Will Auston Matthews break Rick Vaive's record this season?

[WillTheThrill]

Matthews and McDavid have both missed 11% of their games to injury.

 

[sxvnert]

As much as I would love it, I don't think he will. My guess is he'll fall short a few goals while reaching the 50 goal plateau.

Needed: 16 goals in the last 35 games to hit 50 (45.7%)
Current: 34 goals in 47 games (72.34%)

45.7% is well below his 52.35% over the last three years. A few cold streaks are also expected down the stretch when games tighten up.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

One in five voters have no idea who this guy is. It’s a poll option for gods sake.

So 1 in 5 people are either brand new to the sport or don't have any knowledge of players that didn't play for their team.

Maybe I just expect people on HF who like to offer their opinions on everything to have even a tertiary knowledge of former "star" players from all the teams around the league. You don't have to know every single detail about Vaive's career, but to not have even heard of him?

 

[ricky0034]

So 1 in 5 people are either brand new to the sport or don't have any knowledge of players that didn't play for their team.

Maybe I just expect people on HF who like to offer their opinions on everything to have even a tertiary knowledge of former "star" players from all the teams around the league. You don't have to know every single detail about Vaive's career, but to not have even heard of him?

this is a guy that has been retired for almost 3 decades and isn't even in the hall of fame

i'm actually sort of interested in this stuff to the point where I read the history of hockey subforum on here sometimes and even I had to google it to know who he was

if you expect someone that isn't a Leafs fan to know who this guy who is like the ~100th best winger of all time is then your expectations are way too high

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

this is a guy that has been retired for almost 3 decades and isn't even in the hall of fame

i'm actually sort of interested in this stuff to the point where I read the history of hockey subforum on here sometimes and even I had to google it to know who he was

if you expect someone that isn't a Leafs fan to know who this guy who is like the ~100th best winger of all time is then your expectations are way too high

Maybe you're right. I just figured most hockey fans will have at least heard of any player who was considered one of the better players for any given franchise. I'm not expecting people to be experts on Rick Vaive and be able to recite every single season he had in the league, but to not have heard of him at all surprises me.

It would be one thing if he was only ever a 3rd or 4th liner, but the guy was one of the Leafs better players during that period of time. It would be like 30 years from now someone never having heard of Phil Kessel.

I'm no hockey historian myself, but unless we're talking about players from back in the 1940's and before that, I'm pretty sure I'd at least remember hearing the name of any star player for any team in the league, even if I wasn't an expert on them.

 

[ScaredStreit]

Was gonna ask what Vaive's record was but I'm shocked the Leaf's single season goal record is so low. I think Matthews passes it.

 

[ricky0034]

Maybe you're right. I just figured most hockey fans will have at least heard of any player who was considered one of the better players for any given franchise. I'm not expecting people to be experts on Rick Vaive and be able to recite every single season he had in the league, but to not have heard of him at all surprises me.

It would be one thing if he was only ever a 3rd or 4th liner, but the guy was one of the Leafs better players during that period of time. It would be like 30 years from now someone never having heard of Phil Kessel.

I'm no hockey historian myself, but unless we're talking about players from back in the 1940's and before that, I'm pretty sure I'd at least remember hearing the name of any star player for any team in the league, even if I wasn't an expert on them.

it probably has a lot to do with age as well,i'm 29 so I was barely even born by the time Vaive retired and I imagine a bunch of this forum is probably my age or younger

having no idea who someone like Kessel is in 30 years may sound a little hard to believe to us but it's not really if the person in question was born in 2025 a year or two before he retires

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

it probably has a lot to do with age as well,i'm 29 so I was barely even born by the time Vaive retired and I imagine a bunch of this forum is probably my age or younger

having no idea who someone like Kessel is in 30 years may sound a little hard to believe to us but it's not really if the person in question was born in 2025 a year or two before he retires

It still surprises me a bit, but maybe I figured more who post on here are interested not just in the present, but the history of hockey as well. I mean, Steve Shutt was before my time, and while I couldn't really describe to you how he played or what his best strengths and weaknesses as a player are, I've at least heard of him and have a vague idea of the kind of totals he put up. I figured that would be the same for hockey fans who weren't born yet when Vaive played.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

So 1 in 5 people are either brand new to the sport or don't have any knowledge of players that didn't play for their team.

Maybe I just expect people on HF who like to offer their opinions on everything to have even a tertiary knowledge of former "star" players from all the teams around the league. You don't have to know every single detail about Vaive's career, but to not have even heard of him?

I’m an old fart, and have watched a lot of hockey. Maybe this guy is just a pretty fringe name outside of Toronto?

