Race for the Rocket Richard 2021

[Hockey Outsider]

Going back to 1926-27 (when the NHL absorbed its rival leagues), there have been 22 seasons where the leading goal-scorer was 25%+ ahead of the runner-up:

Season	Leader	Runner-up	Goals	2nd	Lead
1966	Bobby Hull	Frank Mahovlich	54	32	68.8%
1991	Brett Hull	Cam Neely	86	51	68.6%
1945	Maurice Richard	Herb Cain	50	32	56.3%
1984	Wayne Gretzky	Michel Goulet	87	56	55.4%
1953	Gordie Howe	Ted Lindsay	49	32	53.1%
1952	Gordie Howe	Bill Mosienko	47	31	51.6%
1962	Bobby Hull	Claude Provost	50	33	51.5%
1947	Maurice Richard	Bobby Bauer	45	30	50.0%
1971	Phil Esposito	John Bucyk	76	51	49.0%
1967	Bobby Hull	Stan Mikita	52	35	48.6%
1935	Charlie Conacher	Cecil Dillon	36	25	44.0%
1982	Wayne Gretzky	Mike Bossy	92	64	43.8%
2021	Auston Matthews	Connor McDavid	32	23	39.1%
1942	Lynn Patrick	Bryan Hextall	32	24	33.3%
1957	Gordie Howe	Jean Beliveau	44	33	33.3%
1927	Bill Cook	Babe Dye	33	25	32.0%
1972	Phil Esposito	Bobby Hull	66	50	32.0%
2000	Pavel Bure	Owen Nolan	58	44	31.8%
1974	Phil Esposito	Rick Martin	68	52	30.8%
1992	Brett Hull	Kevin Stevens	70	54	29.6%
2002	Jarome Iginla	Bill Guerin	52	41	26.8%
1988	Mario Lemieux	Craig Simpson	70	56	25.0%
2008	Alex Ovechkin	Ilya Kovalchuk	65	52	25.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

If the season ended right now, Matthews would have the 13th largest margin of victory (out of the past 94 seasons). I wouldn't go as far as saying this is historic, but still very impressive.

 

[crosbyshow]

Going back to 1926-27 (when the NHL absorbed its rival leagues), there have been 22 seasons where the leading goal-scorer was 25%+ ahead of the runner-up:

Season	Leader	Goals	2nd	Lead
1966	Bobby Hull	54	32	68.8%
1991	Brett Hull	86	51	68.6%
1945	Maurice Richard	50	32	56.3%
1984	Wayne Gretzky	87	56	55.4%
1953	Gordie Howe	49	32	53.1%
1952	Gordie Howe	47	31	51.6%
1962	Bobby Hull	50	33	51.5%
1947	Maurice Richard	45	30	50.0%
1971	Phil Esposito	76	51	49.0%
1967	Bobby Hull	52	35	48.6%
1935	Charlie Conacher	36	25	44.0%
1982	Wayne Gretzky	92	64	43.8%
2021	Auston Matthews	32	23	39.1%
1942	Lynn Patrick	32	24	33.3%
1957	Gordie Howe	44	33	33.3%
1927	Bill Cook	33	25	32.0%
1972	Phil Esposito	66	50	32.0%
2000	Pavel Bure	58	44	31.8%
1974	Phil Esposito	68	52	30.8%
1992	Brett Hull	70	54	29.6%
2002	Jarome Iginla	52	41	26.8%
1988	Mario Lemieux	70	56	25.0%
2008	Alex Ovechkin	65	52	25.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

If the season ended right now, Matthews would have the 13th largest margin of victory (out of the past 94 seasons). I wouldn't go as far as saying this is historic, but still very impressive.

In 2010-11, Sidney Crosby had 32 goals after 40 games...then he got his famous concussion in his 41st game.

I am curious to know who was second with how many goals ?

 

[filinski77]

Going back to 1926-27 (when the NHL absorbed its rival leagues), there have been 22 seasons where the leading goal-scorer was 25%+ ahead of the runner-up:

Season	Leader	Goals	2nd	Lead
1966	Bobby Hull	54	32	68.8%
1991	Brett Hull	86	51	68.6%
1945	Maurice Richard	50	32	56.3%
1984	Wayne Gretzky	87	56	55.4%
1953	Gordie Howe	49	32	53.1%
1952	Gordie Howe	47	31	51.6%
1962	Bobby Hull	50	33	51.5%
1947	Maurice Richard	45	30	50.0%
1971	Phil Esposito	76	51	49.0%
1967	Bobby Hull	52	35	48.6%
1935	Charlie Conacher	36	25	44.0%
1982	Wayne Gretzky	92	64	43.8%
2021	Auston Matthews	32	23	39.1%
1942	Lynn Patrick	32	24	33.3%
1957	Gordie Howe	44	33	33.3%
1927	Bill Cook	33	25	32.0%
1972	Phil Esposito	66	50	32.0%
2000	Pavel Bure	58	44	31.8%
1974	Phil Esposito	68	52	30.8%
1992	Brett Hull	70	54	29.6%
2002	Jarome Iginla	52	41	26.8%
1988	Mario Lemieux	70	56	25.0%
2008	Alex Ovechkin	65	52	25.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

If the season ended right now, Matthews would have the 13th largest margin of victory (out of the past 94 seasons). I wouldn't go as far as saying this is historic, but still very impressive.

