Art Ross winners, leading ES scorers & leading PP scorers

Hockey Outsider · Apr 8, 2018

TABLE 1 - ART ROSS WINNERS ES/PP/SH BREAKDOWN

YEAR	Player	GP	Points	ESP	PPP	SHP	ES%	PP%	SH%
1950	LINDSAY, TED	69	78	60	18	0	76.9%	23.1%	0.0%
1951	HOWE, GORDIE	70	86	70	16	0	81.4%	18.6%	0.0%
1952	HOWE, GORDIE	69	86	61	24	1	70.9%	27.9%	1.2%
1953	HOWE, GORDIE	70	95	67	27	1	70.5%	28.4%	1.1%
1954	HOWE, GORDIE	70	81	48	33	0	59.3%	40.7%	0.0%
1955	GEOFFRION, BERNIE	70	75	43	32	0	57.3%	42.7%	0.0%
1956	BELIVEAU, JEAN	70	88	48	39	1	54.5%	44.3%	1.1%
1957	HOWE, GORDIE	70	89	57	31	1	64.0%	34.8%	1.1%
1958	MOORE, DICKIE	70	84	49	34	1	58.3%	40.5%	1.2%
1959	MOORE, DICKIE	70	96	67	28	1	69.8%	29.2%	1.0%
1960	HULL, BOBBY	70	81	69	12	0	85.2%	14.8%	0.0%
1961	GEOFFRION, BERNIE	64	95	57	38	0	60.0%	40.0%	0.0%
1962	BATHGATE, ANDY	70	84	59	25	0	70.2%	29.8%	0.0%
1962	HULL, BOBBY	70	84	63	19	2	75.0%	22.6%	2.4%
1963	HOWE, GORDIE	70	86	54	31	1	62.8%	36.0%	1.2%
1964	MIKITA, STAN	70	89	54	34	1	60.7%	38.2%	1.1%
1965	MIKITA, STAN	70	87	59	28	0	67.8%	32.2%	0.0%
1966	HULL, BOBBY	65	97	54	41	2	55.7%	42.3%	2.1%
1967	MIKITA, STAN	70	97	65	30	2	67.0%	30.9%	2.1%
1968	MIKITA, STAN	72	87	58	27	2	66.7%	31.0%	2.3%
1969	ESPOSITO, PHIL	74	126	83	39	4	65.9%	31.0%	3.2%
1970	ORR, BOBBY	76	120	64	50	6	53.3%	41.7%	5.0%
1971	ESPOSITO, PHIL	78	152	99	51	2	65.1%	33.6%	1.3%
1972	ESPOSITO, PHIL	76	133	77	52	4	57.9%	39.1%	3.0%
1973	ESPOSITO, PHIL	78	130	81	43	6	62.3%	33.1%	4.6%
1974	ESPOSITO, PHIL	78	145	99	40	6	68.3%	27.6%	4.1%
1975	ORR, BOBBY	80	135	83	48	4	61.5%	35.6%	3.0%
1976	LAFLEUR, GUY	80	125	88	37	0	70.4%	29.6%	0.0%
1977	LAFLEUR, GUY	80	136	105	31	0	77.2%	22.8%	0.0%
1978	LAFLEUR, GUY	78	132	96	36	0	72.7%	27.3%	0.0%
1979	TROTTIER, BRYAN	76	134	90	44	0	67.2%	32.8%	0.0%
1980	DIONNE, MARCEL	80	137	91	45	1	66.4%	32.8%	0.7%
1980	GRETZKY, WAYNE	79	137	99	36	2	72.3%	26.3%	1.5%
1981	GRETZKY, WAYNE	80	164	105	52	7	64.0%	31.7%	4.3%
1982	GRETZKY, WAYNE	80	212	147	57	8	69.3%	26.9%	3.8%
1983	GRETZKY, WAYNE	80	196	132	54	10	67.3%	27.6%	5.1%
1984	GRETZKY, WAYNE	74	205	137	45	23	66.8%	22.0%	11.2%
