Are you looking to test your knowledge of the National Hockey League? If so, you have come to the right place. We have put together an NHL quiz challenge that will test your knowledge of the league. This includes 50 hockey trivia questions and answers about some of the biggest names in the history of the game. This also includes specific questions about records, accomplishments, and more. After taking the quiz, we provide you with more context about each individual question.
The Ultimate NHL Quiz
Instructions: All you have to do is answer the 50 questions below and use the ‘Continue >>’ button to move on to the next question. In the end, it will let you know what you scored out of 50.
Who was selected first overall in the 1999 NHL Draft?
Who was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season?
True Or False: Sidney Crosby won his first Stanley Cup during his 4th NHL season.
Who was the first goaltender to score a goal during an NHL playoff game?
True Or False: Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have both scored 200 points in a single NHL season.
Darry Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs had a 10-point night in 1976. Which team was this against?
Which player holds the record for the most penalty minutes in a single NHL Season (with 472)?
Who finished their career with more points, Paul Coffey or Ray Bourque?
Gordie Howe holds the record as the oldest player to ever play in the NHL. How old was he when he played his final NHL game?
True Or False: Wayne Gretzky holds the record for the most career powerplay goals.
How many total Stanley Cups did the New York Islanders win during the 1980s?
Teemu Selanne holds the NHL record for the most goals by a rookie. How many goals did Teemu score in his rookie year?
Who was selected earlier in the 1995 NHL Draft, Shane Doan or Jarome Iginla?
Which of these legendary goalies won more Vezina Trophy's, Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur?
Which Montreal Canadiens legend holds the record for the most Stanley Cups won as a player?
Which of these players holds the NHL record for the most career penalty minutes (with 3,971)?
Which team did Connor McDavid score his first NHL goal against?
Which team was Jarome Iginla originally drafted by before being traded to the Calgary Flames?
Wayne Gretzky holds the record for the most goals scored in a single NHL season. How many did he score?
Who was the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft?
True Or False: Cam Neely averaged more than a point-per-game during his NHL career.
Kris Draper won 4 Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. Which team originally drafted him?
Which team did Brett Hull start his NHL career with?
Which of these players from the 80s and 90s was known by the nickname, "The Little Ball of Hate"
Alexander Daigle was selected first overall in the 1993 NHL Draft. Which Hall of Famer was drafted 2nd overall that year?
Which team joined the NHL first, the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Florida Panthers?
True Or False: Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr won the Conn Smythe Trophy the same amount of times. This trophy is given out to the MVP of the playoffs.
How many goals did Alexander Ovechkin score during his first NHL game in 2005?
Which of these teams did the legendary Herb Brooks NOT coach in the NHL?
Sidney Crosby was selected first overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. Who went second overall?
Which NHL team did Guy Lafleur play his final season with in 1990–91?
True Or False: Steve Yzerman was selected first overall in the 1983 NHL Draft.
Which of these Stanley Cup wins did Jonathan Toews win the Conn Smythe Trophy for?
Which other team did Stan Mikita play for in his NHL career? (Other Than The Chicago Blackhawks)
What year was Wayne Gretzky traded to the Los Angeles Kings?
What number did Ken Dryden wear for his entire NHL career?
Who finished with more career points, Mike Modano or Mats Sundin?
Who won more Stanley Cups, Mark Messier or Guy Lefleur?
From 1980 to 2001, only three players won the Art Ross Trophy (which is awarded to the NHL’s leading point-getter). Which of these names is NOT one of those three?
Ilya Kovalchuk was selected first overall in the 2001 NHL Draft. Who was selected second overall that year?
Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007?
Who was the first winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (most goals) in 1989?
Who was the first player to defect from the Soviet Union to play in North America?
Joe Thornton was the first overall pick in the 1997 NHL Draft. Who went second overall?
True Or False: Sidney Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his first Stanley Cup victory in 2009.
True Or False: Wayne Gretzky is the only NHL player to ever get more than 100 assists during a single season.
The Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982. What city was the team playing in before the move?
Which team did Sidney Crosby score his first career NHL Goal against?
Who was picked first in the 1987 NHL Draft, Brendan Shanahan or Joe Sakic?
Jarome Iginla wore the number 12 for most of his career. Which number did he switch to when he played for the Los Angeles Kings?
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Hockey Trivia Questions And Answers
In this section, we provide you with some more context to the questions that you got wrong on our NHL trivia challenge.
1) Who was selected first overall in the 1999 NHL Draft?
