Hockey History

[le_sean]

Btw, since this is the hockey history thread... Paul Coffey not winning the Norris in 1984 was like Spielberg not getting best director in 1975. A crime.

He wouldn’t and shouldn’t have beat Milos Forman. One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the best films of all-time.

A crime is that he wasn’t nominated

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He wouldn’t and shouldn’t have beat Milos Forman. One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the best films of all-time.

A crime is that he wasn’t nominated

I have no problem with Cuckoo winning Best Picture. Not what I'd have voted for but okay...

But best director? Ridiculous to not have gone to Spielberg.

 

[JianYang]

More like 95, mildly and then it skyrocketed up to 2000. Scoring was still high in 93 and 94. Hell, Hull was coming off several 70 and 80 goal seasons at that point, scored almost 60 in 93.

Hull was putting up impressive numbers right up to the lockout. He was just such an unbelievably gifted goal scorer pretty much right to the end of his career.

I think the foundations of the dead puck were set in 1995 when lemaire showed how successful his system could be with the devils, but it still took a few years for it to really settle in.

I mean, you saw warnings after 95 with teams like Florida making it to the finals, and the devils continuing to be the devils. Hitchcock was the new guy in dallas at this time and applying the same kind of philosophy.

You could tell where hockey was going, but I think scoring remained relatively high. It was sometime during or after the late 90s expansion where it really felt like the game had entered into a new lower scoring era.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

4 more points for McD and we're going into the 3rd.

100 points on the year now
Pacing for 155 over 82
31 in his last 11. That's a 225 point pace over 80. Hotter than prime Gretzky.

The man's on fire and we're just starting the 3rd in this one.

 

[Bourque]

11. Beliveau - 43%

12. M. Richard - 32%

13. Bourque - 25%

14. Bo. Hull - 18%

Imho Habs fans have more respect for hockey history than other fans. I ran a poll asking who the 5th-10th best careers ever are. 240+ people voted. The players who didn't make the top 10 are listed above. I don't think any Habs fan would have voted that way. @Lafleurs Guy I'd love to read your opinion.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

11. Beliveau - 43%

12. M. Richard - 32%

13. Bourque - 25%

14. Bo. Hull - 18%

Imho Habs fans have more respect for hockey history than other fans. I ran a poll asking who the 5th-10th best careers ever are. 240+ people voted. The players who didn't make the top 10 are listed above. I don't think any Habs fan would have voted that way. @Lafleurs Guy I'd love to read your opinion.

Rocket Richard is criminally underrated on HFboards. He's got a really good case for 5th best all time.

Career NHL Stats:

978 games: 544 Goals, 422 Assists, 966 Points
Career 82 game regular season avg: 46 goals, 35 assists, 81 points
Career 82 game playoff average: 51 goals, 27 Assists, 78 Points
All time leader in Points (passed by Howe)
All time leader in Goals (passed by Howe)

He had the misfortune of playing behind one of the big four - Gordie Howe was better - and without Howe in the league Richard would be competitive for 7 Hart trophies. Even with Howe he should've won more. Not getting the Hart in his 50 in 50 year for example is ridiculous. He gets a lot of flack for scoring 50 in 50 during the war years - but it's hardly his fault that his prime happens at that time. And war years or not he would have dominated hard. To put it in context, in 1947 ( 3 years post war) Richard won the Hart, scoring 45 goals in 60 games. That was a whopping 50% better than his next closest competitor. For comparison, that’s even better than the 43% Gretzky was ahead of Bossy in his record setting year.

But as good as he was in the regular season, he was even better in the playoffs. He averaged 51 goals per 82 in the postseason. One of the highest averages ever. Yes, it's a different era but he was already the league's best goal scorer and was even better in the playoffs. If the Smythe existed, he had five worthy seasons. He's one of the best playoff players of all-time.

Different eras are hard to compare. Nobody is going to have eight cups now for example. But for his day, Richard had incredible longevity and regardless of whether or not he'd have had as many cups, there's NO disputing that his play elevated in the postseason.

You know how every year teams are looking for 'the guy' to take them over the hump? The Leafs for example are desperately trying to find that now. That's what Richard was - a money clutch player who would score huge goals when they were needed. To this day he's 2nd in game winning playoff goals (6) behind Sakic (8) and Richard did it in 40 less games. He was an incredible clutch player. Maybe the best ever.

 

[dinodebino]

I have no problem with Cuckoo winning Best Picture. Not what I'd have voted for but okay...

But best director? Ridiculous to not have gone to Spielberg.

Spielberg was chastised by the critics who voted because of his tendency to manipulate emotions and create blockbusters. Which, in retrospect, gave Hollywood it’s 2nd wind after a pretty depressing period. The 60’s and early 70’s might have had good to very good auteur movies, but box office was dreary and the future looked either bleak or ‘niched’.

Jaws was unique. It created the blockbuster genre. In retrospect, he should have been acknowledged for that. Just like when Gandhi won movie of the year. Nothing against the historical movie. Then again, the movie that has transcended epochs since then is E.T. The youngins have no idea that a Gandhi film was created. There is not a soul in this world that doesn’t know what E.T. is.

But my favourite from him will remain, forever, CEOTTK. Not even close. Epic. Majestic.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Spielberg was chastised by the critics who voted because of his tendency to manipulate emotions and create blockbusters. Which, in retrospect, gave Hollywood it’s 2nd wind after a pretty depressing period. The 60’s and early 70’s might have had good to very good auteur movies, but box office was dreary and the future looked either bleak or ‘niched’.

Jaws was unique. It created the blockbuster genre. In retrospect, he should have been acknowledged for that. Just like when Gandhi won movie of the year. Nothing against the historical movie. Then again, the movie that has transcended epochs since then is E.T. The youngins have no idea that a Gandhi film was created. There is not a soul in this world that doesn’t know what E.T. is.

But my favourite from him will remain, forever, CEOTTK. Not even close. Epic. Majestic.

Nothing like it had ever been made and the directing was top notch (still is.) It's a crime that it didn't win and a sin that he wasn't nominated. Biggest Oscar error of all time.

Btw, Jaws' 50th anniversary is in exactly one month. June 20th 1975.