Obscure hockey facts/stats (Part 2)
- Thread starter Bear of Bad News
- Start date
I'm fairly certain that this is the first this has happened...goaltenders with the same name getting shutouts in the same (pro) league on the same night.
Matt Murray and the AHL Toronto Marlies shut out Manitoba, 5-0, tonight (January 19, 2025).
And Matthew Murray and the AHL Milwaukee Admirals shut out Texas, 4-0.
Matt Murray and the AHL Toronto Marlies shut out Manitoba, 5-0, tonight (January 19, 2025).
And Matthew Murray and the AHL Milwaukee Admirals shut out Texas, 4-0.
With Taylor Hall suiting up for the Hurricanes today, he played for his seventh NHL team.
He joins Joe Murphy (DET, EDM, CHI, STL, SJS, BOS, WSH) and Roman Hamrlik (TB, EDM, NYI, CGY, MTL, WSH and NYR) as First overall picks who have played for seven different teams.
(Without looking) Who's the one first overall selection who suited up for eight teams?
He joins Joe Murphy (DET, EDM, CHI, STL, SJS, BOS, WSH) and Roman Hamrlik (TB, EDM, NYI, CGY, MTL, WSH and NYR) as First overall picks who have played for seven different teams.
(Without looking) Who's the one first overall selection who suited up for eight teams?
I'll admit I had to check to confirm, but my initial thought was Garry Monahan (the first draft pick ever), who only played for 5 teams. Did get it on my third try: Rob Ramage.
Edit: I added the name behind a spoiler.
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Interestingly, the correct answer started - and ended - his career playing for teams that neither Hall nor Hamrlik ever suited up for.
True, though it would have been hard for them to play for the one. And Hall still has time to do so (interesting as well that Hall has yet to play for any of Ramage's teams.)
The two most recent goaltenders to make their National Hockey League debut are both named Jakub (Dobes and Skarek) and both playing on the road at the defending Cup champion Panthers. (Dobes fared better than Skarek, at least).
Thought I'd try to update my older posts on the "30-point month". That is, all player/months in NHL history when a given player scored 30 or more points in one calendar month (regular season only):
- - - FROM OCTOBER 1967 - - -
1967-68 = No one (?)
1968-69
31 Phil Esposito -- January 1969 (14GP: 9G, 22A, +20)
1969-70 = No one (?)
1970-71
31 Phil Esposito -- December 1970 (14GP: 19G, 12A, +10)
31 Bobby Orr -- March 1971 (15GP: 8G, 23A, +26)
1971-72 = No one (?)
1972-73
32 Phil Esposito -- March 1973 (15GP: 15G, 17A, +6)
1973-74 = No one (?)
1974-75
30 Phil Esposito -- December 1974 (13GP: 15G, 16A, +3)
35 Bobby Clarke -- March 1975 (15GP: 7G, 28A, +24)
30 Rick MacLeish -- March 1975 (15GP: 13G, 17A, +16)
1975-76 = No one (?)
1976-77 = No one (?)
