Unexpected Disappointing Seasons From Star Players...

[daver]

Yea you cant just combine games like that in a tournament. Canada had by far the easiest group in 2014. Its not a dominating performance when you barely squeeze by Finland in OT and narrowly defeat the US in the semis.

Did you even watch the US game. They were in complete control of that game despite the score. There was never a doubt that that win that game and the Sweden game was even more of a snoozer.

In any event, it was a complete team effort which was Babcock's plan. More importantly, we are talking about six games, not a season so it really is hardly worth mentioning.

 

[Hobnobs]

Did you even watch the US game. They were in complete control of that game despite the score. There was never a doubt that that win that game and the Sweden game was even more of a snoozer.

In any event, it was a complete team effort which was Babcock's plan. More importantly, we are talking about six games, not a season so it really is hardly worth mentioning.

The fact is that a fluke goal against US or Finland would have been devastating to that team and thats not a dominating performance. Canadas defense were dominant though.

Now what does this have to do with Crosbys 2014 OGs sticking out like a sore thumb?

 

[Regal]

St. Louis' '06 springs to mind. A 61 point season despite the increase in league scoring after the lockout, after winning the Art Ross/Hart in the year before the lockout and scoring a career high 102 points the season after.

Iginla is another one who had a disappointing '06.

As for Sakic, his '02 was always more surprising for me. Sure, the team became more defensive with the loss of Forsberg for the regular season, it was a lower scoring year and Sakic was getting older, but he was still the best player in the world the season before and dropped 39 points.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I don't think this one was mentioned yet - Bobby Hull in 1961. He scored 81 points the year before, and 84 points the year after (leading the league in goals and points both times). He was a first-team all-star and Hart finalist both years.

Yet in 1961 his production plummeted to just 56 points (13th in the league). He only missed three games - but was he slowed by a lingering injury before/after missing time? Coincidentally (or not), Hull was explosive in the playoffs, finishing 2nd on the team in scoring as Chicago won their only Stanley Cup of the decade.

====

Another possibility might be Joe Thornton in 2004. In 2003, he scored 101 points (5 points away from the Art Ross trophy, 4th in Hart voting). The 2005 season was obviously cancelled, but he won the Hart and Art Ross (125 points) in 2006. But in 2003 he only recorded 73 points and decided to play through a severe rib injury in the playoffs (which resulted in him getting trashed in media as he was held scoreless in seven games, as the Bruins, the #2 seed in the East, were upset in the first round after taking a 3-1 series lead). I think the media was far too harsh on him - he would have been criticized had missed the series - but it was still a disappointing regular season.

 

[tjcurrie]

I remember Modano had one year where he suddenly put up like 38 points which was bookended by 70+ point years.

Then it was disclosed that his financial advisor had cheated him out of tens of millions so his mind probably wasn't entirely on hockey.

Came here to say this. Mike Modano 2003-04. The man was a complete shell of himself. Great bounce back season though.

2002-03 (Age 32)
79 - 28 - 57 - 85 +34 (3rd in AS voting, 7th in Hart, 6th in Selke)

2003-04 (Age 33)
76 - 14 - 30 - 44 -21

2005-06 (Age 35)
78 - 27 - 50 - 77 +23

 

[Canucks1096]

Examples:

Sakic's 1997 season: 22 goals, 74 points, -10 rating in 65 games. The previous season: 51 goals, 120 points, +14 in 82 games.

Pavel Bure's '97 season: 23 goals, 55 points, -14 in 63 games.

Getzlaf's 2012 season: 11 goals, 57 points, -11 in 82 games.

Ovechkin's 2012 season: 38 goals, 65 points, -8 in 78 games.


What are some others?

Bure was playing hurt the whole season. He got hurt the first game of the season when Todd Simpson hit him from behind.

 

[Canucks1096]

Doug Gilmour's 1994-95

111 and 127 points the previous 2 seasons. What a hugh decrease

 

[Canucks1096]

Turgeron 82 points in 01. Goes to Dallas and average about 40 points a season.

Fedorov 107 points in 96. Next season 63 points. Yes Fedorov played some defense as well but I think everybody was expecting more than 63 points.

 

[GreatGonzo]

Selannes short career in San Jose comes to mind. Granted injuries and the system SJ played in, but his numbers were so disappointing compared to his years prior in Anaheim. It only got worst when he went to Colorado(as many pointed out) but I didn’t expect him to be that bad on the Sharks

This isn’t a necessarily “bad” season, but Gretzky’s ‘95 season comes to mind. Sure he was a PPG, and yes he was battling back Injuries, but 48 points in 48 games after putting up 130 the year before, led the league in assists, while winning the Art Ross, is extremely underwhelming for him. Especially considering the following season where he put up 102 points.

 

[decma]

Turgeron 82 points in 01. Goes to Dallas and average about 40 points a season.

This was partly driven by usage. Turgeon went from being first in ES ice time per game among StL forwards to 6th, 9th, and 9th among Dallas forwards in his three seasons there. His PP ice time per game also dropped. So while his per minute point production fell by about 25% at ES and 12% at PP, his overall totals declined by much more.

Dallas just wasn't a good fit for him and the end of his career may have gone better had he signed elsewhere.

 

[brachyrynchos]

Jaromir Jagr in Washington. With Pittsburgh he was a 5 time Art Ross Trophy winner, in 806 regular season games, 439 goals and 640 assists, Cup rings with playoff numbers to prove it, he was a star. Gets traded to the Caps and is soon given a then record 7 year $77M contract. First season with WSH 69-31-48-79, not terrible, but disappointing. His next season and a half he plays 121 games and only 122 points, and only 6 playoff games, 6-2-5-7. Traded to the Rangers a little more than halfway point of the 03/04 season, with the NYR he has 319 points in 277 games, 10-17-27 in 23 playoff games. Such a disappointment in Washington, the whole thing was just...off.

