Peaking Early - The Chance May Never Come Again

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Can you think of guys with great NHL careers who made the Finals as rookies and never got that far again?

Danny Gare is about the only guy I can think of. Made the Finals with the Sabres in 75 as a rookie, got to the conference finals again in 80 and that was it.

Click to read more...

 

[mco543]

He doesn't fit the "as a rookie and never again" criteria but...

Jaromir Jagr won it his 1st 2 years and has said that at the time he didn't understand what the Stanley Cup meant and how important it was and by time he understood it was too late and he spent the rest of his career trying to get back there but it was never to be.

 

[Passchendaele]

Phil Russell fits the profile.

A dman with over 1000 games and 400 points.

Stanley Cup finals with the Hawks in '73 then... nothing.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

He doesn't fit the "as a rookie and never again" criteria but...

Jaromir Jagr won it his 1st 2 years and has said that at the time he didn't understand what the Stanley Cup meant and how important it was and by time he understood it was too late and he spent the rest of his career trying to get back there but it was never to be.

Yeah if you include guys who won it and never again you probably get a longer list.

Brian Rolston is in a weird category, won it in 95 with the Devils but wasn't a major contributor and then got traded in 99 from the Devils to the Avs only for the Devils to go on and win the Cup again, and of course Rolston ends up with the Bruins in the Bourque trade so isn't in Colorado for the Avs' Cup a year later either. 10 years on and he's fighting for a playoff spot with the Devils, another Cup not getting any more likely.

 

[Lead Role in a Cage]

Pat Lafontaine.

 

[Stephen]

Vaclav Prospal was on the 97 Flyers team for part of the year and had some games in the playoffs, and was on Tampa Bay from 2001 till the end of the 2003 season, and then rejoined them for 2005, after they won a cup...

 

[Hardyvan123]

Bobby Hull is the classic case.

He has stated that at 22 he expected to win it again and never did.

It was really cool that Wirtz Jr classed up and Hull was back in the Black Hawk fold when the Hawks won it last year.

 

[reckoning]

None of these players would be considered "stars", but all had fairly good careers:

Don Beaupre
Ed Jovanovski
Don Maloney
Janne Niniimaa

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Craig Janney went to the Finals twice in his first three years but never ended up with another shot.

 

[Big Phil]

Bobby Hull is the classic case.

He has stated that at 22 he expected to win it again and never did.

It was really cool that Wirtz Jr classed up and Hull was back in the Black Hawk fold when the Hawks won it last year.

Bill Wirtz himself was too much of a grouch to ever let that happen.

I'll throw another name out there. Patrick Flatley. No, he didn't have a "great" career by any means unlike his co-rookie in 1984 Lafontaine, but he never got to the final after 1984.

How about Ron Hextall? Had a season for the ages in 1987 one game away from the Cup. Yes I know he did play in the 1997 final but it was a shared duty with Snow, in fact Hextall only played in 8 games that spring. He's close enough to a HHOF career.

This may sound weird, but Paul Henderson made the final twice in his first three years. Never again. Plus he never did anything else worth talking about afterwards

In his sophomore year Roger Crozier took the Red Wings to the final in 1966. I know he played sparingly with the Sabres in 1975 but wasn't their main goalie.

Pete Peeters was a rookie with Philly in 1980. Never made the final again. Is a shade below the HHOF, so I guess he isn't "great" either

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Pete Peeters was a rookie with Philly in 1980. Never made the final again. Is a shade below the HHOF, so I guess he isn't "great" either

I'm not as discerning as you I suppose, I mostly put great there to make sure nobody comes up with a guy who played 200 games or nobody's ever heard of.

 

[Big Phil]

Well, it remains to be seen guys, but perhaps Eric Staal fits the bill. He was a sophomore in 2005-'06. Made the final and nothing since then. Cam Ward was a rookie as well. Staal will make an interesting HHOF case in the coming years and Ward might be in the mix when all is said and done.

Something tells me Antti Niemi will never reach the final again

Jason Spezza another good candidate? 3rd year and makes the final. His team and his career has gone downhill since then.

Can't believe I didn't think of him: Ed Jovanovski. Made the final as a rookie in 1996. Never again.

Theo Fleury won the Cup in 1989. Never made it out of the first round until 1999. Never in the final again.

Rod Langway was a depth player on Montreal in 1979 as a rookie. Was traded to Washington in 1982 and we all know how Washington fares in the playoffs.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Well, it remains to be seen guys, but perhaps Eric Staal fits the bill. He was a sophomore in 2005-'06. Made the final and nothing since then. Cam Ward was a rookie as well. Staal will make an interesting HHOF case in the coming years and Ward might be in the mix when all is said and done.

Something tells me Antti Niemi will never reach the final again

Jason Spezza another good candidate? 3rd year and makes the final. His team and his career has gone downhill since then.