1977-78
31 Bryan Trottier -- November 1977 (15GP: 14G, 17A, +18)
30 Guy Lafleur -- February 1978 (13GP: 9G, 21A, +15)
1978-79
36 Bryan Trottier -- December 1978 (14GP: 16G, 20A, +26)
1979-80
30 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1980 (13GP: 14G, 16A, +8)
1980-81
35 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1981 (14GP: 10G, 25A, +11)
31 Kent Nilsson -- January 1981 (16GP: 10G, 21A, +6)
30 Marcel Dionne -- January 1981 (15GP: 15G, 15A, +5)
30 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1981 (14GP: 15G, 15A, +14)
34 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1981 (14GP: 11G, 23A, +14)
1981-82
37 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1981 (13GP: 18G, 19A, +19)
44 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1981 (14GP: 19G, 25A, +12)
38 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1982 (15GP: 17G, 21A, +14)
35 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1982 (11GP: 15G, 20A, +20)
34 Mike Bossy -- February 1982 (14GP: 11G, 23A, +21)
32 Bryan Trottier -- February 1982 (14GP: 17G, 15A, +23)
30 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1982 (13GP: 10G, 20A, +10)
1982-83
35 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1982 (13GP: 12G, 23A, +12)
32 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1982 (13GP: 10G, 22A, +2)
36 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1983 (15GP: 14G, 22A, +11)
36 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1983 (13GP: 15G, 21A, +17)
31 Stan Smyl -- March 1983 (16GP: 10G, 21A, +7)
30 Darcy Rota -- March 1983 (16GP: 15G, 15A, +8)
1983-84
49 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1983 (14GP: 17G, 32A, +32)
36 Jari Kurri -- November 1983 (14GP: 16G, 20A, +19)
37 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1983 (13GP: 12G, 25A, +8)
30 Bryan Trottier -- December 1983 (14GP: 14G, 16A, +22)
40 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1984 (13GP: 19G, 21A, +22)
1984-85
30 Wayne Gretzky -- October 1984 (10GP: 11G, 19A, +26)
38 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1984 (14GP: 13G, 25A, +17)
40 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1984 (12GP: 16G, 24A, +21)
30 Jari Kurri -- December 1984 (12GP: 13G, 17A, +22)
37 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1985 (15GP: 13G, 24A, +18)
1985-86
44 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1985 (14GP: 8G, 36A, +16)
43 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1986 (15GP: 12G, 31A, +10)
30 Mike Bossy -- January 1986 (13GP: 12G, 18A, +9)
33 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1986 (11GP: 7G, 26A, +13)
31 Mario Lemieux -- February 1986 (12GP: 13G, 18A, -1)
37 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1986 (14GP: 6G, 31A, +23)
1986-87
33 Wayne Gretzky -- October 1986 (12GP: 11G, 22A, +14)
36 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1986 (13GP: 18G, 18A, +18)
35 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1987 (14GP: 10G, 25A, +23)
32 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1987 (15GP: 7G, 25A, +7)
1987-88
34 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1987 (13GP: 11G, 23A, +13)
32 Steve Yzerman -- December 1987 (15GP: 12G, 20A, +12)
35 Mario Lemieux -- January 1988 (16GP: 17G, 18A, +6)
38 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1988 (14GP: 5G, 33A, +9)
36 Mario Lemieux -- March 1988 (14GP: 11G, 25A, +9)
32 Hakan Loob -- March 1988 (14GP: 15G, 17A, +16)
1988-89
38 Mario Lemieux -- October 1988 (11GP: 16G, 22A, +14)
31 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1988 (14GP: 10G, 21A, +5)
30 Steve Yzerman -- November 1988 (13GP: 17G, 13A, +15)
30 Bernie Nicholls -- November 1988 (14GP: 17G, 13A, +17)
43 Mario Lemieux -- December 1988 (14GP: 19G, 24A, +12)
33 Steve Yzerman -- December 1988 (14GP: 12G, 21A, 0)
31 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1988 (13GP: 9G, 22A, +10)
30 Bernie Nicholls -- December 1988 (14GP: 9G, 21A, +7)
