Does Jean Ratelle Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

By regular season numbers, Jean Ratelle was one of the best forwards of his era. And, had he been healthy in his best season, he might have competed for the scoring title. (His peers awarded him with the Pearson for that.)

However, his playoff numbers are noticeably worse. And, of course, he never won a Cup.

So, how great was Jean Ratelle? Is he one of the greats of his era or does his longevity make him look better than he was? Listen to us discuss Ratelle’s Hall of Fame case here:

Hall of Fame Class of 1985: Jean Ratelle, Gerry Cheevers, Bert Olmstead

Jean Ratelle’s Career:

  • NHL: 1960-81; 21 seasons, 16 quality
  • Totals:
    • 491G (9th All Time at his retirement),
    • 776A (6th All Time at his retirement) for
    • 1267P (6th All Time at his retirement),
    • +236 in
    • 1280 Games (13th All Time at his retirement);
    • 118.9 PS (14th All Time at his retirement);
    • At his retirement, Ratelle was 11th All Time in Offensive Point Shares and he was the 4th Forward All Time in Defensive Point Shares (behind only Howe, Mikita, Delvecchio)
  • Per Game: At his retirement, Ratelle was
    • t-17th All Time in APG
    • 16th All Time in PPG
  • Not drafted
  • Era: Of the 11 skaters to play in at least 1066 games (13 modern seasons) between 1960 and 1981, Ratelle is
    • 3rd in Goals (over 220G behind first)
    • 4th in GPG
    • 3rd in Assists
    • 3rd in APG
    • 3rd in Points (over 300P behind first)
    • 3rd in PPG (.25 PPG out of first)
    • 4th in Plus/Minus
    • 3rd in Offensive Point Shares
    • 3rd (2nd in Forward) in Defensive Point Shares
    • 3rd in Point Shares
  • 82-game average: 31G, 50A for 81P, +15
  • 3-year peak (1971-74): 80-game average of 45G, 60A for 105P, +34
  • Playoffs:
    • 32G,
    • 66A (t-13th All Time at his retirement) for
    • 98P (21st All Time at his retirement),
    • +15 in
    • 123 Games
    • Per Game: At his retirement, Ratelle was
      • T-25th All Time in playoff APG
    • Era: Of the 76 skaters to play in at least 82 playoff games between 1960 and 1981, Ratelle is
      • T-21st in playoff Goals
      • T-30th in playoff GPG
      • T-7th in playoff Assists
      • T-11th in playoff APG
      • T-13th in playoff Points
      • 19th in playoff PPG
      • 11th in playoff Games
  • Adjusted:
    • Hockey-Reference:
      • 458G
      • 733A
      • 1191P
      • Adjusted 82-game average: 29G, 47A for 76P
      • Per Game: doesn’t qualify but if the qualifier is set to 1230 games (15 modern seasons), Ratelle is
        • 25th All Time in adjusted PPG
    • VsX:
      • 528G
      • 922A
      • 1251P
      • Per Game: doesn’t qualify but if the qualifier is set to 1230 games, Ratelle is
        • 23rd All Time in VsX GPG
        • 16th All Time in VsX APG
        • 14th All Time in VsX PPG
  • Trades:
    • Traded at 35 with Brad Park (27) and Joe Zanussi (28) to Boston for Phil Esposito (33) and Carol Vadnais (30)

Jean Ratelle’s Accomplishments:

  • Top 5 in Hart voting once
  • Lindsay/Pearson (‘72)
  • Byng twice
  • Masterton
  • All Star:
    • 2nd Team All Star once
    • 5 All Star Game appearances
  • Top Player:
    • Top 5 Player (by PS) once (‘72)
    • Top 10 Player twice (‘68)
    • Top 5 Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘72)
    • Top 10 six times (‘68, ‘70, ‘73, ‘76, ‘77)
  • Goals:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Goals once
      • Top 10 three times
    • GPG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in GPG once
      • Top 10 in GPG three times
    • Single-season totals:
      • 45 goals once
      • 40 goals twice
      • 35 goals four times (1 of only 25 players ever at his retirement)
      • 30 goals eight times (1 of only 13 players ever at his retirement)
      • 25 goals thirteen time (1 of only 6 players ever at his retirement)
      • 20 goals fourteen times (1 of only 8 players ever at his retirement)
  • Assists:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Assists three times
      • Top 10 six times
    • APG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in APG twice
      • Top 10 five times
    • Single-season totals:
      • 60 assists three times (1 of only 10 players ever at his retirement)
      • 50 assists six times (1 of only 10 players ever at his retirement)
      • 40 assists twelve times (1 of only 4 players ever at his retirement – Howe, Mikita, Esposito)
  • Points:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Points twice
      • Top 10 seven times
    • PPG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in PPG once
      • Top 10 six times
    • Single-season totals:
      • 100 points twice (1 of only 15 players ever at his retirement)
      • 90 points five times (1 of only 7 players ever at his retirement)
      • 80 points six times (1 of only 11 players ever at his retirement)
      • 70 points twelve times (1 of only 4 players ever at his retirement – Howe, Esposito, Mikita)
      • 60 points thirteen times (1 of only 4 players ever at his retirement – Howe, Esposito, Mikita)
      • 50 points fourteen times (1 of only 9 players ever at his retirement)
  • Plus/Minus:
    • Top 5 in Plus/Minus once
    • Top 10 twice
  • VsX Peak:
    • Best 7 Seasons:
      • Goals: 98th All Time
      • Assists: 36th All Time
      • Points: 41st All Time
    • Best 10 Seasons:
      • Goals: 75th All Time
      • Assists: 28th All Time
      • Points: 31st All Time

Jean Ratelle’s Great Teams:

  • NHL:
    • Best Player (by points) on one Runner Up (‘77 Bruins) and two Final Four (‘76, ‘79 Bruins)
    • Top 3 Forward (by points) on two Final Fours (‘71, ‘73 Rangers)
    • Top 6 Forward (by points) on one Runner Up (‘78 Bruins)
    • Top 9 Forward (by points) on one Final Four (‘74 Rangers)
    • Role Player (by points) on one Final Four (‘67 Rangers)
    • Injured (missed ⅝ of the games) on one Runner Up (‘72 Rangers)
  • Summit Series: 
    • Top 9 Forward (by points) on one Champion (‘72 Canada)

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