Question about NHL Power Play Scoring Record

[benji]

I was looking for the answer to this potentially good trivia question, but it was so good that I couldn't find the answer. I know about Tim Kerr's record 34 power play goals, but who holds the record for the most power play points in a season?

My first guess would be Gretzky...but I could see it being any of Lemieux, Orr, Esposito...or maybe a darkhorse? Tim Kerr isn't the most obvious choice for his record.

Anyone know? Thanks!

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[Fish on The Sand]

probably somebody from the Habs dynasty from the 70s.

 

[reckoning]

I believe it was Mario Lemieux with 80 pts in `87-`88. I haven't seen official PP assists totals for years prior to that, but before that only a few teams got more than 80 PP goals in a year. let alone had a player get 80 pts. So I'm confident that's the record.

 

[ContrarianGoaltender]

I believe it was Mario Lemieux with 80 pts in `87-`88. I haven't seen official PP assists totals for years prior to that, but before that only a few teams got more than 80 PP goals in a year. let alone had a player get 80 pts. So I'm confident that's the record.

I couldn't find PP assist stats either, but I'm sure that Lemieux holds the record. According to Yahoo Sports, 80 power play points was his best, which he accomplished in 1987-88 and matched in 1988-89. His best season might have even been 1995-96, when he scored 31 goals and 48 assists in just 70 games.

One of the Yahoo groups has the statistics for the number of power play goals scored while each player was on the ice for every season since 1968, and those three seasons mentioned above were the top three seasons on the list. In his best season (1989), Lemieux was on the ice for 110 power play goals. The best score of any forward other than Mario and guys who played with Mario was 88 by Pat LaFontaine in 1992-93. Gretzky's best season was 1994, when he was on the ice for 78 goals and got points on 61 of them.

Lemieux's career power play points per game average was 0.76. I don't think there is any question he was the greatest power play scorer of all time.

 

[Stonefly]

I believe it was Mario Lemieux with 80 pts in `87-`88. I haven't seen official PP assists totals for years prior to that, but before that only a few teams got more than 80 PP goals in a year. let alone had a player get 80 pts. So I'm confident that's the record.

Pittsburgh scored 119 goals on the PP in 88-89.
Not sure how many of them involved Mario.

 

[Heat McManus]

pnep, where are you?

 

[Al Bundy*]

I have two questions about power-play scoring:

1. Can someone list all the times someone had at least 30 power-play goals in a season?

2. How many times has a defenseman led the NHL in power-play points?

 

[foame]

STATS HAVENT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2004:

[FIELDSET="Most Power Play and Shorthand Goals, Career"]260-Dave Andreychuk
255-Brett Hull
249-Phil Esposito[/FIELDSET]
[FIELDSET="Most Power Play Goals, One Season"]34-Tim Kerr, 1985-86
32-Dave Andreychuk, 1992-93
31-Joe Nieuwendyk, 1987-88
31-Mario Lemieux, 1988-89
31-Mario Leimieux, 1995-96
29-Michel Goulet, 1987-88
29-Brett Hull, 1990-91
29-Brett Hull, 1992-93[/FIELDSET]
[FIELDSET="Most Shorthand Goals, One Season"]13-Mario Lemieux, 1988-89
12-Wayne Gretzky, 1983-84
11-Wayne Gretzky, 1984-85
10-Marcel Dionne, 1974-75
10-Mario Lemieux, 1987-88
10-Dirk Graham, 1988-89[/FIELDSET]
[FIELDSET="Most Power Play Goals, One Season"]119-Pittsburgh Penguins, 1988-89
113-Detroit Red Wings, 1992-93
111-New York Rangers, 1987-88
110-Pittsburgh Penguins, 1987-88
110-Winnipeg Jets, 1987-88[/FIELDSET]
[FIELDSET="Most Shorthand Goals, One Season"]
36-Edmonton Oilers, 1983-84
28-Edmonton Oilers, 1986-87
27-Edmonton Oilers, 1985-86
27-Edmonton Oilers, 1988-89[/FIELDSET]
got the stats from : http://couchpotatohockey.com/

 

[Al Bundy*]

Can someone list all the times has a defenseman led the NHL in power-play points?