33 Mario Lemieux -- January 1989 (12GP: 11G, 22A, +6)
30 Mario Lemieux -- March 1989 (13GP: 18G, 12A, -1)
1989-90 = No one
1990-91
30 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1991 (13GP: 10G, 20A, +5)
30 Adam Oates -- January 1991 (13GP: 6G, 24A, +7)
30 Brett Hull -- February 1991 (13GP: 17G, 13A, +4)
30 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1991 (14GP: 5G, 25A, +9)
30 Adam Oates -- February 1991 (14GP: 7G, 23A, -2)
33 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1991 (14GP: 4G, 29A, +8)
1991-92
37 Mario Lemieux -- December 1991 (14GP: 11G, 26A, +6)
36 Pat Lafontaine -- January 1992 (14GP: 19G, 17A, +6)
31 Luc Robitaille -- February 1992 (15GP: 16G, 15A, +3
30 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1992 (14GP: 8G, 22A, +6)
36 Mario Lemieux -- March 1992 (13GP: 12G, 24A, +9)
1992-93
36 Mario Lemieux -- October 1992 (11GP: 16G, 20A, +8)
30 Pat Lafontaine -- October 1992 (11GP: 10G, 20A, +4)
36 Mario Lemieux -- December 1992 (12GP: 8G, 28A, +11)
37 Mario Lemieux -- March 1993 (13GP: 18G, 19A, +12)
1993-94
30 Pavel Bure -- March 1994 (16GP: 19G, 11A, +5)
1995 work-stoppage season = No one
1995-96
32 Mario Lemieux -- November 1995 (11GP: 13G, 19A, +7)
30 Jaromir Jagr -- November 1995 (14GP: 13G, 17A, +14)
34 Mario Lemieux -- December 1995 (14GP: 12G, 22A, +5)
32 Jaromir Jagr -- December 1995 (14GP: 13G, 19A, +6)
1996-97 = No one
- - - DEAD PUCK ERA, from OCTOBER 1997 - - -
1997-98 = No one
1998-99 = No one
1999-00 = No one
2000-01
31 Jaromir Jagr -- March 2001 (15GP: 15G, 16A, +7)
2001-02 = No one
2002-03 = No one
2003-04 = No one
- - - 'MODERN' ERA, from OCTOBER 2005 - - -
2005-06 = No one
2006-07 = No one
2007-08 = No one
2008-09 = No one
2009-10 = No one
2010-11 = No one
2011-12 = No one
2012-13 = No one
2013-14 = No one
2014-15 = No one
2015-16 = No one
2016-17 = No one
2017-18 = No one
2018-19
30 Nikita Kucherov -- December 2018 (14GP: 9G, 21A, +7)
2019-20 = No one
2020-21 = No one
2021-22
33 Steven Stamkos -- April 2022 (16GP: 12G + 21A, +13)
31 Nikita Kucherov -- April 2022 (16GP: 14G + 17A, +9)
2022-23
31 Connor McDavid -- December 2022 (15GP: 14G + 17A, +1)
2023-24
31 Connor McDavid -- March 2024 (15GP: 7G + 24A, +12)
2024-25 = No one (yet)
________________________________________________________________
Near-Misses:
-- Guy Lafleur had 29 points in January 1975 and March 1977
-- Marcel Dionne had 29 points in December 1983 and in January 1985
-- Jari Kurri had 29 points in December 1985
-- Paul Coffey had 29 points in December 1985
-- Kevin Stevens had 29 points in October 1992
-- Sergei Fedorov had 29 points in December 1993
-- Nathan MacKinnon had 29 points in December 2023
NOTES:
-- Wayne Gretzky scored 30+ points in one month an unfathomable 36 times. He scored an all-time record 49 points in November 1983.
-- Between 1979-80 and 1986-87, Gretzky accounted for 72% of the '30-point months' (i.e., it happened 11 times in eight years not counting him, but 39 times if counting him).
-- Gretzky and Mario Lemieux are (not surprisingly) the only players to score 40+ points in one month -- Gretzky six times, Lemieux once.
-- Besides Gretzky and Lemieux, Jari Kurri & Pat Lafontaine (each with 36, once each) are the only players to score 35+ points in one month since October 1979.
-- The players who scored 30 points in a calendar month more than once are: Gretzky (36), Lemieux (14), Esposito (4), Trottier (4), Yzerman (3), Jagr (3), Bossy (2), Kurri (2), Nicholls (2, in back-to-back months), Oates (2, in back-to-back months), Lafontaine (2), Kucherov (2), and McDavid (2).
-- Oddity: Mario Lemieux (twice) and Adam Oates are the only players to achieve the rather unique feat of scoring 30+ points in one month while being a 'minus' at even-strength.
-- Improbable (inconceivable?) as it is, the highest-scoring calendar month in the NHL from 1996-97 through 2024-25 (28 seasons) is... Steven Stamkos, with 33 points in April 2022.
