Guys who never got a chance in the NHL

TheDawnOfANewTage

Dahlin, it’ll all be fine
Dec 17, 2018
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Kinda a two parter..

Someone mentioned this guy Chris Valentine in some other thread. Dude scored 30g 37a for 67 points in 60 games as a rookie in '81-'82. He then somehow played most of the next season in the AHL, torching that league and putting up 17 points in 23 games when he was called up. Next year, 11 points, 22 games, so definitely a bit of a slide but still seemingly serviceable, even if it was the high scoring '80s. Still spent most of that year in the AHL though. After that the dude shipped out to Germany and just wrecked house there for a decade (103 points in 45 games one year) before calling it quits.

So

1) Anyone know the story there? Was his D that bad? Problems with management? Crazy to me that he put up 95 points in his first 105 games and that wasn't good enough.
2) Any players you can think of that just didn't get a fair shake in the NHL? What about those dudes who torched the AHL but just couldn't quite play at the NHL level?

Only other name I can think of is Tim Kennedy. I liked his style in his first full season in the NHL, he seemed to slip off checks really well and I thought he could develop into a 20-20 guy. Instead he got into a contract dispute over a couple hundred K with management and was let go. Career just kinda nosedived after that, career journeyman and AHLer. So that's a case where he got his chance and seemingly just blew it.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,272
7,723
Ostsee
Jan Čaloun was a PPG player in his 11 rookie games (8+3=11) for the otherwise terrible Sharks, but despite that feat was kept chained in the AHL and soon went back to Europe enjoying a great career there. Also was a part of the Czech Olympic team winning gold in Nagano.
 

HockeyIsCool

Registered User
Sep 15, 2018
71
142
Bud Holloway is always a guy that stood out to me. The Kings hitched their wagon to some questionable AHL players while never giving Holloway a chance. Scott Parse, Andrei Loktionov, Jordan Nolan, and Dwight King. The King and Nolan call ups paid off with a few cups (not in large part due to them), but Holloway left for Sweden and broke some Swedish playoff records immediately if I recall correctly and was one of the better players in the SEL.

Apparently he played 1 game for Montreal, but it never seemed like that guy got a real shot for whatever reason.
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,246
10,125

Big McLargehuge

Fragile Traveler
May 9, 2002
72,188
7,741
S. Pasadena, CA
Jock Callander always rose to mind as the ultimate hockey equivalent to the AAAA player. He was effectively a cheat code in the minors, but in the NHL he was a broke man's Rob Brown. It's hard to say he deserved a bigger shot than he got, but his non-NHL career deserves acknowledgement in a sense.

he was one of many AAAA hockey type of players.

too good for the minors but not really good enough for prime time.

Jock Callender and Dave Michayluk were 2 other guys from the same era in the same boat.

Incidentally Dave Michayluk's name is on the Stanley Cup for a team he never played a regular season game for (his only 7 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins came in the 1992 playoffs).

Michel Ouellet

The thoroughly unimpressive mediocrity who was inexplicably tied to Evgeni Malkin & Jordan Staal's hip for an entire season?

Pens fans don't appreciate being reminded of Mango Salsa.
 
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