Obscure hockey facts/stats (Part 2)

[Sanf]

Strange he was a decent enough prospect to get the call to a training camp at 14 and yet there's no record of him ever playing pro hockey when he got older.

That is absolutely true. I did try pretty hard to find more about his hockey career without success. I believe he became wrestiling promoter of somesort. And I know it all sounds suspicious. First I thought it was mistake. But there was previous article about it too in September about "Simkanin" attending Lester Patricks hockey school.

Then I did some more research on it. He was also apparently Gordie Howes roommate in the camp. Howe was year older. As many probably know Rangers tried to lure Howe to their team. Them being roommates was mentioned by Pentti Lund in article in 1968. He wrote for Fort-Williams Time-Journal.

edit. But yes it is possible that Rangers had rookie/prospect camp at the same time and they weren´t practicing together. The story does not tell that.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Mike Bullard is the only player to score 50 goals in a season, and record zero game winning goals. (In fact, every other player with 45+ goals in a season has at least one GWG, and only three other players have 40+ goals without a game winner). This was his 1984 season.

The most obvious reason is the 1984 Penguins were horrible (some have suggested they were tanking to draft Lemieux) and only won 16 games, and Bullard missed one of those wins. Rick Kehoe (who scored 18 goals) led the team with three GWG's.

Bullard generally played well when the Penguins won. He scored a goal in 9 of their 15 wins (three of those were two-goal games). Just none that were game winners.

Poor goal prevention appear to have cost him a few GWG's. On January 18th, he scored a natural hat trick. The third goal gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead, eight minutes into the third period. The Pens scored one more, then allowed three straight to lose in overtime. On January 3rd, he scored six minutes into the third to give his team a 5-4 lead. The Penguins then gave up three goals over the next six minutes.

I haven't done an exhaustive search, but at least twice he scored the tying goal in the third period, only to see his team cough up a goal. On November 20th, he scored the tying goal with just over five minutes left in the third, against a much stronger opponent (the Flyers). Bobby Clarke scored the OT winner. On February 5th, he scored the tying goal with 4:30 left (also against a far superior team - the Islanders), but Tonelli scored the winner less than a minute later.

(Actually it looks like he got two GTG - which is no longer showing on NHL.com. On November 3rd, he scored the tying goal with under 8 minutes to play in the third against Calgary. On February 25th, he scored the tying goal against the Blackhawks, this one with just 17 seconds remaining).

All this is statistical trivia. Most people accept that the GWG is a pretty meaningless statistic - but this is (somewhat) interesting.

 

[Big Phil]

The Oilers had a "whopping" 31 shots on goal in the longest game in Stanley Cup finals history, Game 1 in 1990. That was basically two games because it ended late in triple overtime. That's it. Hard to believe over 6 periods.

 

[RegDunlop]

I wonder who got credited. Probably the last Bruin to touch the puck before the arm went up. It would be funny if ended up being Esposito. One would have to go back and find the box score. Boston at Toronto probably around 1973-1974 not sure though.

And even more funny if the penalty was on Espo!

 

[alko]

During WW2 years Rangers were in real trouble finding players, but this was rather obscure. Rangers had 14-year old goalie Ladislav "Laddie" Simkan in their training camp.

Calgary Herald 19. Oct 1943
Lester Patrick doesn´t believe all he hears about infants playing in the N.H.L. this season. He has sent Ladislav Simkanin 14-year old Fort William prospect, back home after four days in the Rangers training camp at Winnipeg. Patrick considered him too young even for the Rangers farm club the amateur rovers.

That is interesting also from that point, that his name seems to be very "Czechoslovakian". Maybe he has root here.

 

[DeysArena]

Mike Bullard is the only player to score 50 goals in a season, and record zero game winning goals. (In fact, every other player with 45+ goals in a season has at least one GWG, and only three other players have 40+ goals without a game winner). This was his 1984 season.

The most obvious reason is the 1984 Penguins were horrible (some have suggested they were tanking to draft Lemieux) and only won 16 games, and Bullard missed one of those wins. Rick Kehoe (who scored 18 goals) led the team with three GWG's.

Bullard generally played well when the Penguins won. He scored a goal in 9 of their 15 wins (three of those were two-goal games). Just none that were game winners.

Poor goal prevention appear to have cost him a few GWG's. On January 18th, he scored a natural hat trick. The third goal gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead, eight minutes into the third period. The Pens scored one more, then allowed three straight to lose in overtime. On January 3rd, he scored six minutes into the third to give his team a 5-4 lead. The Penguins then gave up three goals over the next six minutes.

I haven't done an exhaustive search, but at least twice he scored the tying goal in the third period, only to see his team cough up a goal. On November 20th, he scored the tying goal with just over five minutes left in the third, against a much stronger opponent (the Flyers). Bobby Clarke scored the OT winner. On February 5th, he scored the tying goal with 4:30 left (also against a far superior team - the Islanders), but Tonelli scored the winner less than a minute later.

(Actually it looks like he got two GTG - which is no longer showing on NHL.com. On November 3rd, he scored the tying goal with under 8 minutes to play in the third against Calgary. On February 25th, he scored the tying goal against the Blackhawks, this one with just 17 seconds remaining).

All this is statistical trivia. Most people accept that the GWG is a pretty meaningless statistic - but this is (somewhat) interesting.

All that and he became a late-night talk show host.

 

[Big Phil]

Troy Murray was in the news recently in Chicago by being at the game the other night as he is battling cancer. I looked at his career and I can remember his Selke year and I wonder how much consideration he got for the 1987 Canada Cup team, which was a year after.