I wouldn’t say historic either, but still very impressive none the less. Don’t let the Edmonton fans hear this, but if Matthews can catch up even a little bit in points, he could compete for the Lindsay imo.

It will be interesting to see how next season plays out for Matthews. As I do think the oddity of a shortened intradivisional season is skewing a lot. I don’t think in a normal season he is anywhere close to a 40% goal lead. He’ll be the favourite for sure next season, but I’d definitely like to see an 82gp race for the rocket with Matthews, Drai, Pasta and McDavid (and Ovi if he can get another kick at it).

 

[filinski77]

In 2010-11, Sidney Crosby had 32 goals after 40 games...then he got his famous concussion in his 41st game.

I am curious to know who was second with how many goals ?

When he went down to injury (at 41 GP), he was 1 goal, and 10 points ahead of Stamkos (same # of GP)

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I am curious to know who was second with how many goals ?

One of the columns didn't print - I updated the post to show 2nd place. In the event of a tie, I'm only showing one of the runner ups (ie 2021 shows just McDavid, when he and Rantanen are currently tied).

 

[crosbyshow]

When he went down to injury (at 41 GP), he was 1 goal, and 10 points ahead of Stamkos (same # of GP)

Are you sure?

Crosby had 66 points in 40 games and I thought that Henrik Sedin was second at the time with 52 points

 

[filinski77]

Are you sure?

Crosby had 66 points in 40 games and I thought that Henrik Sedin was second at the time with 52 points

NHL Stats

 

[authentic]

Going back to 1926-27 (when the NHL absorbed its rival leagues), there have been 22 seasons where the leading goal-scorer was 25%+ ahead of the runner-up:

Season	Leader	Runner-up	Goals	2nd	Lead
1966	Bobby Hull	Frank Mahovlich	54	32	68.8%
1991	Brett Hull	Cam Neely	86	51	68.6%
1945	Maurice Richard	Herb Cain	50	32	56.3%
1984	Wayne Gretzky	Michel Goulet	87	56	55.4%
1953	Gordie Howe	Ted Lindsay	49	32	53.1%
1952	Gordie Howe	Bill Mosienko	47	31	51.6%
1962	Bobby Hull	Claude Provost	50	33	51.5%
1947	Maurice Richard	Bobby Bauer	45	30	50.0%
1971	Phil Esposito	John Bucyk	76	51	49.0%
1967	Bobby Hull	Stan Mikita	52	35	48.6%
1935	Charlie Conacher	Cecil Dillon	36	25	44.0%
1982	Wayne Gretzky	Mike Bossy	92	64	43.8%
2021	Auston Matthews	Connor McDavid	32	23	39.1%
1942	Lynn Patrick	Bryan Hextall	32	24	33.3%
1957	Gordie Howe	Jean Beliveau	44	33	33.3%
1927	Bill Cook	Babe Dye	33	25	32.0%
1972	Phil Esposito	Bobby Hull	66	50	32.0%
2000	Pavel Bure	Owen Nolan	58	44	31.8%
1974	Phil Esposito	Rick Martin	68	52	30.8%
1992	Brett Hull	Kevin Stevens	70	54	29.6%
2002	Jarome Iginla	Bill Guerin	52	41	26.8%
1988	Mario Lemieux	Craig Simpson	70	56	25.0%
2008	Alex Ovechkin	Ilya Kovalchuk	65	52	25.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

If the season ended right now, Matthews would have the 13th largest margin of victory (out of the past 94 seasons). I wouldn't go as far as saying this is historic, but still very impressive.

He also has this margin while missing 3 games and not being able to hardly shoot the puck for over 10 games with that lingering wrist injury. Very impressive indeed.

 

[authentic]

I wouldn’t say historic either, but still very impressive none the less. Don’t let the Edmonton fans hear this, but if Matthews can catch up even a little bit in points, he could compete for the Lindsay imo.

It will be interesting to see how next season plays out for Matthews. As I do think the oddity of a shortened intradivisional season is skewing a lot. I don’t think in a normal season he is anywhere close to a 40% goal lead. He’ll be the favourite for sure next season, but I’d definitely like to see an 82gp race for the rocket with Matthews, Drai, Pasta and McDavid (and Ovi if he can get another kick at it).

