Reggie Leach, the only Hart winner on a stanleycup losing team?!

[Eagle Eye Cherry]

EDIT: I MEANT only CONN SMYTHE WINNER on a stanley cup losing team.

I'm curious how Reggie Leach, a revered sniper, managed to be the only player in history to win a conn smythe on a stanley cup losing team. My perception is that Hart winners are usually the guys who lead their team to the Holy Grail but in Leach's case, he didn't. So what gives?
On another note, I can understand that goalies can lead their team deep into the playoffs and win the Conn Smythe. This feat has been done several times but again, how is it Reggie Leach earns the distinction as the only player in history to earn a Conn Smythe on a stanley cup losing team. Also, I find it odd that this occurence has never happened again. Can anyone explain? Does this have something to do with a weak flyers team back then and reggie scored crucial goals or something?

Any thoughts??? I'd really like to know this.

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[hfboardsuser]

Did you maybe mean Conn Smythe?

 

[Eagle Eye Cherry]

Did you maybe mean Conn Smythe?

oh yea....I meant Conn Smythe. Sorry but please explain away.

 

[Lowetide]

the Riverton Rifle filled the net with pucks. He was (along with the outstanding Rick MacLeish) money for a few years there.

 

[Secretary of Defense]

Giguere in '03, Hextall in '87.

 

[Eagle Eye Cherry]

come on guys. I need an actual answer. I want to know this unsolved mystery. I mean he's the only conn smythe winner on a stanley cup losing team. Why is it noone else has earned that honor? Why? This fact bothers me quite a bit.

 

[Eagle Eye Cherry]

I guess nobody knows, some hockey fans you people are.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Ron Hextall in 1987 and JS Giguere in 2003. Prior to Leach, Glenn Hall (1968) and Roger Crozier (1966) were the others.

As far as Leach, the team advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1976. He scored 19 playoff goals in 16 games, the goal feat has since been tied as the best mark ever. He scored five goals in the series clincher against Boston (last round prior to the Finals).

 

[saskganesh]

Giguere in '03, Hextall in '87.

Also Glenn Hall (68) and Roger Crozier (65?).

that makes 5 losing winners.

Leach had a 19 goal playoff, which was (still ?) a record . He also scored in 9 straight games and had a 5 goal game too.

 

[saskganesh]

I guess nobody knows, some hockey fans you people are.

give it a break chump.

 

[Eagle Eye Cherry]

There have been others including Ron Hextall in 1987.

are you sure? Although originally I said Hart Trophy I meant to say Conn Smythe trophy. I just got confused with the two awards. And I ALSO said Reggie Leach is the "ONLY PLAYER", not GOALIE, but PLAYER to win a conn smythe on a stanley cup losing team. Do you understand????

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

are you sure? Although originally I said Hart Trophy I meant to say Conn Smythe trophy. I just got confused with the two awards. And I ALSO said Reggie Leach is the "ONLY PLAYER", not GOALIE, but PLAYER to win a conn smythe on a stanley cup losing team. Do you understand????

Check out wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conn_Smythe_Trophy

 

[LVIsles*]

I know for a fact Giguere won it on 03 becuase I was at the game and everyone was booing him(or booing the decision to make him conn smythe winner)

 

[Blades of Glory]

are you sure? Although originally I said Hart Trophy I meant to say Conn Smythe trophy. I just got confused with the two awards. And I ALSO said Reggie Leach is the "ONLY PLAYER", not GOALIE, but PLAYER to win a conn smythe on a stanley cup losing team. Do you understand????

A goalie is a player, isn't he?

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

This just in: goalies are not hockey players.

 

[Ludwig Fell Down]

This just in: goalies are not hockey players.

In a related story, there are no hockey fans left because noone responded to House's cryptic post in 16 minutes or less. No wonder attendance is down.

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

are you sure? Although originally I said Hart Trophy I meant to say Conn Smythe trophy. I just got confused with the two awards. And I ALSO said Reggie Leach is the "ONLY PLAYER", not GOALIE, but PLAYER to win a conn smythe on a stanley cup losing team. Do you understand????

Leach won, because no one Hab distinguished himself that season. They won largely as a team, with no one player outshining the rest. Leach was quite simply in a class of his own that playoff. I guess a case could be made for Dryden and his 12-1 record and 1.92 GAA, but Leach was just so far ahead of any position player that playoff, that they gave it to him. I just don't recall Dryden carrying the team on his back and winning games on his own like Leach did.

The top Hab scorer was Lafluer with 7 goals and 17pts, clearly a notch or two below what Leach accomplished. Savard was their best d-man with 9pts in 13 games, but not particularly outstanding. The Habs were 20 guys all playing extremely well with no particular weaknesses.

