Taro Tsujimoto
- Date of Birth
- Nov 16, 1954
- Age
- 71
- Place of Birth
- Osaka, JPN
- Nation
- Japan
- Youth Team
- Tokyo Katanas
- Position
- C
- Height
- 175 cm / 5'9"
- Weight
- 75 kg / 165 lbs
- Shoots
- L
- Contract
- -
Taro Tsujimoto Facts
Fed up with what he considered a tedious draft process, Buffalo Sabres general manager George "Punch" Imlach decided to have some fun at the NHL's expense by announcing the name of a fictional Japanese player, Taro Tsujimoto. Imlach claimed Tsujimoto was a star center for the Tokyo Katanas in the Japanese league. Not knowing any better, the league went ahead and made the pick official, and all major media, including The Hockey News, reported it as a legitimate pick.
It was not until weeks later that Imlach told the truth about this pick. He admitted that he had found the name Taro Tsujimoto in a Buffalo phone book, and the team name Tokyo Katanas translated into English as Tokyo Sabres. The NHL would eventually change the pick to an "invalid claim" for its official record-keeping purposes, but this was after Tsujimoto's name had appeared in several of the NHL Guide and Record Books issued prior to the 1989-90 season. The Sabres, however, still include Tsujimoto in their official team media guides.
Source: hockeydraftcentral.com (external Link)
Source: hockeydraftcentral.com (external Link)