If he can manage not to get an injury that affects his shot for a long period of time I think he will dominate again.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

Crazy to see how much Bobby Hull is on that list and how much he spanked the rest of the league in multiple different years.

 

[authentic]

I wouldn’t say historic either, but still very impressive none the less. Don’t let the Edmonton fans hear this, but if Matthews can catch up even a little bit in points, he could compete for the Lindsay imo.

It will be interesting to see how next season plays out for Matthews. As I do think the oddity of a shortened intradivisional season is skewing a lot. I don’t think in a normal season he is anywhere close to a 40% goal lead. He’ll be the favourite for sure next season, but I’d definitely like to see an 82gp race for the rocket with Matthews, Drai, Pasta and McDavid (and Ovi if he can get another kick at it).

If he can manage not to get an injury that affects his shot for a serious length of time I wouldn't put it past him putting up another huge lead.

 

[McVespa99]

I mean this us the first time I've seen it.

But I mean good players get points against bad teams. So do bad players, that's why they are bad teams.

I have read it here probably 100 times Thats why I was shocked by your comment.
And your second point is spot on. Not just that but all the Northern teams play Ottawa too so....

 

[Bedards Dad]

I have read it here probably 100 times Thats why I was shocked by your comment.
And your second point is spot on. Not just that but all the Northern teams play Ottawa too so....

Mind pointing me to a few of those posts? I'd be interested in who makes such a stupid argument.

 

[shaner82]

Mind pointing me to a few of those posts? I'd be interested in who makes such a stupid argument.

There's been lots of them. Any thread with Matthews, McDavid or talk of the North Division will likely have such posts.

The posters saying that nonsense are either trolls or unintelligent. Take your pick

 

[shaner82]

I wouldn’t say historic either, but still very impressive none the less. Don’t let the Edmonton fans hear this, but if Matthews can catch up even a little bit in points, he could compete for the Lindsay imo.

It will be interesting to see how next season plays out for Matthews. As I do think the oddity of a shortened intradivisional season is skewing a lot. I don’t think in a normal season he is anywhere close to a 40% goal lead. He’ll be the favourite for sure next season, but I’d definitely like to see an 82gp race for the rocket with Matthews, Drai, Pasta and McDavid (and Ovi if he can get another kick at it).

I don't think this is Matthews true peak, so I have no doubt he can score at this pace again next year. He had an injured wrist for a while and wasn't shooting the puck. The PP is also terrible so he's not getting the PP numbers he could be getting.

If him and marner stay healthy next year and continue to play together, I see no reason why he can't make a push for 70 goals. Don't know if he'll make it, but I think he will get close. It's not as if he only beats up on weaker teams. He beats up on all teams.

On top of that, every off season he works very hard on improving one aspect of his game. 2 years ago it was his slap shot/one timer, this past off season was his conditioning and defensive play. He puts in a ton of work to improve his game. At only 23, he has room for improvement still.

Whether others can keep up remains to be seen. Lots of great goal scorers out there, but I do think Matthews will crack 60 next year.

 

[filinski77]

I don't think this is Matthews true peak, so I have no doubt he can score at this pace again next year. He had an injured wrist for a while and wasn't shooting the puck. The PP is also terrible so he's not getting the PP numbers he could be getting.

If him and marner stay healthy next year and continue to play together, I see no reason why he can't make a push for 70 goals. Don't know if he'll make it, but I think he will get close. It's not as if he only beats up on weaker teams. He beats up on all teams.

On top of that, every off season he works very hard on improving one aspect of his game. 2 years ago it was his slap shot/one timer, this past off season was his conditioning and defensive play. He puts in a ton of work to improve his game. At only 23, he has room for improvement still.

Whether others can keep up remains to be seen. Lots of great goal scorers out there, but I do think Matthews will crack 60 next year.

No doubt Matthews is at the top of his game, and I agree that with the scoring uptick over the last few years, I agree Matthews is definitely a contender for 60 goals in a normal season (hopefully next year).

I'm just not convinced that the oddity of this shortened season isn't playing a huge role. It could be a coincidence, but I just find it interesting that in a season where you only play 6 teams, he goes from never winning a goalscoring race to leading over #2 by a large margin. I just personally think that if this was a normal 82gp season (not intradivisional), that the race would be a lot closer (even if Matthews was still in the lead).

 

[shaner82]

No doubt Matthews is at the top of his game, and I agree that with the scoring uptick over the last few years, I agree Matthews is definitely a contender for 60 goals in a normal season (hopefully next year).

