Worst game by player in Hart-trophy-winning season?

[The Panther]

The excellent "worst game by an individual player" thread focuses on various player, including middle-level, or fairly average / poor, NHL players, who had a really bad games.

But what about really bad games by players in the midst of a Hart-trophy-winning season?

I commented in the other thread about Mark Messier (New York Rangers), who won the Hart trophy for 1991-92.

On January 4th, 1992:
-- Rangers 4 @ Devils 6
-- Messier, 0 points, minus 6

That's a really awful night (his whole line just got eaten alive), which is quite rare to see of a player in a Hart winning season.

Got any others?

Click to read more...

 

[The Panther]

This one isn't as bad as '92 Messier, but interesting:

Alex Ovechkin (Capitals), March 10th 2013:
-- New York 4 @ Washington 1
-- Ovi failed to pick up a point and went minus 3. He was out for 1 even-strength goal by New York in each period.
-- Ovi also took a second period penalty that led to a Rangers' PP goal. (So, Ovechkin was on the ice for 3 Rangers' goals and basically caused the other goal.)

 

[tabness]

Lemieux looked invisible this game from his 1992-1993 season, looks like he was sat for health/maintenance reasons after a bit when the score got outta hand, he did play the next game though

 

[VanIslander]

Theodore gave up 7 goals once again that season, in a 6-7 loss despite heroic play by Gilmour.

I never have thought he deserved that trophy. Even Rivet deserved it more than him. Ugh.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Theodore gave up 7 goals once again that season, in a 6-7 loss despite heroic play by Gilmour.

I never have thought he deserved that trophy. Even Rivet deserved it more than him. Ugh.

That was a joke, right?

 

[VanIslander]

Not at all.

He flamed out of the playoffs after giving up 5 goals in the 1st period. I wasn't surprised. He was pulled.

Yet he was heralded in suit-n-tie wear weeks later as the best of the year. GTFOOHP. P=please!

Pet peeve: individuals getting accolades for team success.

 

[The Panther]

The 7 goalies who've won Hart trophies are somewhat "low-hanging fruit" for this topic, but nevertheless:

Al Rollins (Blackhawks), Jamuary 9th, 1954:
-- Black Hawks 1 @ Canadiens 12
-- Rollins played all 60 minutes (of course.... this was the 1950s) and was beaten twelve times. In fairness, 5 of these 12 were on Montreal power-plays.
-- Jean Beliveau and Maurice Richard each had 5 points. But the story of the game was Bert Olmstead, a winger who only once reached 60 points in a season and only once scored 20 goals. Olmstread somehow got 4 goals and 8 points in this game! (He didn't score more than 3 points in any other game this season.)

 

[VanIslander]

The 7 goalies who've won Hart trophies are somewhat "low-hanging fruit" for this topic...

Nah. Theodore is the berry bush among the tall trees.

Hasek deserved both.
Plante actually deserved more than one, in many books.
Price deserved his.
Worters is widely acclaimed for his year.

 

[Crosby2010]

Not at all.

He flamed out of the playoffs after giving up 5 goals in the 1st period. I wasn't surprised. He was pulled.

Yet he was heralded in suit-n-tie wear weeks later as the best of the year. GTFOOHP. P=please!

Pet peeve: individuals getting accolades for team success.

There is no way the Habs are even dreaming about the playoffs without Theodore in 2002. He led the NHL in Save% that year as well as saves. The Habs were bad back then, and they would have been bad in 2002 without him. Even in the playoffs that was a major upset when the Habs took out Boston, and Theodore was the biggest reason. And even then it wasn't until Game 4 of the 2nd round that he struggled. He took a team to the playoffs when their leading scorer was Yanic Perreault at 56 points, with Koivu out with cancer all year and with Patrice Brisebois as his best defenseman. That team was 19th in goals for and he got them in the playoffs and won the Hart. Yeah, he deserved it. But since you brought it up, who do you think deserved the Hart in 2002? It was a very weak year.

