Maggie Ciara is a third grade student at Columbus Manor Elementary School in Oak Lawn, Ill. She’s also a Chicago Blackhawks fan, as her teacher discovered in a recent math exam.

The question was “what is 9 times 9?”

The answer? Marian Hossa, a.k.a. No. 81 for the Blackhawks.

As you can see, her teacher was baffled at first ...

We know what you’re thinking: Did she get credit for what was, in a roundabout way, a correct answer?

Justin Breen of DNAinfo Chicago had this whimsical hockey story, and spoke with Maggie’s teacher. While she didn't quite get what the answer meant at first, Maggie clarified it for her:

Her teacher, Christine Mech, circled the answer and wrote "What is this?" in red pen. When Maggie explained her response, Mech gave her credit, and she received an A+. "Maggie is a very clever little girl," said Mech, who's a Hawks fan and knew what Maggie was up to. "I love the way Maggie has a sense of humor. She did get her 100 percent on the quiz, and we had a little bit of a laugh afterward." Maggie's mother, Diane, posted a photo of the exam Wednesday afternoon, and it already has more than 1,300 "Likes" on Facebook. It even has appeared on the Blackhawks official Facebook page.

Hopefully this ushers in a new era in Chicago area schools when it comes to math. After all: Duncan Keith times Duncan Keith equals Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Niklas Hjalmarsson times Niklas Hjalmarsson equals Marcus Kruger, and …

Further proof that no matter what the question is, hockey is the answer.

s/t Deadspin