1985	GRETZKY, WAYNE	80	208	147	43	18	70.7%	20.7%	8.7%
1986	GRETZKY, WAYNE	80	215	144	53	18	67.0%	24.7%	8.4%
1987	GRETZKY, WAYNE	79	183	124	46	13	67.8%	25.1%	7.1%
1988	LEMIEUX, MARIO	77	168	74	80	14	44.0%	47.6%	8.3%
1989	LEMIEUX, MARIO	76	199	102	79	18	51.3%	39.7%	9.0%
1990	GRETZKY, WAYNE	73	142	96	40	6	67.6%	28.2%	4.2%
1991	GRETZKY, WAYNE	78	163	103	59	1	63.2%	36.2%	0.6%
1992	LEMIEUX, MARIO	64	131	74	47	10	56.5%	35.9%	7.6%
1993	LEMIEUX, MARIO	60	160	96	55	9	60.0%	34.4%	5.6%
1994	GRETZKY, WAYNE	81	130	62	61	7	47.7%	46.9%	5.4%
1995	LINDROS, ERIC	46	70	46	24	0	65.7%	34.3%	0.0%
1995	JAGR, JAROMIR	48	70	45	22	3	64.3%	31.4%	4.3%
1996	LEMIEUX, MARIO	70	161	73	79	9	45.3%	49.1%	5.6%
1997	LEMIEUX, MARIO	76	122	80	37	5	65.6%	30.3%	4.1%
1998	JAGR, JAROMIR	77	102	64	38	0	62.7%	37.3%	0.0%
1999	JAGR, JAROMIR	81	127	82	44	1	64.6%	34.6%	0.8%
2000	JAGR, JAROMIR	63	96	67	29	0	69.8%	30.2%	0.0%
2001	JAGR, JAROMIR	81	121	78	41	2	64.5%	33.9%	1.7%
2002	IGINLA, JAROME	82	96	64	30	2	66.7%	31.3%	2.1%
2003	FORSBERG, PETER	75	106	73	33	0	68.9%	31.1%	0.0%
2004	ST. LOUIS, MARTIN	82	94	53	30	11	56.4%	31.9%	11.7%
2006	THORNTON, JOE	81	125	72	51	2	57.6%	40.8%	1.6%
2007	CROSBY, SIDNEY	79	120	59	61	0	49.2%	50.8%	0.0%
2008	OVECHKIN, ALEX	82	112	75	37	0	67.0%	33.0%	0.0%
2009	MALKIN, EVGENI	82	113	70	41	2	61.9%	36.3%	1.8%
2010	SEDIN, HENRIK	82	112	83	27	2	74.1%	24.1%	1.8%
2011	SEDIN, DANIEL	82	104	62	42	0	59.6%	40.4%	0.0%
2012	MALKIN, EVGENI	75	109	75	34	0	68.8%	31.2%	0.0%
2013	ST. LOUIS, MARTIN	48	60	40	20	0	66.7%	33.3%	0.0%
2014	CROSBY, SIDNEY	80	104	66	38	0	63.5%	36.5%	0.0%
2015	BENN, JAMIE	82	87	60	23	4	69.0%	26.4%	4.6%
2016	KANE, PATRICK	82	106	69	37	0	65.1%	34.9%	0.0%
2017	MCDAVID, CONNOR	82	100	71	27	2	71.0%	27.0%	2.0%
2018	MCDAVID, CONNOR	82	108	84	20	4	77.8%	18.5%	3.7%
2019	KUCHEROV, NIKITA	82	128	80	48	0	62.5%	37.5%	0.0%
2020	DRAISAITL, LEON	71	110	66	44	0	60.0%	40.0%	0.0%
2021	MCDAVID, CONNOR	56	105	68	37	0	64.8%	35.2%	0.0%
2022	MCDAVID, CONNOR	80	123	78	44	1	63.4%	35.8%	0.8%
2023	MCDAVID, CONNOR	82	153	75	71	7	49.0%	47.0%	4.6%

