With 734 wins, Head Coach Barry Trotz is in sole possession of #6 on the all-time winningest NHL coaches list.
1 - Scotty Bowman - 1244 W in 2141 GC +510
2 - Joel Quenneville - 868 W in 1572 GC +134
3 - Ken Hitchcock - 799 W in 1488 GC + 65
4 - Al Arbour - 782 W in 1607 GC + 48
5 - Lindy Ruff - 736 W in 1493 GC + 2
6 - Barry Trotz - 734 W in 1476 GC
Next Up: Lindy Ruff, who is no longer coaching.
Monday, December 18, 2017
[18-DEC-2017] #OviWatch on many counts...
After some thought, the Weagle tallyboard has been redesigned.
I'll be using the big Weagles to represent 100 goals, the medium-sized to represent 25 goals, and the small to represent 1 goal each. The graphic shows Ovi has 581 goals in 955 games played, putting him in sole possession of 20th overall in goals scored.
Next up, Jari Kurri has 601 goals in 1251 games played.
01 - Wayne Gretzky - 894 G in 1487 GP +313
02 - Gordie Howe - 801 G in 1767 GP +220
03 - Jaromir Jagr - 765 G in 1714 GP +184
04 - Brett Hull - 741 G in 1269 GP +160
05 - Marcel Dionne - 731 G in 1348 GP +150
06 - Phil Esposito - 717 G in 1282 GP +136
07 - Mike Gartner - 708 G in 1432 GP +127
08 - Mark Messier - 694 G in 1756 GP +113
09 - Steve Yzerman - 692 G in 1514 GP +111
10 - Mario Lemieux - 690 G in 915 GP +109
11 - Teemu Selanne - 684 G in 1451 GP +103
12 - Luc Robataille - 668 G in 1431 GP + 87
13 - Brendan Shanahan - 656 G in 1524 GP + 75
14 - Dave Andreychuk - 640 G in 1639 GP + 59
15 - Joe Sakic - 625 G in 1378 GP + 45
16 - Jarome Iginla - 625 G in 1554 GP + 45
17 - Bobby Hull - 610 G in 1063 GP + 29
18 - Dino Ciccarelli - 608 G in 1232 GP + 27
19 - Jari Kurri - 601 G in 1251 GP + 20
20 - Alex Ovechkin - 581 G in 955 GP
Jari Kurri was born May 18, 1960 in Helsinki, Finland. The right wing played for six different NHL teams, beginning his career in Edmonton with the Oilers in 1980, and ending it in 1997 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Initially playing for Jokerit in SM-liiga (Finland), from 1977-1980, Kurri signed with the Oilers ffor the 1980-81 season, and played with them until the 1989-90 season, during which time, he and the Oilers won five Stanley Cups (in 1984, 85, 87, 88, and 90). For the 1990-91 season, Kurri played for HC Devils Milano in the Italian Serie A league, then was traded twice in the same day, first from Edmonton to Philadelphia, then, from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Kings, where he again made it to the Stanley Cup finals (losing in five games to the Montreal Canadiens). In 1994-95, he played for Jokerit during the lockout season, then returned to the Kings, was traded to the Rangers as a rental player, then signed with the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996-97) before signing with the Colorado Avalanche (1997-98) where he finished his career. Kurri is now the general manager of Jokerit, the Finnish KHL team.
It will take Ovi another 20 goals to pass Kurri's record...
Meanwhile, also on #OviWatch, in the Game Winning Goals category, Ovi currently has 99, placing him in sole possession of 9th place.
01 - Jaromir Jagr - 135 GWG in 1730 GP
02 - Gordie Howe - 121 GWG in 1767 GP
03 - Phil Esposito - 118 GWG in 1282 GP
04 - Teemu Selanne - 110 GWG in 1451 GP
05 - Brett Hull - 110 GWG in 1269 GP
06 - Brendan Shanahan - 109 GWG in 1254 GP
07 - Patrick Marleau - 103 GWG in 1527 GP
08 - Jarome Iginla - 101 GWG in 1554 GP
09 - Alex Ovechkin - 99 GWG in 955 GP
Next up is Jarome Iginla, who retired after the 2016-17 season after playing for Colorado and Los Angeles. He is a part owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, holding a minor share of the franchise with Shane Doan, Mark Recchi, and Darryl Sydor.
With 21 OT GWGs, Ovechkin is in sole possession of #1 in that category, surpassing Jagr's 19 earlier this season.
I'll be using the big Weagles to represent 100 goals, the medium-sized to represent 25 goals, and the small to represent 1 goal each. The graphic shows Ovi has 581 goals in 955 games played, putting him in sole possession of 20th overall in goals scored.
Next up, Jari Kurri has 601 goals in 1251 games played.
01 - Wayne Gretzky - 894 G in 1487 GP +313
02 - Gordie Howe - 801 G in 1767 GP +220
03 - Jaromir Jagr - 765 G in 1714 GP +184
04 - Brett Hull - 741 G in 1269 GP +160
05 - Marcel Dionne - 731 G in 1348 GP +150
06 - Phil Esposito - 717 G in 1282 GP +136
07 - Mike Gartner - 708 G in 1432 GP +127
08 - Mark Messier - 694 G in 1756 GP +113
09 - Steve Yzerman - 692 G in 1514 GP +111
10 - Mario Lemieux - 690 G in 915 GP +109
11 - Teemu Selanne - 684 G in 1451 GP +103
12 - Luc Robataille - 668 G in 1431 GP + 87
13 - Brendan Shanahan - 656 G in 1524 GP + 75
14 - Dave Andreychuk - 640 G in 1639 GP + 59
15 - Joe Sakic - 625 G in 1378 GP + 45
16 - Jarome Iginla - 625 G in 1554 GP + 45
17 - Bobby Hull - 610 G in 1063 GP + 29
18 - Dino Ciccarelli - 608 G in 1232 GP + 27
19 - Jari Kurri - 601 G in 1251 GP + 20
20 - Alex Ovechkin - 581 G in 955 GP
Jari Kurri was born May 18, 1960 in Helsinki, Finland. The right wing played for six different NHL teams, beginning his career in Edmonton with the Oilers in 1980, and ending it in 1997 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Initially playing for Jokerit in SM-liiga (Finland), from 1977-1980, Kurri signed with the Oilers ffor the 1980-81 season, and played with them until the 1989-90 season, during which time, he and the Oilers won five Stanley Cups (in 1984, 85, 87, 88, and 90). For the 1990-91 season, Kurri played for HC Devils Milano in the Italian Serie A league, then was traded twice in the same day, first from Edmonton to Philadelphia, then, from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Kings, where he again made it to the Stanley Cup finals (losing in five games to the Montreal Canadiens). In 1994-95, he played for Jokerit during the lockout season, then returned to the Kings, was traded to the Rangers as a rental player, then signed with the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996-97) before signing with the Colorado Avalanche (1997-98) where he finished his career. Kurri is now the general manager of Jokerit, the Finnish KHL team.