 

[arrbez]

This just in: goalies are not hockey players.

It's true. They're actually Crab People in disguise

 

[LannysStach]

so, we've cleared it up that several 'losers' have won the Conn Smythe.

i, too, remember that '76 playoff REAL well. i was a huge Habs fan, but Reggie Leach killed us, as he did everyone. he'd come down the right side and let this slapshot go that no one could stop. he was better than Guy Lafleur that year. not only were his 19 goals and NHL record, but with his 61 during the season, he was the first guy to ever score 80 goals in one year.

from a '76 Habs fan -- Leach totally deserved it. that was His playoffs.

 

[turnbuckle*]

so, we've cleared it up that several 'losers' have won the Conn Smythe.

i, too, remember that '76 playoff REAL well. i was a huge Habs fan, but Reggie Leach killed us, as he did everyone. he'd come down the right side and let this slapshot go that no one could stop. he was better than Guy Lafleur that year. not only were his 19 goals and NHL record, but with his 61 during the season, he was the first guy to ever score 80 goals in one year.

from a '76 Habs fan -- Leach totally deserved it. that was His playoffs.

How exactly did Leach kill the Habs when the Flyers were swept in four straight games? Leach scored most of his goals in the earlier rounds; even his great individual effort couldn't defeat the total Habs team effort.

The very first year the Cup was awarded Roger Crozier won it. Glenn Hall won it against the Habs as well in 1969 when the winners of the western conference made it to the Cup final, which was a joke considering that they were all expansion teams. Hextall earned the Conn Smythe in his rookie season when he almost led Philly to an upset over the Oilers, losing in 7 games.

 

[LannysStach]

How exactly did Leach kill the Habs when the Flyers were swept in four straight games? Leach scored most of his goals in the earlier rounds; even his great individual effort couldn't defeat the total Habs team effort.

i guess you'd have to have seen it then, or see it again to understand. he won the Conn Smythe, right? so he probably didn't suck.

just like the Habs-St. Louis 4-game sweep that appears on paper to be a romp, all 8 of those victories were by one goal. in the philly series, the Flyers were up 2-nuthing on the Habs in game one and dominating them as the series began. but yes, Montreal, as i was hoping, came back and beat the aging Bullies. every one of those games was an exciting nail-biter. and yes, Reggie Leach was death!

ya gotta wrap your head around the fact that one team lost all four games in the final, and yet one of their players was the best player in the tournament. HOW great does one player have to be to lose all 4 games and still be the best guy on the ice! that's how good Reggie Leach was. he was more dominant that Guy Lafleur. chew on that for a while! i didn't see the '68 series, but all the Habs and others who saw it say Glenn Hall by far the player of the series.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

How exactly did Leach kill the Habs when the Flyers were swept in four straight games? Leach scored most of his goals in the earlier rounds; even his great individual effort couldn't defeat the total Habs team effort.

The very first year the Cup was awarded Roger Crozier won it. Glenn Hall won it against the Habs as well in 1969 when the winners of the western conference made it to the Cup final, which was a joke considering that they were all expansion teams. Hextall earned the Conn Smythe in his rookie season when he almost led Philly to an upset over the Oilers, losing in 7 games.

I agree with your assessment that Leach didn't "kill" the Canadiens, considering it was a four-game sweep, but he scored four of the Flyers' nine goals in the Finals and led both teams in goals scored for that series.

 

[DaaaaB's]

so, we've cleared it up that several 'losers' have won the Conn Smythe.

No, the thread starter meant Leach was the only skater to do it although he said 'players' which caused the confusion. As for the answer, read Psycho Papa Joe's post as he pretty much covered it.

 

[LannysStach]

i was curious, so i checked . . .

in the last 40 years (since 1965 and the inception of the Conn Smythe)

the HART Trophey winner also won the Stanley Cup the same year only 11 times,
(Orr twice, Clarke, Lafleur twice, Gretz 3 times, Messier, Sakic & St. Louis)

the Hart winner made it to the Finals and lost 4 times
(Bobby Hull, Espo, Clarke & Gretz)

and never even made it to the Finals 25 times.

only once did the Hart Trophy winner's team not even make it into the playoffs -- Lemieux in '88.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

are you sure? Although originally I said Hart Trophy I meant to say Conn Smythe trophy. I just got confused with the two awards. And I ALSO said Reggie Leach is the "ONLY PLAYER", not GOALIE, but PLAYER to win a conn smythe on a stanley cup losing team. Do you understand????

This thread might have the highest concentration of "condescending attitude" and "lack of hockey knowledge" that I've ever seen exhibited by a single poster. Congratulations.