Patrik Stefan was selected first overall in the 1999 Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. Stefan is widely considered as a major draft bust. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were selected in the number two and three spots in that same draft and both went on to have incredible careers. Other big names that were selected in this draft include Martin Havlat (26overall), Ryan Miller (138 overall), and Henrik Zetterberg (210 overall).
2) Who was the first player in history to score 50 goals in one season?
Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard of the Montreal Canadiens was the first player to score 50 goals in one season. He accomplished this during the 1944-45 season. Ultimately, nobody was able to do this again for 15 years, when Bernie Geoffrion scored 50 goals during the 1960–61 season.
3) True Or False: Sidney Crosby won his first Stanley Cup during his 4th season.
This is true as Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in the 2008–09 season. As a result, this was only Crosby’s fourth year in the league. Pittsburgh defeated the Detroit Red Wings in 7 games to win the cup. Speaking of ‘Sid The Kid’, you should also take our Sidney Crosby quiz.
4) Who was the first goaltender to ever score a goal during an playoff game?
Ron Hextall was the first goalie to ever score a goal during a playoff game. This was against the Washinton Capitals in the 1989 playoffs. The only other goalie to score during a playoff game was Martin Brodeur during the 1997 playoffs. Hextall was also the second goalie to score a goal in history, with the first being Billy Smith in 1979.
5) True Or False: Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux both scored 200 points in a single season.
This is false as Wayne Gretzky is the only player in history to score 200 points in a single season. Mario Lemieux came extremely close, ultimately scoring 199 during the 1988–89 season. Wayne ended up accomplishing this feat 4 times during his career (1981‑82, 1983‑84, 1984‑85, and 1985‑86).
6) Darry Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs had a 10-point night in 1976. Which team was this against?
Darry Sittler scored 10 points against the Boston Bruins on February 7th, 1976. Sittler had 6 goals and 4 assists in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 11-4 win. There are several players tied in second place for this record with 8 points in a single game. This includes names like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bryan Trottier, and also Sam Gagner, who was the latest to do this in 2012.
7) Which player holds the record for the most penalty minutes in a single season (with 472)?
Dave “The Hammer” Schultz holds the record for the most PIMS in a single season. He accumulated 472 during the 1974-75 season with the Philadelphia Flyers. The next closest player was Paul Baxter, who piled up 409 PIMS during the 1981-82 season.
8) Who finished their career with more points, Paul Coffey or Ray Bourque?
The answer is Ray Bourque, who finished his career with 1579 career points. Paul Coffey came pretty close, finishing his career with 1531 points. These two are also first and second for most career goals scored by a defenceman. Bourque finished his career with 410 goals and Coffey had 396.
9) Gordie Howe holds the record as the oldest player to play in the NHL. How old was he when he played his final game?
Gordie Howe was 52 years old when he played his final game. As a result, this is a record that will likely never be broken. Chris Chelios is in second place, as he was 48 years old when he played his final game.
10) True Or False: Wayne Gretzky holds the record for the most career powerplay goals.
This is false as the record is currently held by Dave Andreychuk with 274 powerplay goals. Wayne ultimately finished his career with 204 goals on the powerplay. Dave holds the record but it is in serious jeopardy as Alex Ovechkin currently has 260 powerplay goals (as of writing this).
11) How many total Stanley Cups did the New York Islanders win in the 1980s?
The New York Islanders won 4 Stanley Cups in the 1980s. This includes 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. As a result, they are widely considered as one of the greatest dynasties in hockey history.
12) Teemu Selanne holds the NHL record for the most goals by a rookie. How many goals did Teemu score?
Teemu scored an incredible 76 goals during his rookie season in 1992-93. He finished with 132 total points and won the Calder Memorial Trophy. In the long run, this record will likely never be broken based on how much the league has changed.
13) Who was selected first in the 1995 Draft, Shane Doan or Jarome Iginla?
The answer is Shane Doan, who was selected 7th overall by the Winnipeg Jets. Jarome was selected 11th overall. Both guys would subsequently go on to have amazing careers and both became captains. For those wondering, Bryan Berard was selected 1st overall that year to the Ottawa Senators.
14) Which of these legendary goalies won more Vezina Trophy’s, Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur?
The answer is Martin Brodeur as he won the Vezina four times (2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008) and Patrick Roy won the Vezina three times (1989, 1990, and 1992). Ultimately, they are both behind Jacques Plante, who won the award a record 7 times during his career.
15) Which Montreal Canadiens legend holds the record for the most Stanley Cups won as a player?
Henri Richard holds the record for most Stanley Cups with 11. Henri won the cup in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, and 1973). Jean Beliveau is in second place, with 10 cups. In the long run, this seems like another record that will never be broken. With so much parody in the league these days, it seems impossible.