It will take Ovi another 20 goals to pass Kurri's record...
Meanwhile, also on #OviWatch, in the Game Winning Goals category, Ovi currently has 99, placing him in sole possession of 9th place.
01 - Jaromir Jagr - 135 GWG in 1730 GP
02 - Gordie Howe - 121 GWG in 1767 GP
03 - Phil Esposito - 118 GWG in 1282 GP
04 - Teemu Selanne - 110 GWG in 1451 GP
05 - Brett Hull - 110 GWG in 1269 GP
06 - Brendan Shanahan - 109 GWG in 1254 GP
07 - Patrick Marleau - 103 GWG in 1527 GP
08 - Jarome Iginla - 101 GWG in 1554 GP
09 - Alex Ovechkin - 99 GWG in 955 GP
Next up is Jarome Iginla, who retired after the 2016-17 season after playing for Colorado and Los Angeles. He is a part owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, holding a minor share of the franchise with Shane Doan, Mark Recchi, and Darryl Sydor.
With 21 OT GWGs, Ovechkin is in sole possession of #1 in that category, surpassing Jagr's 19 earlier this season.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
[8-Nov-2017] #OviWatch
01 - Wayne Gretzky - 894 G in 1487 GP +323
02 - Gordie Howe - 801 G in 1767 GP +230
03 - Jaromir Jagr - 765 G in 1714 GP +194
04 - Brett Hull - 741 G in 1269 GP +170
05 - Marcel Dionne - 731 G in 1348 GP +160
06 - Phil Esposito - 717 G in 1282 GP +146
07 - Mike Gartner - 708 G in 1432 GP +137
08 - Mark Messier - 694 G in 1756 GP +123
09 - Steve Yzerman - 692 G in 1514 GP +121
10 - Mario Lemieux - 690 G in 915 GP +119
11 - Teemu Selanne - 684 G in 1451 GP +113
12 - Luc Robataille - 668 G in 1431 GP + 97
13 - Brendan Shanahan - 656 G in 1524 GP + 85
14 - Dave Andreychuk - 640 G in 1639 GP + 69
15 - Joe Sakic - 625 G in 1378 GP + 55
16 - Jarome Iginla - 625 G in 1554 GP + 55
17 - Bobby Hull - 610 G in 1063 GP + 39
18 - Dino Ciccarelli - 608 G in 1232 GP + 37
19 - Jari Kurri - 601 G in 1251 GP + 30
20 - Mark Recchi - 577 G in 1652 GP + 6
21 - Mike Bossy - 573 G in 752 GP + 2
22 - Alex Ovechkin - 571 G in 937 GP
After starting October with a bang, and being the first player in 100 years to score a hat trick in the first two games of the season - and 100 years ago, there were a lot fewer teams, and goalies didn't wear masks! - Ovi slowed down a bit, so he is now sitting at 571 goals in 937 games played, and is creeping up on Mike Bossy.
Mike Bossy, the former New York Islander, player for the Isles from 1977-78 through 1986-87. In the 752 games that he played, Bossy scored 573 goals. He remains, along with Mario Lemieux, one of two players in the top 22 that reached their goal mark in fewer games than Ovi has currently played.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Bossy was born January 22, 1957. He was drafted 15th overall in the 1977 draft, and began his career with the Islanders that season. He scored 50 goals in 50 games in 1980-81, becoming the second of only five players, after Maurice Richard (1944-45), to do so*.
Bossy never engaged in fighting on the ice; he is known, however, for a goal scored in the 1982 Stanley Cup finals...
The ability to score goals in wild positions of contortion is something Bossy and Ovi have in common.
------------
571 goals... that's a lot of Weagles!
*Wayne Gretzky (894 goals in 1487 games played) would repeat the feat three times, in 1981-82, 1983-84, and 1984-85. Mario Lemieux (690 goals in 915 games played) did it in 1988-89, and Brett Hull (741 goals in 1269 games played) did so in 1990-91, and 1991-92. Ovi has 13 goals in 16 games played this year, and is scoring on 16.7% of his shots. If he takes 78 shots in 16 games, that averages 4.875 shots per game. If he continues at that rate, he will have taken 243.75 shots in 50 games. That will put our hero at 40.7 goals in 50 games, short of the "50 in 50" mark, in an era where fewer goals are scored, so the odds of him actually accomplishing that feat are slim... very slim.
02 - Gordie Howe - 801 G in 1767 GP +230
03 - Jaromir Jagr - 765 G in 1714 GP +194
04 - Brett Hull - 741 G in 1269 GP +170
05 - Marcel Dionne - 731 G in 1348 GP +160
06 - Phil Esposito - 717 G in 1282 GP +146
07 - Mike Gartner - 708 G in 1432 GP +137
08 - Mark Messier - 694 G in 1756 GP +123
09 - Steve Yzerman - 692 G in 1514 GP +121
10 - Mario Lemieux - 690 G in 915 GP +119
11 - Teemu Selanne - 684 G in 1451 GP +113
12 - Luc Robataille - 668 G in 1431 GP + 97
13 - Brendan Shanahan - 656 G in 1524 GP + 85
14 - Dave Andreychuk - 640 G in 1639 GP + 69
15 - Joe Sakic - 625 G in 1378 GP + 55
16 - Jarome Iginla - 625 G in 1554 GP + 55
17 - Bobby Hull - 610 G in 1063 GP + 39
18 - Dino Ciccarelli - 608 G in 1232 GP + 37
19 - Jari Kurri - 601 G in 1251 GP + 30
20 - Mark Recchi - 577 G in 1652 GP + 6
21 - Mike Bossy - 573 G in 752 GP + 2
22 - Alex Ovechkin - 571 G in 937 GP
After starting October with a bang, and being the first player in 100 years to score a hat trick in the first two games of the season - and 100 years ago, there were a lot fewer teams, and goalies didn't wear masks! - Ovi slowed down a bit, so he is now sitting at 571 goals in 937 games played, and is creeping up on Mike Bossy.
Mike Bossy, the former New York Islander, player for the Isles from 1977-78 through 1986-87. In the 752 games that he played, Bossy scored 573 goals. He remains, along with Mario Lemieux, one of two players in the top 22 that reached their goal mark in fewer games than Ovi has currently played.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Bossy was born January 22, 1957. He was drafted 15th overall in the 1977 draft, and began his career with the Islanders that season. He scored 50 goals in 50 games in 1980-81, becoming the second of only five players, after Maurice Richard (1944-45), to do so*.
