Canadiens1958
Registered User
I'm disappointed to see this actually. Mahovlich jumps off the page when you watch the games. He's the most technically skilled player on the board for us, and if it wasn't for Dionne, I'd say it's not particularly close either. He was that power forward style of player, that big guy, that can skate really well, protect, pass, shoot, he was a multi-line puck carrier, hands for days...he had a full offensive toolbox to say the least...but you couldn't always get him going, he wasn't always into it...
He just kinda did his own thing in a lot of ways...I guess if I really wanted to grill him (which I don't), you could maybe not be far out of line by saying, he's a little bit like Mario Lemieux in this regard: Mahovlich played for Mahovlich. And Mahovlich did things that Mahovlich wanted to do.
For most of his career, he didn't really play defense at all...I'm not sure he even really killed penalties until the 70's when he got to Montreal...and again, like Mario, I don't think it's because he wanted to, or because he was good defensively, it was just a case of "well, that's the best player in the building...soooo...put him on the rink..."
So I get the numbers...though, I am dismayed and astonished that 1971 is still a net negative for him...he turned it on in that playoff, that had to have been the playoff record for points at that time, right? Considering everything had just multiplied games-wise...
That puts me in a real pickle, as Mahovlich had a good chance to be in my top 3 this round...but that's pretty damning testimony against him...
Still, he could do whatever he wanted when he wanted to...
Four times did a player have a 40+ ES goal season prior to 1970.
Howe in 1952
Mahovlich in 1961
Hull in 1962
Mahovlich again in 1969
And it's not like it became normal course either...it was done like 10 or 11 times in the entire 1970's...it's been done twice since Bure's 2000 season.
Nice Mahovlich summary.
Watch hilites of him defensively and the question gets asked, "Why does a LW wind-up there without the puck?".