Greatest season ever by a conventionally bad player?

[hacksaw7]

Not really a season but Warren Rychel his first to trips into the playoffs was very weird. He wasn't a total no skill enforcer with what he did in the IHL...but in his first 72 NHL games he scored 13 points. During that time period he played in 26 playoff games and somehow managed 17 points.

 

[Beerfish]

Dave Lumley might not be a bad example. The play with Gretzky factor.

 

[Old Gregg]

Andy Hilbert with the Pens for part of the 05-06 season. Pens pick him up off waivers and he ends up playing with Crosby and Armstrong. Ends up with 7 goals, 11 assists for 18pts in 19 games (0.95PPG)

 

[joe galiba]

Wayne Babych

519 games played, 11 seasons, 192 goals. 27% (his only 50 goal season, and never got beyond 20 goals after) of them came in the 80-81 season.

He had a shoulder injury from a fight the year after his 50 goal season and was never the same after
he was a very good young player until then
27g/36a as a 20 year old
26g/35a as a 21 year old
54g/42a as a 22 year old
and then not the same after the injury and out of the league by 27

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

Scott Bjugstad's 1985-86
Scott Bjugstad Stats | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[Voight]

Peter Mueller, 2008 (rookie year).

There was also 2010 where he was traded to the Avs and had 20 points in 15 games.

Was traded for Wolski who also went on a tear, with 18 points in 18 games.

 

[FeatherHead]

Jonathan Cheechoo.

Came to say this. But it obviously didn’t take long for someone else to point this out. I’ve NEVER seen anyone that bad have a season like that. Ever. And we never will again. That was insane. It was a true illustration of Thornton’s wizardry as a dishmeister.

 

[FeatherHead]

Andrew Raycroft 2004

.926/2.05
Calder
5th in Vezina

Beyond that season he has a career SV% under .900 and career GAA over 3.00

edit: for a skater, depends on how you consider him as a player but Joe Juneau's rookie year (102 pts)

I raise you Jim Carey and Blaine Lacher in the same season.

 

[FeatherHead]

The Stastny effect?

Some names I've seen thrown around are Rob Brown and Joe Juneau. They were before my time tho.

It would almost have to be some guy who played on a line with a top tier playmaker.

Joe Juneau’s scored over 100 points in his rookie season and didn’t even win the Calder. lol

Selanne went off for 76 f’ing goals and 52 assists. If I’m not mistaken, that was Lindros’ rookie year, too.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Fun thing now is to see how many suggestions were propped up by Adam Oates

 

[barbu]

Kjell Dahlin. 32 goals and 71 points in 85-86 as a rookie, most of them in the first half. And then he was pretty much done.

 

[Lays]

A lot of goalies would make this list. Jim Carey and the Hamburglar are two that popped into mind instantly

 

[alko]

Marek Svatos 2005/2006 season: 32 goals in 61 games.

Question is, was he a "conventionally bad player"? Many of this 32 goals were so called dirty goals.

 

[Crazy8oooo]

Jonathan Cheechoo.

First name that came to my mind and came in here to say Cheechoo...guess you got it covered already.

 

[Peat]

Conor Sheary isn't the correct answer but deserves a shoutout for his 16-17 season, where he led the NHL in p/60 and had a better pace than his next two best seasons combined.

 

[covfefe]

Most of the greats have already been mentioned, and this one doesn't really stack up as well in comparison - but Fernando Pisani's 05-06 playoff stats are a pretty big outlier when you look at the rest of his career. Talk about a heater.

 

[Bernie Federko]

Mike Bullard had 48 goals the year before the Blues traded Gilmour to Calgary to get him. I won't say he was a bad player but man that trade and the circumstances really stung.

 

[ChuckLefley]

I don't think he should count. Setoguchi's downfall was due to issues he had with alcohol.

Devin Setoguchi rises from rock bottom to earn another shot at the NHL

There are a lot of players who have been posted on this thread who shouldn’t count. It’s clear that people either don’t read the full explanation or just look at a players numbers and don’t bother to find out more about why the player only had that one great season.

 

[thekernel]

2019-20 Jake Virtanen lol

Peter Mueller, 2008 (rookie year).

There was also 2010 where he was traded to the Avs and had 20 points in 15 games.

Was traded for Wolski who also went on a tear, with 18 points in 18 games.

Ehh that's a little unfair to Mueller, he was actually a really talented player, but was held back by injury.

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

First thing that comes to mind is John Druce's playoff performance one year. 89-90 had 8 goals 3 assists in 45 regular season games. Then 14 goals 3 assists in 15 playoff games.

 

[Albatros]

Mike Bullard had 48 goals the year before the Blues traded Gilmour to Calgary to get him. I won't say he was a bad player but man that trade and the circumstances really stung.

A very good player that couldn't control his drinking.

 

[sjsharks92]

Jonathan Cheechoo 05-06

 

[Zenos]

People, Cheechoo had an incredible outlier season, but he was hardly a “bad” player. Neither before nor after. Of course injuries took their toll...

I sometimes question if the majority of posters on here even watch games.

 

[Bernie Federko]

A very good player that couldn't control his drinking.

I wondered what his deal was. I see that he had 51 goals with the Penguins in the early 80s but only played 20 games for the Blues. I think they then traded him to the Flyers for Peter Zezel.

 

[Albatros]

I wondered what his deal was. I see that he had 51 goals with the Penguins in the early 80s but only played 20 games for the Blues. I think they then traded him to the Flyers for Peter Zezel.

He was even made the Penguins captain in the early days of Mario, but lost it after several alcohol-related incidents including driving under influence over pedestrians. With that baggage following him he left the NHL for Europe quite early and eventually managed to clean his act up quite a bit there.