Flukiest 50-Goal scorer

[vancityluongo]

Rob Brown with 49 deserves an HM.

 

[begbeee]

Adam Graves comes to mind. A tough player with good hands, but not really a 50-goal scorer. Graves had a miracle season during the Rangers cup run 1993-94 when he netted 52. Probably not the flukiest 50-goal season, but definitely worth of mention here.

Good call.
Flukiest 50-goal scorer has to play between 1980 - 1994 with exceptional set-up man. Cheechoo or Hejduk are not the flukiest scorers for me. Both were decent scorers before and after and especially Hejduk did it in low scoring era.

 

[Capsautomatic28]

i know we r talking flukiest 50 goal years but how about flukiest 500th goals?
where was jeremy roenick when he scored his 500th career goal?




he was on the bench. look it up

 

[vecens24]

Vic Hadfield?

I know he played with Ratelle and Gilbert, but prior to it he had never scored more than 26 goals, and after he had a couple low thirty goal seasons with the Pens but I think he's gotta be considered here.

 

[reckoning]

I wouldn't call a lot of the players named in this thread "fluky". Their 50 goal seasons were earned, it just may look a little off compared to the rest of their careers.

Just to comment on a few of the choices so far:

Jacques Richard: It's been talked about on here before, but sadly Richard struggled with alcohol and drug addiction throughout most of his life. The fact that he was able to put together such a great year in 80-81 makes you wonder how good his career could have been if he stayed clean.

Guy Chounaird: Two years after his 50 goal season, he was at close to that same pace in an injury shortened year (31 goals in 52 games), so that season wasn't that out of the ordinary. But he was most effective as a playmaker, so that how he was often used. In Lanny McDonald's book, he gives Chounaird a lot of credit for Lanny's 66 goal season in '82-'83.

Wayne Babych: It was his third season when he hit the 50 goal mark, and it was a natural progression with his GPG increasing each year. He likely would've had several more playing with Federko; but starting the following season he was hampered by injuries that took their toll, and he was never able to get fully back on track

A list of Babych's injury problems:

Missed start of 1981-82 season with bruised shoulder, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Sept. 27, 1981, preseason game vs. Winnipeg. Re-aggravated the injury during St. Louis' Jan. 8, 1982, game at Colorado and required shoulder manipulation therapy to correct the problem. ... Missed end of 1982 playoffs with right knee injury that required postseason arthroscopic surgery. ... Missed part of 1982-83 season with broken nose and fractured cheekbone, injuries suffered when he fought with Behn Wilson during St. Louis' Jan. 1, 1983, game vs. Philadelphia. ... Asked St. Louis front office to trade him to Edmonton after 1983-84 season. ... Traded by St. Louis to Edmonton on a conditional basis for future considerations in September 1984, but returned to St. Louis two weeks later after failing to meet conditions required for Edmonton to go through with the trade. The aborted trade forced the Blues to make Babych available for the Waiver Draft, since he had told the front office he wanted out of St. Louis. ... Was first pick in 1984 NHL Waiver Draft. ... Missed parts of 1984-85 season with sprained right knee, an injury suffered in February 1985, and with sprained left knee, an injury suffered in March 1985. ... Missed part of 1985-86 season with bruised wrist, an injury suffered during Quebec's Jan. 14, 1986, game vs. Winnipeg. ... Missed first half of 1986-87 season while recovering from surgery on Sept. 27, 1986, to repair torn MCL in right knee. He suffered the injury when slashed by Ken McRae during Hartford's Sept. 26, 1986, preseason game vs. Quebec. ... Suspended by Hartford for refusing a demotion to Binghamton (AHL) on Feb. 25, 1987. He eventually did report to the minor-league team. ... Attended Hartford's 1987 training camp, but failed to make team and retired rather than report to minor leagues. By retiring within 20 pro games of his knee surgery, he was eligible for a disability claim.
http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1978/78003.html

 

[Al Bundy*]

if we're going to talk unlikely muckers who scored 50, how about al secord? caught lightning in a bottle with savard and larmer for a few years before injuries did him in.

