Taro Tsujimoto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taro Tsujimoto is an imaginary player that was legally drafted by the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL Entry Draft.[1][2]
The Sabres' general manager at the time, Punch Imlach, was reportedly fed up with the drafting process and decided to have some fun. When the 13th round surfaced, Imlach chose to select star center Taro Tsujimoto of the Tokyo Katanas. The NHL made the pick official, and so it was reported by all major media outlets including reputable magazine The Hockey News.
Imlach didn't clear the air about the fake draft pick until weeks later. 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 NHL Guide and Record Books. Tsujimoto is still listed among Sabres' draft picks in the Sabres media guide.