 

[Big Phil]

Is there any bigger discrepancy in sports from one season to the next than David Cone in baseball? Yeah I know, off topic, but for a guy that I think should have gotten more support for the Hall of Fame he had a strange season in 2000 with the Yankees. Check it out:

1998: 20-7 3.55ERA (finished 4th in Cy Young voting)
1999: 12-9 3.44ERA (finished 6th in Cy Young voting)
2000: 4-14 6.91ERA

He wins the World Series on all three of those teams so it isn't as if he was saddled with a poor team. I understand he only played another full season after this and maybe there was an injury at this point he was nursing (I can't recall) or maybe it was just a sharp decline due to age. Either way, does anyone in any sport have a big drop like that?

Cone ought to get a little more support for the Hall if you ask me.

 

[blogofmike]

Is there any bigger discrepancy in sports from one season to the next than David Cone in baseball? Yeah I know, off topic, but for a guy that I think should have gotten more support for the Hall of Fame he had a strange season in 2000 with the Yankees. Check it out:

1998: 20-7 3.55ERA (finished 4th in Cy Young voting)
1999: 12-9 3.44ERA (finished 6th in Cy Young voting)
2000: 4-14 6.91ERA

He wins the World Series on all three of those teams so it isn't as if he was saddled with a poor team. I understand he only played another full season after this and maybe there was an injury at this point he was nursing (I can't recall) or maybe it was just a sharp decline due to age. Either way, does anyone in any sport have a big drop like that?

Cone ought to get a little more support for the Hall if you ask me.

Baseball's HOF has high standards. Mike Mussina isn't in yet.

I don't know how unexpected it was, but I guess Grant Fuhr's run in the mid 90s? He was a mediocre goalie on a team that was great with Hasek, and went 1-7-3 on the 1995 Kings, who finished 1 point back of a playoff spot. Fuhr recovered in 95-96 though.

 

[blood gin]

Baseball's HOF has high standards. Mike Mussina isn't in yet.

I don't know how unexpected it was, but I guess Grant Fuhr's run in the mid 90s? He was a mediocre goalie on a team that was great with Hasek, and went 1-7-3 on the 1995 Kings, who finished 1 point back of a playoff spot. Fuhr recovered in 95-96 though.

The only way Mussina should ever enter the Baseball Hall of Fame is with a $23 adult admission ticket

 

[blogofmike]

Ha, the point was more Mussina > Cone, rather than Mussina = HOF.

 

[Big Phil]

Baseball's HOF has high standards. Mike Mussina isn't in yet.

I don't know how unexpected it was, but I guess Grant Fuhr's run in the mid 90s? He was a mediocre goalie on a team that was great with Hasek, and went 1-7-3 on the 1995 Kings, who finished 1 point back of a playoff spot. Fuhr recovered in 95-96 though.

That sounds about right. Not a big sample size though and that Kings team was just horrible.

The only way Mussina should ever enter the Baseball Hall of Fame is with a $23 adult admission ticket

Man..........that's a bit rough on Mussina. I am all for high standards for pitchers, and they exist, but is Mussina really in the group of "can only ever get in if he pays a ticket?" The already strict Baseball HOF appears as if it will be letting him in. He is steadily going up in percentage year after year (you need 75% to get in). Curt Schilling is as well and it would surprise people to know that Bonds and Clemens keep ascending while Sosa doesn't and McGwire isn't even on the ballot anymore.

 

[c9777666]

Tony Amonte 2001-02

Scored 27 goals, the only non-lockout season he didn’t hit the 30 goal plateau in Chicago. In 6 full seasons from 1996-2001, he scored no fewer than 31 goals.

Ironically, it was the best season Chicago had record-wise from 1997-2007

 

[The Panther]

Did anyone mention Glenn Anderson in 1988-89? I think his friend had died at his home or something in the off-season, and Gretzky was traded, which bummed him out, but still his 16 goal, -16 season was terrible. At one point, he went 16 games without a goal, then 14 games without a goal, and finally another 14 games without a goal to end the season, and then produced only 1 goal in the seven-game loss to L.A. in the playoffs. The year before he'd had 38, and would get 34 in 73 games (plus 10 in the playoffs) the following season.

 

[alko]

Jaromir Jagr in Washington. With Pittsburgh he was a 5 time Art Ross Trophy winner, in 806 regular season games, 439 goals and 640 assists, Cup rings with playoff numbers to prove it, he was a star. Gets traded to the Caps and is soon given a then record 7 year $77M contract. First season with WSH 69-31-48-79, not terrible, but disappointing. His next season and a half he plays 121 games and only 122 points, and only 6 playoff games, 6-2-5-7. Traded to the Rangers a little more than halfway point of the 03/04 season, with the NYR he has 319 points in 277 games, 10-17-27 in 23 playoff games. Such a disappointment in Washington, the whole thing was just...off.

Yeah. That was disappointing. Every one counted with 100+ seasons. Looking to the roster, it was a minimum, what he could do.
Gonchar, Johansson, Bondra, Oates, Dahlen, Zubrus, Konowalchuk, Khristich, Nikolischin, Jeff Halpern and yeas, also Chris Simon. The offense was there. But injuries destroyed the dream. Caps didnt advance to playoffs in Jagr first season with them.

 

[IslesFan2017]

Ilya Kovalchuk in 2010-11 with the Devils. He had always been a consistent offensive threat with Atlanta and then the Devils before "retiring" and going to the KHL. He did score 31 goals that year, but he only had 60 points compared to the 80+ points he had seemingly every year. He rebounded the next year with 37 goals and 83 points, helping the Devils get to the Finals. He also had a disappointing season in 2012-13, which was his final season in the NHL until now.