Ziggy Palffy

[Ziggy Stardust]

From 1994 through 2005, Ziggy Palffy one of the top 10 point producing forwards in the NHL. Here is a list of the top 10 players in points per game from '94-'05:
http://www.hockey-reference.com/pla...at=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=points_per_game

M. Lemieux, 1.69
J. Jagr, 1.38
P. Forsberg, 1.28
J. Sakic, 1.21
E. Lindros, 1.17
W. Gretzky, 1.10
P. Kariya, 1.07
P. LaFontaine, 1.06
P. Bure, 1.05
Z. Palffy, 1.05

Keep in mind that Lemieux and Jagr played together, Sakic and Forsberg were teammates on a loaded Avalanche squad, Lindros had LeClair, Gretzky was Gretzky, Kariya had Selanne, LaFontaine had Mogilny, and Bure was considered one of the best scorers of the 90s. Who did Palffy have to play with on the lowly Islanders? Travis Green.

Unfortunately, Palffy's career was similar to Bure's in that it was cut short due to numerous injuries, but unlike Bure, I find that Palffy is often forgotten about or overlooked when discussing who the best players were during his era (often referred to as the "clutch and grab" and "trap" era of hockey).

He gained better linemates in Los Angeles when he joined Stumpel and Robitaille on LA's top line, then later had Allison and Deadmarsh in the later stages of his career as a King. He would only last for half a season in Pittsburgh before abruptly retiring from the NHL. What did his career in were his bad shoulders.

Here's a sampling of names who finished behind Palffy in points per game from '94-'05: Selanne, Modano, Sundin, LeClair, Tkachuk, Mogilny, Fleury, Yzerman, Weight, Fedorov, Hull, Turgeon, Bondra, Shanahan, Oates, Recchi, Roenick, etc. That is quite the impressive list of names to finish ahead of in point per game production.

I think what really hurts Palffy is that he spent a majority of the 90s playing on a struggling Islanders franchise and then continued to enjoy success on an okay Kings team that never advanced far in the playoffs (save for their upset against the Wings in 2001, and they pushed the eventual Cup champion Avalanche to 7 games). Although Palffy may never be considered as one of the top 10 players from the 90s or early 2000s, I think he deserves some recognition for being one of the top point producers of his era.

Of course, my namesake is in honor of Palffy (and Bowie). So huzzah for the Great Ziggy! Let us rejoice and celebrate his short lived career.

















This goal makes Clement cream his pants. Laser... Tube!

Click to read more...

 

[Iain Fyffe]

Of course, my namesake is in honor of Palffy (and Bowie). So huzzah for the Great Ziggy! Let us rejoice and celebrate his short lived career.

I'm a Palffy fan, but I should say that on these boards references to Bowie should be Russell, not David.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I'm a Palffy fan, but I should say that on these boards references to Bowie should be Russell, not David.

If anyone on these boards has seen Russell Bowie play, I'd be impressed. I think the only living person who got to see him play live may be Stan Fischler.

 

[Iain Fyffe]

If anyone on these boards has seen Russell Bowie play, I'd be impressed. I think the only living person who got to see him play live may be Stan Fischler.

Eh? If someone could find a connection between David Bowie and hockey history, I might be impressed.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Eh? If someone could find a connection between David Bowie and hockey history, I might be impressed.

Nobody is stopping you from starting a thread dedicated to the great Russell Bowie. If you want to play mod over a small comment I made in jest, keep it to yourself. This is a thread about Palffy, not Bowie, Russell or David.

 

[tombombadil]

i mention Zigmund at a frequent clip. I think the thing that stands out the most for me, as I have seen this particular Trap Era Stat before, is that everyone else on the list is either big, or known for strength.

The Trap KILLED skilled players. Absolutely destroyed their numbers. Kariya, Bure, Forsberg, Sakic, and Gretz were the only smaller sized guys who got it done. The first 3 on that list were strong as ****. Sakic and #99 were amazing. Ziggy Palffy is a tiny, little guy, playing with, like you said Travis Green, and he got it done at an elite level. I think he got overlooked in my area of the world, based on being a Euro, and playing way the hell over there. I remember watching his highlights and thinking, "this is the next best guy to Bure, in terms of crazy, electric skill" I think he might have managed 120 points in today's game, with a decent center.

 

[begbeee]

Palffy is considered the best Slovak player in terms of pure raw talent. Yes even better than Gaborik.

 

[Mayor Bee]

Eh? If someone could find a connection between David Bowie and hockey history, I might be impressed.

Mission accomplished.

 

[revolverjgw]

Mission accomplished.

You just won the internet, nostalgia EXPLOSION

 

[johnjm22]

I remember when Ziggy got back-to-back hat tricks in 1996.

