Great seasons by mediocre players

[Scott1980]

How about goalies?

Wayne Stephenson, 1975/76. I didn't think he was mediocre player, good backup!

Gillies Gilbert, same season. Wow! Undefeated in 17 straight games! I've watched some of his games, and I don't think he was a mediocre player. Others might.

A friend of mine never stopped talking about Troy Murray's 85/86. He might have been mediocre offensively, but I know he was one of the best defensive forwards in the game.

 

[seventieslord]

Daniel Marois had an excellent season that coincided with Gary Leeman's great season in 1989-90 with the Leafs. It doesn't show up on the above lists because it was not quite a full season, but his points per game average that year was 58% higher than he ever had before or since.

Real interesting case, Marois. You rarely see a guy play himself out of the NHL so young.

the Leafs were an odd case that year. 3rd best offense, 3rd-worst defense. 695 total goals were scored in the Leafs' 80 games that year, a record that I don't think has ever been equalled since.

 

[skeena1]

the Leafs were an odd case that year. 3rd best offense, 3rd-worst defense. 695 total goals were scored in the Leafs' 80 games that year, a record that I don't think has ever been equalled since.

The Oilers went over 700 4 out of 5 years in the 80's. The other year was 699. The Leafs themselves had a 697 season in 85-86. But yes I agree, some wild things going in back then, scoring-wise.

 

[Bohemian93]

im surprised nobody mentioned rogers yet.Mike Rogers started his NHL career with 3 straight hundred point seasons with the whalers and rangers(105,105,103), but never amounted close to that in the seasons after

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Joe Juneau's rookie season? 102 points. Never got close to it again.

Another guy, Keith Acton. 36 goals and 88 points with Montreal in 1982, led the team in scoring (ahead of Lafleur) as a 24 year old, never got close to those totals again either.

Tom Williams, 35 goals and 74 points on the Kings in 76-77, was only a full-time NHLer for 3 years and was in the minors by the season after, out of hockey within 3 years. Obviously riding Dionne's coattails.

 

[Steelhead16]

Not as big of a point spread as some of the others but percenatge wise Chris Simon's 49 pts in 99-00 was nowhere near close to anything before or after for him. In 18 NHL seasons he only had 305 pts. Even with the 49 point season factored in he only averaged less than 17 pts per season.

 

[spazway49]

Tim Thomas the year he won the Vezina

 

[AmazingNuck]

Jonathon Cheechoo's Rocket season?

 

[VanIslander]

Chris Simon had a 29 goal season.

Playing on Oates' wing he had a great season, was a mediocre player, couldn't score even 15 in any other of his 15 NHL seasons.

(btw,... he's still playing professionally, scored 13 in 30 games for Chekhov Vityaz of the Russian KHL league this 09/10 season)

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

Anyone else wonder how Daniel Briere got 95 points?

Stacked offensive team, shamelessly run-n-gun system (why Roy and Pominville scored 80 points each the next year and haven't come close to those totals since), really good chemistry with his linemates.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Stacked offensive team, shamelessly run-n-gun system (why Roy and Pominville scored 80 points each the next year and haven't come close to those totals since), really good chemistry with his linemates.

it also helps that he was healthy that year.

 

[Peter9]

I'm trying to remember one-season wonders from the 1950s and 1960s and having trouble coming up with any off the top. One name that comes to mind is Danny Lewicki, who was second all-star left wing with the Rangers after leaving the Maple Leafs. Never before or after did he have that kind of performance, although I haven't looked at his numbers in the online databases.

I remember Bronco Horvath's one great season was quite a surprise, too, but, as pointed out, he had a couple of other fairly decent seasons as well.

I'm relying entirely on memory of events more than 40 years ago and as long as 60 years ago, and it may be that my memory isn't good enough. But I doubt that, and I think the trouble I'm having coming up with names from that era is because only the elite--around 120 players--were in the league and only the very best talent made it, thus creating a kind of stability in performance levels.

 

[VanIslander]

I'm trying to remember one-season wonders from the 1950s and 1960s and having trouble coming up with any off the top.