I'm just not convinced that the oddity of this shortened season isn't playing a huge role. It could be a coincidence, but I just find it interesting that in a season where you only play 6 teams, he goes from never winning a goalscoring race to leading over #2 by a large margin. I just personally think that if this was a normal 82gp season (not intradivisional), that the race would be a lot closer (even if Matthews was still in the lead).

We'll never know, but is it really uncommon for a guy to get better every year in his early 20's? Who peaks at 22? Also, last year was really a lost year for the Leafs. The coaching stuff and some players struggled, including Marner.

If you watch Matthews play, when he gets a good scoring chance, he just doesn't miss. He has that natural skill set that isn't just going to fade over night, short of some serious injury that affects his shot.

I don't think it's a coincidence nor do I think his numbers have anything to do with the divisions. He took that next step and both him and marner are playing well together.

I think he's the best goal scorer since Prime Ovi so I expect him to continue to score as such

 

[filinski77]

We'll never know, but is it really uncommon for a guy to get better every year in his early 20's? Who peaks at 22? Also, last year was really a lost year for the Leafs. The coaching stuff and some players struggled, including Marner.

If you watch Matthews play, when he gets a good scoring chance, he just doesn't miss. He has that natural skill set that isn't just going to fade over night, short of some serious injury that affects his shot.

I don't think it's a coincidence nor do I think his numbers have anything to do with the divisions. He took that next step and both him and marner are playing well together.

I think he's the best goal scorer since Prime Ovi so I expect him to continue to score as such

Many goalscorers peak in their early 20's, so it does make sense. Regardless, I agree that Matthews may be the best goalscorer since Ovi, but I don't think a 40% increase relative to peers is his "natural progression".

 

[shaner82]

Many goalscorers peak in their early 20's, so it does make sense. Regardless, I agree that Matthews may be the best goalscorer since Ovi, but I don't think a 40% increase relative to peers is his "natural progression".

Maybe we're just now seeing this peak, finally. As a rookie, with limited ice time, limited PP time and a mish mash of rookies as wingers, he scored 40. So that's clearly his floor.

The following 2 years he dealt with injuries. Last year was really a down year for the Leafs as a whole, although he still had good numbers.

So if his floor is 40 goals, is it really a stretch for him to hit 60+ in a regular year in his prime, while playing with marner?

Time will tell of course. I don't think the divisional play has changed much. A couple goals maybe, but nothing significant.

I'm not good at the on pace stuff, but are Drai and pasta perhaps having a bit of a down year?

There's also the fact that Ovi is getting older. We're used to him being at the top with good numbers, but now that he isn't doing that, maybe Matthews is going to be on an island for a few years. Again, time will tell.

 

[gtrower]

Matthews running away with it. Hell of a season and a tip of the cap.

 

[gtrower]

Maybe we're just now seeing this peak, finally. As a rookie, with limited ice time, limited PP time and a mish mash of rookies as wingers, he scored 40. So that's clearly his floor.

The following 2 years he dealt with injuries. Last year was really a down year for the Leafs as a whole, although he still had good numbers.

So if his floor is 40 goals, is it really a stretch for him to hit 60+ in a regular year in his prime, while playing with marner?

Time will tell of course. I don't think the divisional play has changed much. A couple goals maybe, but nothing significant.

I'm not good at the on pace stuff, but are Drai and pasta perhaps having a bit of a down year?

There's also the fact that Ovi is getting older. We're used to him being at the top with good numbers, but now that he isn't doing that, maybe Matthews is going to be on an island for a few years. Again, time will tell.

Ovi currently on pace for 45 over a full 82. And he more than anybody can get hot. Not like he’s dropped off too much from last year. PP has hurt him this year. Still T-3rd in EVG despite missing 4 games for covid protocols. Only 6 PPG - that’s what’s holding him back.

Still think he wills himself to 30.

 

[McVespa99]

Mind pointing me to a few of those posts? I'd be interested in who makes such a stupid argument.

Yah sorry I dont really know how to or want to search for them. Trust me I have read it in pretty much every thread that was about McDavid, the Hart, Matthews scoring etc. Im pretty sure even one of the Leafs fans would back me up on this.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Needs 18 goals in the Leafs' final 14 games, to hit 50 goals on the season.

....In a 56-game season, where he's already missed three games.

Crazy to think that it's entirely possible he does this.

 

[pcruz]

If anyone is writing off Ovechkin for next year.......you should get yourself checked out.
While I firmly believe the torch has been passed between last year and this, it would be incredibly short-sighted to think Ovechkin can't just win another Rocket.

And that list is really interesting.
The Hulls just crushing people there.

 

[Namikaze Minato]

Rants up to 26 now, glad to see he is keeping it interesting (and didnt fall victim to his goalies positive covid result)