Worst Players to Score 500 Points and Best not to?

[GlitchMarner]

Worst 500 point scorer: Brad Boyes (505)

Best player who didn't score 500 points: Pierre Pilot (498).

Click to read more...

 

[Dissonance Jr]

Would probably say Dominik Hasek or Patrick Roy for best below 500.

Worst over 500 is a tough one. Lucien DeBlois (525) stands out as a pretty middling scorer who had a brief blip alongside Dale Hawerchuk in Winnipeg, although looking at his career, it seems like he reinvented himself as a useful defensive player/penalty killer on some decent teams later in life, so maybe that puts him ahead of Boyes.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Boyes is a solid choice for worst.

A few other candidates:
Greg Malone
Lucien DeBlois
JP Dumont
Shawn Horcoff
Tom Fergus

 

[tarheelhockey]

As far as below 500... pretty easily Howie Morenz.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Boyes is a solid choice for worst.

A few other candidates:
Greg Malone
Lucien DeBlois
JP Dumont
Shawn Horcoff
Tom Fergus

Dumont wasn't big or physical and I don't know if he was any good defensively, but he at least had the skill set of a 500 point scorer in the NHL.

I'm not really sure what Boyes had aside from speed and a decent release (not sure if his shot was even that good; he just got it off well).

 

[seventieslord]

With players like Boyes and Dumont in this category, I'd hesitate to name the likes of Malone and DeBlois, who had great two-way games, and to a lesser extent, Horcoff and Fergus.

If I was in an all-time draft that went 2000 picks deep, I could definitely see it getting to the point where brad Boyes is the last player left with 500+ points.

 

[Hobnobs]

With players like Boyes and Dumont in this category, I'd hesitate to name the likes of Malone and DeBlois, who had great two-way games, and to a lesser extent, Horcoff and Fergus.

If I was in an all-time draft that went 2000 picks deep, I could definitely see it getting to the point where brad Boyes is the last player left with 500+ points.

Agree. Dumont and Horcoff will go miles ahead of him as well simply because Horcoff is ahead of him at other stuff and Dumont was a more consistent scorer while not having the same peak as Boyes (08) he also have a better playoff resume.

Boyes is the worst 500 point scorer. There is a Mark Johnson though...

 

[decma]

Agree. Dumont and Horcoff will go miles ahead of him as well simply because Horcoff is ahead of him at other stuff and Dumont was a more consistent scorer while not having the same peak as Boyes (08) he also have a better playoff resume.

Boyes is the worst 500 point scorer. There is a Mark Johnson though...

What do you have against Mark Johnson? I think he was a much better player than Boyes (and a lot of the other forwards mentioned on this thread).

 

[VanIslander]

In the NHL today?

35-year-old Vermette just hit 500 career points the other night for the Ducks. Whip-dee-do-da.

He has one career-high season of 27 goals, 38 assists but otherwise never hit 25 goals or 30 assists.

I had great hopes for him when he was an up and comer in Ottawa.
But he's been a middling disappointment.

You know you're not doing well when the Arizona Coyotes buy out your contract!

 

[Dissonance Jr]

I think Petr Klima (573 points) is probably the closest comparable to Brad Boyes here — two soft skilled wingers who were awful defensively but had decent scoring peaks.

Who would you rather have? There can be only one "worst"!

 

[GlitchMarner]

How about Nick Libbett?

Seems like he was an underwhelming "scorer" for bad teams pretty much his whole career. He never scored more than 53 points in a season despite playing throughout the 70s and he was -158 in his career (though to be fair, he played for the Wings when they were at their worst and then for the pre-Mario Pens).

He had 505 points (same as Boyes) in 982 games. He scored 50+ points only three times (53 twice and 51 once).

 

[Dissonance Jr]

How about Nick Libbett?

Seems like he was an underwhelming "scorer" for bad teams his whole career. He never scored more than 53 points in a season despite playing throughout the 70s and he was -158 in his career (though to be fair, he played for the Wings when they were at their worst and then for the pre-Mario Pens).

He had 505 points (same as Boyes) in 982 games. He scored 50+ points only three times (53 twice and 51 once).

Had never heard of Libbett before, to be quite honest, but found an account suggesting he was a good, hard-nosed, two-way player, albeit on some bad teams:

In a national television broadcast on Gordie Howe Day, March 12, 1971, with Vice-President Spiro Agnew in attendance, Libett pummeled Black Hawk bad boy Keith Magnuson in front of 14, 291 cheering fans at Olympia Stadium. [...]

The day after the Magnuson fight, Red Wing coach Johnny Wilson raved about his pesky left winger to hockey writer Jack Berry.

“Nick is the best two-way left winger I’ve seen in hockey,” Wilson said. “I look at Bobby Hull and Dennis Hull and see them loaf coming back on defense. Nick always comes back. He kills penalties and there isn’t a better forechecking left wing.”

 

[albertGQ]

Best not to score 500 points has to be Connor McDavid.

 

[Hobnobs]

How about Nick Libbett?

Seems like he was an underwhelming "scorer" for bad teams his whole career. He never scored more than 53 points in a season despite playing throughout the 70s and he was -158 in his career (though to be fair, he played for the Wings when they were at their worst and then for the pre-Mario Pens).

He had 505 points (same as Boyes) in 982 games. He scored 50+ points only three times (53 twice and 51 once).

Libbett was more of a two-way grinder who could put up points. A very good glue guy.

 

[Nick Hansen]

It probably is Boyes. Just seemed like he got to play with some good/great centres and then put the pucks in. More or less. Had a decent shot I guess.

