Obscure hockey facts/stats (Part 2)

[The Panther]

Vincent Damphousse is the only player ever to lead THREE Canadian NHL franchises in scoring: Toronto, Edmonton, and Montreal.

 

[The Panther]

Prior to Bobby Orr going gangbusters offensively in 1969-70, these were the top scoring NHL seasons by a defenseman in history:

64 -- Bobby Orr (Bos.) 1969
59 -- Pierre Pilote (Chi.) 1965
58 -- Babe Pratt (Tor.) 1944
56 -- Pat Stapleton (Chi.) 1969
54 -- Red Kelly (Det.) 1951
53 -- Pierre Pilote (Chi.) 1964
52 -- Pierre Pilote (Chi.) 1967
51 -- Bill Gadsby (NYR) 1956
51 -- Bill Gadsby (NYR) 1959
50 -- Red Kelly (Det.) 1956
50 -- Doug Harvey (Mon.) 1957

I know 1944 is a "war weakened" season, but Babe Pratt's point total really jumps out for two reasons: (1) He played only 50 games (i.e., a 1.16 PPG average, far higher than anyone else on this list); and (2) He's the one and only Dman before the 1950s to score 50 points in a season.

In fact, given a minimum of 30 GP, Pratt had the highest PPG between the start of the NHL in 1917 and Bobby Orr's third season in 1968-69. And Pratt's 47 ES points that season (1944) are the most by any Dman over that same span of 52 seasons.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

The gap between Gretzky's career total (2,857 points), and Jaromir Jagr's (2nd all-time with 1,921 points) is 936 points. That's larger than the gap between Jagr and Dave Keon, who ranks 102nd all-time.

 

[Crosby2010]

Gilbert Dionne scored more playoff overtime goals than Howe, Messier, Lemieux, Ovechkin, Coffey, Bourque combined. If you can find a bigger name who never scored an overtime goal in the playoffs as big as these guys add him to the list and it makes it that much more impressive.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Pens/Avs game Oct 26, 2023

 

[Hockey Stathead]

5 players changed teams in the offseason after scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal:

2023 Reilly Smith: Vegas to Pittsburgh
2013 Dave Bolland: Chicago to Toronto
1988 Wayne Gretzky: Edmonton to Los Angeles
1984 Ken Linseman: Edmonton to Boston
1950 Pete Babando: Detroit to Chicago

 

[TheStatican]

Pens/Avs game Oct 26, 2023

The greatest collection of Stanley Cup game winners in NHL history?

 

[Michael Farkas]

Maybe everyone knows this, but it's news to me... @Doctor No you ever see this one? Sawchuk scoring a goal in an exhibition game after their season...

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Wayne Simmonds peaked at 14th in the NHL in goals. But, in calendar 2016, he was 3rd in the entire league. Only three players scored 35+ goals during that year - Crosby, Ovechkin, and Simmonds.

Calendar year 2016:

 

[Super Fadio Bro]

The Red Wings have yet to make the playoffs since Gordie Howe died and Pavel Datsyuk left to play in the KHL.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Here's a list of players post-expansion who have led the NHL in plus/minus more than once:

• Bobby Orr (obviously)
• Wayne Gretzky (obviously)
• Chris Pronger (okay, seems reasonable)
• David Krejci (really?)

Here's a list of players post-expansion who have led the playoffs in scoring more than once:

• Wayne Gretzky (obviously)
• Mario Lemieux (obviously)
• Phil Esposito (all-time great, with some help from Orr)
• Guy LaFleur (no surprises)
• Bryan Trottier (no surprises)
• Joe Sakic (no surprises)
• Peter Forsberg (no surprises)
• Evgeni Malkin (no surprises)
• Nikita Kucherov (rapidly climbing the ranks)
• Anze Kopitar (underrated and clearly the best forward on both SC winning teams)
• Rick MacLeish (Clarke was too focused on playing good defense to rack up extra points)
• David Krejci (really?)

