Great seasons by mediocre players

[Peter9]

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.

The question is about great seasons by mediocre [redefined to include good] players. None of the players you cite had great seasons. The same goes for the other responses to my post, although Chevrefils fits because he got more than 30 goals in the one full season he played during an injury-plagued career. The players I cited, Horvath and Lewicki, did have great seasons that really stood out from the rest of their career. The players you cite do not compare and are not responsive to the question.

 

[seventieslord]

The question is about great seasons by mediocre [redefined to include good] players. None of the players you cite had great seasons. The same goes for the other responses to my post, although Chevrefils fits because he got more than 30 goals in the one full season he played during an injury-plagued career. The players I cited, Horvath and Lewicki, did have great seasons that really stood out from the rest of their career. The players you cite do not compare and are not responsive to the question.

Quit your whining, the guy provided you two examples of players who had one aberrational season.

 

[VanIslander]

It has been argued that players who played for years in the Original Six era were by that very act pretty good because if they weren't, they would be sent down to the competitive AHL, so that if one is looking for a player of the O6 era who had a great season amidst an otherwise mediocre career, then a one-season top-10 NHL scoring Meger and NHL scoring line Johnson by otherwise AHL level players is at least relevant.

 

[Blades of Glory]

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.

I'll just quote my old post. It's a simple argument, but it's fairly strong. I don't disagree that they could hit 90 points again, but those expecting them to factor in Art Ross discussion are probably a little optimistic considering history. Also, I don't think Christian Ehrhoff is that spectacular of a puck-mover that they are automatically 100 point players with him now on the team.

Look, the Sedins are having one of the best seasons by a duo that I have ever witnessed. But let's not over-rate them the way that many under-rated them prior to this season. They are entering into the second half of their careers, and expecting them to continue to produce at a rate at which they have produced at one time in their first 9 seasons is grossly unrealistic.

The Sedins are 29, and will be 30 in September prior to next season. There have been 5 NHL players to record 100 points in two separate seasons between the ages of 29-33. You know what that list is? Gretzky, Lemieux, Stastny, Esposito, and Dionne. Prior to turning 29, three of them had already won multiple Art Ross Trophies, one other had won one Art Ross, and the last one had never scored LESS than 100 points in his career. Expecting a player (referring to both Sedins) who never even remotely contended for an Art Ross, or even finished top ten in scoring once, before the age of 29, to continue to play at the level they have reached this season, is completely silly and is typical of HF.

They are going to fall back into the 85-90 point range next season, because that's just how it works. In about a century of hockey, only 5 players have done what you are expecting them to do next season. I don't want to sound harsh, but neither Sedin is remotely close to the worst of those 5 players (Marcel Dionne). They, in 9 years of playing at this level, have a track record of being very solid first-line forwards. That's what they will revert to next season.

There are simply very few forwards in the league today that have proven themselves enough over their career to make themselves worthy of being mentioned as 30+ year olds that could be a factor in the NHL scoring race. Even that is a stretch. You have Joe Thornton, who has proven enough to be considered an excellent bet for at least 90 points if healthy. Martin St. Louis. Possibly Pavel Datsyuk. The Sedins just aren't on that list.

 

[begbeee]

Zdeno Ciger was a weird player.

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

After that he was one of the best in Europe.

I am intersting also in guys which score 70-90 points and before and after that never break 30-40 points.
e.g. Aleksander Semak, Bob Kudelski, Brian Bradley... there are tons of them.

 

[bruinsfan46]

Dmitri Kvartalnov had 72 points in 73 games as a 26 year old NHL rookie for the Bruins in 92-93, split time between Providence and Boston the next year getting 19 points in 39 games in the NHL and then went over to Europe and never came back to North America.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

I wouldn't say that his seasons were "great" but Alexander Selivanov was interesting too.

In 95-96 he scores 31 with Tampa. He then later gets traded to Edmonton, where he pots in 27 in 99-00.

Afterwards?

The next season he goes to Columbus, and scores a measly 8, and is out of the NHL the following year.

 

[jkrx]

Dmitri Kvartalnov had 72 points in 73 games as a 26 year old NHL rookie for the Bruins in 92-93, split time between Providence and Boston the next year getting 19 points in 39 games in the NHL and then went over to Europe and never came back to North America.

I wouldnt call him a mediocre player though.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

I'll just quote my old post. It's a simple argument, but it's fairly strong. I don't disagree that they could hit 90 points again, but those expecting them to factor in Art Ross discussion are probably a little optimistic considering history. Also, I don't think Christian Ehrhoff is that spectacular of a puck-mover that they are automatically 100 point players with him now on the team.

It isn't that Ehrhoff is spectacular, it's that prior to him they never had anyone capable. If they had a Gonchar or Green or someone in that range over the past 4-5 years, they'd be in title contention every one of them.

The thing that makes the Sedins stand out as unique is that they have never not improved season to season.

Expecting them to not be in the top ten next year is sillier than expecting one of them to win IMO.

 

[66871]

Rob Brown's name is all over this thread.

1988-89 68GP 49G-66A-115P with Mario Lemieux. Never came anywhere near that again.

Haha, before I even opened this thread I thought about Rob Brown.

 

[begbeee]

Wendel Clark´s 46 goals season?

 

[pappyline]

Not sure if this fits but on the terrible Blackhawks of 53-54, the leading point getter with 42 was Larry Wilson (ron's father) and the leading goal scorer with 19 was Pete Conacher (charlie's son). Both were respectable numbers at the time and both players were in the AHL soon after where they had great careers.

 

[Axxellien]

Difference:

Between longstanding players with several year careers who shone for one season & called up minor leaguers who came to fill a temporary spot, fulfill a certain role, a distinct purpose ,and whose tenure was longer than a few months, a full season, then were sent back to NHL obscurity and relative oblivion