This table shows the breakdown between even strength, powerplay, and shorthanded scoring for each Art Ross winner dating back to 1950. There were three years with ties (1962, 1980 and 1996), so I've included both players. Over that period, the average leading scorer generated around 65% of their offense at even-strength, 33% on the powerplay, and 2% while shorthanded.

Only two forwards have won multiple Art Ross trophies while recording more than 40% of their points on the powerplay - Mario Lemieux (1988 and 1996) and Bernie Geoffrion (1955 and 1961).

Only one scoring leader has ever relied on the powerplay for more than half his production - Sidney Crosby (2007).

Only one forward won multiple Art Ross trophies while earning less than 25% of his points on the powerplay - Wayne Gretzky (1984, 1985 and 1986).

In 2018, Connor McDavid recorded only 18.5% of his points on the powerplay. Only once has the Art Ross winner been less reliant on the man advantage (Bobby Hull in 1960).

A general note - the numbers in this thread are from Overpass's database (which he generously made available) and the NHL website. I've found a few discrepancies between his database and the NHL's (never by more than one point). Nonetheless, if there's anything here that looks questionable, let me know.

Hockey Outsider · Apr 8, 2018

TABLE 2 - LEADING EVEN-STRENGTH SCORER - MARGIN OVER 2ND PLACE

YEAR	Player	Points	Runner-up	Pts lead	% lead
1950	LINDSAY, TED	60	52	8	15.4%
1951	HOWE, GORDIE	70	50	20	40.0%
1952	HOWE, GORDIE	61	50	11	22.0%
1953	HOWE, GORDIE	67	54	13	24.1%
1954	HOWE, GORDIE	48	38	10	26.3%
1955	RICHARD, MAURICE	50	47	3	6.4%
1956	BELIVEAU, JEAN	48	48	0	0.0%
1956	BATHGATE, ANDY	48	48	0	0.0%
1957	LINDSAY, TED	59	57	2	3.5%
1958	RICHARD, HENRI	60	56	4	7.1%
1959	MOORE, DICKIE	67	60	7	11.7%
1960	HULL, BOBBY	69	60	9	15.0%
1961	MAHOVLICH, FRANK	64	57	7	12.3%
1962	HULL, BOBBY	63	60	3	5.0%
1963	RICHARD, HENRI	61	58	3	5.2%
1964	MIKITA, STAN	54	52	2	3.8%
1965	MIKITA, STAN	59	53	6	11.3%
1966	ULLMAN, NORM	56	54	2	3.7%
1967	MIKITA, STAN	65	54	11	20.4%
1968	RATELLE, JEAN	61	60	1	1.7%
1969	ESPOSITO, PHIL	83	77	6	7.8%
1970	ORR, BOBBY	64	63	1	1.6%
1971	ESPOSITO, PHIL	99	94	5	5.3%
1972	RATELLE, JEAN	85	77	8	10.4%
1973	ESPOSITO, PHIL	81	76	5	6.6%
1974	ESPOSITO, PHIL	99	82	17	20.7%
1975	ORR, BOBBY	83	78	5	6.4%
1976	LAFLEUR, GUY	88	81	7	8.6%
1977	LAFLEUR, GUY	105	88	17	19.3%
1978	LAFLEUR, GUY	96	88	8	9.1%
1979	TROTTIER, BRYAN	90	83	7	8.4%
1980	GRETZKY, WAYNE	99	91	8	8.8%
1981	GRETZKY, WAYNE	105	86	19	22.1%
1982	GRETZKY, WAYNE	147	101	46	45.5%
1983	GRETZKY, WAYNE	132	90	42	46.7%
1984	GRETZKY, WAYNE	137	90	47	52.2%
1985	GRETZKY, WAYNE	147	101	46	45.5%
1986	GRETZKY, WAYNE	144	92	52	56.5%
1987	GRETZKY, WAYNE	124	76	48	63.2%
1988	GRETZKY, WAYNE	91	74	17	23.0%
1989	LEMIEUX, MARIO	102	101	1	1.0%
1990	GRETZKY, WAYNE	96	79	17	21.5%
1991	GRETZKY, WAYNE	103	86	17	19.8%
1992	STEVENS, KEVIN	81	74	7	9.5%
1993	LEMIEUX, MARIO	96	87	9	10.3%
1994	FEDOROV, SERGEI	81	70	11	15.7%
1995	LINDROS, ERIC	46	45	1	2.2%
1996	JAGR, JAROMIR	95	76	19	25.0%
1997	LECLAIR, JOHN	81	80	1	1.3%
1998	SELANNE, TEEMU	67	64	3	4.7%
1999	JAGR, JAROMIR	82	67	15	22.4%
2000	BURE, PAVEL	72	67	5	7.5%
2001	JAGR, JAROMIR	78	66	12	18.2%
2002	IGINLA, JAROME	64	59	5	8.5%
2003	FORSBERG, PETER	73	65	8	12.3%
2004	NASLUND, MARKUS	58	57	1	1.8%
2006	THORNTON, JOE	72	71	1	1.4%
2007	BRIERE, DANNY	65	63	2	3.2%
2008	OVECHKIN, ALEX	75	67	8	11.9%
2009	MALKIN, EVGENI	70	63	7	11.1%
2010	SEDIN, HENRIK	83	73	10	13.7%
2011	SEDIN, DANIEL	62	62	0	0.0%
2011	PERRY, COREY	62	62	0	0.0%
2012	MALKIN, EVGENI	75	72	3	4.2%
2013	STAAL, ERIC	43	40	3	7.5%
2014	CROSBY, SIDNEY	66	64	2	3.1%
2015	HUDLER, JIRI	60	59	1	1.7%
2016	KANE, PATRICK	69	61	8	13.1%
2017	MCDAVID, CONNOR	71	66	5	7.6%
2018	MCDAVID, CONNOR	84	66	18	27.3%
2019	MCDAVID, CONNOR	81	80	1	1.3%
2020	PANARIN, ARTEMI	71	66	5	7.6%
2021	MCDAVID, CONNOR	68	53	15	28.3%
2022	GAUDREAU, JOHNNY	90	78	12	15.4%
2023	MACKINNON, NATHAN	77	76	1	1.3%