16) Which of these players holds the record for the most career penalty minutes (with 3,971)?
Tiger Williams holds the record for the most career penalty minutes with 3,971. He accumulated these during his 14-year NHL career. Dale Hunter is in second place with 3565 career PIMS. Hunter is followed by Tie Domi with 3515 and Marty McSorley with 3381.
17) Which team did Connor McDavid score his first NHL goal against?
Connor McDavid scored his first NHL goal against Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars. A fun fact is that McDavid also scored his first career NHL hattrick against the Stars.
18) Which team was Jarome Iginla originally drafted by before being traded to the Calgary Flames?
Jarome Iginla was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in 1995 (11th overall). They traded him and Corey Millen for Joe Nieuwendyk. This is one of those trades that ultimately worked out for both teams. Iginla had an incredible career with the Calgary Flames and Nieuwendyk helped the Stars win the cup in 1999.
19) Wayne Gretzky holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season. How many did he score?
Wayne Gretzky scored 92 goals during the 1981‑82 season. Wayne is also in second place, scoring 87 goals during the 1983‑84 season.
20) Who was the first overall pick in the 2006 Draft?
The first pick in the 2006 Draft was Erik Johnson, who was selected by the St.Louis Blues. The 2006 Draft featured a lot of big names, including Jonathan Toews (3rd overall), Nicklas Backstrom (4th overall), Phil Kessel (5th overall), Claude Giroux (22nd overall), and Brad Marchand (71st overall).
21) True Or False: Cam Neely averaged a point-per-game during his NHL career.
This is false as Neely scored 694 points in 726 NHL games. Neely had some incredible years with the Bruins but struggled to start his career with the Vancouver Canucks.
22) Kris Draper won 4 Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. Which team originally drafted him?
Kris Draper was selected 62nd overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1989 Draft. This 1989 draft featured several Hall of Famers, including Mats Sundin (1st overall), Nicklas Lidstrom (53rd overall), Sergei Fedorov (74th overall), and Pavel Bure (113th overall).
23) Which team did Brett Hull start his career with?
Brett Hull started his career with the Calgary Flames. Hull was selected in the 6th round by the Flames in the 1984 Draft. Another fun fact is that his first career game came during the Stanley Cup finals in 1986. The Flames lost to the Montreal Canadiens, 4 games to 1. Hull was later traded to the St. Louis Blues in 1988 for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley.
24) Which of these players from the 80s and 90s was known by the nickname, “The Little Ball of Hate”
The answer is Pat Verbeek, who played in the NHL for 20 years. This was given to Verbeek by Glenn Healy, who had been calling their teammate, Ray Ferraro, the “Big Ball of Hate.”
25) Alexander Daigle was selected first overall in the 1993 Draft. Which Hall of Famer was drafted 2nd overall that year?
Chris Pronger was selected 2nd overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 Draft. This draft class also featured another Hall of Famer, Paul Kariya, who was selected 4th overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Daigle is widely considered as one of the biggest busts in hockey history.
26) Which team joined the National Hockey League first, the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Florida Panthers?
The answer is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who joined the league during the 1992–93 season. The Florida Panthers joined the league one year later for the 1993–94 season.
27) True Or False: Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr won the Conn Smythe Trophy the same amount of times. This trophy is given out to the MVP of the playoffs.
This is true as both Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr won the Conn Smythe Trophy twice in their careers. Wayne won it in 1985 and 1988, Bobby won it in 1970 and 1972.
28) How many goals did Alexander Ovechkin score during his first game in 2005?
Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals in his debut. This came in the Washington Capitals’ 3-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both goals were scored against Pascal Leclaire.
29) Which of these teams did the legendary Herb Brooks NOT coach in the NHL?
The answer is the Philadelphia Flyers as Herb Brooks coached the New York Rangers, the Minnesota North Stars, New Jersey Devils, and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
30) Sidney Crosby was selected first overall in the 2005 Draft. Who went second overall?
Bobby Ryan was selected second overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2005 Draft. Other big names picked in 2005 include Carey Price (5th overall), Anze Kopitar (11th overall), Marc Staal (12th overall), Tuukka Rask (21st overall), T. J. Oshie (24th overall), Kris Letang (62nd overall), and Jonathan Quick (72nd overall).
31) Which NHL team did Guy Lafleur play his final season with in 1990–91?
Guy Lafleur finished his career with the Quebec Nordiques. He scored 28 points in 59 games played. A fun fact is this 1990-91 Quebec team featured Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin, both of whom went on to become Hockey Hall of Famers.
32) True Or False: Steve Yzerman was selected first overall in the 1983 Draft.