-- Stan Smyl & Darci Rota in 1982-83 must be the most surprising names on this list.... Maybe Rick MacLeish, too.
-- By the way, when Teemu Selanne scored his record 20 goals in a calendar month (in 14 games in March 1993), he picked up "only" 7 assists, for 27 points (prior to that, in January 1993, he'd also had 27 points in one month).
-- It's interesting that nobody, as far as I know, scored 30+ points in a month during 1989-90, the only season from 1979 (or earlier) through 1993-94 when this never occurred. And no one did it at all during the calendar year of 1990... but then it inexplicably happened 7 times during the calendar year of 1991.
-- Players who have never scored 30 points in one month: Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Peter Stastny, Denis Savard, Dale Hawerchuk, Doug Gilmour, Joe Sakic, Alex Mogilny, Sergei Fedorov, Joe Thornton, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Leon Draisaitl.
- - - FROM OCTOBER 1967 - - -
1967-68 = No one (?)
1968-69
31 Phil Esposito -- January 1969 (14GP: 9G, 22A, +20)
1969-70 = No one (?)
1970-71
31 Phil Esposito -- December 1970 (14GP: 19G, 12A, +10)
31 Bobby Orr -- March 1971 (15GP: 8G, 23A, +26)
1971-72 = No one (?)
1972-73
32 Phil Esposito -- March 1973 (15GP: 15G, 17A, +6)
1973-74 = No one (?)
1974-75
30 Phil Esposito -- December 1974 (13GP: 15G, 16A, +3)
35 Bobby Clarke -- March 1975 (15GP: 7G, 28A, +24)
30 Rick MacLeish -- March 1975 (15GP: 13G, 17A, +16)
1975-76 = No one (?)
1976-77 = No one (?)
1977-78
31 Bryan Trottier -- November 1977 (15GP: 14G, 17A, +18)
30 Guy Lafleur -- February 1978 (13GP: 9G, 21A, +15)
1978-79
36 Bryan Trottier -- December 1978 (14GP: 16G, 20A, +26)
1979-80
30 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1980 (13GP: 14G, 16A, +8)
1980-81
35 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1981 (14GP: 10G, 25A, +11)
31 Kent Nilsson -- January 1981 (16GP: 10G, 21A, +6)
30 Marcel Dionne -- January 1981 (15GP: 15G, 15A, +5)
30 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1981 (14GP: 15G, 15A, +14)
34 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1981 (14GP: 11G, 23A, +14)
1981-82
37 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1981 (13GP: 18G, 19A, +19)
44 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1981 (14GP: 19G, 25A, +12)
38 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1982 (15GP: 17G, 21A, +14)
35 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1982 (11GP: 15G, 20A, +20)
34 Mike Bossy -- February 1982 (14GP: 11G, 23A, +21)
32 Bryan Trottier -- February 1982 (14GP: 17G, 15A, +23)
30 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1982 (13GP: 10G, 20A, +10)
1982-83
35 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1982 (13GP: 12G, 23A, +12)
32 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1982 (13GP: 10G, 22A, +2)
36 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1983 (15GP: 14G, 22A, +11)
36 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1983 (13GP: 15G, 21A, +17)
31 Stan Smyl -- March 1983 (16GP: 10G, 21A, +7)
30 Darcy Rota -- March 1983 (16GP: 15G, 15A, +8)
1983-84
49 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1983 (14GP: 17G, 32A, +32)
36 Jari Kurri -- November 1983 (14GP: 16G, 20A, +19)
37 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1983 (13GP: 12G, 25A, +8)
30 Bryan Trottier -- December 1983 (14GP: 14G, 16A, +22)
40 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1984 (13GP: 19G, 21A, +22)