Going back to 1950, fourteen players have led the league in even-strength scoring more than once - Gretzky (11x); Howe, Esposito and McDavid (4x); Mikita, LaFleur and Jagr (3x); and Lindsay, H. Richard, Hull, Orr, Ratelle, Lemieux and Malkin (2x).

Gretzky utterly dominates this category. He has sole possession of the top six spots on the list.

With a historic 2021 campaign, McDavid has now led the NHL in even-strength scoring four times (tied with Howe and Esposito, second only to Gretzky). He's also become one of only two players (Gretzky and Howe) to have multiple 25%+ margins of victory.

Hockey Outsider · Apr 8, 2018

TABLE 3 - LEADING EVEN-STRENGTH SCORER'S OVERALL SCORING RANK

Year	Player	Overall scoring
1950	LINDSAY, TED	1
1951	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1952	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1953	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1954	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1955	RICHARD, MAURICE	2
1956	BELIVEAU, JEAN	1
1956	BATHGATE, ANDY	5
1957	LINDSAY, TED	2
1958	RICHARD, HENRI	2
1959	MOORE, DICKIE	1
1960	HULL, BOBBY	1
1961	MAHOVLICH, FRANK	3
1962	HULL, BOBBY	1
1963	RICHARD, HENRI	4
1964	MIKITA, STAN	1
1965	MIKITA, STAN	1
1966	ULLMAN, NORM	6
1967	MIKITA, STAN	1
1968	RATELLE, JEAN	4
1969	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1970	ORR, BOBBY	1
1971	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1972	RATELLE, JEAN	3
1973	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1974	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1975	ORR, BOBBY	1
1976	LAFLEUR, GUY	1
1977	LAFLEUR, GUY	1
1978	LAFLEUR, GUY	1
1979	TROTTIER, BRYAN	1
1980	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1981	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1982	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1983	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1984	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1985	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1986	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1987	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1988	GRETZKY, WAYNE	2
1989	LEMIEUX, MARIO	1
1990	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1991	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1992	STEVENS, KEVIN	2
1993	LEMIEUX, MARIO	1
1994	FEDOROV, SERGEI	2
1995	LINDROS, ERIC	1
1996	JAGR, JAROMIR	2
1997	LECLAIR, JOHN	4
1998	SELANNE, TEEMU	8
1999	JAGR, JAROMIR	1
2000	BURE, PAVEL	2
2001	JAGR, JAROMIR	1
2002	IGINLA, JAROME	1
2003	FORSBERG, PETER	1
2004	NASLUND, MARKUS	4
2006	THORNTON, JOE	1
2007	BRIERE, DANNY	10
2008	OVECHKIN, ALEX	1
2009	MALKIN, EVGENI	1
2010	SEDIN, HENRIK	1
2011	SEDIN, DANIEL	1
2011	PERRY, COREY	3
2012	MALKIN, EVGENI	1
2013	STAAL, ERIC	6
2014	CROSBY, SIDNEY	1
2015	HUDLER, JIRI	8
2016	KANE, PATRICK	1
2017	MCDAVID, CONNOR	1
2018	MCDAVID, CONNOR	1
2019	MCDAVID, CONNOR	2
2020	PANARIN, ARTEMI	3
2021	MCDAVID, CONNOR	1
2022	GAUDREAU, JOHNNY	2
2023	MACKINNON, NATHAN	5

Since 1950, there have been 75 players who have led (or tied for the lead) in even-strength scoring. Of those, 50 have won the Art Ross (or tied for the lead and lost the tiebreaker). Additionally, 64 have finished in the top three in scoring, and 70 have finished in the top five.

This isn't surprising; given that roughly two-thirds of offense is generated at even-strength, it makes sense that the even-strength scoring leader would rank high in the overall Art Ross race. Some notable exceptions in recent years include Danny Briere (2007), Eric Staal (2013) and Jiri Hudler (2015).