Can't believe I didn't think of him: Ed Jovanovski. Made the final as a rookie in 1996. Never again.

Theo Fleury won the Cup in 1989. Never made it out of the first round until 1999. Never in the final again.

Rod Langway was a depth player on Montreal in 1979 as a rookie. Was traded to Washington in 1982 and we all know how Washington fares in the playoffs.

It's probably too early to talk about stall for the hall but he is on the right path and barring injury I'd give a 70% shot as this point of making it in, considering he is only 26 .

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Well, it remains to be seen guys, but perhaps Eric Staal fits the bill. He was a sophomore in 2005-'06. Made the final and nothing since then. Cam Ward was a rookie as well. Staal will make an interesting HHOF case in the coming years and Ward might be in the mix when all is said and done.

Something tells me Antti Niemi will never reach the final again

Jason Spezza another good candidate? 3rd year and makes the final. His team and his career has gone downhill since then.

Matthew Lombardi might be a candidate, got to the Finals in 04 with the Flames in his rookie year, nothin since then. He's obviously by no means a player that will be remembered as special and still young enough to get a few more shots though the concussion issues might cut his career short, who knows.

 

[GKJ]

Dainius Zubrus was an 18-year old rookie, who had something of a breakout 1997 post season (21 points in 68 games during the season, 9 points in 19 playoff games). Only got past the 2nd round once since with Buffalo in 2007.

Brenden Morrow was a rookie on the 2000 Stars team that lost in the Finals vs. the Devils

Alexei Kovalev was a rookie on the Rangers 1994 Cup Champs, only made it back to the Conference Finals with the Penguins in 2001

Don Sweeney was a really good, underrated defenseman for the Bruins in the '90s. His first full year in the league was the year the Bruins lost the Oilers in 1990, and the Bruins never got back. He left Boston for Dallas for his last NHL season in 2003-04.

 

[pnep]

Beaupre Don
Fleury Theo
Lafontaine Pat
Langway Rod
Marois Mario
Russell Phil
Butcher Garth
Flatley Patrick
Hajt Bill
Marshall Bert
Mcammond Dean
Mceachern Shawn
Mosienko Bill
Bradley Brian W.
Dineen Gord
Gare Danny
Grant Danny
Hillman Wayne
Maloney Don
Peeters Pete
Hamill Red
Karpovtsev Alexander
Kravchuk Igor
Lalor Mike
Rolston Brian
Savard Andre
Bureau Marc
Dejordy Denis
Jovanovski Ed
Lamb Joe
Maloney Dan
Plasse Michel
Zednik Richard
Bordeleau J.P.
Eriksson Anders
Gagnon Johnny
Knuble Michael
Marks John G.
Niinimaa Janne
Prospal Vaclav
Ravlich Matt
Russell Cam
Smyth Greg
Tambellini Steve
Zubrus Dainius

 

[jcbio11]

Can you think of guys with great NHL careers who made the Finals as rookies and never got that far again?

Danny Gare is about the only guy I can think of. Made the Finals with the Sabres in 75 as a rookie, got to the conference finals again in 80 and that was it.

Jeremy Roenick.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Jeremy Roenick.

I was just about to say this. Roenick immediately came to mind as a guy who had all the tools to be a multi-Cup winner, and never even got back to the dance

 

[nutbar]

Steve Payne - 29 points in 19 playoff games in 1981.

 

[Darrelle Lundqvist]

Kovalev was in his second year with the rangers in 94 hasnt been back since.

 

[ES]

*list*

How is that list ordered. Amount of games since last visit to the finals? What's the minimum limit?

 

[TheStranger]

How is that list ordered. Amount of games since last visit to the finals? What's the minimum limit?

I'm pretty sure it's just alphabetical, must have copied it from somewhere...it's not all in alphabetical but the names must have come from different spots. Notice how each section is alphabetical on it's own.

Beaupre Don
Fleury Theo
Lafontaine Pat
Langway Rod
Marois Mario
Russell Phil

Butcher Garth
Flatley Patrick
Hajt Bill
Marshall Bert
Mcammond Dean
Mceachern Shawn
Mosienko Bill

Bradley Brian W.
Dineen Gord
Gare Danny
Grant Danny
Hillman Wayne
Maloney Don
Peeters Pete

Hamill Red
Karpovtsev Alexander
Kravchuk Igor
Lalor Mike
Rolston Brian
Savard Andre

Bureau Marc
Dejordy Denis
Jovanovski Ed
Lamb Joe
Maloney Dan
Plasse Michel
Zednik Richard

Bordeleau J.P.
Eriksson Anders
Gagnon Johnny
Knuble Michael
Marks John G.
Niinimaa Janne
Prospal Vaclav
Ravlich Matt
Russell Cam
Smyth Greg
Tambellini Steve
Zubrus Dainius

 

[Lead Role in a Cage]

Excluding "star" from the equation, add Mike Craig.