Elmer Lach’s Career
- NHL: 1940-54; 14 seasons, 12 quality
- Totals:
- 215G (20th All Time at his retirement),
- 408A (1st – Lach held the career lead in assists from 1951-52 until 1957-58) for
- 623P (2nd – Lach held the career lead in points from 1951-52 until 1953-54) in
- 664 games (8th);
- 61.1 PS (24th)
- Per Game: At his retirement, Lach was
- 23rd All Time in GPG,
- 2nd in APG (only 4 qualifying players…) and
- 5th in PPG
- At his retirement, Lach was 15th All Time in Offensive Point Shares
- Era: Of the 10 players to play in at least 600 games between 1940 and 1954, as only 3 players played in 650 games, Lach is
- 5th in Goals and GPG,
- 1st in Assists and APG,
- 2nd in Points, PPG and Games,
- 3rd in OPS,
- 4th in PS
- 82-game average: 26G, 50A for 77P
- 3-year peak (1942-45): 50-game average of 24G, 50A for 73P
- Playoffs:
- 19G,
- 45A (Lach held the career record for playoff assists from 1952 until 1957)
- 64P in
- 76 games;
- Lach held the career record for playoff APG, among all qualifying players, from 1946 until 1952.
- Adjusted:
- Hockey-Reference:
- 248G, 568A 816P
- Adjusted 82-game: 31G, 70A for 101P
- Per Game: Lach is
- 8th All Time in Adjusted APG and
- 16th in Adjusted PPG
- VsX:
- 351G, 804A, 930P [Stats calculated separately, relative to others, so they don’t add up]
- Per Game: Lach is
- 7th All Time in APG
- 21st All Time in PPG
- Hockey-Reference:
- Never traded.
Elmer Lach’s Accomplishments
- Hart (’45)
- Top 5 in Hart voting a further two times (’48, ’52)
- Back Check MVP (’44, ’45)
- Back Check Best Player (’45, ’48)
- Art Ross (’48)
- Top Player:
- Top 5 Player (by Point Shares) once (’48),
- Top 10 twice (’45)
- Best Offensive Player (by Offensive Point Shares) once (’48),
- Top 5 twice (’45),
- Top 10 three times (’52)
- Goals:
- Leader-boards:
- Top 5 in Goals once,
- Top 10 three times
- GPG leader-boards:
- Top 5 in GPG once,
- Top 10 twice
- Single-season totals:
- Scored 30 goals once,
- 25 goals twice,
- 20 goals four times
- Leader-boards:
- Assists:
- Leader-boards:
- Led the league in Assists three times,
- Top 5 seven times
- APG leader-boards:
- Led the league in APG twice,
- Top 5 seven times
- Single-season totals:
- Tallied 50 assists twice (he only player to do so at his retirement)
- 40 assists four times (1 of only 2 players to do so at his retirement)
- Leader-boards:
- Points:
- Leader-boards:
- Led the league in Points twice,
- Top 5 four times,
- Top 10 six times
- PPG leader-boards:
- Led the league in PPG twice,
- Top 5 five times,
- Top 10 six times
- Single-season totals:
- Scored 80 points once (1 of only 3 players at his retirement)
- 70 points twice ( 1 of only 7 players to do so at his retirement)
- 60 points four times (1 of only 6 players to do so at his retirement)
- 50 points five times (1 of only 13 players to do so at his retirement)
- Leader-boards:
- All Star:
- 1st Team All Star thrice,
- 2nd Team team twice
- 3 All Star Games
- VsX:
- Best 7 Seasons:
- Goals: 180th All Time
- Assists: 10th All Time
- Points: 61st All Time
- Best 10 Seasons:
- Goals: 162nd All Time
- Assists: 19th All Time
- Points: 65th All Time
- Best 7 Seasons:
Elmer Lach’s Great Teams
- NHL:
- Best Player (set the single-playoff record in assists, which held until 1958 and APG, which held the record until 1975, and he also led the playoffs in points) on one Champion (’46 Canadiens),
- Top 3 Forward (set the single-season playoff record for APG, along with Toe Blake) on one Champion (’44 Canadiens)
- Top 3 Forward on one Final Four (et the single playoff record in APG) (’45 Canadiens),
- Top 3 Forward (by points) on one Champion (’53 Canadiens),
- Top 6 Forward (by points) on two Runners Up (’51, ’52 Canadiens) and two Final Fours (’43, ’50 Canadiens),
- Top 9 Forward (by points) on one Runner Up (’54 Canadiens),
- Injured on one Final Four (’49 Canadiens).
Lach’s assist records make him look like a legitimate GOAT. But he was lucky and was one of the first players to take advantage of the league counting more assists.