Regular season zeroes, playoff heroes

[kmad]

Who are some of the all-time great players in the aspect of underperforming in the regular season and overperforming in the postseason?

Claude Lemieux and Jamie Langenbrunner come to mind immediately.

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[pitseleh]

A couple of guys that come to mind (don't know if they really underperformed in the regular season, but they were definitely strong in the playoffs):

As an older player, Fleming Mackell has a really strong playoff record. He was a 0.55 PPG player in the regular season to a 0.79 PPG player in the playoffs.

Bob Bourne was unreal for the Islanders during their dynasty. He was a strong two-way player who actually led the Islanders in playoff scoring in 82/83.

Dick Duff is a guy who basically made the HoF based on his playoff performances.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Steve Penney!

 

[Al Bundy*]

John Druce

 

[MS]

John Druce

Funny thing about Druce is that he was brutal in the playoffs aside from that one freak year - 3 goals and 6 points in 38 games the rest of his career.


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Most people are going to be inclined to list forwards who posted more points/game in the playoffs, but I'll go for a defensive defender instead.

Brian Glynn was the definition of a marginal NHL defender in the regular season over the course of his career - claimed on waivers a couple times, never played more than 70 games in a season, usually a typical 7th defender who changed teams almost every season.

But he was an absolute rock in the playoffs on several occasions - one of the better defenders on Minnesota's surprise run to the 1991 Finals, and was huge for Vancouver in '94 stepping in for an injured Dana Murzyn. Was also very good in '92 for the Oilers as they reached the Conference Finals - 4 goals in 16 games while playing solid defensive hockey.

If the same Brian Glynn that showed up in the playoffs turned up in the regular season, he would have played 15 years/1000 games in the NHL. Instead he played ~400 and was done at the age of 28.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Esa Tikkanen always seemed to bring it in the playoffs wherever he went. Great production and a great defensive pest to boot. Huge for Edmonton in 1990 and 1991 with 25 goals in 40 games, including a game 7 hat-trick against the hated Flames in the '91 Smythe Division semi-final.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A couple that may or may not meet the criteria:

Rosie Paiement for the Flyers played in just seven regular season games (one point) in 1967-68. He was called up from Quebec of the AHL for Game 5 against the Blues and scored a hat trick against Glenn Hall in his (Paiement) first playoff game.

Also, Joe Paterson in the 1985 playoffs. He went scoreless in 11 regular season games over two years with the Flyers (six in 1984-85) but in the 1985 playoffs he had seven points including three goals and three assists in the Conference Finals against Quebec (huge third period goal in Game 5).

 

[Hyperkookeez*]

chris kontos had that one great playoffs run

 

[seventieslord]

Martin Gelinas has had some huge goals in the playoffs and has been an average 2nd/3rd/4th liner most of his career.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Esa Tikkanen always seemed to bring it in the playoffs wherever he went. Great production and a great defensive pest to boot. Huge for Edmonton in 1990 and 1991 with 25 goals in 40 games, including a game 7 hat-trick against the hated Flames in the '91 Smythe Division semi-final.

Excellent choice. Tikkanen was a tremendous playoff performer. And it wasn't just making timely plays. He usually checked the other teams top player and aggrevated everyone. And as you stated, he produced, mostly goals.

 

[lextune]

The aforementioned John Druce in 89/90 was the first person that came to mind when I saw this topic.

I remember his run very well, (it ended in a four game sweep by my B's ). Everything was going in for him.

 

[seventieslord]

Dave Lowry's 1995-96 is worth mentioning too.

 

[seventieslord]

And Alyn McCauley's 2002.

 

[Dark Shadows]

Ted Kennedy 1947-48

 

[seventieslord]

Ted Kennedy, like Dick Duff, probably would not be in the hall if not for his playoff performance. (not as extreme a case as Duff, not even close... but possible)

edit.... ok, never mind... he'd probably still be in the hall... but we wouldn't talk about him as a top-100 player.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Henri Richard in the later part of his career.

 

[Chileiceman]

JS Giguere, Johan Franzen to name just a couple of recent examples. OK Jiggy is good in the regular season, but he could easily have 2 Conn Smythes right now.

 

[kmad]

JS Giguere, Johan Franzen to name just a couple of recent examples. OK Jiggy is good in the regular season, but he could easily have 2 Conn Smythes right now.

Franzen was playing pretty good down the final stretch of the regular season as well - I think that just carried over into the playoffs. It's too early to tell for him.

