NHL Hockey Trivia: Johnny Bucyk

Johnny Bucyk was a long-time Boston Bruins star that was an integral part of the ‘Big Bad Bruins’ era of the early 1970’s. Although, we’ll find out, Bucyk was not a regular in the penalty box like many of his teammates. Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of Johnny Bucyk with the following four trivia questions.

Q. What was Johnny Bucyk’s first National Hockey League team?

A. Bucyk played his first two seasons in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. Before the 1957-58 season began, Johnny was traded to the Bruins for the legendary goaltender, Terry Sawchuk. Bucyk played the rest of his NHL career with Boston, retiring after the 1977-78 season. In 1955-56, Johnny played 38 games for the Red Wings, scoring one goal and totalling nine points. In 1956-57, he became a regular, appearing in 66 games, scoring ten goals and totalling 21 points.

As for Sawchuk, he was returned to Detroit, a team that traded him to Boston just before Bucyk started his National Hockey League career.

Q. With a career total of just 497 minutes in penalties over 1540 regular season games, how many times did the gentleman Johnny Bucyk win the Lady Byng Trophy?

A. Bucyk won the Lady Byng as the most gentlemanly player in 1970-71 and again in 1973-74. In each season, Johnny totalled just eight minutes in penalties with the Bruins. In two other seasons in which Bucyk played nearly a full schedule did he sit less than ten minutes in the box. In 1967-68, Johnny received four minor penalties over 72 games, yet Stan Mikita of the Chicago Blackhawks was awarded the Lady Byng with 14 PIM. In 1971-72, Bucyk sat just four minutes in the penalty box while playing the full 78 game schedule but the Lady Byng went to Jean Ratelle of the New York Rangers who spent an equal time in the sin bin.

Q. What jersey number was retired by the Boston Bruins in honour of Johnny Bucyk?

A. After his final season, 1977-78, the Bruins hung number 9 from the rafters of the Boston Garden in honour of the player that wore it for 21 seasons. Of course, in his first two years in the NHL, Bucyk did not wear number 9. As a member of the Detroit Red Wings, that number was already taken by Gordie Howe. Johnny wore number 20 while with Detroit. He took on number 9 right from his first game with Boston.

Q. During the 1970-71 season, at the age of 35, Johnny Bucyk became the oldest NHL player to do what?

A. With 51 goals, Bucyk became the oldest NHL player to surpass the 50 goal plateau. With an additional 65 assists for 116 points, Johnny finished third in the race for the Art Ross Trophy behind teammates Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito. Another teammate, Ken Hodge, rounded out the top four that season with all four Bruins surpassing 100 points. Johnny’s 51 goals placed him second in the NHL, 25 goals behind teammate and league leader Phil Esposito.