He was just 23 years old at the time and playing his first full NHL season for a piss poor Islanders team. He hardly had any help around him. Travis Green was his centerman and he was being coached by Mike Milbury.

 

[begbeee]

To be honest, he was later centered by near-the-elite centers like older Reichel, Allison or Stumpel, who was his lifetime center from Slovakia league and national teams from juniors.
So it's not like he had always crap teammates.
Not to mention Crosby.

 

[RECsGuy*]

As far as the '90s go, Palffy and Kariya were as close as you'd get to Pavel Bure in terms of style.

With the exception of 47 games, played his entire career in the DPE.

Funny thing about the OP's list is that the 9 guys ahead of Ziggy are/will be inducted into the HHOF.

He'd be in my HHOF.

 

[rajuabju]

I loved Palffy on the Kings.. we were pretty brutal most of the time he was here, with the exception in 2001.

He had the misfortune of first playing for the crappy Islanders, then the crappy Kings. Thus, he flew under the radar for much of his career. Unlikely he'd ever make the HHOF as a result of not really winning anything.

 

[RECsGuy*]

To be honest, he was later centered by near-the-elite centers like older Reichel, Allison or Stumpel, who was his lifetime center from Slovakia league and national teams from juniors.
So it's not like he had always crap teammates.
Not to mention Crosby.

The three bolded played parts of a combined 38 NHL seasons, only 8 of which were point-per-game seasons. Allison owns half of those 8, and he centered Palffy for a mere 89 games. Barely over a single season.

Palffy played parts of only 12 NHL seasons, NINE of which were PPG seasons. That's HHOF stuff.

For comparison sake...

Future HHOFer Paul Kariya put together just 8 PPG seasons despite playing parts of 15 seasons, which included 4 full seasons and part of a fifth outside the DPE.

Soon-to-be HHOFer Pavel Bure played parts of 12 season, posting only 7 PPG seasons, despite enjoying nearly 3 full seasons outside the DPE.

Palffy is, unquestionably, the greatest NHLer to have never won a team/individual award, nor be selected to even one post-season all-star team.

 

[begbeee]

....

Reichel was brought as gift for Palffy. Immediatly after trade Reichel paired with Palffy caught a hot streak of 19 points in 12 games. Palffy wasn't much worse with 17 points in last 12 games.
Altough Reichel was not PPG player next two seasons with 121 points in 152 games, he was unquestionably the second most skilled forward in Islanders squad.

Again, Stumpel paired with Palffy in LAK was able to play near the PPG level with 117 points in 129 games (largery due to injuries). Again, he was not a byproduct of Palffy, he had great chemistry with him. Even without Palffy Stumpel was near the elite playmaker (4th ,5th in A, 10th in points seasons without Palffy).

Then he played mostly with Allison, Smolinski (when Allison was injured) and Stumpel again. His last center was Crosby.

After the Reichel trade to Islanders Palffy had often very skilled centers on his line.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Palffy spent six years with the Islanders organization, but due to the lockout (and for being a rookie) only appeared in 38 games in his first two pro seasons in North America.

In his first three seasons in the NHL, Palffy scored 43, 48, and 45 goals, then in his last season with the Isles, he held out and missed a good chunk of the season, but still managed to score 22 goals and 50 points in 50 games. Had he played a full season, he would have been on his way to yet another 40 goal campaign.

Palffy got to play with Robert Reichel and Bryan Smolinski for only one full season, which was 97-98. Reichel was dealt at the trade deadline during the 98-99 season, which was the year that Palffy held out. Prior to that, Palffy played with Travis Green and a slew of various linemates (from Wendel Clark to Niklas Andersson).

Upon joining the Kings, he played with Stumpel and Robitaille in his first year. In his second season with the Kings, he played with Stumpel and Deadmarsh, then in his third season, Allison and Deadmarsh. Unfortunately injuries cut their success short and Palffy had so many different linemates from 2002-03 till the end of his Kings tenure in 2003-04. He didn't have to rely on his center too much.

What I've heard about Palffy is that he never really took the off-ice conditioning part of the game too seriously. Then again, not too many players did during that era. He was extremely gifted with the puck and it all came naturally for him. The guy seriously knew where to be and he was so good at reading cross ice passes, which he would easily pick off and jet down the ice on a breakaway.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

The top scorers of the 2002-03 Kings are just sad

http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/LAK/2003.html

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The top scorers of the 2002-03 Kings are just sad

http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/LAK/2003.html

Hard to believe that the nearest player to him in scoring was 42 points behind him, and was a defenseman who was dealt at the trade deadline.

 

[MeowLeafs]

As far as the '90s go, Palffy and Kariya were as close as you'd get to Pavel Bure in terms of style.

With the exception of 47 games, played his entire career in the DPE.