1984-85
30 Wayne Gretzky -- October 1984 (10GP: 11G, 19A, +26)
38 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1984 (14GP: 13G, 25A, +17)
40 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1984 (12GP: 16G, 24A, +21)
30 Jari Kurri -- December 1984 (12GP: 13G, 17A, +22)
37 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1985 (15GP: 13G, 24A, +18)
1985-86
44 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1985 (14GP: 8G, 36A, +16)
43 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1986 (15GP: 12G, 31A, +10)
30 Mike Bossy -- January 1986 (13GP: 12G, 18A, +9)
33 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1986 (11GP: 7G, 26A, +13)
31 Mario Lemieux -- February 1986 (12GP: 13G, 18A, -1)
37 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1986 (14GP: 6G, 31A, +23)
1986-87
33 Wayne Gretzky -- October 1986 (12GP: 11G, 22A, +14)
36 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1986 (13GP: 18G, 18A, +18)
35 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1987 (14GP: 10G, 25A, +23)
32 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1987 (15GP: 7G, 25A, +7)
1987-88
34 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1987 (13GP: 11G, 23A, +13)
32 Steve Yzerman -- December 1987 (15GP: 12G, 20A, +12)
35 Mario Lemieux -- January 1988 (16GP: 17G, 18A, +6)
38 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1988 (14GP: 5G, 33A, +9)
36 Mario Lemieux -- March 1988 (14GP: 11G, 25A, +9)
32 Hakan Loob -- March 1988 (14GP: 15G, 17A, +16)
1988-89
38 Mario Lemieux -- October 1988 (11GP: 16G, 22A, +14)
31 Wayne Gretzky -- November 1988 (14GP: 10G, 21A, +5)
30 Steve Yzerman -- November 1988 (13GP: 17G, 13A, +15)
30 Bernie Nicholls -- November 1988 (14GP: 17G, 13A, +17)
43 Mario Lemieux -- December 1988 (14GP: 19G, 24A, +12)
33 Steve Yzerman -- December 1988 (14GP: 12G, 21A, 0)
31 Wayne Gretzky -- December 1988 (13GP: 9G, 22A, +10)
30 Bernie Nicholls -- December 1988 (14GP: 9G, 21A, +7)
33 Mario Lemieux -- January 1989 (12GP: 11G, 22A, +6)
30 Mario Lemieux -- March 1989 (13GP: 18G, 12A, -1)
1989-90 = No one
1990-91
30 Wayne Gretzky -- January 1991 (13GP: 10G, 20A, +5)
30 Adam Oates -- January 1991 (13GP: 6G, 24A, +7)
30 Brett Hull -- February 1991 (13GP: 17G, 13A, +4)
30 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1991 (14GP: 5G, 25A, +9)
30 Adam Oates -- February 1991 (14GP: 7G, 23A, -2)
33 Wayne Gretzky -- March 1991 (14GP: 4G, 29A, +8)
1991-92
37 Mario Lemieux -- December 1991 (14GP: 11G, 26A, +6)
36 Pat Lafontaine -- January 1992 (14GP: 19G, 17A, +6)
31 Luc Robitaille -- February 1992 (15GP: 16G, 15A, +3
30 Wayne Gretzky -- February 1992 (14GP: 8G, 22A, +6)
36 Mario Lemieux -- March 1992 (13GP: 12G, 24A, +9)
1992-93
36 Mario Lemieux -- October 1992 (11GP: 16G, 20A, +8)
30 Pat Lafontaine -- October 1992 (11GP: 10G, 20A, +4)
36 Mario Lemieux -- December 1992 (12GP: 8G, 28A, +11)
37 Mario Lemieux -- March 1993 (13GP: 18G, 19A, +12)
1993-94
30 Pavel Bure -- March 1994 (16GP: 19G, 11A, +5)
1995 work-stoppage season = No one
1995-96
32 Mario Lemieux -- November 1995 (11GP: 13G, 19A, +7)
30 Jaromir Jagr -- November 1995 (14GP: 13G, 17A, +14)
34 Mario Lemieux -- December 1995 (14GP: 12G, 22A, +5)
32 Jaromir Jagr -- December 1995 (14GP: 13G, 19A, +6)
1996-97 = No one
- - - DEAD PUCK ERA, from OCTOBER 1997 - - -
1997-98 = No one
1998-99 = No one
1999-00 = No one
2000-01
31 Jaromir Jagr -- March 2001 (15GP: 15G, 16A, +7)