Bossy never engaged in fighting on the ice; he is known, however, for a goal scored in the 1982 Stanley Cup finals...
The ability to score goals in wild positions of contortion is something Bossy and Ovi have in common.
------------
571 goals... that's a lot of Weagles!
*Wayne Gretzky (894 goals in 1487 games played) would repeat the feat three times, in 1981-82, 1983-84, and 1984-85. Mario Lemieux (690 goals in 915 games played) did it in 1988-89, and Brett Hull (741 goals in 1269 games played) did so in 1990-91, and 1991-92. Ovi has 13 goals in 16 games played this year, and is scoring on 16.7% of his shots. If he takes 78 shots in 16 games, that averages 4.875 shots per game. If he continues at that rate, he will have taken 243.75 shots in 50 games. That will put our hero at 40.7 goals in 50 games, short of the "50 in 50" mark, in an era where fewer goals are scored, so the odds of him actually accomplishing that feat are slim... very slim.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
[17-OCT-2017] And the hats flew... redux
Our Hero Alex Ovechkin has scored not one, but two hat tricks so far to start the 2017-18 season. Two. In the first two games of the season. The last time someone did that, the number of teams was far fewer - it was 100 years ago.
Sitting pretty on top of the goal scoring race, Ovi now has 9 goals in 6 games played. Now with 567 goals, he is sitting 22nd all time! While he's unlikely to continue that torrid pace (123 goals in a single season?!), it'll be fun to watch...
Here's the route to the top...
01 - Wayne Gretzky - 894 G in 1487 GP +327
02 - Gordie Howe - 801 G in 1767 GP +234
03 - Jaromir Jagr - 765 G in 1714 GP +198
04 - Brett Hull - 741 G in 1269 GP +174
05 - Marcel Dionne - 731 G in 1348 GP +164
06 - Phil Esposito - 717 G in 1282 GP +150
07 - Mike Gartner - 708 G in 1432 GP +141
08 - Mark Messier - 694 G in 1756 GP +127
09 - Steve Yzerman - 692 G in 1514 GP +125
10 - Mario Lemieux - 690 G in 915 GP +123
11 - Teemu Selanne - 684 G in 1451 GP +117
12 - Luc Robataille - 668 G in 1431 GP +101
13 - Brendan Shanahan - 656 G in 1524 GP + 89
14 - Dave Andreychuk - 640 G in 1639 GP + 73
15 - Joe Sakic - 625 G in 1378 GP + 58
16 - Jarome Iginla - 625 G in 1554 GP + 59
17 - Bobby Hull - 610 G in 1063 GP + 43
18 - Dino Ciccarelli - 608 G in 1232 GP + 41
19 - Jari Kurri - 601 G in 1251 GP + 34
20 - Mark Recchi - 577 G in 1652 GP + 10
21 - Mike Bossy - 573 G in 752 GP + 6
22 - Alex Ovechkin - 567 G in 927 GP
Let's talk about game-winning goals...
Ovi currently has 95 of those, and the #1 spot is 135, held by Jaromir Jagr. Gretzky himself only had 91. Ovi sits in 12th right now. Of course, Jagr is still playing... how much longer remains to be seen.
Power play goals...
At the moment, Ovi has 214 of those, sitting 13th... the record is held by Dave Andreychuk, with 274.
Overtime goals...
Ovi is tied, for now, for 1st with Jagr - both of them have 19 of those beauties! Of course, a lot of the major goal scorers played in an era when ties happened, so there weren't any overtime goals, but still....!
Here's to the start of the 2107-18 season, and may the Caps improve considerably as a team... Ovi plays well when he has to pick the team up and carry them, but if the defense doesn't get their act together, it's going to be a very long season...
Sitting pretty on top of the goal scoring race, Ovi now has 9 goals in 6 games played. Now with 567 goals, he is sitting 22nd all time! While he's unlikely to continue that torrid pace (123 goals in a single season?!), it'll be fun to watch...
Here's the route to the top...
01 - Wayne Gretzky - 894 G in 1487 GP +327
02 - Gordie Howe - 801 G in 1767 GP +234
03 - Jaromir Jagr - 765 G in 1714 GP +198
04 - Brett Hull - 741 G in 1269 GP +174
05 - Marcel Dionne - 731 G in 1348 GP +164
06 - Phil Esposito - 717 G in 1282 GP +150
07 - Mike Gartner - 708 G in 1432 GP +141
08 - Mark Messier - 694 G in 1756 GP +127
09 - Steve Yzerman - 692 G in 1514 GP +125
10 - Mario Lemieux - 690 G in 915 GP +123
11 - Teemu Selanne - 684 G in 1451 GP +117
12 - Luc Robataille - 668 G in 1431 GP +101
13 - Brendan Shanahan - 656 G in 1524 GP + 89
14 - Dave Andreychuk - 640 G in 1639 GP + 73
15 - Joe Sakic - 625 G in 1378 GP + 58
16 - Jarome Iginla - 625 G in 1554 GP + 59
17 - Bobby Hull - 610 G in 1063 GP + 43
18 - Dino Ciccarelli - 608 G in 1232 GP + 41
19 - Jari Kurri - 601 G in 1251 GP + 34
20 - Mark Recchi - 577 G in 1652 GP + 10
21 - Mike Bossy - 573 G in 752 GP + 6
22 - Alex Ovechkin - 567 G in 927 GP
Let's talk about game-winning goals...
Ovi currently has 95 of those, and the #1 spot is 135, held by Jaromir Jagr. Gretzky himself only had 91. Ovi sits in 12th right now. Of course, Jagr is still playing... how much longer remains to be seen.
Power play goals...
At the moment, Ovi has 214 of those, sitting 13th... the record is held by Dave Andreychuk, with 274.
Overtime goals...
Ovi is tied, for now, for 1st with Jagr - both of them have 19 of those beauties! Of course, a lot of the major goal scorers played in an era when ties happened, so there weren't any overtime goals, but still....!
Here's to the start of the 2107-18 season, and may the Caps improve considerably as a team... Ovi plays well when he has to pick the team up and carry them, but if the defense doesn't get their act together, it's going to be a very long season...
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
[29-MAR-2017] And the hats flew...
Last night, in a 5-4 overtime victory against the Minnesota Wild, our hero, Alex Ovechkin, scored three power play goals, sending hats flying to the ice, and bringing his total for the season to 33 and his career total to 558, good for 26th in the League. Next up, Guy Lafleur and 560 goals.
With 7 games remaining in the season, Ovi might reach the 40 goal plateau, if he continues to heat up, but it is exceeeeeeeedingly unlikely he will hit 50. How unlikely? 2.428 goals per game through the end of the season unlikely. He'll need one goal per game to hit 40. As an exercise in driving myself nuts with charts, here's Ovi's goal production lined up with Jägr's and Richard's. Don't ask me to interpret it; I haven't had that class yet.