 

[VanIslander]

... who do you think deserved the Hart in 2002? It was a very weak year.

The one we EXPECTED to win it: the leader in goals and points and - to the point - most valuable player to his team clearly to anyone and everyone: Jarome Iginla.

Iggy won the Richard, Ross - and Pearson as well, the players vote!

He never won the Hart despite his whole career DEFINING the trophy!

The award is supposed to go to: "the most valuable player to his team in the National Hockey League".

Iginla and Kariya never won a Hart trophy.
*mind blown emoji*

Gretzky & Crosby won it as teenagers; Howe, Hasek, Shore won it again in their mid-30's.

 

[DitchMarner]

For a guy who was far and away the best player in the League that season, Connor McDavid had a rough game against the Leafs on February 27th, 2021. He was -3 and had 1 SOG in a 4-0 loss. In fact, he was held scoreless by the Leafs in three consecutive games between Toronto and Edmonton (all in Edmonton) that season. Imagine what his stats would have been in 2020-2021 if he had scored at his typical rate in those games.

 

[Albatros]

Chris Pronger was always good for costing his team through stupid penalties, but this game still has me wonder: How did he in the 3rd period first take a high-sticking double-minor at 17:00 and then a slashing minor 30 seconds later at 17:30? There was no goal scored in between.

Anaheim Ducks - St. Louis Blues - Jan 14, 2000 | NHL.com

NHL Gamecenter - Anaheim Ducks vs. St. Louis Blues, Jan 14, 2000 - summary, stats, boxscore, play by play, recap and more.

www.nhl.com

 

[The Panther]

How did he in the 3rd period first take a high-sticking double-minor at 17:00 and then a slashing minor 30 seconds later at 17:30? There was no goal scored in between.

Clearly, he slashed someone from the penalty box...

For a guy who was far and away the best player in the League that season, Connor McDavid had a rough game against the Leafs on February 27th, 2021. He was -3 and had 1 SOG in a 4-0 loss. In fact, he was held scoreless by the Leafs in three consecutive games between Toronto and Edmonton (all in Edmonton) that season. Imagine what his stats would have been in 2020-2021 if he had scored at his typical rate in those games.

That's right. McDavid had that one great game against le bleu et blanc when he beat Reilly for that classic goal, etc., but generally in the past four seasons he's been very mediocre-to-poor against Toronto.

 

[Albatros]

Clearly, he slashed someone from the penalty box...

Could well be, though at least according to IIHF rules that would result in a game misconduct penalty. Not sure if in the NHL anno 2000.

 

[The Panther]

Could well be, though at least according to IIHF rules that would result in a game misconduct penalty. Not sure if in the NHL anno 2000.

Ha! I was joking, of course. Must be a mistake on the game summary...?

 

[MXD]

Could well be, though at least according to IIHF rules that would result in a game misconduct penalty. Not sure if in the NHL anno 2000.

- Kaiden Guhle got a minor penalty for slashing from the bench last season. There may be others, I haven't exactly seen every NHL game.

- Bay windows would prevent slashing from the penalty bench nowadays.

 

[Crosby2010]

The one we EXPECTED to win it: the leader in goals and points and - to the point - most valuable player to his team clearly to anyone and everyone: Jarome Iginla.

Iggy won the Richard, Ross - and Pearson as well, the players vote!

He never won the Hart despite his whole career DEFINING the trophy!

The award is supposed to go to: "the most valuable player to his team in the National Hockey League".

Iginla and Kariya never won a Hart trophy.
*mind blown emoji*

Gretzky & Crosby won it as teenagers; Howe, Hasek, Shore won it again in their mid-30's.

The Flames were 15 points out of a playoff spot in 2002. Iggy had a great year, but it was an awfully weak year for forwards. With Iginla he had a great start to the season to the point where some were wondering if the Flames could not only get to the playoffs but have home ice. But then he cooled off in December, January, February and then turned it on when the games were meaningless in March and April.

