Biggest Calder winner bust?

Canadarocks

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My brother and I were talking yesterday about Calder trophy winners and what kind of careers they went on to have. We were wondering which one had the most disappointing career but are too young to remember most of them. So what do you guys think? Sorry if this has been posted before.
 

God Bless Canada

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Brit Selby would be the last notable. Had 27 points in 61 games as a rookie in 1965-66. He failed to play the requisite 400 NHL games to qualify for a pension.

Larry Regan and Kent Douglas also fell off the map pretty quickly after their respective Calder trophy seasons.

I'm reserving judgement on Andrew Raycroft.
 

Ogopogo*

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John Flyers Fan said:
Makarov wasn't a bust, but he was 32 years old and past his prime when he won the award. He was one of the 3 best RW's if the 1980's.

3 best in the 80s? Considering that his best season he finished 16 points behind the top 10 in NHL scoring, I have to disagree. Bossy, Kurri and Hull are the top 3 that come to mind.
 

John Flyers Fan

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Ogopogo said:
3 best in the 80s? Considering that his best season he finished 16 points behind the top 10 in NHL scoring, I have to disagree. Bossy, Kurri and Hull are the top 3 that come to mind.


Hull didn't become a big time player until 88-89.

Makarov's prime came before he ever entered the NHL.

I'd rank the top RW's of the 80's as

1. Bossy
2. Makarov
3. Kurri
 

God Bless Canada

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Ogopogo said:
3 best in the 80s? Considering that his best season he finished 16 points behind the top 10 in NHL scoring, I have to disagree. Bossy, Kurri and Hull are the top 3 that come to mind.
Brett Hull's rookie season wasn't until 1987-88, so to qualify him as one of the three best of the 1980's would be a pretty damning comment of the RWs in the 80s.

Makarov top three of the 80s? Don't know if I'd go that far. But I wouldn't label him a bust, either, considering he was 32 and had already been playing pro for over a decade. I think it was pretty impressive that at 32, he could come over to North America and beat players like Brind'Amour and Roenick, among many others, for the Calder.

In fact, Makarov's rookie season is a pretty important one. He was the first Soviet star to come to North America and enjoy tangible success at the NHL. His exploits also forced the league to lower the rookie eligibility age to 25.
 

Ogopogo*

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John Flyers Fan said:
Hull didn't become a big time player until 88-89.

Makarov's prime came before he ever entered the NHL.

I'd rank the top RW's of the 80's as

1. Bossy
2. Makarov
3. Kurri

Perhaps that is true but we will never really know because Makarov didn't face much NHL competition when he was younger.

As a side note, Vladislav Tretiak was interviewed in the 80s and said that Makarov was 'definitely more dangerous offensively' than Gretzky. When Sergei finally came to the NHL, that was proved incorrect.

Makarov's best season was his 86 point rookie campaign - as a 32 year old - on a very good Calgary club. He finished 16 points out of the NHL's top 10 in scoring. Grezky won a scoring title with the lowly Kings as a 33 year old and finished 3rd in scoring as a 37 year old on the brutal NY Rangers.
 

Ogopogo*

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God Bless Canada said:
Brett Hull's rookie season wasn't until 1987-88, so to qualify him as one of the three best of the 1980's would be a pretty damning comment of the RWs in the 80s.

Makarov top three of the 80s? Don't know if I'd go that far. But I wouldn't label him a bust, either, considering he was 32 and had already been playing pro for over a decade. I think it was pretty impressive that at 32, he could come over to North America and beat players like Brind'Amour and Roenick, among many others, for the Calder.

In fact, Makarov's rookie season is a pretty important one. He was the first Soviet star to come to North America and enjoy tangible success at the NHL. His exploits also forced the league to lower the rookie eligibility age to 25.

Forgive my gaffe with Hull. Kerr and Simmer would have been among the decade's best.
 

John Flyers Fan

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Ogopogo said:
Perhaps that is true but we will never really know because Makarov didn't face much NHL competition when he was younger.

As a side note, Vladislav Tretiak was interviewed in the 80s and said that Makarov was 'definitely more dangerous offensively' than Gretzky. When Sergei finally came to the NHL, that was proved incorrect.

I'll disagree with him being more dangerous than Gretzky, but he was just lethal. Larionov had the longer NHL career and therefore gets the most pub, but Makarov and Krutov were deadly.

Larionov and Fetisov adapted much better to ther western way of life. Krutov was an absolute disaster, and Kasatonov wasn't much better. Makarov was in between.

