenged their team record of scoring power-play goals in nine consecutive games, falling one game short this month. In those nine games in 2003-04, who had the most power-play points?
(12) We had joked about “former Sound Tigers centerman Josh Bailey” because of the Clear Day assignment last year. But then he became an actual alumnus. As noted, he’s the franchise’s all-time leader in points per game, for what those 11 games are worth.
(a) Counting all players, Mike Omicioli is tops with his 1.25 assists per game, five assists in four contests. Among players with five or more games, the leader is Bailey. Who’s the team leaders in assists per game among players with 12 or more games, leaving Bailey out?
(b) Eric Castonguay, as noted, has 1.0 goals per game for Bridgeport, a team record, so to speak. Bailey, counting all players, ranks fifth (0.55). Shawn Bates is third (0.67). Who’s second?
(c) OK, fine: Counting only players with 50 or more games played for Bridgeport, who’s the leader in goals per game?
(13) Bridgeport won all of its 2010 games against two franchises. Name them.
(Hint: Not three. Two.)
(14) Question 14A was going to be “who finishes second,” but there’s too much uncertainty. So we’ll leave it at this: Unless somebody else goes record-setting nuts the next two days, who will lead the Sound Tigers in scoring in calendar-year 2010?
(15) It was only one of the most controversial plays in team history… Bridgeport led Hershey 3-1 in Game 1 of the East Division Semifinals. It was midway through the third period…
(a) To begin, who deflected in the goal that began the Bears’ third-period comeback?
(b) On the tying goal, who took the initial shot, which deflected up in the air?
(c) Who deflected it in?
(d) Who was the referee?
(e) Which Sound Tiger got hauled down 26 seconds later after almost splitting the defense?
(f) Who deflected in the overtime goal?
Answers will post in a few days. I’ll hold comments to let you think in peace. Have fun.