Secord had a 44-goal season the year before he had 54, so it's not like he came out of nowhere.

 

[OpenIceHit42]

He didn't hit 50 but came close with 43, Brad Boyes anyone?

 

[sr edler]

43 is not close

 

[discostu]

In an interesting footnote on this question is that Bob Kudelski was on pace for a 50 goal season when he got traded from Ottawa to Florida. He slowed down tremendously with the Panthers, but still had a 40 goal season. He likely would have declined had he stayed in Ottawa as well, but, still, the idea that he might have hit 50 if he got to stay in his surroundings would have made him the obvious answer to this question in the future.

He scored 6 goals in the NHL after that season.

 

[Brent Burns]

Had Cheechoo not been hampered by a double hernia, he probably wouldn't be mentioned in this thread. He scored 37 the year after his 56 goal season and even that was partial way through injuries.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

In an interesting footnote on this question is that Bob Kudelski was on pace for a 50 goal season when he got traded from Ottawa to Florida. He slowed down tremendously with the Panthers, but still had a 40 goal season. He likely would have declined had he stayed in Ottawa as well, but, still, the idea that he might have hit 50 if he got to stay in his surroundings would have made him the obvious answer to this question in the future.

He scored 6 goals in the NHL after that season.

i don't want to make excuses for alexei yashin, whose behaviour in ottawa i find unconscionable, but the trading of kudelski was an early instance of many slights the organization made against him that had a hand in him always looking out for number one.

maybe kudelski would have slowed down in ottawa, but i think he caught lightning in a bottle with yashin and yeah, that would have definitely been one of the weirdest 50 goal seasons ever.

 

[Calderon]

corey perry.

hes good but i doubt we see another year like last. (his high was only 32 before)

He's still relatively young (26) and has improved his total points and points per game every season thus far (the benefit of starting slow ). His goal totals progression doesn't have the same trend but I don't expect him to fall back to scoring about 30 (yet). He might break 50 again if Getzlaf dishes the puck up to his potential (yeah I know Perry was very strong last year without Getzlaf but it was somewhat flukey). I expect at least a couple 40+ goal seasons, though.

 

[crobro]

charlie simmer was a bonafide 50 goal scorer

he had 2 straight seasons where he scored 56 goals in only 65 games each season due to injury

 

[Preisst*]

While not important, it is interesting that a guy with 50 goals did get a gwg. It's a fun piece of trivia.

I agree it's interesting trivia type material. While OT, but similar, I think Brett Hull scored over 500 NHL goals without a single empty netter. Maybe someone can confirm?

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I agree it's interesting trivia type material. While OT, but similar, I think Brett Hull scored over 500 NHL goals without a single empty netter. Maybe someone can confirm?

i don't know if that's true. i'd have to think he scored at least a few EN goals in dallas.

but yeah, pre-hitchcock, hull was not someone you wanted on the ice at the end of the game to protect a one or two goal lead. and in detroit, they had so many better options to finish the game, and hull was slower than ever by that point. but i guess it is possible, being that on dallas you also had so many much better defensive forwards: modano, lehtinen, carbonneau, skrudland, keane, reid, langenbrunner...

he definitely used to like to say, "i scored 72 and 86 goals without a single empty net or shorthanded goal." he did start to PK some his third 70 goal year though.

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Ovechkin

 

[Canadiens1958]

Vic Hadfield

Vic Hadfield?

I know he played with Ratelle and Gilbert, but prior to it he had never scored more than 26 goals, and after he had a couple low thirty goal seasons with the Pens but I think he's gotta be considered here.

Prior to the 1971-72 season the Rangers acquired Bobby Rousseau to play the right point on the PP with Brad Park playing the left point.

This changed Vic Hadfield's PP role and his PP goals went from 8 to 23:


http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/hadfivi01.html

The Rangers overall PP performance did not change, due mainly to Jean Ratelle being injured and missing the last 15 games.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Rob Brown with 49 deserves an HM.