Right winger Al Johnson in 1960/61 scored a then respectable 37 points for 4th in Red Wings scoring (on a scoring line with Ullman and Labine) and never played a full NHL season after that, getting sent to the AHL and twice called up for very short stints only.

Left winger Paul Meger in 1951/52 scored 24 goals for 3rd in Canadiens goals (9th in the NHL, on a line with Reay and Boom Boom) and could only score 9 goals the following year, sent down to the minors partway through his third year and only called up once since for a few games before suffering a career ending injury (Labine's skate cut his temple).

Plenty of O6 players had decent full NHL seasons inbetween AHL seasons, were career call-ups, and so they don't count for what you were looking for.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Others

I'm trying to remember one-season wonders from the 1950s and 1960s and having trouble coming up with any off the top. One name that comes to mind is Danny Lewicki, who was second all-star left wing with the Rangers after leaving the Maple Leafs. Never before or after did he have that kind of performance, although I haven't looked at his numbers in the online databases.

I remember Bronco Horvath's one great season was quite a surprise, too, but, as pointed out, he had a couple of other fairly decent seasons as well.

I'm relying entirely on memory of events more than 40 years ago and as long as 60 years ago, and it may be that my memory isn't good enough. But I doubt that, and I think the trouble I'm having coming up with names from that era is because only the elite--around 120 players--were in the league and only the very best talent made it, thus creating a kind of stability in performance levels.

Throw in a few others from the 1950's - Earl Reibel, Real Chevrefils,
Gary Aldcorn(1959-60), Cullen brothers had one good year with Toronto.

From the 1960's include Parker MacDonald with Detroit, Earl Ingarfield with the Rangers, perhaps Marc Boileau, Claude Laforge and Alex Faulkner with the Wings as one year minor league plug-ins.

 

[MS]

There's been about 50 players mentioned in this thread and 0 defenders in the bunch.

I'll try listing a few :

- Robert Picard was a #3 overall pick who looked like a future superstar when he scored 21 goals and 65 points in his 2nd NHL season, and was a +3 as the icetime leader on a terrible defensive team in Washington. 7th in Norris voting that year. But his career went down the tubes after that - slumped to 54 points and a -23 the next year, and then turned into a journeyman who never scored more than 41 points again.

- Harry Howell wasn't 'mediocre' but his Norris trophy season was a huge outlier when you look at his career as a whole. The Bernie Nicholls of defensive defenders.

- Dave Pichette scored 57 points one year for NJ and was never heard from again afterward.

- Tracy Pratt was a career journeyman who turned in one brilliant All-Star season in 1974-75 in Vancouver.

- Jim Schoenfeld was a good player, but his 1979-80 season where he went +60 and finished 3rd in Norris voting behind only Robinson and Salming was a pretty big outlier.

- Ron Stackhouse was a decent enough player who scored 35 points almost every year of his career aside from two seasons where he scored 60 and 71 points and was one of the highest-scoring defenders in the game.

- Randy Carlyle's Norris season is a no-brainer here. Not really a 'mediocre' player, but it's still bizarre he won the Norris.

- Doug Lidster set the Vancouver Canuck single-season defensive record with 63 points, but never scored more than 38 before or after that.

- Darren Veitch was a huge talent with personal problems who put his game together for one huge season in Detroit in 1986-87. The Jacques Richard of defenders.

- Paul Cavallini finished 7th in Norris/All-Star voting in 1989-90, then quickly regressed back to journeyman status.

- Dan McGillis played at a level in 2000-01 that he would never come close to touching in the rest of his career.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

Zdeno Ciger was a weird player.

In 95/96 he had 70 points for the Oilers, then left the NHL for six years.

 

[seventieslord]

Zdeno Ciger was a weird player.

In 95/96 he had 70 points for the Oilers, then left the NHL for six years.

Oh yeah! I remember his good season with Edmonton, but I totally forgot he came back in 01-02.

 

[Professor Dangles]

Henrik Sedin in 2009/10

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Henrik Sedin in 2009/10

Go back to the main boards please.