Anyway, here is something obscure, at least it is to me. Murray was on the 1996 Avalanche, winning his only Cup. He played 63 games that year and had 21 points. He played in 8 playoff games. Must have been hurt or a healthy scratch in the playoffs. Anyway, this was his final season, his first Cup in his last year. But I have absolutely no recollection of him being on this team. None. I remember the 1995-'96 year very vividly, and while he was not a premier player I cannot picture him on that team.

 

[Hynh]

Troy Murray was in the news recently in Chicago by being at the game the other night as he is battling cancer. I looked at his career and I can remember his Selke year and I wonder how much consideration he got for the 1987 Canada Cup team, which was a year after.

Anyway, here is something obscure, at least it is to me. Murray was on the 1996 Avalanche, winning his only Cup. He played 63 games that year and had 21 points. He played in 8 playoff games. Must have been hurt or a healthy scratch in the playoffs. Anyway, this was his final season, his first Cup in his last year. But I have absolutely no recollection of him being on this team. None. I remember the 1995-'96 year very vividly, and while he was not a premier player I cannot picture him on that team.

Very interesting since he took a 5 and a game high sticking penalty in game 5 against Vancouver that Linden scored on twice to take the lead 3-2.

 

[Big Phil]

Very interesting since he took a 5 and a game high sticking penalty in game 5 against Vancouver that Linden scored on twice to take the lead 3-2.

Yeah, no memory of him playing as long as 1996 even, let alone on a Cup winner. Strange.

 

[FerrisRox]

Yeah, no memory of him playing as long as 1996 even, let alone on a Cup winner. Strange.

He ended up with the Senators at the end of his career and he got dealt, along with early Senator stalwart Norm MacIver to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Martin Straka. I remember being stunned the Sens were able to get Straka for those two. After that season, Murray was a free agent and signed a deal in Colorado. I think he played another year or two of minor pro after that Cup win.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Loved Norm McIver on those early Senators teams. Yeah, I'm weird.

 

[FerrisRox]

Loved Norm McIver on those early Senators teams. Yeah, I'm weird.

He had 17 goals and 63 points in their inaugural season!

 

[Big Phil]

He ended up with the Senators at the end of his career and he got dealt, along with early Senator stalwart Norm MacIver to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Martin Straka. I remember being stunned the Sens were able to get Straka for those two. After that season, Murray was a free agent and signed a deal in Colorado. I think he played another year or two of minor pro after that Cup win.

Yeah, looks like a season in the IHL in 1997, and that was all she wrote for Murray.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Yeah, looks like a season in the IHL in 1997, and that was all she wrote for Murray.

I wish this league came back. Although it would be hard, given the locations of the AHL teams.

 

[ninakmis]

That is interesting also from that point, that his name seems to be very "Czechoslovakian". Maybe he has root here.

Most probably eastern Slovakia. See my nickname backwards.

 

[Big Phil]

Patrick Roy's record vs. the Flyers as a Hab. Yikes! How is that even possible? I don't have the exact numbers, I am going off memory here, but he had 1 win in about 12 or so tries.

 

[Kahvi]

Stolen from the main boards: Ovie scoring a goal as a 17 yo in KHL, then scoring a goal in NHL against the son of that KHL goalie 19 years later.

Ovechkin scored against father and son 19 years apart

 

[The Panther]

I noticed some odd stats about Mario Lemieux's rookie season, 1984-85:

First 30 games: +6
Last 43 games: -39

First 30 games: Shooting 12.9%
Last 43 games: Shooting 25.8%

First 30 games: 11 goals (29 goal pace), 87th NHL
Last 43 games: 32 goals (60 goal pace), 2nd NHL (just one behind Gretzky for 1st)

The goal increase maybe isn't that surprising as even the best players usually take a few months (or years, in some cases) to adapt to the NHL... albeit usually not with as dramatic a surge upward in production as Mario had!

But the shooting percentage is a bit hard to explain. Did Mario's role / position on the PP transfer from more of a playmaker to a shooter as the season progressed?

And stranger yet is his plus/minus results. Normally, when a player has an upsurge in scoring, you'd also see their plus/minus results increase substantially, or at least not get any worse. Mario as a rookie followed the opposite pattern -- the more he scored, the worse his even-strength results. I can't really figure it out, other than the Pens really went (back) into the tank in the latter half of the season. But in that case, usually the star player wouldn't score more.

 

[FerrisRox]

Goaltender Ron Loustel, who suited up for the Winnipeg Jets for one game during the 1980-81 season, holds the record for most saves made by a goalie who only played one NHL game in his career with 41.

Unfortunately, he faced 51 shots that night so he also holds the record for most goals allowed by a goalie who only played one NHL game with 10.

 

[MadLuke]

I can't really figure it out, other than the Pens really went (back) into the tank in the latter half of the season. But in that case, usually the star player wouldn't score more.

The whole team seem to go quite bad has the season goes on, has many wins in the first 30 games than the 50 following.

First 30 games:
12-15-3: -19 (-.63 per games)


12-36-2, around -99 (-1.98 per games)

 

[alko]

7 years ago, 8. december 2014, Jaromir Jagr played his 1500 NHL regular season game.

Jaromir Jagr still plays hockey.

 

[CMitchelli]

In the 1980 finals, the Flyers were a collective +39 vs the Islanders -40 . New York won the series in six games.

 

[DeysArena]

Jaromir Jagr still plays hockey.

Jagr has become Caine from Kung Fu - he wanders the Earth armed only with his knowledge of hockey.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Not that it matters much yet, but Aaron Dell currently has more losses on the season than he’s had games started. 4GS, 0-5-0 record.

 

[seventieslord]

The Last time the Leafs won a playoff series with a coach not named Pat, was 1987.