Stories

The Greatest Hockey Prospect

Taro Tsujimoto was really good at hockey. Born on November 16th, 1954 in Osaka Japan, Taro wasn’t your typical NHL prospect. For one, hardly anyone outside of Canada and the United States ever made it to the NHL. Your standard hockey prospect wasn’t typically as small as Taro either. He had a height of 5’8” and weighed just 180 pounds. Taro Tsujimoto had the odds completely stacked against him, but that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most intriguing NHL prospects hockey had ever seen.

Taro spent the first twenty years of his life cultivating his craft. His game on the ice was getting better and better as time went on, and the competition in the Japanese Hockey League could no longer keep up. That’s why in 1974, after Taro had another incredible season, the Buffalo Sabres took a shot on him. With the 183rd overall selection, Buffalo Sabres manager Punch Imlach selected Taro Tsujimoto to come play in the NHL.

And then… nothing.

Taro Tsujimoto never made it to the NHL, he never came to join the Buffalo Sabres, and if I am being completely transparent, he never even played hockey at all. That’s because Taro Tsujimoto was never actually real.

Taro Tsujimoto Was Never Real?

The NHL draft back in 1974 was very different than it is today. It was a very secret affair back then. Today it is broadcasted on all of the major sporting networks. There is also no end of speculation on who could go where. Back then though, teams were very quiet about who they could select and where they might select them. There also wasn’t nearly the same media coverage as there was today.

The draft also consisted of more rounds than there is today, having 11 compared to the 7 there is now. Punch Imlach, manager of the Sabres, was not the type of man who liked to be kept waiting. At this point in his career he had already won 4 Stanley Cups, and made it publicly known that he despised the drafting process. Punch despised how the draft was run, he despised how long it took, and he despised the commissioner for making it this way.

So naturally, he decided to pull a prank on him.

Drafting a fictional character from a fictional team was Imlach’s way of making fun of the entire drafting process. And because there was no internet to validate these selections back then, the NHL received his pick, didn’t question him on it, and kept the draft moving. Taro Tsujimoto, a completely made up character, was officially drafted.

Punch Imlach at the 1974 NHL draft.

So What Now?

Now Taro Tsujimoto remains a legend in the Buffalo Sabres community. Punch Imlach shockingly did not receive any punishment for his joke, and even continued it throughout the season by having a stay built out for Taro. Taro truly is the greatest hockey player to never play the game of hockey. He is also probably the greatest practical joke as well.

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