 

[Trottier]

With regard to the Isles dynasty teams, two players who come to mind immediately are Wayne Merrick and Gordie Lane.

Both pedestrian NHLers, really. Merrick, a respectable, yet ordinary third-line center, Lane a third-pair dman. But both elevated their games come the post-season, particularly Lane. Stats wouldn't suggest so, but those who were there remember.

Another oddity was the ability of Ken Morrow to find the net in the most pivotal moments of the post-season. While a superb defensive defenseman, he barely possessed a slapshot and at that it barely could break a pane of glass. (He averaged scoring as couple of goals a season, typically.)

Yet his shots found their way through on multiple occassions in critical playoff games. Two that come to mind were Game #3 in the first round of the 1980 playoff series v. LA in OT. Isles were trailing late in that game, and if they lost would have been one game away from elimination, on the road. And remember, this was before they won any silver, so the monkey was firmly on their back. A Morrow floater from the point won it. And, of course, there was the famous goal vs. NYR to win that playoff series in '84.

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

With regard to the Isles dynasty teams, two players who come to mind immediately are Wayne Merrick and Gordie Lane.

Both pedestrian NHLers, really. Merrick, a respectable, yet ordinary third-line center, Lane a third-pair dman. But both elevated their games come the post-season, particularly Lane. Stats wouldn't suggest so, but those who were there remember.

Another oddity was the ability of Ken Morrow to find the net in the most pivotal moments of the post-season. While a superb defensive defenseman, he barely possessed a slapshot and at that it barely could break a pane of glass. (He averaged scoring as couple of goals a seson, typically.)

Yet his shots found their way through on multiple occassions in critical playoff games. Two that come to mind were Game #3 in the first round of the 1980 playoff series v. LA in OT. Isles were trailing late in that game, and if they lost would have been one game away from elimination, on the road. And remember, this was before they won any silver, so the monkey was firmly on their back. A Morrow floater from the point won it. And, of course, there was the famous goal vs. NYR to win that playoff series in '84.

Bob Bourne's 82-83 really sticks out in my mind. He was a very good player and all, but in 83 he was lights out getting 28 pts and being the Isle's leading point getter.

 

[kdfsjljklgjfg]

Franzen was playing pretty good down the final stretch of the regular season as well - I think that just carried over into the playoffs. It's too early to tell for him.

Yeah, a 27 goal season is a bit high for a regular season "zero"

 

[Garl]

Not an NHL example, but ex Caps prospect Patrik Blomdahl is good candidate for this thread.

In 2006/07 season he(a forward btw) had 0 goals and 1 assist in 47 regular games.

In playoffs he scored 6 goals and 9 points in 15 games. At one point he was PPG in playoffs.

 

[Mad Habber]

Thread title is kind of misleading.

I would hardly call guys like Claude Lemieux, Esa Tikanen, Henri Richard, Bob Bourne zeroes during the season. These guys did perform during the season, their contributions were magnified during the playoffs, because that's the important part of the season and a lot players offensive contributions sort of diminish or stay the same.

When I think of playoff heroes and regular season zeroes, I think of Chris Kontos. Druce can be added to this list because he could have been replaced by anyone during the season without much of a droppoff. He was an average player. Kontos was below average and couldn't keep an NHL job.

For Richard, you don't keep a job in the league for 20 years, and be called a zero.
His last few seasons in the league:
1970-71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 75 12 37 49 46 20 5 7 12 20
1971-72 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 12 32 44 48 6 0 3 3 4
1972-73 Montreal Canadiens NHL 71 8 35 43 21 17 6 4 10 14
1973-74 Montreal Canadiens NHL 75 19 36 55 28 6 2 2 4 2
1974-75 Montreal Canadiens NHL 16 3 10 13 4 6 1 2 3

Montreal just traded for a center with stats last year that resemble his 73-74 season.

 

[Trottier]

Bob Bourne's 82-83 really sticks out in my mind. He was a very good player and all, but in 83 he was lights out getting 28 pts and being the Isle's leading point getter.

Didn't realize that he led the team in post-season scoring that spring. Wow, that's saying a lot, what with Trottier, Bossy, et al there.

***

Funny how things stick with you. After that Final Series vs. Edmonton, the Isles fourth straight Cup, Bourne was quoted in Sports Illustrated as saying that he didn't know when the Oilers were going to win a Cup, but that they were definitely going to, as they were a great team. Ticked off this NYI fan to read that (fool I was, I figured the NYI dynasty could/should last in perpituity). But he was right....

...starting the very next spring.

 

[begbeee]

Druce come to my mind immediatly.