If you read a previous column of mine entitled "My name is Brian and I'm a Tri-City sports guy" then you know that I was born, raised and have lived my entire life in this region.

 

My work life was no different - I taught at high schools in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

 

I'm not sure that qualifies me as an expert in local sports history but as a retired History/Phys. Ed. teacher and coach, I certainly have an affinity and appreciation for it.

 

So without further ado, here's Part One of a Tri-City trivia test.

(I'll post Part Two sometime in the New Year)

 

See how you do. And even if there's stuff you didn't know, think of it as a crash course in local lore…and then feel free to dazzle your friends and family at an upcoming Holiday gathering.

 

Here we go…  (answers are below - no peeking!)

 

1. Six high schools from Waterloo Region have won a Sr. boys OFSAA basketball championship. Give yourself one point for each one you can name.

 

2. The Kitchener Rangers have won the Memorial Cup twice. Two points each for naming the correct years. Award yourself one point if your guess is off by a single year.

 

3. In 1983, a skier from Waterloo won a World Cup race in Austria and finished the year as the #1 downhill racer in the world.

Two points for his/her name. One point if you know which high school he/she attended.

 

4. Sarah Pavan has qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in beach volleyball. Can you name her high school (1 pt) and where she played collegiately (1 pt)?

Follow up: For 2 pts, how many times was she a first team All-American?

Follow up to the follow up: Did her team ever win an NCAA national championship? (1 pt)

 

5. When it comes to boxing, our area has some serious pedigree. For one point each, name two local brothers who have fought professionally.

Who's the female boxer who fought at the Rio Olympics and is currently on the comeback trail? (1 pt)

And when Lennox Lewis became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 1999, who did he beat? (1 pt)

 

6. Answer the following questions about NHL Hall of Famer Scott Stevens:

Aside from the New Jersey Devils, what other two teams did Stevens play for? (1 pt each)

How many Stanley Cups did he win with the Devils? (2 pts)

How many times was Stevens awarded the James Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman? (1 pt)

 

7. Angela Mercurio was recently named the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year for athletics, academics and community involvement.

What is her sport? At what university? And where did she attend high school? (2 + 1 + 1)

 

8. Two local football players, Markus Koch and Tyler Varga, were talented enough to make it to the NFL.

One point each for the name of their high school, who they played college ball for south of the border and their NFL squad.

 

9. This weekend the 36th Annual Heinbuch Classic is being held at Conestoga College.

Which team is the only local entry to ever win this prestigious tournament and who was (and still is) their head coach? Two points for each correct answer on this one.

 

10. Every local hockey fan should know this piece of trivia: Name the three local-born players who made up the famous Kraut Line of the Boston Bruins back in the day. One point for each name.

 

11. Imagine being talented enough to be one of Canada's best amateur golfers and also a referee in the NHL.

Who is this two-way talent? Where did he go to high school? And where did he play his university golf?

 

12. Baseball star and Cambridge native Scott Thorman made it to The Show in 2006.

With what MLB team did Thorman hit 16 home runs? And what high school was he from? One point for each.

 

13. A buddy of Thorman's at the same high school went on to compete in track and field in the Summer Olympics for Canada. Can you name him, his specialty and the American university where he was once named as their Athlete of the Year?

 

14. Nedim Hodzic recently became the all-time regular season scoring leader for a well-known local team.

You get a point each for naming his current team and the local high school he graduated from.

Give yourself two points if you can name the former player who's record he broke (also a local product).

 

15. Answer the following questions about local golf legend Gary Cowan: (1 pt each)

How many times did he win the prestigious U.S. Amateur? How many times did he win the Canadian Open?

Is he a leftie or a rightie?

 

16. In 2005, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks won the Vanier Cup.

Who did they beat to win the national championship? Who was their head coach? And who was their starting QB who was also named MVP of the game? (1 pt for each)

Two points if you can name the Hawks kicker who nailed the winning field goal.

 

17. When basketball star Jamal Murray left Grand River Collegiate after grade 10, where did he go to play his prep ball? After that, at what U.S. school was he a "one-and-done"? (1 pt each)

And for two points, in what spot did the Denver Nuggets select Murray in round one of the NBA draft?