A number of guys I have no idea of:

Kisio, Ryan Walter, John Anderson, Brent Ashton, Derek King, McKechnie, MacAdam, Keith Acton and a few others. Were these any good or...???

 

[Hobnobs]

It probably is Boyes. Just seemed like he got to play with some good/great centres and then put the pucks in. More or less. Had a decent shot I guess.

A number of guys I have no idea of:

Kisio, Ryan Walter, John Anderson, Brent Ashton, Derek King, McKechnie, MacAdam, Keith Acton and a few others. Were these any good or...???

All of them were better in other areas. Id say all of them were role players with an offensive punch.

 

[seventieslord]

Derek King was very one-dimensional, almost as one-dimensional as it gets. He's a candidate, though I'm not sure he's worse than a Boyes.

John Anderson didn't have a lot else to his game. Ashton was somewhat two-way. Acton, McKechnie, MacAdam and Kisio had very good defensive reputations. Walter even more so.

 

[Hobnobs]

Derek King was very one-dimensional, almost as one-dimensional as it gets. He's a candidate, though I'm not sure he's worse than a Boyes.

John Anderson didn't have a lot else to his game. Ashton was somewhat two-way. Acton, McKechnie, MacAdam and Kisio had very good defensive reputations. Walter even more so.

Wasnt King very good at corner and front of the net work tho? I dont remember him as being one dimensional except that he wasnt very good defensively.

 

[GlitchMarner]

haha... I remember King.

He had some talent and he excelled somewhat playing with Mike Johnson and Steve Sullivan in '98-'99 but then disappeared in the playoffs and was pretty much done in the NHL after that. Looking back, it's kind of surprising he didn't get another chance aside from a short stint with the Blues after the Leafs got rid of him early in the '00 season. Maybe there was an injury or something that I'm not aware of.

Earlier in his career, he had scored 40 goals on the Isles and 38 one season with them as well. He peaked with three straight seasons of 70 or more points and then fell off. His career does seem to mirror Boyes' to some extent in that he had a peak in which he was much better than he was during the majority of his career.

With that said, I'd take King over Boyes any day.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Wasn't Kisio a crafty, smallish sort of centre? I'm sure he was a much better play-driver and creator of offensive opportunities than a guy like Boyes.

I think Ashton was a grinder who could score. He did finish in the top 20 for Selke voting three times.

His son Carter Ashton was basically a complete wash-out in the NHL. He wasn't really any good at anything except skating fast.

 

[seventieslord]

Wasnt King very good at corner and front of the net work tho? I dont remember him as being one dimensional except that he wasnt very good defensively.

no, he was a softie.

haha... I remember King.

He had some talent and he excelled somewhat playing with Mike Johnson and Steve Sullivan in '98-'99 but then disappeared in the playoffs and was pretty much done in the NHL after that. Looking back, it's kind of surprising he didn't get another chance aside from a short stint with the Blues after the Leafs got rid of him early in the '00 season. Maybe there was an injury or something that I'm not aware of.

Earlier in his career, he had scored 40 goals on the Isles and 38 one season with them as well. He peaked with three straight seasons of 70 or more points and then fell off. His career does seem to mirror Boyes' to some extent in that he had a peak in which he was much better than he was during the majority of his career.

With that said, I'd take King over Boyes any day.

I recall after his 1998-99 season, a report I read about him said something like, "don't let the numbers fool you - by the end of the season, King was a quivering mass of insecurity"

 

[Hobnobs]

no, he was a softie.

Nah, he wasnt a softie. I distictly remember him getting punished in the corners and going after Severyn. Think he took on Stojanov as well. Later in his career maybe, dont really remember much of him with the leafs. Also remember Arbour commenting on his hard work and how he took punishment during the Pens series.

Doesnt matter too much anyways. Hes better than Boyes either way. Seems people only remember him from the leafs years when he was done.

 

[seventieslord]

Nah, he wasnt a softie. I distictly remember him getting punished in the corners and going after Severyn. Think he took on Stojanov as well. Later in his career maybe, dont really remember much of him with the leafs. Also remember Arbour commenting on his hard work and how he took punishment during the Pens series.

Doesnt matter too much anyways. Hes better than Boyes either way. Seems people only remember him from the leafs years when he was done.

1993-94 scouting report...

at his best from the faceoff dot to the front of the net... has to play with someone that will get him the puck at teh right time... not a great skater, and his defensive play remains his weakness... solid and durable player who takes a pounding in front. he doesn't use his body well in other areas of the ice, though, which is one of the reasons for his defensive problems... has improved his off-ice habits and conditioning, a problem in the past.

 

[blood gin]

Nominate Benoit Hogue for worst 500+ point guys

 

[The Panther]

For "Best player not to score 500 points", I nominate London, Ontario's Craig Simpson:

- 84 points in 42 games at College in Michigan
- Drafted 2nd overall in 1985 (might have been 1st, but he told Toronto not to pick him)
- 56 goals in 1987-88 (1st on Oilers), 13 in 19 playoff games, won Cup
- 76 points in 66 games in 1988-89 (92 point pace)
- led 1990 playoffs in scoring (16G, 31PTS, +11), won Cup
- 68 points in 67 playoff games
- best shot-percentage in NHL history

Essentially, he was a top-20 NHL goal-scorer from 1987 to 1991-ish, a fairly high-scoring period, yet he was stopped at 497 career points due to injury. I have rarely seen a player take as much physical punishment around the net as he did; consequently his career was basically over by age 25.

And let's face it, he always had perfect hair.