 

[tacogeoff]

I’m an old fart, and have watched a lot of hockey. Maybe this guy is just a pretty fringe name outside of Toronto?

I would agree. unless you follow the Leafs or are a major hockey/record history buff you likely are not going to know who a three time 50 goal scorer/ 3 time all-star is from the 80s as there was a lot of multi 50 goal scorers in that era. It is just not a household name from that era like Gretzky, Kurri, Mario, Bossy, Dionne, Stevie Y etc. there was a lot of big names back then and I am sure Vaive was a great player but falls in more with the Maruk, Stoughton or Simmer echelon (multiple 50g seasons/multi allstar games but no individual hardware or consistency in putting up elite numbers through their careers) jmo.

 

[M2Beezy]

Jesus tap dancing christ! Learn your hockey history guys! Rick Vaive is one of only 3 players to score 50 goals with the Toronto Maple Leafs! Only 5 times has someone been able to score 50 goals with the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 100 year history and Rick Vaive was the guy to do it 3 of those 5 times! The only other players to do it was Dave Andreychuk in the early high scoring 90s and Gary Leeman. Gary Leeman was only able to do it because he had a mullet during te season he scored 51 goals.

Rick Vaive could've been one of the all time greats but he eventually cracked under the pressure from the Toronto media and fans. Legend has it he was a Mike Bossy level talent and should've had at least 7 50 goal seasons in a row. Instead he only had 3 straight 50 goal seasons during his peak. But once he left Toronto, a old broken down Rick Vaive, way past his prime, was still able to put up 43 goals playing for Chicago in 1987-88.

Noted. This info will definitely come in handy for future use

 

[tony d]

I went with Option 4.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Legend has it he was a Mike Bossy level talent and should've had at least 7 50 goal seasons in a row. Instead he only had 3 straight 50 goal seasons during his peak. But once he left Toronto, a old broken down Rick Vaive, way past his prime, was still able to put up 43 goals playing for Chicago in 1987-88.

Never heard of that legend, any links, no Vaive was not Bossy level talent.
Old and broken down at 28, seems a little young.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Never heard of that legend, any links, no Vaive was not Bossy level talent.
Old and broken down at 28, seems a little young.

He’s the 20th ranked leaf of all time:

Maple Leafs name greatest players in their history

I’m ashamed I didn’t know #20

 

[John Johnson]

Regardless of whether or not everyone "should" know this Vaive guy, the OP should do some due dilligence and add some context for those who aren't keeping up to date on every Leafs player to ever play for them.

 

[McDavidCrushedLarkin]

Not really. He has had a few freak injuries. No different than McDavid fracturing his Clavicle and missing half the season.

How many times did McDavid injure the same body parts?

 

[Martin Skoula]

How many times did McDavid injure the same body parts?

Does his sense of pride count?

 

[34]

How many times did McDavid injure the same body parts?

Does that really matter. Fact is McDavid has missed more time in the NHL than Matthews has. Yet, you say Matthews is injury prone, but McDavid is not??

 

[McDavidCrushedLarkin]

Does that really matter. Fact is McDavid has missed more time in the NHL than Matthews has. Yet, you say Matthews is injury prone, but McDavid is not??

It absolutely does. Did McDavid injure the same body parts several times in his career? Did he have several different injuries? No? One super long freak injury accounted for most of his games lost? Gotcha.

 

[34]

It absolutely does. Did McDavid injure the same body parts several times in his career? Did he have several different injuries? No? One super long freak injury accounted for most of his games lost? Gotcha.

Several? Try two. Shoulder was a freak accident.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

It absolutely does. Did McDavid injure the same body parts several times in his career? Did he have several different injuries? No? One super long freak injury accounted for most of his games lost? Gotcha.

Yes he has suffered at least a clavicle and PCL injury to date.

 

[rojac]

The more impressive mark for a Maple Leaf is Frank Mahovolich in 1960-1961. The Big M scored 48 goals in 50 games.

No. He scored 48 goals in 70 games.

 

[authentic]

The more impressive mark for a Maple Leaf is Frank Mahovolich in 1960-1961. The Big M scored 48 goals in 50 games.

70 games.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

I'm just amazed that a franchise that has existed as long as the Leafs hasn't had anyone score more than 55 goals yet.

 

[BlueBaron]

I'm just amazed that a franchise that has existed as long as the Leafs hasn't had anyone score more than 55 goals yet.

A huge percentage of 50+ goal seasons happened in the 80s and we did not have much elite talent back then. Still it is odd, we have been short on All-Star level talent for a lot of years, luckily that is the past.