With two more goals, our hero will tie Guy Lafleur. Lafleur was born September 20, 1951 in Thurso, Quebec, Canada. He began playing hockey when he was five years old, and played for the Quebec Remparts as a teenager. He was drafted first overall in the 1971 NHL draft by the Montréal Canadiens, and first won the Stanley Cup with them in the 1972-73 season; he would go on to win four more Cups with the Habs, including all four of their streak that went from 1975-76 through 1978-79. He retired during the 1984-85 season after being refused a trade, but returned after his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and would play in three additional seasons beginning with the 1988-89 season.
In the 1988-89 season, Lafleur played for the New York Rangers; he ended his career two seasons later with the then-Québec Nordiques, for whom he would play in 1989-90 and 1990-91 before finally retiring for good after being selected 20th by the then-Minnesota North Stars in the 1991 expansion draft. Lafleur now runs a helicopter rental company based in Montreal. Although he has more goals overall than Maurice Richard, Richard scored all of his goals for the Montréal Canadiens, and holds the top team honors there.
If Ovi scores 7 more goals this season, it will put him right at 40 goals for the year, which is enough to put him at #22 overall, ahead of Mike Modano (24th with 561 goals); Joe Nieuwendyk, and Mats Sundin (tied for 22 with 564 goals). 565 goals career is still a respectable total, and I will continue to discuss the possibility of him surpassing Gretzky's 894 until he retires.
894-565=329. If Ovi plays as long as Jägr (who is still playing after 24 seasons in the NHL, and has not made noises about retiring yet), and scores the same number of goals per season Jägr did, he would have 817 goals. Jägr did not play in the NHL in 2004-05 (lockout), nor did he play from 2008-09 through 2010-11 when he was playing internationally. If Ovi scores 20 goals in each of the four missing Jägr-age-equivalent seasons, his total rises to 897, which beats Gretzky. But he'd have to play until he's 45 years old to do it.
Do I realistically believe that Ovi will play as long as Jägr? No. Ovi himself has said he doesn't intend to play that long. There are a couple of anomalous seasons in Jägr's career - who expected him to score 54 goals at age 37? But he still has not shown the "drop off the cliff" steady decline that writers seem to expect - just last season, he scored 27 goals at age 44!
But don't despair - if anyone in the NHL can beat the Gretzky record, it's our hero. Alex Ovechkin remains the best goal-scorer of his generation. This season has been disappointing. given he's going to miss my predictions by a fairly wide margin, but I'm not giving up hope. I'm a Cubs fan; we know all about patience!
Enough about Ovi.
Let's talk about Barry Trotz!
With 708 career wins, Trotz is sitting in 6th place all-time, behind:
1. Scotty Bowman.........1244 wins in 2141 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......849 wins in 1519 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1454 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............733 wins in 1474 games
6. Barry Trotz............708 wins in 1435 games
Only Lindy Ruff (733 wins) and Joel Quenneville (849 wins) are still active of the top five coaches of all time. And that's pretty damned amazing.
Nicklas Bäckström has 724 career points (82 this season!). That's with seven games remaining in the season! He is currently tied with Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby for second in the league behind league leader Connor McDavid (89 points in 76 games). That puts Nicky at 209th overall in points. If he gets 7 more points, he will have 731 career points, which will put him ahead of Anze Kopitar and just behind Andrew Cassels (202nd and 201st all time respectively). To make it onto page 4 (151-200), he needs a total of 734 points, just 10 points in 7 games, to surpass Andrew Burmette (and my expectations for the year). Up next: Bob Nevin and Kevin Stevens.
#205....Bob Nevin..............726 P.....1128 GP.....1957-1976
#206....Kevin Stevens..........726 P......874 GP.....1987-2002
Our HoltBEAST is still #1 in shutouts (8), #2 in GAA (2.04), #2 in wins (40 to Bobrovsky's 41), and #3 in Save percentage (.926). Sergei Bobrovsky leads in the other three categories, and is second to Holtby in shutouts, tied with Cam Talbot and Peter Budaj at 7.
With 7 games remaining in the season, Ovi might reach the 40 goal plateau, if he continues to heat up, but it is exceeeeeeeedingly unlikely he will hit 50. How unlikely? 2.428 goals per game through the end of the season unlikely. He'll need one goal per game to hit 40. As an exercise in driving myself nuts with charts, here's Ovi's goal production lined up with Jägr's and Richard's. Don't ask me to interpret it; I haven't had that class yet.
With two more goals, our hero will tie Guy Lafleur. Lafleur was born September 20, 1951 in Thurso, Quebec, Canada. He began playing hockey when he was five years old, and played for the Quebec Remparts as a teenager. He was drafted first overall in the 1971 NHL draft by the Montréal Canadiens, and first won the Stanley Cup with them in the 1972-73 season; he would go on to win four more Cups with the Habs, including all four of their streak that went from 1975-76 through 1978-79. He retired during the 1984-85 season after being refused a trade, but returned after his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame and would play in three additional seasons beginning with the 1988-89 season.
In the 1988-89 season, Lafleur played for the New York Rangers; he ended his career two seasons later with the then-Québec Nordiques, for whom he would play in 1989-90 and 1990-91 before finally retiring for good after being selected 20th by the then-Minnesota North Stars in the 1991 expansion draft. Lafleur now runs a helicopter rental company based in Montreal. Although he has more goals overall than Maurice Richard, Richard scored all of his goals for the Montréal Canadiens, and holds the top team honors there.
If Ovi scores 7 more goals this season, it will put him right at 40 goals for the year, which is enough to put him at #22 overall, ahead of Mike Modano (24th with 561 goals); Joe Nieuwendyk, and Mats Sundin (tied for 22 with 564 goals). 565 goals career is still a respectable total, and I will continue to discuss the possibility of him surpassing Gretzky's 894 until he retires.
894-565=329. If Ovi plays as long as Jägr (who is still playing after 24 seasons in the NHL, and has not made noises about retiring yet), and scores the same number of goals per season Jägr did, he would have 817 goals. Jägr did not play in the NHL in 2004-05 (lockout), nor did he play from 2008-09 through 2010-11 when he was playing internationally. If Ovi scores 20 goals in each of the four missing Jägr-age-equivalent seasons, his total rises to 897, which beats Gretzky. But he'd have to play until he's 45 years old to do it.
Do I realistically believe that Ovi will play as long as Jägr? No. Ovi himself has said he doesn't intend to play that long. There are a couple of anomalous seasons in Jägr's career - who expected him to score 54 goals at age 37? But he still has not shown the "drop off the cliff" steady decline that writers seem to expect - just last season, he scored 27 goals at age 44!
