Unusual playoff failures

[Johnny Engine]

I've been noticing that Ryan Kesler has been getting quite a bit of heat for his 3 points and relative perceived invisibility in the current Vancouver - Chicago series.

While he had a good run last year, and his career is way too young to draw any conclusions, this got me thinking:
Are there any notable examples from hockey history where a player who is known for being fast, gritty, versatile, and hard-working who just simply couldn't get the job done in the playoffs? Anyone I can think of who's known as a "choker", and has a decent enough sample size to look at, is either slow (Chara sometimes), soft (too many to count), predictable (Joe "Assist" Thornton), or lazy (again, too many to count.)
Is there anyone that jumps out as someone who should have flourished in playoff-style hockey, but just didn't?

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[Big Phil]

Keith Tkachuk
Keith Primeau
Roberto Luongo
Alexei Yashin

These are a few names that pop up. Each of those players have played severely lower in the playoffs than their usual time in the regular season. I know Primeau never had more than 73 points in any given season, but even from that amount of production he plummeted like a stone in the postseason. He had 18 goals in 128 postseason games and 9 of them came in 2004. Unreal.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Generally you think of guys willing to do the dirty work an take a beating in front of the net as playoff type players. So I'll list

Keith Tkachuk
Todd Bertuzzi
Keith Primeau
Dave Andreychuk

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I've been noticing that Ryan Kesler has been getting quite a bit of heat for his 3 points and relative perceived invisibility in the current Vancouver - Chicago series.

While he had a good run last year, and his career is way too young to draw any conclusions, this got me thinking:
Are there any notable examples from hockey history where a player who is known for being fast, gritty, versatile, and hard-working who just simply couldn't get the job done in the playoffs? Anyone I can think of who's known as a "choker", and has a decent enough sample size to look at, is either slow (Chara sometimes), soft (too many to count), predictable (Joe "Assist" Thornton), or lazy (again, too many to count.)
Is there anyone that jumps out as someone who should have flourished in playoff-style hockey, but just didn't?

kesler was outstanding in each of the canucks' wins in this series. anyone giving him flack for not scoring hasn't actually been watching the series, or only saw games 4, 5, and 6.

i know this is about playoff hockey, but kesler has had a pretty great international career so far. he scored that goal in the WJC off the marc-andre fleury misplay. can't remember if it tied the game or broke the tie. and of course he was phenomenal in the olympics last year.

biggest game of his life tonight and he played the best game of his life. sorry i probably should keep this to the canucks board. but that was a dougie gilmour performance out there tonight.

 

[Bryz4shiz]

I don't think its fair to list. While he had some awful post seasons (0 points in 11 games in 92, 2 points in 13 games in 03) his playoff ppg isn't that far off from his regular season production. Primeau also carried the team on his back during the 04 playoffs. While obviously hyperbolic, Esposito called his run during those playoffs the most dominating performance he had ever seen.

 

[Big Phil]

I don't think its fair to list. While he had some awful post seasons (0 points in 11 games in 92, 2 points in 13 games in 03) his playoff ppg isn't that far off from his regular season production. Primeau also carried the team on his back during the 04 playoffs. While obviously hyperbolic, Esposito called his run during those playoffs the most dominating performance he had ever seen.

I've never understood the hype that surrounded Primeau in 2004. He had 16 playoff points and his team never got to the final. It just looked all the better since Primeau never did anything significant in the postseason

 

[Stephen]

I've never understood the hype that surrounded Primeau in 2004. He had 16 playoff points and his team never got to the final. It just looked all the better since Primeau never did anything significant in the postseason

It seemed pretty overrated to me as it was happening, though he did lay waste to the Leafs that year in the second round. He couldn't even get it done against Tampa. Never really understood the crazy hype around Primeau that year, and his demigod status in Philly after that.

 

[Stephen]

How about Jay Bouwmeester for never even making the playoffs? Seems like someone as talented as him should have done much much more with his career, but he just seems like a total loser in many respects.

The guy has made the playoffs once in his whole career, and was limited to 0 points in the AHL of all places. Signs a big ticket deal in Calgary where he's supposed to be part of a Big 3 with Phaneuf and Regehr and the Flames proceed to miss the playoffs two years in a row. Just sad. If he ever landed in Detroit, I wouldn't be surprised if their winning ways came to an end...

 

[nik jr]

I've never understood the hype that surrounded Primeau in 2004. He had 16 playoff points and his team never got to the final. It just looked all the better since Primeau never did anything significant in the postseason

imo, primeau was excellent both ways in '04, and was clearly flyers' best player.

It seemed pretty overrated to me as it was happening, though he did lay waste to the Leafs that year in the second round. He couldn't even get it done against Tampa. Never really understood the crazy hype around Primeau that year, and his demigod status in Philly after that.

primeau scored 4g, 4a and was +5 vs TBL.

flyers would have lost that series badly without him, imo.

 

[BubbaBoot]

Lucic had 30 goals this season and is known as a playoff performer, (30 games / 10 g / 10 a / +12 / 114 hits, leading the team every playoff season).....but had a terrible series versus Montreal. (7 games / 0 g / 2 a / 16 hits, tied for 5th / major & game misconduct)

Hopefully he'll pick it up or the B's will be in trouble if they have to rely on the 3rd line (Peverley / Kelly / Ryder) to pick up the slack.