2001-02 = No one
2002-03 = No one
2003-04 = No one
- - - 'MODERN' ERA, from OCTOBER 2005 - - -
2005-06 = No one
2006-07 = No one
2007-08 = No one
2008-09 = No one
2009-10 = No one
2010-11 = No one
2011-12 = No one
2012-13 = No one
2013-14 = No one
2014-15 = No one
2015-16 = No one
2016-17 = No one
2017-18 = No one
2018-19
30 Nikita Kucherov -- December 2018 (14GP: 9G, 21A, +7)
2019-20 = No one
2020-21 = No one
2021-22
33 Steven Stamkos -- April 2022 (16GP: 12G + 21A, +13)
31 Nikita Kucherov -- April 2022 (16GP: 14G + 17A, +9)
2022-23
31 Connor McDavid -- December 2022 (15GP: 14G + 17A, +1)
2023-24
31 Connor McDavid -- March 2024 (15GP: 7G + 24A, +12)
2024-25 = No one (yet)
________________________________________________________________
Near-Misses:
-- Guy Lafleur had 29 points in January 1975 and March 1977
-- Marcel Dionne had 29 points in December 1983 and in January 1985
-- Jari Kurri had 29 points in December 1985
-- Paul Coffey had 29 points in December 1985
-- Kevin Stevens had 29 points in October 1992
-- Sergei Fedorov had 29 points in December 1993
-- Nathan MacKinnon had 29 points in December 2023
NOTES:
-- Wayne Gretzky scored 30+ points in one month an unfathomable 36 times. He scored an all-time record 49 points in November 1983.
-- Between 1979-80 and 1986-87, Gretzky accounted for 72% of the '30-point months' (i.e., it happened 11 times in eight years not counting him, but 39 times if counting him).
-- Gretzky and Mario Lemieux are (not surprisingly) the only players to score 40+ points in one month -- Gretzky six times, Lemieux once.
-- Besides Gretzky and Lemieux, Jari Kurri & Pat Lafontaine (each with 36, once each) are the only players to score 35+ points in one month since October 1979.
-- The players who scored 30 points in a calendar month more than once are: Gretzky (36), Lemieux (14), Esposito (4), Trottier (4), Yzerman (3), Jagr (3), Bossy (2), Kurri (2), Nicholls (2, in back-to-back months), Oates (2, in back-to-back months), Lafontaine (2), Kucherov (2), and McDavid (2).
-- Oddity: Mario Lemieux (twice) and Adam Oates are the only players to achieve the rather unique feat of scoring 30+ points in one month while being a 'minus' at even-strength.
-- Improbable (inconceivable?) as it is, the highest-scoring calendar month in the NHL from 1996-97 through 2024-25 (28 seasons) is... Steven Stamkos, with 33 points in April 2022.
-- Stan Smyl & Darci Rota in 1982-83 must be the most surprising names on this list.... Maybe Rick MacLeish, too.
-- By the way, when Teemu Selanne scored his record 20 goals in a calendar month (in 14 games in March 1993), he picked up "only" 7 assists, for 27 points (prior to that, in January 1993, he'd also had 27 points in one month).
-- It's interesting that nobody, as far as I know, scored 30+ points in a month during 1989-90, the only season from 1979 (or earlier) through 1993-94 when this never occurred. And no one did it at all during the calendar year of 1990... but then it inexplicably happened 7 times during the calendar year of 1991.
-- Players who have never scored 30 points in one month: Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Peter Stastny, Denis Savard, Dale Hawerchuk, Doug Gilmour, Joe Sakic, Alex Mogilny, Sergei Fedorov, Joe Thornton, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Leon Draisaitl.
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These were the most random players on the entire list, no?