But don't despair - if anyone in the NHL can beat the Gretzky record, it's our hero. Alex Ovechkin remains the best goal-scorer of his generation. This season has been disappointing. given he's going to miss my predictions by a fairly wide margin, but I'm not giving up hope. I'm a Cubs fan; we know all about patience!
Enough about Ovi.
Let's talk about Barry Trotz!
With 708 career wins, Trotz is sitting in 6th place all-time, behind:
1. Scotty Bowman.........1244 wins in 2141 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......849 wins in 1519 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1454 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............733 wins in 1474 games
6. Barry Trotz............708 wins in 1435 games
Only Lindy Ruff (733 wins) and Joel Quenneville (849 wins) are still active of the top five coaches of all time. And that's pretty damned amazing.
Nicklas Bäckström has 724 career points (82 this season!). That's with seven games remaining in the season! He is currently tied with Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby for second in the league behind league leader Connor McDavid (89 points in 76 games). That puts Nicky at 209th overall in points. If he gets 7 more points, he will have 731 career points, which will put him ahead of Anze Kopitar and just behind Andrew Cassels (202nd and 201st all time respectively). To make it onto page 4 (151-200), he needs a total of 734 points, just 10 points in 7 games, to surpass Andrew Burmette (and my expectations for the year). Up next: Bob Nevin and Kevin Stevens.
#205....Bob Nevin..............726 P.....1128 GP.....1957-1976
#206....Kevin Stevens..........726 P......874 GP.....1987-2002
Our HoltBEAST is still #1 in shutouts (8), #2 in GAA (2.04), #2 in wins (40 to Bobrovsky's 41), and #3 in Save percentage (.926). Sergei Bobrovsky leads in the other three categories, and is second to Holtby in shutouts, tied with Cam Talbot and Peter Budaj at 7.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Magic Number, Tragic Number... the 2017 Playoffs Approach!
Aiee! With 19 games left until the playoffs begin, our Capitals need 28 points to clinch a playoff berth.
With 34 points, they clinch the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference.
With 36 points, they clinch their second consecutive and third total President's Trophy for the best regular season record in the National Hockey League.
I hope their Ovi Conservation Routine(tm) pays off BIG TIME in the playoffs!!!
Last night's dance with the Devils was completely boring... 1-0, though, giving HoltBEAST sole possession of the shutout leader board, with 8.
He also leads in Goals Against Average (1.91), is in 4th place in Save Percentage (.930), and in second place for wins (33).
Meanwhile, Our Hero, Alex Ovechkin, has dropped out of the top 10 in goals (although he is tied with Kane and Burns (9 and 10 respectively) with 27 goals). Crosby is still having a flipping amazing year, with 34 goals in 56 games. Let's hope he wears out before the playoffs, because he is en fuego!
Do I still believe Ovi can catch him? Hell yes! Do I believe it's a priority for him, or for the team? Not so much. Secondary scoring is helping to carry the team to an excellent record, with a goal differential of +74, fully 13 points ahead of the Minnesota Wild, and unspeakably ahead of the poor Colorado Avalanche, who, in the basement of the league, are at an astonishing -83 with 20 games to play. UGH! Poor Colorado! They really need some good defense.
And Nicky Backstrom is in second place for assists, with 45 (behind Connor McDavid, at 51).
With 34 points, they clinch the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference.
With 36 points, they clinch their second consecutive and third total President's Trophy for the best regular season record in the National Hockey League.
I hope their Ovi Conservation Routine(tm) pays off BIG TIME in the playoffs!!!
Last night's dance with the Devils was completely boring... 1-0, though, giving HoltBEAST sole possession of the shutout leader board, with 8.
He also leads in Goals Against Average (1.91), is in 4th place in Save Percentage (.930), and in second place for wins (33).
Meanwhile, Our Hero, Alex Ovechkin, has dropped out of the top 10 in goals (although he is tied with Kane and Burns (9 and 10 respectively) with 27 goals). Crosby is still having a flipping amazing year, with 34 goals in 56 games. Let's hope he wears out before the playoffs, because he is en fuego!
Do I still believe Ovi can catch him? Hell yes! Do I believe it's a priority for him, or for the team? Not so much. Secondary scoring is helping to carry the team to an excellent record, with a goal differential of +74, fully 13 points ahead of the Minnesota Wild, and unspeakably ahead of the poor Colorado Avalanche, who, in the basement of the league, are at an astonishing -83 with 20 games to play. UGH! Poor Colorado! They really need some good defense.
And Nicky Backstrom is in second place for assists, with 45 (behind Connor McDavid, at 51).
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
#TrotzWatch - 700! #NickyWatch - 706!
Head Coach Barry Trotz has become the 6th coach in NHL history with 700 career wins! S/T to HockeyReference.com for the stats!
1. Scotty Bowman.........1244 wins in 2141 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......840 wins in 1519 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1454 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............727 wins in 1474 games
6. Barry Trotz............700 wins in 1422 games
Nicklas Bäckström has 706 career points! That is good for 220th all-time in the points leaderboard, tied with Marc Savard and Corey Perry (807 and 867 games played respectively). What's truly impressive is that Bäckström has his 706 career points in 714 games played.
#205....Bob Nevin..............726 P.....1128 GP.....1957-1976
#206....Kevin Stevens..........726 P......874 GP.....1987-2002
#207....Dave Babych............723 P.....1195 GP.....1980-1999
#208....Petr Sýkora............721 P.....1017 GP.....1995-2012
#209....Alexei Zhamnov.........719 P......807 GP.....1992-2006
#210....Dave Gagner............719 P......946 GP.....1984-1999
#211....Martin Straka..........717 P......954 GP.....1992-2008
#212....Petr Nedvěd............716 P......982 GP.....1990-2007
#213....Patrick Kane...........716 P......713 GP.....2007-present
#214....Anže Kopitar...........716 P......813 GP.....2006-present
#215....George Armstrong.......713 P.....1187 GP.....1951-1970
#216....Žigmund (Ziggy) Pálffy.713 P......684 GP.....1993-2006
#217....Vic Hadfield...........712 P.....1002 GP.....1961-1977
#218....Charlie Simmer.........711 P......712 GP.....1974-1988
#219....Doug Mohns.............710 P.....1390 GP.....1953-1975
#220....Nicklas Bäckström......706 P......714 GP.....2007-present
#221....Marc Savard............706 P......807 GP.....1997-2011
#222....Corey Perry............706 P......867 GP.....2005-present
#223....Bobby Rousseau.........703 P......942 GP.....1960-1975
#224....Robert Lang............703 P......989 GP.....1992-2010
#225....Rene Robert............702 P......744 GP.....1970-1982
#226....Richard Martin.........701 P......685 GP.....1971-1982
#227....Mel Bridgman...........701 P......977 GP.....1975-1989
#228....Geoff Sanderson........700 P.....1104 GP.....1990-2008
Our Hero, Alex Ovechkin, is stalled... 552 goals in 901 games, he sits at 27th overall, still four goals behind Johnny Bucyk. Reduced ice time and balanced scoring have both contributed to Ovi's slowdown, as has multiple games this season with no shots on goal. At his present rate, he is in 10th place in the league in goals scored this season. If he scores at his current rate (27G in 62 GP), that's one goal every .43 games, for an 82-game rate of 35. Ugh. Let's hope this doesn't foreshadow the dreaded slowdown... I still believe, firmly, that if anyone playing hockey today can break the goalscoring record, it's Ovi. If he can't do it, nobody can.