Two rare and impressive statistical accomplishments from a player who's largely flown under the radar.

 

[The Panther]

Those 'calendar year' stats are fun.

In calendar year 1983, Rick Vaive was 2nd to only Gretzky in goals scored. (The same calendar year, Darcy Rota scored 50 goals in 81 games.)

In calendar year 1986, Dino Ciccarelli was 2nd to only Gretzky in goals scored (i.e., he scored more than Kurri or Bossy), and he was only 2 behind Wayne.

In calendar year 1988, Jimmy Carson scored 63 goals in 79 games, second in the League to only Mario Lemieux.

In calendar year 1997, Teemu Selanne scored 63 goals in 81 games, more than any other NHL player.

In calendar year 1998, the best plus/minus of any NHL player was... Darryl Shannon.

In calendar year 1999, Jaromir Jagr scored 152 points.

In calendar year 2000, Luc Robitaille was the second leading scorer in the NHL.

 

[Doctor No]

Maybe everyone knows this, but it's news to me... @Doctor No you ever see this one? Sawchuk scoring a goal in an exhibition game after their season...

Oh my goodness - this is great! I certainly don't remember it - it's possible that I remembered it at some point, although I (hopefully) would have noted it on my site.

Looks like April 4, 1956.

 

[Michael Farkas]

I did a quick check of your site and didn't think I saw it. Seems like something you'd have in DYK or whatever...complete accident that I stumbled across it.

 

[kaiser matias]

Just noted on Hockey Night in Canada: only 3 players have had 3 90-point seasons with the Rangers: Ratelle, Messier, and Panarin.

 

[The Panther]

Just noted on Hockey Night in Canada: only 3 players have had 3 90-point seasons with the Rangers: Ratelle, Messier, and Panarin.

That's actually kind of sad.

That's actually kind of sad.

Or is it?

How does it compare with other teams? (maybe i judged the Rangers too harshly)

 

[kaiser matias]

That's actually kind of sad.


Or is it?

How does it compare with other teams? (maybe i judged the Rangers too harshly)

That got me thinking, so here's a list from a quick search of all teams with 3 or more players who scored 90+ points 3 times or more:

Bruins: Esposito, Orr, Oates, Hodge, Middleton, Bourque, Pederson

Flames: Nilsson, Fleury, Iginla

Blackhawks: Savard, Kane, Hull, Roenick, Larmer,

Avlanche: Sakic, Forsberg, MacKinnon/Nordiques: Stastny, Goulet, Sakic (he did it 4 times in Colorado and 5 times in Quebec)

Oilers: Gretzky, McDavid, Coffey, Kurri, Messier, Draisaitl, Anderson,

Kings: Gretzky, Nicholls, Dionne, Robitaille, Taylor, Simmer,

Canadiens: Lafleur, Damphousse, Lemaire,

Islanders: Bossy, Trottier, Potvin

Flyers: Recchi, Clarke, Lindros, Kerr, LeClair, Propp

Penguins: Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, Francis, Malkin, Coffey

Lightning: Kucherov, Stamkos, St. Louis,

Based on this, the Rangers are not that unusual, and thus the HNIC stat was one of those baseball-esque stats that sounds impressive but really isn't when put in context.

 

[Crosby2010]

Teams with a surprisingly lack amount of offensive stars:

The Habs have not had a top 10 scorer (in the NHL) I don't think, or a 100 point scorer since Mats Naslund in 1986. Yeah, no joke.

The Devils might have a 100 point player this year in Jack Hughes, we'll see, but if they do it is their first one!

Brian Savage's career stats by month:
October - 44 goals in 87 games
November - 35 goals in 116 games
December - 18 goals in 101 games
January - 34 goals in 99 games
February - 16 goals in 70 games
March - 25 goals in 135 games
April - 20 goals in 62 games
May - 0 goals in 2 games

That's just lousy for Savage. No one wants to be known as playing their best hockey in October, that's for baseball, but Savage definitely did. He's basically a HHOFer if his October stats are consistent all season.