 

[Blades of Glory]

Go back to the main boards please.

Nalyd, would you consider "Elite season by a very good player" accurate? Sedin is an 80 point player. I've done the research on how unlikely it is for him to have another 100 point season, and I'll go fetch it and post it in the morning. But to warn you, it's very, very, very unlikely.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Nalyd, would you consider "Elite season by a very good player" accurate? Sedin is an 80 point player. I've done the research on how unlikely it is for him to have another 100 point season, and I'll go fetch it and post it in the morning. But to warn you, it's very, very, very unlikely.

I think it's silly to have baseless predictions in the history section.

And any way, did you're calculations factor in that the Sedins biggest weakness is transition and that they haven't had a rushing d-man until this past season. It's not coincidence that Sedin, Sedin, Burrows AND Erhoff are top ten in +/-. The addition of someone with Erhoff's game style has done a good job of negating the biggest weakness in the Sedin twin's game.

Then factor in that Henrik has two top 5 assist performance before this season.

It may be his peak year. But he could easily have 90 points the next few seasons. Which would make this peak stand out like every other one time Art Ross winner.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Others

There's been about 50 players mentioned in this thread and 0 defenders in the bunch.

I'll try listing a few :

- Robert Picard was a #3 overall pick who looked like a future superstar when he scored 21 goals and 65 points in his 2nd NHL season, and was a +3 as the icetime leader on a terrible defensive team in Washington. 7th in Norris voting that year. But his career went down the tubes after that - slumped to 54 points and a -23 the next year, and then turned into a journeyman who never scored more than 41 points again.

- Harry Howell wasn't 'mediocre' but his Norris trophy season was a huge outlier when you look at his career as a whole. The Bernie Nicholls of defensive defenders.

- Dave Pichette scored 57 points one year for NJ and was never heard from again afterward.

- Tracy Pratt was a career journeyman who turned in one brilliant All-Star season in 1974-75 in Vancouver.

- Jim Schoenfeld was a good player, but his 1979-80 season where he went +60 and finished 3rd in Norris voting behind only Robinson and Salming was a pretty big outlier.

- Ron Stackhouse was a decent enough player who scored 35 points almost every year of his career aside from two seasons where he scored 60 and 71 points and was one of the highest-scoring defenders in the game.

- Randy Carlyle's Norris season is a no-brainer here. Not really a 'mediocre' player, but it's still bizarre he won the Norris.

- Doug Lidster set the Vancouver Canuck single-season defensive record with 63 points, but never scored more than 38 before or after that.

- Darren Veitch was a huge talent with personal problems who put his game together for one huge season in Detroit in 1986-87. The Jacques Richard of defenders.

- Paul Cavallini finished 7th in Norris/All-Star voting in 1989-90, then quickly regressed back to journeyman status.

- Dan McGillis played at a level in 2000-01 that he would never come close to touching in the rest of his career.

First re Robert Picard. Think Jacques Richard, Bryan Fogarty.

Other d-men.

Tom Johnson during the 1958-59 season whem Harvey was hurt. Throw in Bob Turner the same year.

Jean -Guy Talbot after Harvey was traded.Harry Howell type year.

Dave Burrows with the Penguins.

Bob Woytowich with the Bruins.

Hy Buller with the Rangers.

Ian Turnbull had a short spurt with the Leafs, more than one season but way short of a career or prime.Same could be said about Tom Bladon with the Flyers.

Mike McMahon 1967-68 with Minnesota.

Larry Goodenough with the Flyers.

Al Simms with the Bruins.

Yves Racine with Detroit/Philly dollar store version of Ian Turnbull.

Kent Douglas with the Leafs.

 

[tony d]

Jonathan Cheechoo.

 

[Franck]

Zdeno Ciger was a weird player.

In 95/96 he had 70 points for the Oilers, then left the NHL for six years.

I wonder what motivated him to go back to Europe after such a statistically successful season in the NHL?

 

[matnor]

Bob Kudeski's 40 goals in 93-94 might fit as well. Of course it helped that he played a record-setting 86 games that season.