Many people will say that Rocket Richard trophies mean nothing if you don't have a Stanley Cup, and that is true and valid. Hopefully this year will be the year for the Caps. After all, the Cubs won the World Series, so there is hope for us all... and who knows, maybe Ovi will go on a tear and break 50 anyway, just for spite...
20 games left, needs 23 goals? Sure. Why not?
1. Scotty Bowman.........1244 wins in 2141 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......840 wins in 1519 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1454 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............727 wins in 1474 games
6. Barry Trotz............700 wins in 1422 games
Nicklas Bäckström has 706 career points! That is good for 220th all-time in the points leaderboard, tied with Marc Savard and Corey Perry (807 and 867 games played respectively). What's truly impressive is that Bäckström has his 706 career points in 714 games played.
#205....Bob Nevin..............726 P.....1128 GP.....1957-1976
#206....Kevin Stevens..........726 P......874 GP.....1987-2002
#207....Dave Babych............723 P.....1195 GP.....1980-1999
#208....Petr Sýkora............721 P.....1017 GP.....1995-2012
#209....Alexei Zhamnov.........719 P......807 GP.....1992-2006
#210....Dave Gagner............719 P......946 GP.....1984-1999
#211....Martin Straka..........717 P......954 GP.....1992-2008
#212....Petr Nedvěd............716 P......982 GP.....1990-2007
#213....Patrick Kane...........716 P......713 GP.....2007-present
#214....Anže Kopitar...........716 P......813 GP.....2006-present
#215....George Armstrong.......713 P.....1187 GP.....1951-1970
#216....Žigmund (Ziggy) Pálffy.713 P......684 GP.....1993-2006
#217....Vic Hadfield...........712 P.....1002 GP.....1961-1977
#218....Charlie Simmer.........711 P......712 GP.....1974-1988
#219....Doug Mohns.............710 P.....1390 GP.....1953-1975
#220....Nicklas Bäckström......706 P......714 GP.....2007-present
#221....Marc Savard............706 P......807 GP.....1997-2011
#222....Corey Perry............706 P......867 GP.....2005-present
#223....Bobby Rousseau.........703 P......942 GP.....1960-1975
#224....Robert Lang............703 P......989 GP.....1992-2010
#225....Rene Robert............702 P......744 GP.....1970-1982
#226....Richard Martin.........701 P......685 GP.....1971-1982
#227....Mel Bridgman...........701 P......977 GP.....1975-1989
#228....Geoff Sanderson........700 P.....1104 GP.....1990-2008
Our Hero, Alex Ovechkin, is stalled... 552 goals in 901 games, he sits at 27th overall, still four goals behind Johnny Bucyk. Reduced ice time and balanced scoring have both contributed to Ovi's slowdown, as has multiple games this season with no shots on goal. At his present rate, he is in 10th place in the league in goals scored this season. If he scores at his current rate (27G in 62 GP), that's one goal every .43 games, for an 82-game rate of 35. Ugh. Let's hope this doesn't foreshadow the dreaded slowdown... I still believe, firmly, that if anyone playing hockey today can break the goalscoring record, it's Ovi. If he can't do it, nobody can.
Many people will say that Rocket Richard trophies mean nothing if you don't have a Stanley Cup, and that is true and valid. Hopefully this year will be the year for the Caps. After all, the Cubs won the World Series, so there is hope for us all... and who knows, maybe Ovi will go on a tear and break 50 anyway, just for spite...
20 games left, needs 23 goals? Sure. Why not?
Friday, February 10, 2017
[10-FEB-2017] #NickyWatch... creeping up on 700 career points!
Faithful sidekick Nicklas Bäckström has 699 career points! That puts him at 228th overall, all time. With his next point, he will reach the 700 point plateau. His 699th point came in his 707th game, making him very nearly a point-per-game player, career-long! If we put Bäckström at roughly a point per game, he should finish the season with ~82 points. With 55 games played, if we start with his 642 total from last year and add 82 to that, we get ~724.
There are three active players in the block that Bäckström is currently in: Patrick Kane, Anže Kopitar, and Corey Perry.
#205....Bob Nevin..............726 P.....1128 GP.....1957-1976
#206....Kevin Stevens..........726 P......874 GP.....1987-2002
#207....Dave Babych............723 P.....1195 GP.....1980-1999
#208....Petr Sýkora............721 P.....1017 GP.....1995-2012
#209....Alexei Zhamnov.........719 P......807 GP.....1992-2006
#210....Dave Gagner............719 P......946 GP.....1984-1999
#211....Martin Straka..........717 P......954 GP.....1992-2008
#212....Petr Nedvěd............716 P......982 GP.....1990-2007
#213....Patrick Kane...........716 P......713 GP.....2007-present
#214....Anže Kopitar...........716 P......813 GP.....2006-present
#215....George Armstrong.......713 P.....1187 GP.....1951-1970
#216....Žigmund (Ziggy) Pálffy.713 P......684 GP.....1993-2006
#217....Vic Hadfield...........712 P.....1002 GP.....1961-1977
#218....Charlie Simmer.........711 P......712 GP.....1974-1988
#219....Doug Mohns.............710 P.....1390 GP.....1953-1975
#220....Marc Savard............706 P......807 GP.....1997-2011
#221....Corey Perry............703 P......860 GP.....2005-present
#222....Bobby Rousseau.........703 P......942 GP.....1960-1975
#223....Robert Lang............703 P......989 GP.....1992-2010
#224....Rene Robert............702 P......744 GP.....1970-1982
#225....Richard Martin.........701 P......685 GP.....1971-1982
#226....Mel Bridgman...........701 P......977 GP.....1975-1989
#227....Geoff Sanderson........700 P.....1104 GP.....1990-2008
#228....Nicklas Bäckström......699 P......707 GP.....2007-present
Tomorrow, the bio of Geoff Sanderson...