1982-83 were Smyl and Rota’s highest scoring season, in Rota’s case by a mile (his 42 goals and 81 points were 17 goals and 25 points more than his second best season). His second best month that year he had 13 points in 13 games.
Rota suffered a neck injury next year and had to retire age 30. He had a pretty solid career, netting 20+ goals nine times in eleven seasons, but that was a huge jump age 29, propelled by an insane month of March.
Yeah, a list filled with legends & stars... and bloody Smyl & Rota. Hilarious.
It's so random to see them both on there.
You would assume that when this happens, the team must have been on a heater? So, in March 1983, the Canucks went 9-4-3 (third best club that month), but their 76 goals was #1 in the League (albeit they were third in goals per game). Anyway, Smyl and Rota together scored 25 of those 76 goals, or 33% of the total. Smyl and Rota were the 2nd and 3rd top scorers that month (behind Gretzky), but Thomas Gradin was 4th with 27 points and even Rick Lanz (!) was well over a point per game. It should perhaps be noted, however, that the Canucks' 16 games that month are A LOT and were (along with the Maple Leafs) the most in the NHL that month (that said, neither Smyl nor Rota got a point in the Canucks' 16th and final game that month). Smyl had 19 points in 8 games in early/mid-March!
I assume this has been posted.
Glen Hanlon was the goalie Wayne G beat for his first NHL goal and Hanlon then went behind the bench and Alex O's first nhl coach
Glen Hanlon was the goalie Wayne G beat for his first NHL goal and Hanlon then went behind the bench and Alex O's first nhl coach
Sidney Crosby has had plenty of hat tricks in his career, but he has never had a 4-goal game. Nothing more than three. He also has never scored on a penalty shot despite having 5 attempts.
January 26th 1991, Vancouver @ L.A.
Vancouver 4 @ Los Angeles 5 (Jan. 26th, 1991)
Wayne Gretzky scores at 0:12 of the 1st period, 1:08 of the 2nd period, and 1:19 of the 3rd period. Hard to tell without seeing the game, but presumably Gretzky scored on his first shift of each period.
Vancouver 4 @ Los Angeles 5 (Jan. 26th, 1991)
Wayne Gretzky scores at 0:12 of the 1st period, 1:08 of the 2nd period, and 1:19 of the 3rd period. Hard to tell without seeing the game, but presumably Gretzky scored on his first shift of each period.
Matt Rempe has more goals in the calendar year of 2025 than Elias Pettersson.
Man, has it gotten that bad? (Checks.) Pettersson has a grand total of 1 shot on goal in his past four games... 3 shots in his past seven games. Hard to score like that.
He has 1 goal in his past 20 games.
frisco
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame...
Bobby Hull is the only player to break the goals scored in a season record more than once. He tied it in 1962 with 50, then broke it with 54 in 1966, then broke his own record with 58 in 1969.
My Best-Carey
My Best-Carey
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frisco
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame...
There are two players in the top 50 in scoring so far this year in their age-22 season or younger (Lucas Raymond 22nd, Wyatt Johnston 33rd). In 81-82, there were 11.
There are eight players in the top 50 in scoring so far this year in their age-31 season or older. In 81-82, there were zero.
My Best-Carey
There are eight players in the top 50 in scoring so far this year in their age-31 season or older. In 81-82, there were zero.
My Best-Carey
Yeah, that's interesting.
Most of this is due to the relative strengths of the generations. The Gretzky generation was much stronger and deeper than the previous generations (going back several years); and now it's the opposite, the Kucherov - MacKinnon - McDavid is extremely strong, and the birth years to follow are not as strong.
Also, the early '80s saw the NHL become faster, and more difficult for the previous generations to survive, and it's easier for the older guys to thrive now (for multiple reasons).
you don't even have to go that far back, there were 11 under-22s in the top 50 in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and between 6-11 every year from the 05 lockout until 2020-21 when it abruptly falls to 3. never above 3 since then. (i think, might've missed one or two.) recent drafts have been weak i guess. or maybe covid messed with development?
Gordie Howe was the first player with 1000 regular season points.