Naslund and Bertuzzi both turned on the jets at the end of the season and so did the Vancouver Canucks, helping them get in the postseason. To me that is the epitome of Hart-worthy. Naslund finished 5th. Behind Theodore, Iginla, Roy and Burke. Roy wouldn't have been a terrible choice for the Hart that year either but Iginla was not the story of the season by partway into the year. The Flames had burned out and even a case like Roy he played the best season in the last decade for them all the while they missed Forsberg all year. The last player to win the Hart on a non-playoff team was Mario in 1988. He had 168 points and the Pens missed the postseason on the final game of the season. Ditto in 1959 when Bathgate won and the Rangers were one point out of the postseason. In 65 years that is the only two players to win it by not making the post season and they just barely missed.

 

[Albatros]

- Kaiden Guhle got a minor penalty for slashing from the bench last season. There may be others, I haven't exactly seen every NHL game.

- Bay windows would prevent slashing from the penalty bench nowadays.

Although for a slashing minor contact isn't necessary, in that instance Marty McInnis was also given a high-sticking minor so maybe he skated to his own past the Blues penalty box and Pronger responded by swinging his stick.

Anyway 10 minutes worth of stick infraction penalties for Pronger in that game alone, sent his team trailing by two and ensured they're playing the final minutes short-handed.

A few weeks before against Carolina he took two stick infraction penalties in the second that resulted in two goals against, allowing the Hurricanes to equalize and take the lead which they then held. A couple of other instances like that too like against Detroit a few weeks later, always involving his stickwork. As valuable as he was to the Blues other times, he giveth and he taketh away.

 

[VanIslander]

Iginla won games for a woeful Calgary team just as Sundin did for a pitiful Toronto squad.

 

[MadLuke]

MTL GAA
With Theodore: 2.11
Without Theod: 3.48

Hackett-Garon were perfectly good backups. Is there any doubt the Koivu less Habs had a pitiful squad ?

 

[MXD]

MTL GAA
With Theodore: 2.11
Without Theod: 3.48

Hackett-Garon were perfectly good backups. Is there any doubt the Koivu less Habs had a pitiful squad ?

Chris Conroy and Marc Savard would both have been the Habs #1 Center that season.

You may also wish to take at look at the icetime average for that season. The leading Habs forward will shock you.

 

[Albatros]

I wouldn't necessarily say that they were pitiful, the depth was there and some fine role players, which is a bit masqueraded by the lack of high-end scorers.

 

[MadLuke]

They won just 28 games the year before and 30 the year after

Forwards by minutes
Zednick
Petrov
Perreault
Dackell
Gilmour (38)
Juneau
Kilger
Savage
Bulis
Ribeiro
Van Allen
Berezin

Ds:
Brisebois
Dykuis
Rivet
Quintal
Robidas
Markov

Some name look more impressive than they were that year (markov-robidas-Ribeiro were not yet there), Gilmour was nice for his ages, there no issue with Dackell-Perreault-Bulis on a team, but they were getting quite the big role and Zednick-Petrov playing the most on your team is not a great sign.

I get the Iginla > Theodore argument, but I am not sure I get being some outrage and big deal either of them winning, we know montreal was going no where around that time when its goaltender was not really good.

 

[TheStatican]

Lemieux looked invisible this game from his 1992-1993 season, looks like he was sat for health/maintenance reasons after a bit when the score got outta hand, he did play the next game though

It wasn't due to maintance issues, he left that game at 15:16 of the second period due to a bruised heel. At that time the Pens were only down 0-3. The team then folded up like a cheap suitcase without him with the Wings proceeded to score 3 times in the next 4 minutes to end the second and twice more in the third resulting in that 0-8 blowout, 5 goals against in 25 mins without him. Though in fairness the team was also with Tocchet and Stevens, basically missing their entire top line.