There are three active players in the block that Bäckström is currently in: Patrick Kane, Anže Kopitar, and Corey Perry.
#205....Bob Nevin..............726 P.....1128 GP.....1957-1976
#206....Kevin Stevens..........726 P......874 GP.....1987-2002
#207....Dave Babych............723 P.....1195 GP.....1980-1999
#208....Petr Sýkora............721 P.....1017 GP.....1995-2012
#209....Alexei Zhamnov.........719 P......807 GP.....1992-2006
#210....Dave Gagner............719 P......946 GP.....1984-1999
#211....Martin Straka..........717 P......954 GP.....1992-2008
#212....Petr Nedvěd............716 P......982 GP.....1990-2007
#213....Patrick Kane...........716 P......713 GP.....2007-present
#214....Anže Kopitar...........716 P......813 GP.....2006-present
#215....George Armstrong.......713 P.....1187 GP.....1951-1970
#216....Žigmund (Ziggy) Pálffy.713 P......684 GP.....1993-2006
#217....Vic Hadfield...........712 P.....1002 GP.....1961-1977
#218....Charlie Simmer.........711 P......712 GP.....1974-1988
#219....Doug Mohns.............710 P.....1390 GP.....1953-1975
#220....Marc Savard............706 P......807 GP.....1997-2011
#221....Corey Perry............703 P......860 GP.....2005-present
#222....Bobby Rousseau.........703 P......942 GP.....1960-1975
#223....Robert Lang............703 P......989 GP.....1992-2010
#224....Rene Robert............702 P......744 GP.....1970-1982
#225....Richard Martin.........701 P......685 GP.....1971-1982
#226....Mel Bridgman...........701 P......977 GP.....1975-1989
#227....Geoff Sanderson........700 P.....1104 GP.....1990-2008
#228....Nicklas Bäckström......699 P......707 GP.....2007-present
Tomorrow, the bio of Geoff Sanderson...
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
[08-FEB-2017] #OviWatch, etc.
Ovi now has 551 goals in 893 games played, creeping up on John Bucyk.
#20.....Mark Recchi..........577 G..........1652 GP.....1988-2011
#21.....Mike Bossy...........573 G...........752 GP.....1977-1987
#22.....Mats Sundin..........564 G..........1346 GP.....1990-2009
#23.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......564 G..........1257 GP.....1986-2007
#24.....Mike Modano..........561 G..........1499 GP.....1989-2011
#25.....Guy Lafleur..........560 G..........1126 GP.....1971-1991
#26.....Johnny Bucyk.........556 G..........1540 GP.....1955-1978
#27.....Alex Ovechkin........551 G...........893 GP.....2005-present
#28.....Ron Francis..........549 G..........1731 GP.....1981-2004
#29.....Michel Goulet........548 G..........1089 GP.....1979-1994
#30.....Maurice Richard......544 G...........978 GP.....1942-1960
#31.....Stan Mikita..........541 G..........1394 GP.....1958-1980
#32.....Keith Tkachuk........538 G..........1201 GP.....1991-2010
Ovi's scoring rate has dropped off a bit, but hopefully it will pick up in the last third of the season (and into the playoffs!)
For Power Play Goals, Ovi is now at 206, creeping up on Keith Tkachuk, whom he passed in goals overall earlier this season.
#01.....Dave Andreychuk......274 PPG........1639 GP.....1982-2006
#02.....Brett Hull...........265 PPG........1269 GP.....1986-2006
#03.....Teemu Selanne........255 PPG........1451 GP.....1992-2014
#04.....Phil Esposito........249 PPG........1282 GP.....1963-1981
#05.....Luc Robataille.......247 PPG........1431 GP.....1986-2006
#06.....Brendan Shanahan.....237 PPG........1524 GP.....1987-2009
#07.....Mario Lemieux........236 PPG.........915 GP.....1984-2006
#08.....Marcel Dionne........234 PPG........1348 GP.....1971-1989
#09.....Dino Ciccarelli......232 PPG........1232 GP.....1980-1999
#10.....Mike Gartner.........217 PPG........1432 GP.....1979-1998
#11.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......215 PPG........1257 GP.....1986-2007
#12.....Jaromir Jagr.........214 PPG........1681 GP.....1990-present
#13.....Keith Tkachuk........212 PPG........1201 GP.....1991-2010
#14.....Alex Ovechkin........206 PPG.........893 GP.....2005-present
#15.....Joe Sakic............205 PPG........1387 GP.....1988-2009
Of the top 15 in Power Play Goals, only Ovi and Jagr are still active players. With 11 PPG in 54 GP, Ovi is scoring at a rate of roughly 0.204/game, meaning he is on pace for 16-17 PPG this season. If he gets 5 more, that will put him at 211, right behind Tkachuk. Jagr has 5 PPG this year, in 52 GP.
With 95 GWG, Ovi is now 10th all time. Here's the list for that.
#01.....Jaromir Jagr........134 GWG........1681 GP.....1990-present
#02.....Phil Esposito.......118 GWG........1282 GP.....1963-1981
#03.....Brett Hull..........110 GWG........1269 GP.....1986-2006
#04.....Teemu Selanne.......110 GWG........1451 GP.....1992-2014
#05.....Brendan Shanahan....109 GWG........1524 GP.....1987-2009
#06.....Patrick Marleau......97 GWG........1465 GP.....1997-present
#07.....Jarome Iginla........97 GWG........1524 GP.....1996-present
#08.....Guy Lafleur..........97 GWG........1126 GP.....1971-1991
#09.....Mats Sundin..........96 GWG........1346 GP.....1990-2009
#10.....Alex Ovechkin........95 GWG.........893 GP.....2005-present
Our Hero is moving up the ranks!
#TrotzWatch
Head Coach Barry Trotz has a record of 694-534-60 in 1413 games played. This puts him 6th on the list. S/T to HockeyReference.com for the stats!
1. Scotty Bowman.........1244 wins in 2141 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......833 wins in 1511 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1454 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............723 wins in 1465 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......833 wins in 1511 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1454 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............723 wins in 1465 games
6. Barry Trotz............695 wins in 1414 games
7. Dick Irvin.............692 wins in 1449 games
8. Pat Quinn..............684 wins in 1400 games
#HoltBEASTWatch
Our HoltBEAST now has a GAA of 1.94, good for first in the league on the season. With 7 shutouts under his belt, he is tied with Peter Budaj (whose team was in turn shut out by the Caps this past week) for first in the league there.
With 27 wins, HoltBEAST sits in 3rd place behind Devan Dubnyk and Sergei Bobrovsky (29 each). With a .930 SV%, Holts is in 3rd place behind Jimmy Howard (.934) and Devan Dubnyk (.933).