This is false as Steve Yzerman was selected fourth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1983 Draft. Brian Lawton was selected first by the Minnesota North Stars. Other big names in this draft include Pat LaFontaine (3rd overall), Cam Neely (9th overall), and Dominik Hasek (199th overall).
33) Which of these Stanley Cup wins did Jonathan Toews win the Conn Smythe Trophy for?
Jonathan Toews was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010. This came after the Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers. The Conn Smyth winner for the Blackhawks’ cup win in 2013 was Patrick Kane and it was Duncan Keith for their win in 2015.
34) Which other team did Stan Mikita play for in his career?
The answer is none as Stan Mikita only played for the Chicago Blackhawks during his legendary career. Stan played 22 seasons with the Blackhawks and won the Stanley Cup in 1961.
35) What year was Wayne Gretzky traded to the Los Angeles Kings?
Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9th, 1988. He was traded for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-rounders, and $15 million in cash.
36) What number did Ken Dryden wear for his entire career?
Ken Dryden wore number 29 and it was retired by the Montreal Canadiens on January 29th, 2007. Dryden had a legendary career and won 6 Stanley Cups.
37) Who finished with more career points, Mike Modano or Mats Sundin?
This answer is Mike Modano, who finished his career with 1374 points. Mats had a really good career as well, finishing with 1349 points.
38) Who won more Stanley Cups, Mark Messier or Guy Lefleur?
The answer is Mark Messier as he won 6 Stanley Cups during his career. Guy Lefleur won 5 Stanley cups during his career. Messier was also the first player to captain two different teams to a Stanley Cup victory (Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers).
39) From 1980 to 2001, only three players won the Art Ross Trophy (which is awarded to the leading point-getter). Which of these names is not one of those three.
The answer is Brett Hull as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr were the only guys who won the Art Ross Trophy from 1980-2001.
40) Ilya Kovalchuk was selected first overall in the 2001 Draft. Who was selected 2nd overall that year?
Jason Spezza was selected 2nd overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 Draft. Other big names in that class include Mikko Koivu (6th overall), Ales Hemsky (13th overall), Michael Cammalleri (49th overall), and Mike Smith (161st overall).
41) Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007?
Scott Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2007. This came after the Anaheim Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators, 4 games to 1.
42) Who was the first winner of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (most goals) in 1989?
The winner of the first Rocket Richard Trophy was Teemu Selanne in 1989. This came as a result of him scoring 47 goals in 75 games.
43) Who was the first player to defect from the Soviet Union to play in North America?
Alexander Mogilny was the first draftee to defect from the Soviet Union in order to play in North America. He played in the league from 1989–90 to 2005–06. He also won a Stanley Cup in 2000 as a member of the New Jersey Devils.
44) Joe Thornton was the first overall pick in the 1997 Draft. Who went second overall?
The answer is Patrick Marleau, who was selected by the San Jose Sharks. Joe and Patrick would subsequently go on to become teammates for many years with the Sharks.
45) True Or False: Sidney Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his first Stanley Cup victory in 2009.
This is false as Evgeni Malkin was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Stanley Cup victory. Crosby did win the trophy in 2016 and 2017 though.
46) True Or False: Wayne Gretzky is the only player to ever get more than 100 assists during a single season.
This is false as both Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr have gotten over 100 assists in a single season. Mario Lemieux got 114 assists during the 1988-89 season and Bobby Orr got 102 assists during the 1970-71 season. Wayne accomplished this feat 11 times during his career, which is pretty insane.
47) The Devils moved to New Jersey in 1982. What city was the team playing in before the move?
The answer is Colorado as the team was known as the Colorado Rockies. Prior to that, they were known as the Kansas City Scouts.
48) Which team did Sidney Crosby score his first career goal against?
Sidney Crosby scored his first career goal against the Boston Bruins. The Pittsburgh Penguins ended up losing that game in overtime, 7-6.
49) Who was picked first in the 1987 Draft, Brendan Shanahan or Joe Sakic?
The answer is Brendan Shanahan who was selected 2nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1987 Draft. Joe Sakic was selected 15th by the Quebec Nordiques. The first overall pick that year was Pierre Turgeon, who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres.
50) Jarome Iginla wore the number 12 for most of his career. Which number did he switch to when he played for the Los Angeles Kings?
Iginla wore number 88 as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. This was because Marián Gáborík was wearing number 12 for the Kings at the time.
So, what did you score on our ultimate NHL quiz challenge? Our goal is to become the number one source on the web for National Hockey League trivia and quizzes! Make sure to also follow us on Twitter and Instagram to never miss any of our content!