The Florida Panthers are the only team Gretzky does not have a career PPG against (20 games and 17 points). And in the two games he played against Nashville for his career (both would be in 1999, his final season) he has 8 points in those two games!

Patrick Roy has a losing record to only Calgary and Philly

Martin Brodeur does not have a losing record against a single team in his career. Calgary at 7-6-3 and Nashville at 7-6-1 are the closest. Also L.A. at 8-7-1. Strange, none of these were good teams in particular in his career.

Marc-Andre Fleury has a losing record to only two teams. New Jersey at a respectable 24-26-4 and Minnesota at a very poor 7-15-0. I mean, why?

Mario as well has a couple of bizarre scenarios in his career. Only three teams does he not have a career PPG against (and in most cases it is almost 2 PPG). Those teams are Columbus (2 games 0 points), Minnesota (3 games 2 points) and Nashville (2 games 0 points).

 

[Doctor Coffin]

I believe Adam Oates is the only player to play in the post season against both the Minnesota North Stars and Wild

Steve Thomas also did so, playing against the North Stars in 1990 and 1991 and against the Wild in 2003.

 

[Doctor Coffin]

Jon Casey shut out the Blackhawks in Chicago Stadium in both his final regular season (February 27, 1994) and playoff (April 12, 1991) appearances in that particular building.

 

[The Panther]

In the Oilers' famous 12-9 win over the Blackhawks in December 1985 at Chicago Stadium, Wayne Gretzky did not score a goal.

However, Lee Fogolin, Dave Lumley, Kevin McClelland, Dave Semenko, and Marty McSorley (with 2 goals) all did.

 

[Super Fadio Bro]

Teams with a surprisingly lack amount of offensive stars:

The Habs have not had a top 10 scorer (in the NHL) I don't think, or a 100 point scorer since Mats Naslund in 1986. Yeah, no joke.

The Devils might have a 100 point player this year in Jack Hughes, we'll see, but if they do it is their first one!

Brian Savage's career stats by month:
October - 44 goals in 87 games
November - 35 goals in 116 games
December - 18 goals in 101 games
January - 34 goals in 99 games
February - 16 goals in 70 games
March - 25 goals in 135 games
April - 20 goals in 62 games
May - 0 goals in 2 games

That's just lousy for Savage. No one wants to be known as playing their best hockey in October, that's for baseball, but Savage definitely did. He's basically a HHOFer if his October stats are consistent all season.

The Florida Panthers are the only team Gretzky does not have a career PPG against (20 games and 17 points). And in the two games he played against Nashville for his career (both would be in 1999, his final season) he has 8 points in those two games!

Patrick Roy has a losing record to only Calgary and Philly

Martin Brodeur does not have a losing record against a single team in his career. Calgary at 7-6-3 and Nashville at 7-6-1 are the closest. Also L.A. at 8-7-1. Strange, none of these were good teams in particular in his career.

Marc-Andre Fleury has a losing record to only two teams. New Jersey at a respectable 24-26-4 and Minnesota at a very poor 7-15-0. I mean, why?

Mario as well has a couple of bizarre scenarios in his career. Only three teams does he not have a career PPG against (and in most cases it is almost 2 PPG). Those teams are Columbus (2 games 0 points), Minnesota (3 games 2 points) and Nashville (2 games 0 points).

His record vs the Canucks: 6-12-0

 

[Doctor No]

His record vs the Canucks: 6-12-0

Sloppy cut/paste from my internal database, but confirmed:

 

[Crosby2010]

Sloppy cut/paste from my internal database, but confirmed:

View attachment 760845

Somehow I overlooked that.

I mean, what the heck? 6-12-0 against a team that was lousy for a lot of his career. I don't get it.

 

[GrahamClayton]

Cooper Smeaton was a referee in the NHL from 1917-1918 until 1929-1930, when he coached the Philadelphia Quakers in their only NHL season (1930-31). He then returned to refereeing, retiring after the 1936-37 season.