Monday, February 6, 2017
[06-FEB-2017] #TrotzWatch
Head Coach Barry Trotz has a record of 694-534-60 in 1413 games played. This puts him 6th on the list.
1. Scotty Bowman.........1244 wins in 2141 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......831 wins in 1508 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1453 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............722 wins in 1461 games
2. Joel Quenneville.......831 wins in 1508 games
3. Al Arbour..............782 wins in 1607 games
4. Ken Hitchcock..........781 wins in 1453 games
5. Lindy Ruff.............722 wins in 1461 games
6. Barry Trotz............694 wins in 1413 games
7. Dick Irvin.............692 wins in 1449 games
8. Pat Quinn..............684 wins in 1400 games
Friday, February 3, 2017
[03-Feb-2017] NHL.com sees Ovi
The NHL has *gasp* noticed they have an elite goal-scorer in Our Hero. It took them long enough! These screen captures are from this clip on NHL.com. :-) Cool stuff!
And here is the video clip of his 550th career goal, his 205th career power play goal, a rocket snipe from his office to beat Bruins goaltender Tuuka Rask.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
[02-02-2017] 550!
#20.....Mark Recchi..........577 G..........1652 GP
#21.....Mike Bossy...........573 G...........752 GP
#22.....Mats Sundin..........564 G..........1346 GP
#23.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......564 G..........1257 GP
#24.....Mike Modano..........561 G..........1499 GP
#25.....Guy Lafleur..........560 G..........1126 GP
#26.....John Bucyk...........556 G..........1540 GP
#27.....Alex Ovechkin........550 G...........890 GP
#28.....Ron Francis..........549 G..........1731 GP
#29.....Michel Goulet........548 G..........1089 GP
#30.....Maurice Richard......544 G...........978 GP
#31.....Stan Mikita..........541 G..........1394 GP
#32.....Keith Tkachuk........538 G..........1201 GP
With the Bucyk bio published yesterday, we'll leave it at that, but... Our Hero has also surpassed the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, with his 205th power play goal. Here's the list (S/T to QuantHockey.com):
#01.....Dave Andreychuk......274 PPG........1639 GP
#02.....Brett Hull...........265 PPG........1269 GP
#03.....Teemu Selänne........255 PPG........1451 GP
#04.....Phil Esposito........249 PPG........1282 GP
#05.....Luc Robataille.......247 PPG........1431 GP
#06.....Brendan Shanahan.....237 PPG........1524 GP
#07.....Mario Lemieux........236 PPG.........915 GP
#08.....Marcel Dionne........234 PPG........1348 GP
#09.....Dino Ciccarelli......232 PPG........1232 GP
#10.....Mike Gartner.........217 PPG........1432 GP
#11.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......215 PPG........1257 GP
#12.....Jaromir Jágr.........214 PPG........1680 GP
#13.....Keith Tkachuk........212 PPG........1201 GP
#14.....Alex Ovechkin........205 PPG.........890 GP
#14.....Joe Sakic............205 PPG........1378 GP
#16.....Wayne Gretzky........204 PPG........1487 GP
He's creeping up on Jágr, who is the only other active player in the top 20 all time for power play goals. With his next PPG, he will surpass Joe Sakic, with whom he is now tied. Saloc, born July 7 1969 in Burnaby, British Columbia, is currently working as the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Colorado Avalanche, the team for which he played his entire career, making the move with the former Quebec Nordiques team when they became the Avalanche in the 1995-96 season.
He began his playing career as a Nordique, in the 1988-89 season, after being drafted 15th overall in the 1987 entry draft. Sakic would miss out on the Calder Memorial Trophy his rookie season due to an ankle injury that halted a torrid first season's scoring pace. He was named sole captain of the Quebec Nordiques in the 1992-93 season, and led the team to the playoffs, a first in six seasons after several bottom of the league/division finishes. When the team relocated to Colorado, Sakic led them to their first Stanley Cup championship, in 1995-96, and was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for that playoff run. His 18 goals fell one short of the NHL record, and his six game winning goals set the new record in that category.
Sakic's later career would be marred by injuries. He retired from the game on July 9, 2009, at the age of 40, and his jersey number (19) was retired by the club on October 1st of that year. Sakic was the first captain of the Avalanche, and remained in that position until he retired. Two years after retirement, he returned to work for the Avalanche's front office. Off the ice, Sakic hosts a yearly charity golf tournament to benefit the Food Bank of the Rockies.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
[01-FEB-2017] #OviWatch - 549 in 889
As of last night's loss to the New York Islanders (wherein Ovi got pulled down behind the net with seconds to go, setting up a lovely empty netter for the victorious cheating Isles), Our Hero has 24 goals in 50 games on the season. That brings him to 549 goals in 889 games, career, tying him with Ron Francis. Next up is John Bucyk.
#20.....Mark Recchi..........577 G..........1652 GP
#21.....Mike Bossy...........573 G...........752 GP
#22.....Mats Sundin..........564 G..........1346 GP
#23.....Joe Nieuwendyk.......564 G..........1257 GP
#24.....Mike Modano..........561 G..........1499 GP
#25.....Guy Lafleur..........560 G..........1126 GP
#26.....John Bucyk...........556 G..........1540 GP
#27.....Alex Ovechkin........549 G...........889 GP
#27.....Ron Francis..........549 G..........1731 GP
#29.....Michel Goulet........548 G..........1089 GP
#30.....Maurice Richard......544 G...........978 GP
#31.....Stan Mikita..........541 G..........1394 GP
#32.....Keith Tkachuk........538 G..........1201 GP
Born May 12, 1935, Bucyk (nicknamed "Chief") is one of the Top 100 NHL Players in History. Bucyk, at left wing, began his NHL career for the 1955-56 Detroit Red Wings, played 6 games in the then-WHL Edmonton Flyers, and returned to the Red Wings for the full 1956-57 season before being traded to the Boston Bruins for goaltender Terry Sawchuk.
Bucyk would play the rest of his career for Boston; he now acts as the team's Ambassador, after serving as the team's director of road services, and has been with the Bruins for 58 consecutive years. FIFTY EIGHT consecutive years! That's longer than this blogger's been alive!
Bucyk's playing career ended after the 1977-78 season with his #9 jersey being retired by the Bruins. He still holds the team record for goals, although his records for points and assists were later surpassed by Ray Bourque.
It will take Ovi another 7 goals to catch Bucyk. At his present rate, .48 goals per game, Ovi is on pace for around 40 goals this season... he will need to step it up to get the 51 I projected for him, but 40 will put him at 565 goals career, just ahead of #22 Mats Sundin. I still think he has the opportunity to step up his scoring pace; if the Caps can keep playing at the level they have been (last night's unfortunate loss notwithstanding), I'm not worried. He'll get there.
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