Hockey Outsider · Apr 8, 2018

TABLE 4 - LEADING POWERPLAY SCORER - MARGIN OVER 2ND PLACE

YEAR	Player	Points	Runner-up	Pts lead	% lead
1950	ABEL, SID	24	23	1	4.3%
1951	BENTLEY, MAX	29	22	7	31.8%
1952	HOWE, GORDIE	24	22	2	9.1%
1953	HOWE, GORDIE	27	21	6	28.6%
1954	HOWE, GORDIE	33	32	1	3.1%
1955	GEOFFRION, BERNIE	32	28	4	14.3%
1956	BELIVEAU, JEAN	39	36	3	8.3%
1957	HOWE, GORDIE	31	30	1	3.3%
1958	MOORE, DICKIE	34	31	3	9.7%
1959	HENRY, CAMILLE	31	30	1	3.3%
1960	HORVATH, BRONCO	30	28	2	7.1%
1961	GEOFFRION, BERNIE	38	33	5	15.2%
1962	MIKITA, STAN	27	25	2	8.0%
1963	HOWE, GORDIE	31	25	6	24.0%
1964	MIKITA, STAN	34	32	2	6.3%
1965	HOWE, GORDIE	33	28	5	17.9%
1966	HULL, BOBBY	41	40	1	2.5%
1967	MIKITA, STAN	30	28	2	7.1%
1968	ESPOSITO, PHIL	28	27	1	3.7%
1969	ESPOSITO, PHIL	39	36	3	8.3%
1970	ORR, BOBBY	50	43	7	16.3%
1971	ESPOSITO, PHIL	51	47	4	8.5%
1972	ESPOSITO, PHIL	52	45	7	15.6%
1973	ESPOSITO, PHIL	43	38	5	13.2%
1974	ESPOSITO, PHIL	40	36	4	11.1%
1975	ESPOSITO, PHIL	54	48	6	12.5%
1976	POTVIN, DENIS	51	43	8	18.6%
1977	DIONNE, MARCEL	46	36	10	27.8%
1978	POTVIN, DENIS	42	40	2	5.0%
1979	BOSSY, MIKE	50	48	2	4.2%
1980	DIONNE, MARCEL	45	39	6	15.4%
1981	GRETZKY, WAYNE	53	53	0	0.0%
1981	NILSSON, KENT	53	53	0	0.0%
1982	GRETZKY, WAYNE	57	55	2	3.6%
1983	GRETZKY, WAYNE	54	45	9	20.0%
1984	PEDERSON, BARRY	47	45	2	4.4%
1985	DIONNE, MARCEL	49	43	6	14.0%
1986	LEMIEUX, MARIO	65	55	10	18.2%
1987	GRETZKY, WAYNE	46	41	5	12.2%
1988	LEMIEUX, MARIO	80	62	18	29.0%
1989	LEMIEUX, MARIO	79	64	15	23.4%
1990	MACINNIS, AL	54	52	2	3.8%
1991	MACINNIS, AL	63	59	4	6.8%
1992	HOUSLEY, PHIL	57	56	1	1.8%
1993	LaFONTAINE, PAT	63	62	1	1.6%
1994	GRETZKY, WAYNE	61	53	8	15.1%
1995	COFFEY, PAUL	31	29	2	6.9%
1996	LEMIEUX, MARIO	79	54	25	46.3%
1997	OZOLINSH, SANDIS	42	39	3	7.7%
1998	JAGR, JAROMIR	38	37	1	2.7%
1999	SELANNE, TEEMU	54	44	10	22.7%
2000	RECCHI, MARK	39	37	2	5.4%
2001	SAKIC, JOE	46	45	1	2.2%
2002	FRANCIS, RON	42	37	5	13.5%
2003	NASLUND, MARKUS	54	45	9	20.0%
2004	HOSSA, MARIAN	39	38	1	2.6%
2006	KOVALCHUK, ILYA	56	52	4	7.7%
2007	CROSBY, SIDNEY	61	54	7	13.0%
2008	KOVALEV, ALEXEI	47	46	1	2.2%
2009	OVECHKIN, ALEX	46	43	3	7.0%
2010	STAMKOS, STEVEN	41	40	1	2.5%
2011	SEDIN, DANIEL	42	41	1	2.4%
2012	GIROUX, CLAUDE	38	34	4	11.8%
2013	OVECHKIN, ALEX	27	27	0	0.0%
2013	RIBEIRO, MIKE	27	27	0	0.0%
2014	BACKSTROM, NICKLAS	44	39	5	12.8%
2015	GIROUX, CLAUDE	37	34	3	8.8%
2016	KANE, PATRICK	37	30	7	23.3%
2017	BACKSTROM, NICKLAS	35	33	2	6.1%
2018	KESSEL, PHIL	42	40	2	5.0%
2019	KUCHEROV, NIKITA	48	40	8	20.0%
2020	DRAISAITL, LEON	44	43	1	2.3%
2021	MCDAVID, CONNOR	37	32	5	15.6%
2022	MCDAVID, CONNOR	44	41	3	7.3%
2023	MCDAVID, CONNOR	71	62	9	14.5%