 

[reckoning]

Part of the reason why teams like the 80s Oilers and the 70s Habs didn't rack up many PP goals is because they received less chances than the weaker teams.

Most of the years in the 70s and 80s follow this pattern, but I'll use `77-`78 as an example. Here's the number of PP opportunities each time had, compared with where they finished in the standings:

1. Minnesota--328--18th
2. Detroit------293--9th
3. Colorado----279--13th
3. NY Rangers-279--11th
5. Washington-278--17th
6. Cleveland---275--14th
7. Vancouver--269--15th
8. St. Louis----264--16th
9. Pittsburgh--261--12th
9. Toronto-----261--6th
11.L.A. Kings--254--10th
12. Boston-----242---2nd
13. Buffalo-----234---5th
14. Montreal---229---1st
15. Islanders--227---3rd
16. Philly------219----4th
17. Chicago----225---8th
18. Atlanta----195----7th

Doesn't it seem strange that all the good teams received a lot less PP chances than the weak teams. Either those bad teams were extremely good at drawing penalties, or there was an unwritten rule among the referees to give the weaker teams a better chance.


The Oilers were usually near the bottom of the league in PP opportunities during their glory years. Wayne Gretzky only scored 22.8% of his career goals on the PP. That's lower than any other 500 goal scorer. Despite leading the league in goals 5 times, he only led in power-play goals once. In `85, only 8 of his 73 goals came on the power-play. To me, this makes his scoring accomplishments even more impressive that he got more of his goals at even-strength than most scorers..


On the topic of PP goals, does anybody remember Paul Gardner?

His career totals: 105 power-play goals, 96 even-strength goals. He has to be the only player with more PP goals than ES goals in NHL history. Has anyone else done it?

 

[pnep]

On the topic of PP goals, does anybody remember Paul Gardner?

His career totals: 105 power-play goals, 96 even-strength goals. He has to be the only player with more PP goals than ES goals in NHL history. Has anyone else done it?

Player | PPG | ESG | DIF
Dave "Gramps" Babych |86|56|30
Rob "Blakey" Blake |121|93|28
Dion "Neufy" Phaneuf |29|8|21
Rick "Lanzer" Lanz |41|24|17
Doug Bodger |61|45|16
Risto "The Littlest Hulk" Siltanen |53|37|16
Andy "Andy elmre" Delmore |29|14|15
Kimmo Timonen |46|33|13
Marek "Z” Zidlicky |21|9|12
Rob "Baby Bull" Ramage |75|64|11
Gaston "Gas" Gingras |36|25|11
Sergei "Zubie" Zubov |79|69|10

 

[benji]

Player | PPG | ESG | DIF
Dave "Gramps" Babych |86|56|30
Rob "Blakey" Blake |121|93|28
Dion "Neufy" Phaneuf |29|8|21
Rick "Lanzer" Lanz |41|24|17
Doug Bodger |61|45|16
Risto "The Littlest Hulk" Siltanen |53|37|16
Andy "Andy elmre" Delmore |29|14|15
Kimmo Timonen |46|33|13
Marek "Z” Zidlicky |21|9|12
Rob "Baby Bull" Ramage |75|64|11
Gaston "Gas" Gingras |36|25|11
Sergei "Zubie" Zubov |79|69|10

Phaneuf is going to run away with this unofficial record if he keeps up the pace

 

[HandshakeLine]

Pittsburgh scored 119 goals on the PP in 88-89.
Not sure how many of them involved Mario.

That was the year that Lemieux was involved in 57.3% of the team's total goals, which is an NHL record, so I'd imagine he was in on quite a few of them.