Taro Tsujimoto
Encyclopedia
Taro Tsujimoto is an imaginary ice hockey
player who was legally drafted by the National Hockey League
's Buffalo Sabres
183rd overall in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL Entry Draft.
The Sabres' general manager at the time, Punch Imlach
, was reportedly fed up with the slow drafting process via the telephone
, a process intended to keep draft picks secret from the rival World Hockey Association
. Imlach decided to have some fun at the expense of the league and president of 28 years, Clarence Campbell
, and found a common Japanese name in a Buffalo
-area phone book. Thus, when the 11th round surfaced, Imlach chose to select star center Taro Tsujimoto of the Japanese Hockey League
's Tokyo Katanas, "Katana
s" being an approximation for "Sabre
s" in the Japanese language
(both referring to types of swords). (The JHL, which was a real entity, had no such team; the Kokudo Keikaku Ice Hockey Club
represented Tokyo in the JHL.) The NHL made the pick official, and so it was reported by all major media outlets including The Hockey News
.
Imlach did not acknowledge the fake draft pick until just before the start of training camp that year. The NHL would eventually change the pick to an "invalid claim" for its official record-keeping purposes (Campbell not finding it nearly as funny as Imlach), but this was after Tsujimoto's name had appeared in several NHL publications. Tsujimoto is still listed among Sabres' draft picks in the Sabres media guide
.
Taro quickly became an inside joke for Sabres' fans and staffers. For years after the pick, fans would chant "We Want Taro" when games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
became one-sided. In addition, for many years, banners would be hung from the balcony rail stating "Taro Says..." followed by a witty comment against an opponent or player for the opponent.
In summer 2011, Panini America
, a company that makes trading cards, added Tsujimoto to its 2010-11 Score Rookies & Traded box set.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who was legally drafted by the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
183rd overall in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL Entry Draft.
The Sabres' general manager at the time, Punch Imlach
Punch Imlach
George "Punch" Imlach , was an NHL coach and general manager. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Early career:...
, was reportedly fed up with the slow drafting process via the telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, a process intended to keep draft picks secret from the rival World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
. Imlach decided to have some fun at the expense of the league and president of 28 years, Clarence Campbell
Clarence Campbell
Clarence Sutherland Campbell OBE, QC was the third president of the National Hockey League from 1946 to 1977.-Early life and career:...
, and found a common Japanese name in a Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
-area phone book. Thus, when the 11th round surfaced, Imlach chose to select star center Taro Tsujimoto of the Japanese Hockey League
Japan Ice Hockey League
The Japan Ice Hockey League was an annual ice hockey league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey...
's Tokyo Katanas, "Katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
s" being an approximation for "Sabre
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
s" in the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
(both referring to types of swords). (The JHL, which was a real entity, had no such team; the Kokudo Keikaku Ice Hockey Club
Seibu Prince Rabbits
The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09...
represented Tokyo in the JHL.) The NHL made the pick official, and so it was reported by all major media outlets including The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
.
Imlach did not acknowledge the fake draft pick until just before the start of training camp that year. The NHL would eventually change the pick to an "invalid claim" for its official record-keeping purposes (Campbell not finding it nearly as funny as Imlach), but this was after Tsujimoto's name had appeared in several NHL publications. Tsujimoto is still listed among Sabres' draft picks in the Sabres media guide
Media guide
A media guide is a sports-related press kit, distributed as a book or binder, and published by American sporting teams before the start of the sporting season. It features information relating to the team players, history, statistical records and other similar items...
.
Taro quickly became an inside joke for Sabres' fans and staffers. For years after the pick, fans would chant "We Want Taro" when games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium was an indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. It hosted the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL, the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, the Buffalo Braves of the NBA, the Buffalo Stallions of MSL, the Buffalo Bandits of MILL, the Buffalo Blizzard of the second NPSL and the Buffalo...
became one-sided. In addition, for many years, banners would be hung from the balcony rail stating "Taro Says..." followed by a witty comment against an opponent or player for the opponent.
In summer 2011, Panini America
Donruss
Donruss, currently known as Panini America and owned by Panini Group, manufactures sports cards. The company started in the 1950s, producing confectionery, evolved into Donruss and started producing trading cards. During the 1960s and 1970s Donruss produced entertainment-themed trading cards...
, a company that makes trading cards, added Tsujimoto to its 2010-11 Score Rookies & Traded box set.
External links
- Tsujimoto: The NHL Draft Pick That Never Was, Cotton Boll Conspiracy, June 27, 2011
- http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1974/74183.html