Crosby2010
Registered User
- Mar 4, 2023
- 1,100
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I guess you can look at his closest years. 1987, 1990 and 1991.
1987 he finishes 2nd. I think we all agree this was Gretzky's in a cakewalk. It was the last season where his assists alone would win the scoring title, and he still led the NHL in goals, all while on the best team in the NHL. Bourque was a distant 2nd, but a legit 2nd, and well ahead of Mike Liut who was 3rd. 1991 he finishes 4th. This was Hull's year and you can argue Gretzky deserved it just as much. Belfour comes out of nowhere to finish 3rd. There were just some storylines that gained attention and Bourque wasn't it. But he also didn't have the better year than those guys. Maybe Belfour.
Onto 1990. You can say he was robbed because the Oilers writer that inexplicably didn't have him on the ballot (if I recall). I can understand that, but let's not discount Messier's season. 129 points on a post-Gretzky Oilers team. Did Moose get more votes than he should have? I don't know, they loved the storylines around him, same as 1992 with the Rangers. Strange how they had the same 1st place votes and Bourque had more 2nd place votes but Messier had more 3rd place votes. That's just how it shook down.
1994 is another year that it wouldn't have been outlandish to see him win - he finished 6th - but again you have Fedorov's big year and two insane years by goalies with Hasek and Beezer. This was a good chance for him to do it without Gretzky or Messier or Lemieux in the way but there just was someone better and more fitting that year.
Paul Coffey never won the Hart. Robinson, Potvin, Kelly, Lidstrom never did either. How about this? Neither did Harvey.
1987 he finishes 2nd. I think we all agree this was Gretzky's in a cakewalk. It was the last season where his assists alone would win the scoring title, and he still led the NHL in goals, all while on the best team in the NHL. Bourque was a distant 2nd, but a legit 2nd, and well ahead of Mike Liut who was 3rd. 1991 he finishes 4th. This was Hull's year and you can argue Gretzky deserved it just as much. Belfour comes out of nowhere to finish 3rd. There were just some storylines that gained attention and Bourque wasn't it. But he also didn't have the better year than those guys. Maybe Belfour.
Onto 1990. You can say he was robbed because the Oilers writer that inexplicably didn't have him on the ballot (if I recall). I can understand that, but let's not discount Messier's season. 129 points on a post-Gretzky Oilers team. Did Moose get more votes than he should have? I don't know, they loved the storylines around him, same as 1992 with the Rangers. Strange how they had the same 1st place votes and Bourque had more 2nd place votes but Messier had more 3rd place votes. That's just how it shook down.
1994 is another year that it wouldn't have been outlandish to see him win - he finished 6th - but again you have Fedorov's big year and two insane years by goalies with Hasek and Beezer. This was a good chance for him to do it without Gretzky or Messier or Lemieux in the way but there just was someone better and more fitting that year.
Paul Coffey never won the Hart. Robinson, Potvin, Kelly, Lidstrom never did either. How about this? Neither did Harvey.