Hockey Trivia 10 – Birth Countries of NHL Players
A high percentage of NHL hockey players have always come from Canada. However, NHL players do come from countries throughout the world. Test and expand your knowledge with some hockey trivia.
Post Comment|0 Liked It
NHL hockey has always been dominated by Canadian born players. It was thought that the Russians would take over, but their numbers have fallen off with the rise in popularity of the KHL in their homeland.
Still, throughout the years, great players have come to the NHL from countries all over the world. Test and expand your hockey knowledge with these four trivia questions regarding the birth countries of NHL players.
Q. What NHL goaltender was born in South Africa?
A. Olaf Kolzig, former goaltender of the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Olaf, for the most part, grew up in Canada but never obtained Canadian citizenship. He played internationally for Germany as this was the nationality of his parents.
Q. What country was Steve ‘Stumpy’ Thomas born in?
A. Steve Thomas was born in England but was raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Thomas played in the NHL from 1985-86 to 2003-04. He is the NHL’s highest scoring England born player of all-time.
Q. Owen Nolan was born in what country?
A. Nolan was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland but grew up in Canada. After a NHL career that spanned from 1990-91 to 2009-10, Owen is still active in professional hockey in Switzerland.
Q. In what country was former Winnipeg Jet, Detroit Red Wing and St. Louis Blue, Paul MacLean born in?
A. MacLean was born in France but raised in Nova Scotia, Canada. Paul is the NHL’s all-time highest scoring France born player. He played in the NHL from 1981-82 to 1990-91. His career was highlighted by a 101 point performance with Winnipeg in 1984-85.
Can’t get enough hockey trivia? Check out the previous articles in this series:
Hockey Trivia Nine – Nashville Predators Firsts
Hockey Trivia Eight – Montreal Canadiens Hockey Nicknames
Hockey Trivia Seven – Current NHL Hockey Arenas
Hockey Trivia Six – Boston Bruins Individual Player Records
Hockey Trivia Five – Nicknames of Long Gone NHL Teams
Hockey Trivia Four – Retired Numbers of The Los Angeles Kings
Hockey Trivia Three – Before The NHL Became The Original Six
Hockey Trivia Two – Franchise Movement
Hockey Trivia One – The Stanley Cup