As for ranking the members of the famed green unit I'd go:

1. Fetisov/Makarov
3. Krutov
4. Kasatanov
5. Larionov
 

David Puddy

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I am going to have to go along with John about how great a player Sergei Makarov was in the 1980's. He didn't join the NHL until the 1989-90 season. He put up very good numbers 134 Goals, 250 Assists and 384 Points in 424 Games Played. That was done between the ages of 31 and 36.

In his prime during the 1980's, Makarov led the Sovied League in scoring in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989. He was named Soviet League MVP three times (1980, 1985 and 1989.) He also was named MVP of the 1984 Canada Cup, so you can't argue that he couldn't perform against the best the NHL had to offer.
 

Psycho Papa Joe

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Ogopogo said:
Perhaps that is true but we will never really know because Makarov didn't face much NHL competition when he was younger.

As a side note, Vladislav Tretiak was interviewed in the 80s and said that Makarov was 'definitely more dangerous offensively' than Gretzky. When Sergei finally came to the NHL, that was proved incorrect.

Makarov's best season was his 86 point rookie campaign - as a 32 year old - on a very good Calgary club. He finished 16 points out of the NHL's top 10 in scoring. Grezky won a scoring title with the lowly Kings as a 33 year old and finished 3rd in scoring as a 37 year old on the brutal NY Rangers.

He was the best Soviet RW in the 80's, and their most dominate offensive player. The Soviets were a team on par with Canada's best, and far ahead of the 3rd best team in the world. His credentials speak for themselves.
 

reckoning

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Though he still had a respectable career, Eric Vail never really reached the level everyone thought he would. His 39 goals in his Calder season (`74-`75) ended up being the highest total he would ever get in his career. In his bio in the book Players, it mentions that he didn`t take hockey seriously or put in the effort that he should have.

I guess Derek Sanderson would also be an obvious response for this thread`s question.
 

zoomba

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There really hasn't been anyone who won a Calder that you would consider a "bust". Pretty much everyone either had a solid career or is a valuable NHLer today.
 

ScaredStreit

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I don't know who I'd go with. All of the winners have been somewhat good obviously. The rest of Selanne's career was probably the biggest drop if you ask me, however under no situation would I consider him a "bust". Holding out on Raycroft-he just may be a bust.

As for RW's of the 80's. Hull is not up there, and I agree that Bossy was easily the best of the 80's, and I'd go as far to say the best of all time.
 

John Flyers Fan

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Damannnnaa said:
As for RW's of the 80's. Hull is not up there, and I agree that Bossy was easily the best of the 80's, and I'd go as far to say the best of all time.

Goal scorer quite possibly .. but Howe the greatest RW of all time without question.
 

pnep

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Canadarocks said:
My brother and I were talking yesterday about Calder trophy winners and what kind of careers they went on to have. We were wondering which one had the most disappointing career but are too young to remember most of them. So what do you guys think? Sorry if this has been posted before.

1.Selby Brit
2.Quilty John
3.Macdonald Kilby
4.Lund Pentti
5.Gelineau Jack
6.Voss Carl
7.Douglas Kent

imho...
 

Peter25

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John Flyers Fan said:
Hull didn't become a big time player until 88-89.

Makarov's prime came before he ever entered the NHL.

I'd rank the top RW's of the 80's as

1. Bossy
2. Makarov
3. Kurri

1. Makarov
2. Khomutov
3. Bossy
4. Balderis
5. Kurri
6. Loob
7. Drozdetsky
8. Gartner
9. Svetlov
10. Skvortsov
 
Last edited:

ScaredStreit

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John Flyers Fan said:
Goal scorer quite possibly .. but Howe the greatest RW of all time without question.

Howe's up there I agree. It's hard to judge since Howe played for so long, and remember not all of his career was what you think of when you think of him. He was great, no question about it. But considering Bossy was taken out early from his career from a cheapshot from behind, and only played 9 1/2 seasons it's tough to judge.
 

Piggish

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Mar 28, 2006
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Damannnnaa said:
It's hard to judge since Howe played for so long, and remember not all of his career was what you think of when you think of him. He was great, no question about it. But considering Bossy was taken out early from his career from a cheapshot from behind, and only played 9 1/2 seasons it's tough to judge.

If Howe had retired after his first ten seasons (before 1957), I'd still argue he's the greater player. Bossy is deservedly known as a great scorer, but from 1952 to 1954 Howe contributed offensively at a level Bossy never matched. 1953 especially was a monster season.
 

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