Canada Day Sports Trivia Quiz

Answers  

1. B - The New Westminster Salmonbellies won five Minto Cups and 24 Mann Cups over the century. The longest span the team went without winning a title was 15 years, from 1943 to 1958.

2. B - The Grey Cup. The historic trophy was located in the offices of the Toronto Argos, who had won it in 1946. It showed great resolve in surviving the blaze, which engulfed the office and burned and melted all team records and awards. The Cup cheated death by being snagged on a nail as it fell off a shelf.

3. A - In 1951-52, Watson, working for the Vancouver Province, created the Howe Sound Basketball League. He filed scores and standings to The Sun, which published them regularly. His hoax came undone when the Canadian Amateur Basketball Association came looking for the league's top scorer to play in the 1952 Olympics. Officials discovered there was no league, and more frustrating, no scoring star to guide the way!

4. A - Critelli won two Canadian university national championships with Laurentian University in 1977 and 1978. She then won two NCAA national crowns with Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia in 1979 and 1978.

5. C - Canada needed to beat the Soviet Union by five goals to win gold in the final game. The Soviets were out of medal contention. A slash to Canada's Theo Fleury started the trouble. The Soviets jumped the boards, followed by the Canadians. They fought for 20 minutes. Both teams were disqualified and Finland took gold.

6. C - Nicholas swam back and forth across the English Channel, 43 miles, in 19 hours and 55 minutes. The previous best was 30 hours by American Jon Erikson. The 20-year-old finished the second half full of cuts and bruises after being tossed into rocks by five-foot high waves.

7. A - Sherring, leading at the 15-mile mark, stopped and took a rest on a nice patch of green grass. Hamilton's James Caffrey roared by the dozing Sherring and won the marathon. Caffrey would repeat in 1901.

8. A - Selkirk took over from the most famous baseball player in history and played from 1934 to 1942 with New York. He batted a respectable .290 with 108 home runs and won five World Series titles.

9. C - To take the sting out of losing, Burns went and blew some of his fight money on racehorses. The police had stopped the fight in the 14th round. Meanwhile, Johnson went to a hospital and had broken ribs fixed. Burns was denied a rematch.

10. B - With a quarter mile to go and stuck in a tight pack, Hartack gave Dancer one tap from his whip. The often-moody stallion responded by jumping out to the lead and the win. Northern Dancer was the first Canadian horse to win the Kentucky Derby.

11. C - During the opening ceremonies, the Canadian flag was flown upside down and held by United States Marines. The Toronto Blue Jays were the first Canadian based team to compete in and also win the World Series, beating the Braves in six games.

12. B - No Canadian swimmer had won gold since George Hodgson won two at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Baumann also set new Olympic records and world records in the 200-metre and 400-metre individual medley.

13. A - Trudeau arrived at the race in grand fashion, aboard his glossy white Jet Ranger helicopter. Trudeau also officially started the race. It was Villeneuve's first grand prix win on the circuit.

14. C - Balding won the Mayfair Open and went on to finish sixth on the PGA money list that year, one of the highest placing ever by a Canadian.

15. C - His father, Roy, was shot dead by police in Prince George. Roy had drove to the CBC station to complain about his son's game not being televised and demanded it be put out. He was armed with a gun. Police shot him as he exited the CBC building.