Is Maurice Richard the Greatest Goal Scorer of All Time?

Career

• NHL: 1942-60; 18 seasons, 16 quality
• Totals:
  • 544G (1st All Time at his retirement[1. The career record holder until 1963]),
  • 421A (3rd) for
  • 965P (2nd[2. Richard was the NHL’s career leader in points from 1953-54 until 1959-60]) in 9
  • 78 games (2nd);
  • 125.3 PS (2nd)
• Richard is 13th All Time in GPG[3. At his retirement he was 12th – minimum 500 games] and, at his retirement, he was 19th in PPG[4. Minimum 500 games and also he was 1st All Time briefly during the 1951-52 season]
• At his retirement, Richard was 2nd All Time in Offensive Point Shares[5. Richard was the career leader in Offensive Point Shares from the 1956-57 season to the next season]
• Era: Richard is 1st in Goals, GPG, Points, PPG, OPS, PS and Games, 3rd in Assists and APG[6. Of the 5 players to play in at least 850 games between 1942 and 1960, as only two players played 950 games and only three played in 900 games during that span]
• 82-game average: 46G, 35A for 81P
• 3-year peak (1943-46): 50-game average of 37G, 23A for 60P
• Playoffs:
  • 82G (8th All Time),[7. Richard held the career record in playoff goals from 1947 until 1986]
  • 44A for
  • 126P[8. Richard held the career record in playoff points from 1951 until 1964] in
  • 133 games
  • Richard is currently 4th All Time in playoff GPG[9. Richard held the career playoff GPG record from 1946 until 1956 and again from 1957 until 1981][10. Richard held the career playoff PPG record from 1949 until 1952]
• Adjusted:
  • Hockey Reference:
    • 653G (9th All Time), 576A for 1229P (25th)
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 55G, 48A for 103P
    • If the qualifier is set at 500 games, Richard is 24th All Time in Adjusted PPG[11. If the qualifier is set to 750 games, Richard is 4th All Time]
  • VsX:
• Never traded.

Accomplishments

• Hart (’47)
• Top 5 in Hart voting a further five times (’45, ’50, ’51, ’54, ’55)
• Back Check MVP (’47, ’55)
• Back Check Best Player (’47, ’55)
• Top 5 Player[12. By Point Shares] twice (’45, ’47), Top 10 eleven times (’46, ’48, ’50, ’51, ’53, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
• Best Offensive Player[13. By Offensive Point Shares] thrice (’45, ’47, ’55), Top 5 eleven times (’46, ’48, ’50, ’51 , ’53, ’54, ’56, ’57), Top 10 twelve times (’52)
• Goals:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Set the single-season goal record,[21. The previous record had stood for 36 years, and Richard’s new record stood for over 20 years],
    • led the league in Goals four times,
    • Top 5 seven times,
    • Top 10 thirteen times
  • GPG Leader-boards:
    • Led the league in GPG five times,
    • Top 5 nine times,
    • Top 10 fourteen times
  • Single-season Totals:
    • Scored 50 goals once,[14. Only player to do so at his retirement]
    • scored 45 goals twice,[15. 1 of only 3 payers to do so at his retirement]
    • 40 goals four times,[16. 1 of only 2 players to do so at his retirement]
    • 35 goals seven times,[17. The only player to have done so at his retirement]
    • 30 goals nine times,[18. 1 of only 2 players to do so at his retirement]
    • 25 goals thirteen times,[19. The only player to have done so at his retirement – now 1 of only 21 players to have accomplished the feat]
    • 20 goals fourteen times[20. The only player to have done so at his retirement]
• Assists:
  • Top 10 in Assists four times
  • Top 10 in APG twice
• Points:
  • Top 5 in Points nine times, Top 10 eleven times
  • Led the league in PPG once, Top 5 eleven times, Top 10 twelve times
• 1st Team All Star eight times, 2nd Team six times
• 13 All Star Games
• VsX:
• Playoffs:
  • Led 8 playoff series in Points (t-9th All Time)
  • Top 3 in Points in 14 playoff series (t-15th All Time)
  • Led 31% of his career playoff series in Points (t-10th All Time)
  • Top 3 in Points in 54% of his career playoffs series (t-18th All Time)

Great Teams

• NHL:
  • Best Skater[22. Led the playoffs in goals and points] on two Runners Up (’47, ’51 Canadiens),
  • Best Skater[23. Led the playoffs in goals] on one Champion (’58 Canadiens),
  • Best Skater[24. By points] on one Final Four (’45 Canadiens),
  • Top 3 Forward[25. Led the playoffs in goals] on two Champions (’44, ’46 Canadiens),
  • Top 3 Forward[26. By points] on three Champions (’53, ’56, ’57 Canadiens), one Runner Up (’52 Canadiens) and one Final Four (’50 Canadiens),
  • Top 6 Forward[27. By points] on one Champion (’60 Canadiens), one Runner Up (’54 Canadiens) and one Final Four (’49 Canadiens),
  • Injured on one Champion (’59 Canadiens)

Richard was the greatest goal scorer the league had ever seen by some metrics – most famously “50 goals in 50 games.”