How so he was a highly skilled player and a goal scorer.

 

[matnor]

Players who scored 50+ once and never broke 40 in another season:

Player | Highest G |2nd highest G | Diff
Wayne Babych | 54 | 27 | 27
Jacques Richard | 52 | 27 | 25
Guy Chouinard | 50 | 31 | 19
Vic Hadfield | 50 | 31 | 19
Bob Carpenter | 53 | 32 | 21
Gary Leeman | 51 | 32 | 19
Rick Kehoe | 55 | 33 | 22
Danny Grant | 50 | 34 | 16
Craig Simpson | 56 | 35 | 21
Jonathan Cheechoo | 56 | 37 | 19
Hakan Loob | 50 | 37 | 13
Adam Graves | 52 | 38 | 14
Ray Sheppard | 52 | 38 | 14
Bernie Geoffrion | 50 | 38 | 12
Mike Modano | 50 | 38 | 12
Sergei Fedorov | 56 | 39 | 17
Sidney Crosby | 51 | 39 | 12

 

[Fourier]

kurri never scored 50 without gretzky

There was nothing fluky about Kurri's 50 goal seasons.

 

[Preisst*]

i don't know if that's true. i'd have to think he scored at least a few EN goals in dallas.

but yeah, pre-hitchcock, hull was not someone you wanted on the ice at the end of the game to protect a one or two goal lead. and in detroit, they had so many better options to finish the game, and hull was slower than ever by that point. but i guess it is possible, being that on dallas you also had so many much better defensive forwards: modano, lehtinen, carbonneau, skrudland, keane, reid, langenbrunner...

he definitely used to like to say, "i scored 72 and 86 goals without a single empty net or shorthanded goal." he did start to PK some his third 70 goal year though.

It's just something I'm going off of memory on. You raise a good point about him not being the type of player a team would have on the ice with a one goal lead near the end of a game and I'm suspecting my memory on this is correct.

 

[blogofmike]

Players who scored 50+ once and never broke 40 in another season:

Player | Highest G |2nd highest G | Diff
Wayne Babych | 54 | 27 | 27
Jacques Richard | 52 | 27 | 25
Guy Chouinard | 50 | 31 | 19
Vic Hadfield | 50 | 31 | 19
Bob Carpenter | 53 | 32 | 21
Gary Leeman | 51 | 32 | 19
Rick Kehoe | 55 | 33 | 22
Danny Grant | 50 | 34 | 16
Craig Simpson | 56 | 35 | 21
Jonathan Cheechoo | 56 | 37 | 19
Hakan Loob | 50 | 37 | 13
Adam Graves | 52 | 38 | 14
Ray Sheppard | 52 | 38 | 14
Bernie Geoffrion | 50 | 38 | 12
Mike Modano | 50 | 38 | 12
Sergei Fedorov | 56 | 39 | 17
Sidney Crosby | 51 | 39 | 12

Well that's a solid list, with some surprising names at the bottom. If Boom Boom is on the list, you may as well toss in Richard, which in spite of it being a great season by a great goal-scorer is somewhat fluky because of the fact he did it in 50.

My vote is for Jacques Richard because of the leap in goals per game, goals, shooting percentage, and to a lesser extent, shots per game between that season and all the other ones.

 

[pappyline]

Well that's a solid list, with some surprising names at the bottom. If Boom Boom is on the list, you may as well toss in Richard, which in spite of it being a great season by a great goal-scorer is somewhat fluky because of the fact he did it in 50.

My vote is for Jacques Richard because of the leap in goals per game, goals, shooting percentage, and to a lesser extent, shots per game between that season and all the other ones.

Beat me to it. I know that this is blasphemy to many posters here. But the Rocket only did it once and that was in a war year with extremely weak competition, Never came close again even though schedule increased to 60 and then 70 games. his next best was 45 which came post war but stiil a time of weak competition.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Maurice Richard scored 50 goals in what was the weakest season in NHL history. Other than that, he didn't come close.

 

[tony d]

Gary Leeman.