Going back to 1950, thirteen players have led the league in powerplay scoring more than once - Esposito (7x); Howe and Gretzky (5x); Lemieux (4x); McDavid, Mikita and Dionne (3x); and Geoffrion, Potvin, MacInnis, Ovechkin, Backstron and Giroux (2x).

We saw before that Orr was the only defenseman to ever lead the league in ES scoring, but it's not uncommon on the powerplay. In addition to Orr again, we also have Potvin, MacInnis, Housley, Coffey and Ozolinsh.

It's unsurprising that Lemieux demolishes the competition in powerplay scoring. He has 1st, 3rd 7th and 14th largest leads recorded.

Hockey Outsider · Apr 8, 2018

TABLE 5 - LEADING POWERPLAY SCORER'S OVERALL SCORING RANK

Year	Player	Overall scoring
1950	ABEL, SID	2
1951	BENTLEY, MAX	3
1952	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1953	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1954	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1955	GEOFFRION, BERNIE	1
1956	BELIVEAU, JEAN	1
1957	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1958	MOORE, DICKIE	1
1959	HENRY, CAMILLE	13
1960	HORVATH, BRONCO	2
1961	GEOFFRION, BERNIE	1
1962	MIKITA, STAN	3
1963	HOWE, GORDIE	1
1964	MIKITA, STAN	1
1965	HOWE, GORDIE	3
1966	HULL, BOBBY	1
1967	MIKITA, STAN	1
1968	ESPOSITO, PHIL	2
1969	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1970	ORR, BOBBY	1
1971	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1972	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1973	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1974	ESPOSITO, PHIL	1
1975	ESPOSITO, PHIL	2
1976	POTVIN, DENIS	11
1977	DIONNE, MARCEL	2
1978	POTVIN, DENIS	5
1979	BOSSY, MIKE	4
1980	DIONNE, MARCEL	1
1981	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1981	NILSSON, KENT	3
1982	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1983	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1984	PEDERSON, BARRY	6
1985	DIONNE, MARCEL	4
1986	LEMIEUX, MARIO	2
1987	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1988	LEMIEUX, MARIO	1
1989	LEMIEUX, MARIO	1
1990	MACINNIS, AL	24
1991	MACINNIS, AL	9
1992	HOUSLEY, PHIL	23
1993	LaFONTAINE, PAT	2
1994	GRETZKY, WAYNE	1
1995	COFFEY, PAUL	6
1996	LEMIEUX, MARIO	1
1997	OZOLINSH, SANDIS	34
1998	JAGR, JAROMIR	1
1999	SELANNE, TEEMU	2
2000	RECCHI, MARK	3
2001	SAKIC, JOE	2
2002	FRANCIS, RON	9
2003	NASLUND, MARKUS	2
2004	HOSSA, MARIAN	5
2006	KOVALCHUK, ILYA	8
2007	CROSBY, SIDNEY	1
2008	KOVALEV, ALEXEI	11
2009	OVECHKIN, ALEX	2
2010	STAMKOS, STEVEN	5
2011	SEDIN, DANIEL	1
2012	GIROUX, CLAUDE	3
2013	OVECHKIN, ALEX	3
2013	RIBEIRO, MIKE	10
2014	BACKSTROM, NICKLAS	8
2015	GIROUX, CLAUDE	10
2016	KANE, PATRICK	1
2017	BACKSTROM, NICKLAS	4
2018	KESSEL, PHIL	7
2019	KUCHEROV, NIKITA	1
2020	DRAISAITL, LEON	1
2021	MCDAVID, CONNOR	1
2022	MCDAVID, CONNOR	1
2023	MCDAVID, CONNOR	1

Since 1950, there have been 75 players who have led (or tied for the lead) in powerplay scoring. Of those, 36 won the Art Ross (or tied for the lead and lost the tiebreaker). Additionally, 54 have finished in the top three in scoring, and 60 have finished in the top five.

Obviously, those numbers are lower than what we saw in the even-strength table. That's not surprising. Powerplay production is a more specialized skill, and it makes up a smaller part of the game, so it's possible for there to be players who excel in this area, but still fall well short of the Art Ross.

