Chris Pronger was famously a key part of the Ducks winning the Stanley Cup in 2007. Jeff Gross / Getty ImagesJune 10, 2026 8:46 am EDT Updated It’s Mitch Marner’s world right now, and we’re all just living in it. Less than a year after a sign-and-trade sent him to Vegas on the eve of free agency, Marner and the Golden Knights are two wins away from a championship, and the ex-Toronto Maple Leaf is the runaway leader for the Conn Smythe Trophy.It’s a cool story. But it might not be as unique as you might think. While Marner’s version might be extreme, NHL history is filled with stories of star players who arrive on a new team via trade or free agency and win a Stanley Cup in their very first year. So since we haven’t had a quiz in a while, let’s see how well you know your Cup-winning newbies.
As always, I’ll give you a player and some teams, and you tell me which one he never played an NHL game for. Once you’ve finished all 16 questions, scroll back up to see your score, and then use the handy chart below to see how you did.16 right: You’re Mitch Marner’s record-setting hat trick in Game 3 of the final.12 – 15 right: You’re that crazy breakaway goal Marner scored against the Ducks.8 – 11 right: You’re Marner’s three-point game to eliminate the Mammoth.4 – 7 right: You’re that time he tried to jump over a shot and it hit him and we all decided to pretend he meant to do that.1 – 3 right: You’re Marner from the conference final.0 right: You are every Mitch Marner playoff run in Toronto.(If you have trouble scrolling the quiz on a mobile device, try this direct link.)As always, we’ll start off easy and crank up the difficulty as we go. Let’s see how far you can make it before you have to start guessing…(Scroll back up to see your score!)Jun 10, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