Funny thing about the OP's list is that the 9 guys ahead of Ziggy are/will be inducted into the HHOF.

He'd be in my HHOF.

While I think Kariya should make it, I'm not sure he will be.

 

[Big Phil]

Funny thing about the OP's list is that the 9 guys ahead of Ziggy are/will be inducted into the HHOF.

He'd be in my HHOF.

Why is that? There isn't a case for Palffy in the HHOF. But you brought it up so it wouldn't hurt to build a case and share it. I think Palffy was a fine talent but never had any substance to his game. No intangibles. With the career numbers and lacklustre playoff experience he had you NEED something else to get you into the HHOF

The three bolded played parts of a combined 38 NHL seasons, only 8 of which were point-per-game seasons. Allison owns half of those 8, and he centered Palffy for a mere 89 games. Barely over a single season.

Palffy played parts of only 12 NHL seasons, NINE of which were PPG seasons. That's HHOF stuff.

For comparison sake...

Future HHOFer Paul Kariya put together just 8 PPG seasons despite playing parts of 15 seasons, which included 4 full seasons and part of a fifth outside the DPE.

Soon-to-be HHOFer Pavel Bure played parts of 12 season, posting only 7 PPG seasons, despite enjoying nearly 3 full seasons outside the DPE.

Palffy is, unquestionably, the greatest NHLer to have never won a team/individual award, nor be selected to even one post-season all-star team.

Peter Stastny. I don't think I'd pass up Bernie Federko for Palffy either.

If you are talking about the best players to never win a Cup or a major award/all-star selection then there are others ahead of Palffy.

 

[begbeee]

Peter Stastny won individual award - Calder T.

 

[TheStroker]

He won't make it into the HHOF, but he definitely is knocking on the door of the ''cute'' hall of fame

 

[RECsGuy*]

There isn't a case for Palffy in the HHOF. But you brought it up so it wouldn't hurt to build a case and share it.

Palffy played all 10 seasons of the DPE decade ('94/'95-'03/'04), and produced at a PPG rate in 8 of them. Name some players thay can make the same claim, or better. Also, despite playing just 7 largely full seasons (which I define as missing no more than 25% of a season's games), Ziggy finished among the NHL's Top-10 point scorers 4 times.

I think Palffy was a fine talent but never had any substance to his game. No intangibles.

In that case, Clark Gillies must make your loins throb.

With the career numbers and lacklustre playoff experience he had you NEED something else to get you into the HHOF

It's a team sport. Kind of hard to rack up playoff totals when you are eons better than your teammates just about every season of your career.

Peter Stastny. I don't think I'd pass up Bernie Federko for Palffy either.

Stastny? Wrong, he's got a Calder. Federko? LOL So you're calling Palffy merely a point collector with little else in terms of intangibles, huh? Then what was Bernie? BTW, Federko also finished Top-10 in scoring on 4 occasions, but he played 13 largely full seasons.

If you are talking about the best players to never win a Cup or a major award/all-star selection then there are others ahead of Palffy.

Name them, oh great historian of the game.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

The top scorers of the 2002-03 Kings are just sad

http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/LAK/2003.html

i recently looked back at my posts at a now-defunct hockey website from that season. my hart ballot posts:

december 19

1. giguere, 2. cloutier (seriously, this was just after he was playing out of his mind and won player of the month-- 11-1-0, 2.15, .920 in november), 3. thornton, 4. jokinen, 5. gaborik


february 24

1. naslund 2. giguere, 3. alfredsson, 4. thornton, 5. forsberg


april 12

1. forsberg, 2. macinnis, 3. giguere, 4. palffy (i compared his season to lafontaine in 1990), 5. thornton


the point being, palffy was amazing that year. how good could that kings team have been if deader and allison had stayed healthy?

deadmarsh finished that year on a 50 goal pace; he was like kevin stevens for the first month of the season, got hurt, came back a month later to score 4 goals in 5 games. that fifth game was his last one in the NHL.

allison started the year with 11 points in 8 games. gets hurt in game 9. comes back a month later (one game before deadmarsh does), gets almost an assist a game until his season ends in late january.

instead, the second highest scorer is mathieu schneider, who is traded to detroit at the deadline.

palffy scored consistently all year, but absolutely carried that team when it became a one man show. he had the second highest per-game icetime on the team, twelve second behind jaroslav modry, and he scored at a 50 goal, 102 point pace in the games after allison went down.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It's sad that Palffy only had the opportunity to play in three post seasons. He was saddled with some average to below average teams or had the misfortune of being on an injury riddled Kings team.

Ziggy only appeared in 24 playoff games, scoring 19 points. He was quite dominant in his last playoff appearance in 2002, scoring 4 goals and 9 points in the 7 game loss against the Avalanche.