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Sunday, November 25, 2001

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With the Penguins having skated through town two nights ago and the Steelers here for a game today, our annual Thanksgiving quiz will have a bit of a Tennessee twang to it.

Get them all right, and you get a copy of that "Zamboni" country song for your very own. Or not.

1. Nashville is home of the Music City Miracle, and Atlanta is the home of Norm Maracle. But what has been the real miracle in the NHL this year?
A. That the Devils still haven't acquired Aleksey Morozov.
B. That Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Bure, Teemu Selanne and Joe Sakic don't rank in the NHL's top 40 in scoring. Yes, 40.
C. That Mike Milbury has gone from sap to genius in the minds of so many long-suffering Long Islanders.

2. Who will be the biggest professional athlete in Nashville this weekend?
A. The Penguins' John Jakopin.
B. The Steelers' Wayne Gandy.
C. All of those pesky Predators combined.

3. Why do fans in Nashville attend hockey games?
A. Tickets are easier to find than for the Grand Ole Opry.
B. To be seen with season- ticket holder Barbara Mandrell.
C. To hear the tale of Tom Fitzgerald, a man whose shot was so ornery he once beat a man at the Civic Arena all the way from Station Square.

4. Nashville's Mike Dunham is the only goaltender selected so far for the U.S. Olympic team. What are his chances of playing ahead of Mike Richter or Tom Barrasso?
A. Same as that of Juan Antonio Samaranch panhandling there.
B. Same as that of the NHL enlarging its surface after seeing two weeks of far superior hockey.
C. His uniform number minus 1.

5. Craig Leipold, Predators owner, promised he would raise his payroll from a paltry $22 million if fans would fill the arena more often. What should their response have been?
A. Sure thing, Craig, but only if you can name more than three players on your roster.
B. You mean signing Bill Houlder wasn't enough?
C. Take this ticket and shove it.

6. Nashville is one of four clubs to join the NHL through expansion in the previous three seasons. What should be the primary team for contraction?
A. The Wild, just to hear -- again -- Gov. Jesse Ventura rant.
B. The Mighty Ducks, whose only discernible purpose is to keep Paul Kariya from skating with good players his entire career.
C. Goaltenders' equipment.

7. The Penguins were down about their result here Friday, but what has been the season's biggest disappointment?
A. Calgary fans, for filling the Saddledome just twice in their first 13 games despite having the league's most exciting team.
B. The Lightning, if that's possible when you've been losing nearly as long as the Pirates have.
C. Those Cup-crazy Capitals.

8. Who is Vladimir Orszagh?
A. President of Russia.
B. Professor at CMU.
C. Guy who looked like Pavel Bure against the Penguins.

9. Nashville is one of the few teams scoring more than it did a year ago. Why are goals per game down from 5.5 to 5.1?
A. Players are worried about being benched if they cross the opponent's blue line.
B. Not enough penalty shots being given to Wayne Primeau.
C. Roman Turek.

10. Who represents the best one-two punch in Nashville?
A. Cliff Ronning and David Legwand of the Predators.
B. Steve McNair and Eddie George of the Titans.
C. Shania Twain and ... um, anyone.

Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@ post-gazette.com.