General Ignorance in Sport 2
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by user Alex Holowczak
After the original General Ignorance in Sport, I have uncovered five more examples of General Ignorance in the world of sport.
This edition is an Ice Hockey special, with all the questions dedicated to the misconceptions and ignorance surrounding Ice Hockey.
Remember, the answers are not the obvious ones!
Who did the United States beat to become 1980 Olympic Ice Hockey Champions?
Not Russia, or the Soviet Union. The answer is Finland.
The tournament format pitted the 12 teams into 2 groups, with the top 2 in each group going forward into another group of 4. The result from the game against a fellow qualifier counted, in the USA’s case, a 2-2 draw with Sweden.
All this meant that USA had to play the Soviet Union and Finland.
Everyone knows that the States beat the Soviet’s 4-3 in the Miracle on Ice, but it is commonly ignored that actually, victory against Finland was still needed. The States duly won 4-2, to claim gold from the Soviet Union, who beat Sweden 9-2 in their other game. They had also previously beaten Finland 4-2. They had even beaten the Netherlands 17-4 earlier in the tournament.
Also, interestingly, Ice Hockey was originally in the Summer Games, but moved to the Winter version in 1924 when they were founded.
When Great Britain won the Gold in 1936, how many of the team were actually British?
Not all of them! It is a misconception that the entire British team was actually made up of Canadians. Indeed the Canadians protested as much, but lost their appeal.
Only one, Gordon Dailley, was not British. Dailley was Canadian. Canada were understandably upset, as most of the British team had actually lived, or been trained in Canada. Many had played in amateur Canadian Leagues, but had moved to Britain for some reason or another. As a result, Dailley qualified through residency, whereas most of his teammates simply played for the country of their birth.
Their worst result in 1936 was a 1-1 draw with Germany, having beaten Canada, Hungary, Japan and Sweden in the competition.
Great Britain has never appeared in the competition since, so Canada had the last laugh.
How tall is the Stanley Cup?
About half of what you guessed.
The Stanley Cup is actually the bit at the top, with the base accounting for over half the height.
The Stanley Cup is famous for having the names of players, managers, coaches, and even office staff having their names inscribed on the trophy.
Where does the Stanley Cup come from?
Nowhere in Canada.
It came from Lord Stanley of Preston, England. It was indeed made in Sheffield, so its origins are purely in England. It cost Lord Stanley 10 guineas to buy.
On a trip to Canada, he presented them with it for the winner of a national Ice Hockey tournament, but was unfortunately dead before he could present it to anybody.
He helped popularise the game in 19th century England, hence the 1936 Olympic win, but when the NHL took off, and professionalism took over, Britain were left behind.
Great Britain were one of the founding nations of the IIHF, as were France. But neither are as strong as Canada or the States, fellow original people that formed the IIHF.
The Stanley Cup has never been in Britain since it left in 1892, 114 years ago.
There are a whole heap of Stanley Cup Facts here if you’re interested.
What is the oldest professional sports trophy?
Not the Stanley Cup, as the NHL.com website proudly, but incorrectly boasts.
The answer is the Americas Cup, originally, the Royal Yacht Squadron Cup. It was renamed after the first boat to win, America.
The first race was held in 1851, around the Isle of Wight, won by America, of the United States.
It has been held sporadically since then, with the second race series in 1870. It has been won most times by US Teams, until recently, when New Zealand and Switzerland have become the teams to beat. United States had gone 132 years without losing, between 1851 and 1983, when an Australian crew at last beat them.
The winner of the previous race always hosts the next event. With Switzerland winning in 2003, and being a land-locked country, the race will be held in Valencia, Spain instead.
There are 12 entrants in 2007, with Alinghi defending their title. The oldest professional sporting trophy is still being given, and it more than outlasts the Stanley Cup.
A third edition is already in the pipeline, so it may be ready in a week or two.
