Howie Morenz

Career

• NHL: 1923-1937; 14 seasons, all quality
• Totals:
  • 271G (2nd All Time at his career-ending injury),
  • 201A (2nd) for
  • 472P (1st) in
  • 550 games (4th);
  • 100.8 PS (2nd)
• Morenz was the career leader in goals at the end of the 1933-34 season[1. However, Morenz relinquished the career lead during his final season]
• Morenz became the career leader in points during the 1931-32 season[2. Morenz held the record until the 1938-39 season]
• At his career-ending injury, Morenz was 13th All Time in GPG, 12th in APG and 9th in PPG, if the qualifier is set to 82 games[3. i.e. The qualifier is low enough to include a player like Newsy Lalonde. However, if the qualifier is raised to 300 games (slightly less than 7 seasons in the ’30s NHL), Morenz was 4th in GPG, 7th in APG and 3rd in PPG at his retirement. With modern qualifiers, Morenz is 25th All Time in GPG]
• At his career-ending injury, Morenz was the career leader in Offensive Point Shares
• Era: Morenz is 2nd in Goals, GPG, Assists, APG and PS, 1st in Points, PPG and OPS, and 4th in Games[4. 14 players played in at least 500 games between 1923 and 1937]
• 82-game average: 40G, 30A for 71P
• 3-year peak (1929-32): 44-game average of 31G, 20A for 51P
• Playoffs: 13G, 9A for 22P in 39 games
• Adjusted:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 501G, 728A for 1229P
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 75G, 109A for 183P
    • Morenz is 7th All Time in Adjusted PPG with an 82-game qualifier[5. If the qualifier is raised to 500 games, Morenz is 1st All Time]
  • VsX:
• Never traded.

Accomplishments

• Hart (’28, ’31, ’32)
• Top 5 in Hart voting a further one time (’25)
• Back Check MVP (’28, ’29, ’32)
• Back Check Best Player (’28, ’32)
• Best Player[6. By Point Shares] once (’28), Top 5 four times (’25, ’27, ’29, ’31), Top 10 seven times (’26, ’30, ’32)
• Set the single season record in PS[7. The record lasted until 1950-51]
• Best Offensive Player[8. By Offensive Point Shares] twice (’28, ’31), Top 5 eight times (’25, ’26, ’27, ’29, ’30, ’32), Top 10 nine times (’24)
• Set the single season record in OPS in 1927-28[9. The record lasted until 1970-71]
• Goals:
  • Single-Season totals:
    • Scored 40 Goals once,[10. 1 of only 4 players to do so at his retirement]
    • 30 goals twice,[11. 1 of only 8 players to do so at his retirement]
    • 25 goals five times,[12. 1 of only 6 players to do so at his retirement]
    • 20 goals seven times[13. 1 of only 3 players players to do so at his retirement]
• Scored 50 points thrice[14. NHL record at his retirement]
• Set the single season record for points in a season in 1927-28[15. But Morenz lost it two seasons later]
• Led the league in Goals once, Top 5 eight times, Top 10 nine times
• Led the league in GPG once, Top 5 seven times, Top 10 nine times
• Tied the single season record for Assists the season he led the league, Top 5 four times, Top 10 seven times
• Led the league in APG once, Top 5 four times, Top 10 five times
• Led the league in Points twice, Top 5 seven times, Top 10 ten times
• Led the league in PPG twice, Top 5 five times, Top 10 eight times
• 1st All Star Team twice, 2nd once
• Playoffs:
  • Led 5 playoff series in Points (t-22nd All Time and the most of any pre-O6 player)
  • Led 28% of career playoff series in Points (t-18th All Time and the most of any pre-O6 player)

Great Teams

• NHL:
  • Best Skater[17. Led the NHL playoffs in Goals, Assists, Points] on one Stanley Cup Champion (’24 Canadiens),
  • Best Forward[18. Led the NHL playoffs in Goals] on one NHL Cup Champion (’25 Canadiens),[19. The only time an NHL team lost the Stanley Cup final to a team from another league]
  • Top 3 Forward[20. By points] on one NHL/Stanley Cup Champion (’30 Canadiens) and one Final Four (’27 Canadiens),
  • Top 6 Forward[21. Led the playoffs in Assists] on one Champion (’31 Canadiens),
  • Top 6 Forward[22. By Points] on one Final Four (’32 Canadiens),
  • Unknown role on two Final Fours (’28, ’29 Canadiens)

Morenz may be the Greatest Of All Time prior to the Original Six Era, if you believe that Newsy Lalonde didn’t play enough to qualify. The only other contender at forward is Nels Stewart.