 

18. Loren Gabel was twice an NCAA national champion, had a stellar four year career and is now part of our national program.

For one point each, name her sport and the high school she attended. For two points, name the school she played at collegiately. Add one more if you also know that school's nickname.

 

19. Last year the Waterloo Siskins hockey team won two major championships. Give yourself a point for each one you can name. And btw, were the Siskins founded in the 1930s, '40s or '50s? (1 pt)

 

20. Let's finish off Part One playing the name game. For two points each:

What is legendary football coach "Tuffy" Knight's actual first name? What about golfer extraordinaire "Moe" Norman?

And what Montreal Canadiens great was known as the "Stratford Streak"?

 

 

Answers:

 

1. I've added the years and the head coach for interest sake: Forest Heights (1969 - Don McRae), Eastwood (1973 - Hugh Heibein), Cameron Heights (1983 - Court Heinbuch), St. Jeromes (1987 - Tom Kieswetter), Rockway Mennonite (2005 - Bernie Burnett)*, Southwood (2007 - Rob Baird).

(* - Burnett's Rockway girls also won OFSAA in 2008)

 

2. 1982 and 2003.

 

3. Todd Brooker attended Bluevale Collegiate in Waterloo.

 

4. A Forest Heights Trojan in high school, Pavan was a first team All-American in all 4 of her seasons with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. And yes, Nebraska won the national title in 2006.

 

5. Syd and Fitz Vanderpool. Mandy Bujold is currently trying to qualify for Tokyo next summer. And it was Evander Holyfield that Lewis beat to win the unified title.

 

6. Stevens was drafted by and began his career with the Washington Capitals, spent one year with the St. Louis Blues, but was a 3-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils. And as hard as it is to believe, he was never a Norris winner (WTF!).

 

7. Mercurio's specialty is the triple jump and she attended the same university as Pavan: Nebraska. Locally, she attended St. Mary's High School.

 

8. Koch: Eastwood, Boise State, Washington Redskins.  Varga: Cameron Heights, Yale, Indianapolis Colts.

 

9. The Saint Benedict Saints won the Heinbuch in 2016. Their head coach is John Malnerich.

 

10. Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart were born in Kitchener. Bobby Bauer was born in Waterloo.

 

11. Garrett Rank is an Elmira guy who played golf at the University of Waterloo. He is a three-time Canadian Mid-Amateur champion and this year won the presitgious Western Amateur. He is also a cancer survivor.

 

12. Thorman notched his 16 dingers in two seasons with the Atlanta Braves who drafted him in 2000. The Preston High School grad is currently managing AAA ball in the Kansas City Royals organization.

 

13. Nathan Brannen was a middle distance runner who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. He was named top male athlete during his time with the Michigan Wolverines.

 

14. Hodzic is in his 4th year with the University of Waterloo Warriors mens basketball team. He played his high school ball with the Highlanders of Sir John A. Macdonald in Waterloo and it was KCI grad Cam McIntrye's scoring record that he broke.

 

15. Cowan won the U.S. Amateur twice - in 1966 and 1971. However, he never won the Canadian Open. (The last Canadian to win our national Open was Pat Fletcher in 1954). Cowan is a rightie.

 

16. The Golden Hawks downed the Saskatchewan Huskies 24-23 on a late field goal by Brian Devlin. Their head coach was Gary Jeffries and quarterback Ryan Pyear was selected as MVP of the game.

 

17. Murray played his prep ball in Orangeville before spending a year with the Kentucky Wildcats of John Calipari. The Nuggets selected the Kitchener-born Murray in spot #7 of the 2016 NBA draft.

 

18. Gabel is an outstanding ice hockey player who went to St. Mary's High School before starring at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. They are known as the Golden Knights.

 

19. Last year the Siskins had an amazing season winning both the Cherrey Cup and the Sutherland Cup.

They began play in 1938.

 

20. David "Tuffy" Knight. Murray "Moe" Norman. And Howie Morenz was known as the "Stratford Streak" (although he was actually born in Mitchell).