The most extreme example was defensemen Sandis Ozolinsh. He was the quarterback of the league's #3 powerplay and, believe it or not, recorded more points with the man advantage than Mario Lemieux (who was reasonably healthy and easily won the Art Ross). But he was only 170th in even-strength scoring, and 34th overall.

Camille Henry is an early example of a powerplay specialist. He narrowly led the league in powerplay scoring, but was only 4th on his own team overall.

BenchBrawl · Apr 8, 2018

Great work as usual.

pappyline · Apr 8, 2018

I was really surprised to see Bobby Hull's pp points so low when he won his first AR in 59-60. That was his breakout year to superstar status so maybe he wasn't getting a lot of PP time. Going into that season he certainly wasn't expected to lead the Blackhawks in scoring let alone the league.

Killion · Apr 8, 2018

pappyline said:
I was really surprised to see Bobby Hull's pp points so low when he won his first AR in 59-60. That was his breakout year to superstar status so maybe he wasn't getting a lot of PP time. Going into that season he certainly wasn't expected to lead the Blackhawks in scoring let alone the league.

... indeed.... I'd imagine you familiar with the story behind all of that.... how Hull had started out playing Center for 2years & was essentially a checker... then in May of 59 the Bruins & Rangers went on an oft forgotten & little known 23 game European tour of England, France, Belgium & so on.... Hull joining that tour & playing on a line with Eddie Litzenberger & Eddie Shack.... Absolutely loved the big European ice surfaces & really started to take-off, the games Exhibition & meaningless but "fun", and with Eddie the Entertainer running wild all over the place (Shack mpore a menace to himself & his own teammates at times) along with the more disciplined Litzenberger Bobby Hull had an absolute blast & really came into his own then & there, realizing he was a lot faster, had considerably more stamina than anyone else, scored them by the bushel, gained all kinds of confidence. Thats where & when the Golden Jet was really born. When he returned, put on Left Wing which at first he didnt much care for however, quickly adapted & with his newly gained confidence thanks to his European Vacation.... well, the rest is history.

The Panther · Apr 8, 2018

This is really interesting data, thank you.

One that really jumped out is Gordie Howe in 1950-51, with 70 ES points and a 40% lead (in that category) over 2nd place. That was the most ES points any player produced until Esposito's 152-point season twenty years later.

Also, Gretzky is otherworldly. If not for Lafleur's one best season in 1977, Gretzky as a rookie would have had the most ES points in a season in NHL history... on a first-year expansion team. Crazy.

bathdog · Apr 12, 2018

Thanks for this. Would be interesting to see % over a larger amount of peers, but I guess that may be tedious work to compile.

Hockey Outsider said:
I've found a few discrepancies between his database and the NHL's (never by more than one point). Nonetheless, if there's anything here that looks questionable, let me know.

I've run into discrepancies between hockey-reference and nhl.com too, never huge differences but few here and there, annoying and hard to know what's at fault.

Hockey Outsider · Apr 7, 2019

This thread has been updated for 2019. McDavid led the NHL in ES scoring for the third year in a row - something that only Howe, Lafleur and Gretzky have done, going back to 1950.

Kucherov's ES/PP production split was almost exactly in line with historical averages for an Art Ross winner.

Hockey Outsider · Aug 23, 2020

This thread has been updated for 2020. Nothing too exciting. Draisaitl relied a bit more heavily on the powerplay than the typical Art Ross winner, but not to a huge extent.

overpass · Aug 23, 2020

Hockey Outsider said:
This thread has been updated for 2020. Nothing too exciting. Draisaitl relied a bit more heavily on the powerplay than the typical Art Ross winner, but not to a huge extent.

I would say Draisaitl and McDavid had exceptional PP results when compared to league-wide PP scoring in general.

I'm not sure how many people noticed, but in the last 2 seasons, the list of players to score more regular season PP points than the average team scored regular season PP goals went from 1 to 4. Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid joined Mario Lemieux in this exclusive club.

YEAR	TEAM	Player	GP	PPG	PPA	PPP	LgPPGF/team
1995-96	PIT	Mario Lemieux	70	31	48	79	74
2019-20	EDM	Leon Draisaitl	71	16	28	44	42
2019-20	EDM	Connor McDavid	64	11	32	43	42
2018-19	TBL	Nikita Kucherov	82	15	33	48	47

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Dingo · Aug 23, 2020

This is great.

Is there a site that i can get even strength points per game, and also remove a players’ years over a certain age in order to compare prime/wuality years between players who played late and those who didnt?

ive always used h reference, but i cant see even strength points on there, let alone per game.