Joe Thornton is notorious for underperforming in the postseason.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Lucic had 30 goals this season and is known as a playoff performer, (30 games / 10 g / 10 a / +12 / 114 hits, leading the team every playoff season).....but had a terrible series versus Montreal. (7 games / 0 g / 2 a / 16 hits, tied for 5th / major & game misconduct)

Hopefully he'll pick it up or the B's will be in trouble if they have to rely on the 3rd line (Peverley / Kelly / Ryder) to pick up the slack.

Joe Thornton is notorious for underperforming in the postseason.

i don't think lucic was that bad, despite what the stats say. he opened up a lot of space for horton. i will say that i am surprised that horton was such a hero with the two OT goals though. i figured there was something toxic about the culture in florida that ruined guys like bouwmeester and jokinen. i shouldn't say this, but there certainly have been times i'd include luongo in that group too.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

i don't think lucic was that bad, despite what the stats say. he opened up a lot of space for horton. i will say that i am surprised that horton was such a hero with the two OT goals though. i figured there was something toxic about the culture in florida that ruined guys like bouwmeester and jokinen. i shouldn't say this, but there certainly have been times i'd include luongo in that group too.

Ha - you and me both.

I was like -Horton won the series for them? I always thought of him as a loser - oh, maybe I'm unfairly associating him with the rest of the guys coming from Florida.

 

[Big Phil]

It seemed pretty overrated to me as it was happening, though he did lay waste to the Leafs that year in the second round. He couldn't even get it done against Tampa. Never really understood the crazy hype around Primeau that year, and his demigod status in Philly after that.

The hype went as far as some people being in shock that he wasn't on the 2004 World Cup team. Meanwhile, Primeau had 7 - count em - regular season goals and his worst ever NHL season.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

How about Jay Bouwmeester for never even making the playoffs? Seems like someone as talented as him should have done much much more with his career, but he just seems like a total loser in many respects.

The guy has made the playoffs once in his whole career, and was limited to 0 points in the AHL of all places. Signs a big ticket deal in Calgary where he's supposed to be part of a Big 3 with Phaneuf and Regehr and the Flames proceed to miss the playoffs two years in a row. Just sad. If he ever landed in Detroit, I wouldn't be surprised if their winning ways came to an end...

seriously can you guys believe jay bouwmeester is a stanley cup champion?


the guy who played ten full seasons before seeing the playoffs (an NHL record, iirc), who went to three WJCs with canada and came away with zero golds (must be a record), who was on a crazy AHL superteam during the lockout year and lost in the calder cup finals... hockey’s most famous loser is now a member of the triple gold club.

cup
olympic gold
2x world championships
2x world cups

i kind of can’t believe it, tbh.

 

[sr edler]

Bouwmeester's way too anonymous and low key to be considered most famous anything.

I'm impressed by how he's had such a long and resilient career despite suffering from an obvious and quite strong case of social anxiety/awkwardness. That shit is tough. He's working pretty well on a team when he doesn't have to be the guy.

Still remember him getting walked like nothing by D. Sedin during that Art Ross game in 2010 where Henrik had 4 assists. Game probably didn't mean a lot for Calgary, but still. And those Peca quotes on top of it calling him a "casual player" and "easy to play against". Ouch.

Must feel a bit better now, and Peca lost in two SC finals.

 

[Big Phil]

seriously can you guys believe jay bouwmeester is a stanley cup champion?


the guy who played ten full seasons before seeing the playoffs (an NHL record, iirc), who went to three WJCs with canada and came away with zero golds (must be a record), who was on a crazy AHL superteam during the lockout year and lost in the calder cup finals... hockey’s most famous loser is now a member of the triple gold club.

cup
olympic gold
2x world championships
2x world cups

i kind of can’t believe it, tbh.

I had to look it up, but yeah Bouwmeester played on two World Cup teams and was on the 2014 Olympic team. I forgot about the last two in 2014 and 2016.

If I remember correctly, he did not play a single playoff game in his junior career in Medicine Hat, am I wrong? So basically in his 10-11th NHL season he finally made the playoffs. Has played 75 games, surprisingly never scored a goal, although came very close last night except for that O'Reilly tip for the first goal. He was always that unheralded type that was usually pretty safe and steady to have on your team, but man, how did this guy not carve out a HHOF career? He was gold in 2002 when he was drafted, you figured with his skating he'd have won a Norris.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Played in the AHL playoffs during the 2005 lockout, went to the Calder Cup Final as I recall...he was on loan from whatever Florida's affiliate was, San Antonio?

 

[ShelbyZ]

seriously can you guys believe jay bouwmeester is a stanley cup champion?


the guy who played ten full seasons before seeing the playoffs (an NHL record, iirc),

I thought that was Ron Hainsey?

He played 11 RS games in 03-04 for a Habs team that eventually went to the playoffs, but was with Hamilton for the AHL playoffs when the Canadiens were a 2nd round elimination.

He then played 11 full season with Columbus, Atlanta/Winnipeg and Carolina teams that missed the playoffs before he made his playoff debut as a deadline rental for the Pens in 16-17.

 

[frisco]

Darryl Sitter was 1-14 in best of five or best of seven series for his career.

My Best-Carey