Joseph Toe Blake

Career

• NHL: 1934-48; 14 seasons, 12 quality
• 235G (7th All Time at his retirement), 292A (2nd) for 527P (3rd) in 577 games (18th); 52.6 PS
• At his retirement, Blake was 3rd All Time in GPG, and 2nd in APG and PPG[1. Minimum 500 games]
• At his retirement, Blake was 19th in Offensive Point Shares
• Era: Blake is 1st in Goals and GPG, 2nd in Assists, APG, Points, PPG, OPS and Games, and 5th in PS[2. Of the 12 players to play in at least 500 games between 1934 and 1948, as only 3 players played in 550 games over that span]
• 82-game average: 34G, 42A for 75P
• 3-year peak: (1942-45): 50-game average of 28G, 39A for 67P
• Playoffs: 25G, 37A[3. Blake was the career leader in playoff assists from 1947 until 1953][4. Blake was the career leader in playoff APG from 1952 to 1957 and again from 1968 until 1971, among all qualifying players] for 62P[5. Blake was the career leader in playoff points from 1946 until 1951][6. Blake was the career leader in playoff PPG from 1946 until 1949 and again from 1952 until 1957, among all qualifying players] in 58 games
• Adjusted: 300G, 440A for 740P
• Adjusted 82-game average: 43G, 63A for 105P
• If the requirement is set to 500 games, Blake is 22nd All Time in Adjusted PPG
• Traded once a the very beginning of his career (Chabot trade is the 8th Greatest Habs Trade of All Time)

Accomplishments

• Hart (’39)
• Lady Byng (’46)
• Top 10 Player[7. By Point Shares] twice (’45, ’46)
• Best Offensive Player[8. By Offensive Point Shares] once (’39), Top 5 thrice (’45, ’46), Top 10 four times (’43)
• Scored 25 goals thrice,[9. 1 of only 13 players to do so at his retirement] 20 goals six times[10. 1 of only 9 players]
• Scored 60 points once, [11. 1 of only 22 players to do so at his retirement] 50 points five times[12. Only player to do so at his retirement]
• Top 5 in Goals thrice, Top 10 five times
• Top 5 in GPG thrice, Top 10 six times
• Top 5 in Assists once, Top 10 seven times
• Top 5 in APG once, Top 10 five times
• Led the league in Points once, Top 5 thrice, Top 10 six times
• Top 5 in PPG thrice, Top 10 five times
• 1st Team All Star thrice, 2nd Team twice.

Great Teams

• Best Skater[13. Tied the single playoff record for assists, tied the single playoff APG record, set the single playoff record for points which was not broken until 1955] on one Champion (’44 Canadiens), Top 3 Forward[14. Led the playoffs in goals] on one Champion (’46 in Canadiens), Top 3 Forward[15. Led the playoffs in assists] on one Runner Up (’47 Canadiens), Top 3 Forward[16. By points] on one Final Four (’43 Canadiens), Top 6 Forward[17. By points] on two Final Fours (’37, ’45 Canadiens), Role Player[18. By points] on one Champion (’35 Maroons)
• Best Skater?[19. By points] on one Memorial Cup Champion (’32 Wolves)

Blake’s reputation as an All Timer rests, I think, at least in part on his playoff performances. And of course the Canadiens mythology never hurt anyone in terms of a HOF case. His regular season career is right with the borderline HOF players of his era, methinks.