Hockey Outsider · Aug 23, 2020

overpass said:
I would say Draisaitl and McDavid had exceptional PP results when compared to league-wide PP scoring in general.

I'm not sure how many people noticed, but in the last 2 seasons, the list of players to score more regular season PP points than the average team scored regular season PP goals went from 1 to 4. Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid joined Mario Lemieux in this exclusive club.

YEAR TEAM Player GP PPG PPA PPP LgPPGF/team
1995-96 PIT Mario Lemieux 70 31 48 79 74
2019-20 EDM Leon Draisaitl 71 16 28 44 42
2019-20 EDM Connor McDavid 64 11 32 43 42
2018-19 TBL Nikita Kucherov 82 15 33 48 47
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

What's encouraging about this is the Oilers powerplay has been so bad for so many years. McDavid was great in 2018, but he could have had a truly exceptional season if not for Edmonton's awful powerplay (they were dead last in PP percentage and number of powerplay goals scored - with almost 40% fewer powerplay goals than the average team). If McDavid can maintain his ES production and see a boost in his PP production, he should remain the perennial Art Ross favourite for years to come.

The Panther · Aug 23, 2020

Yeah, the Oilers' power-play was completely lights-out this past season -- after sucking for many years -- which is why Draisaitl has a somewhat higher-than-average PP-points percentage. It's not a bad thing to have a good PP, so good on him. (Sadly, the Oilers sucked again when they weren't on the PP.)

Vujtek · Aug 24, 2020

McDavid this season scored 10.37 PPP/60, setting a new high mark since that stat is recorded by NHL's official statistic (minimum 50 played minutes). Only Taylor Hall in 2017-18 (10.05) had previously managed to top 10 PPP/60 mark. Draisaitl with 9.67 PPP/60 now holds fourth best mark in this regard. So yeah that Oilers PP certainly was deadly this season.

To put that figure in context, none of Crosby/Malkin/Ovechkin have ever topped 8 PPP/60 mark.

Hockey Outsider · Aug 24, 2020

Dingo said:
This is great.

Is there a site that i can get even strength points per game, and also remove a players’ years over a certain age in order to compare prime/wuality years between players who played late and those who didnt?

ive always used h reference, but i cant see even strength points on there, let alone per game.

Unfortunately not as far as I'm aware.

Hockey Outsider · May 16, 2021

This thread has been updated for 2021.

Connor McDavid led the NHL in even-strength scoring for the fourth time (in a period of five years). His four ES scoring leads tie him with Howe and Esposito; only Gretzky has more.

McDavid is also one of two players (the others being Gretzky and Howe) with two 25%+ leads in ES scoring.

On top of that, McDavid led the league in PP scoring for the first time. (McDavid has always been very reliant on ES production, but this year his ES/PP split was almost exactly that of the average Art Ross winner). He's only the 3rd player since 1990 to lead the league in ES and PP scoring in the same season.

Dingo · May 16, 2021

always appreciate your work.
Jagr was the penguin superstar who did it at even strength the best!

Hockey Outsider · May 1, 2022

This thread has been updated for 2022. McDavid won his fourth Art Ross trophy (at age 25). His scoring breakdown by situation (ES/PP/SH) was virtually the same as 2021's.

How many people would have guessed that Johnny Gaudreau was going to lead the league in even-strength scoring this year? With 90 ES points, he has the most in a season since Jaromir Jagr (95 ES points in 1996).

McDavid led the league in PP scoring for the second year in a row. He's now one of 13 players (going back to 1950) to lead the league in scoring with the man advantage more than once.

Hockey Outsider · Apr 15, 2023

This thread has been updated for 2023. McDavid won his fifth Art Ross trophy (at age 26). He scored a much higher percentage of his points on the powerplay, compared to his four previous scoring titles. 47% of his points came with the man advantage. Going back to 1950, that's only been topped four times - Lemieux (1988 and 1996), Gretzky (1994), and Crosby (2007).

As I noted in another thread, McDavid his versatile. He can win a scoring title with a typical ES/PP split (2017, 2021, 2022). He can win a scoring title with a historically great powerplay (2023). And he can win a scoring title with dominant even-strength production (2018).

Nathan MacKinnon led the league in ES scoring (despite missing 11 games). Erik Karlsson finished 4th, but was leading the league for a significant part of the year (Bobby Orr is the only defenseman to lead the league in ES production).

McDavid became only the 2nd player in NHL history to score 70+ powerplay points in a season. Lemieux did that three times (80 in 1988, 79 in 1989, and 79 in 1996).

Art Ross winners, leading ES scorers & leading PP scorers

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