But he was also in the game, where the second one, Jean Beliveau, scored his 1000. point.
And he was also in the game, where the third one, Alex Delvecchio, collected his 1000. point.
But he was also in the game, where the second one, Jean Beliveau, scored his 1000. point.
And he was also in the game, where the third one, Alex Delvecchio, collected his 1000. point.
This might warrant a separate thread at some point, but it's interesting to observe that, nowadays, star players are recording far more empty-net points than ever before. It's presumably due to coaches pulling goalies earlier, and star forwards get more ice time in these situations.
Through the end of the Original Six era (ie the 1966-67 season), only seven players in all of NHL history had reached 10 empty net points. (We're 60-something games into the 2024-25 season, and we already have four players who reached double digits). Howe was the all-time leader with 16 EN points. We might see someone reach 16 EN points this season.
Prior to absorbing the WHA (ie the 1978-79 season), Beliveau was the all-time leader with just 22 EN points. Howe, Mahovlich and Dionne were the only other players over 20.
There were more EN goals starting in the eighties - but still not too many. As of 1994-95, only seven players (all Hall of Famers) had reached 30 EN points. Only two of them had reached 40 EN points (Gretzky had 76, Trottier had 46). To put that into context - 34 EN points would have put someone 4th all-time, as of 1994-95 (ie after nearly 80 years of NHL history). Over the past decade only, 34 EN points would put you tied for 30th.
In all of NHL history, only 21 players have recorded 50+ EN points. All but six of them (Gretzky, Hossa, Thornton, Iginla, Francis and Jagr) played all, or substantially all, of their careers after the 2005 lockout. (Rantanen has averaged 1 EN point every 10.5 games so far - he's tied for 8th place all-time, despite playing fewer than 650 games). It's continuing to increase. As recently as 2018, the all-time record for EN points in a single season was 10 (held by Jagr, in 2001). Since 2019, that's been matched or exceeded 13 times.
It's unquestionably good when a player scores an EN goal. I'm not criticizing Kopitar or Marchand for recording so many. But it's probably worth considering if these points should be taken at face value, if we're comparing modern stars to players from decades when they didn't get these opportunities.
Through the end of the Original Six era (ie the 1966-67 season), only seven players in all of NHL history had reached 10 empty net points. (We're 60-something games into the 2024-25 season, and we already have four players who reached double digits). Howe was the all-time leader with 16 EN points. We might see someone reach 16 EN points this season.
Prior to absorbing the WHA (ie the 1978-79 season), Beliveau was the all-time leader with just 22 EN points. Howe, Mahovlich and Dionne were the only other players over 20.
There were more EN goals starting in the eighties - but still not too many. As of 1994-95, only seven players (all Hall of Famers) had reached 30 EN points. Only two of them had reached 40 EN points (Gretzky had 76, Trottier had 46). To put that into context - 34 EN points would have put someone 4th all-time, as of 1994-95 (ie after nearly 80 years of NHL history). Over the past decade only, 34 EN points would put you tied for 30th.
In all of NHL history, only 21 players have recorded 50+ EN points. All but six of them (Gretzky, Hossa, Thornton, Iginla, Francis and Jagr) played all, or substantially all, of their careers after the 2005 lockout. (Rantanen has averaged 1 EN point every 10.5 games so far - he's tied for 8th place all-time, despite playing fewer than 650 games). It's continuing to increase. As recently as 2018, the all-time record for EN points in a single season was 10 (held by Jagr, in 2001). Since 2019, that's been matched or exceeded 13 times.
It's unquestionably good when a player scores an EN goal. I'm not criticizing Kopitar or Marchand for recording so many. But it's probably worth considering if these points should be taken at face value, if we're comparing modern stars to players from decades when they didn't get these opportunities.
Yeah, it's getting a little out of wack lately with all the empty-net points awarded. The goals themselves are fine, but my suggestion would be to award no assists on EN goals. And also, the NHL should stop counting 'pluses' and 'minuses' on EN goals, which has never made sense.
