For two straight years, Bernie Parent was the best goalie in the NHL. He won two straight Vezinas (when it was the Jennings) and two straight Conn Smythes. Additionally, by Hockey Reference’s Goals Saved Above Average metric, Parent’s 1973-74 season is the greatest ever by an NHL goaltender.
Does this brief stretch of dominance put him among the ranks of the very best goalies ever? He’s certainly one of the couple best goalies of the 1970s.
Listen to us discuss Parent’s Hall of Fame case here:
Bernie Parent’s Career:
- NHL:
- 1965-1972, 1973-79; 13 seasons, 10 as a starter, 1 as a 1A, 2 as a backup/injured
- Totals:
- 271W (11th All Time at his retirement)
- 198L (18th All Time at his retirement)
- 119T (13th All Time, 6th at his retirement);
- 54 SO (24th All Time, 14th at his retirement)
- 124.9 PS (24th Goalie All Time, 7th at his retirement)
- 35,065 Minutes (10th All Time at his retirement) in
- 608 Games (10th All Time at his retirement);
- 320.9 Goals Saved Above Average (4th All Time – Esposito, Roy, Hasek – 2nd at his retirement)
- Averages:
- 2.55 GAA (18th All Time at his retirement)
- .915 SV% (5th All Time at his retirement)
- Era: Of the 9 goalies to play in at least 410 games between 1965 and 1979, Parent is
- 4th in Wins
- 7th (3rd last, which is good) in Losses
- 1st in Ties
- 6th in Goals Against
- 3rd in Shots Against
- 3rd in Saves
- t-1st in Save Percentage
- 1st in GAA
- 2nd in GSAA
- t-2nd in SO
- 4th in Minutes
- 4th in Games
- 82-game average: 36-27-16, 7 SO
- Season average: 21-15-9, 4 SO
- Playoffs:
- 38W (8th All Time at his retirement)
- 33L (10th All Time at his retirement)
- 6 SO (12th All Time at his retirement)
- .916 SV% (4th All Time at his retirement – Bower, Plante, Resch)
- 2.44 GAA (13th All Time at his retirement)
- 38.9 GSAA (4th All Time at his retirement – Plante, Dryden, Sawchuk) in
- 4285 minutes (11th All Time at his retirement) over
- 71 Games (10th All Time at his retirement)
- Era: Of the 18 goalies to play in at least 21 playoff games between 1967 and 1979, Parent is
- 3rd in Wins
- 2nd in Losses
- 4th in Goals Against
- 4th in Shots Against
- 4th in Saves
- 3rd in Save Percentage
- 4th in GAA
- 2nd in GSAA (just over half of Dryden’s, though)
- 3rd in Shutouts
- 4th in Minutes
- 4th in Games
- Adjusted for Era:
- .920 Save Percentage (5th All Time – behind only Dryden, Hasek, Esposito, Roy)
- 269 Goals Vs. Average (7th All Time)
- 678.5 Goals Vs. Threshold (14th All Time)
- Trades:
- Traded at 25 with a 2nd rounder (Rick Kehoe) to Toronto for Mike Walton (26), Bruce Gamble (32) and a 1st rounder (Pierre Plante)
- Traded at 28 with a 2nd rounder (Larry Goodenough) to Philly for a 1st rounder (Bob Neely) and a player to be named later (Doug Favell, 28) – our 4th worst Maple Leafs Trade of All Time
- WHA:
- 1972-1973, 1 season as a starter
- Totals:
- 33W
- 28L
- 0T,
- 2 SO in
- 3653 minutes over
- 63 Games;
- -7.6 GSAA
- Average:
- 3.61 GAA
- Playoffs:
- GP, unknown record (seriously)
- .929 SV%
- Trades:
- Traded at 28 with Don Herriman (27) and Andre Lacroix (28) for Pete Donnelly (25) and Ron Ward (28)
Bernie Parent’s Accomplishments:
- NHL:
- Conn Smythe (‘74, ‘75 – t-2nd most All Time)
- Vezina (‘74, ‘75 – when it was the Jennings)
- Top 5 in Hart voting twice
- Top 5 in Calder voting
- All Star:
- 1st Team All Star twice
- 5 All Star Game appearances
- Top Player:
- Best Player (by PS) once (‘74)
- Top 5 Player twice (‘75)
- Top 10 Player five times (‘69, ‘70, ‘77)
- Best Goalie (by GPS) twice (‘74, ‘75)
- Top 5 Goalie six times (‘69, ‘70, ‘72, ‘77)
- Top 10 Goalie nine times (‘66, ‘71, ‘78)
- Wins:
- Leader-boards:
- Led the league in Wins twice
- Top 5 in Wins four times
- Top 10 in Wins six times
- Single-season Totals:
- 45 Wins once (1 of only 6 goalies ever – only goalie ever at his retirement)
- 40 Wins twice (1 of only 13 goalies ever, 4 at his retirement – Plante, Sawchuk, Dryden)
- 35 Wins three times (1 of only 5 goalies ever at his retirement – Dryden, Plante, Sawchuk, Giacomin)
- Leader-boards:
- Shutouts:
- Leader-boards:
- Led the league in Shutouts three times (t-10th most All Time)
- Top 5 five times
- Top 10 ten times
- Single-season Totals:
- 10 Shutouts twice (15 goalies ever, 12 at his retirement)
- 5 Shutouts four times (1 of only 22 goalies at his retirement)
- Leader-boards:
- Shots Against:
- Led the league in Shots Against once
- Top 5 seven times (t-6th most All Time)
- Top 10 nine times
- Saves:
- Leader-boards:
- Led the League in Saves once
- Top 5 seven times (t-6th most All Time)
- Top 10 nine times
- Save Percentage:
- Leader-boards:
- Led the league in Save Percentage once
- Top 5 six times (t-6th most All Time)
- Top 10 nine times
- Average:
- Over .930 once (1 of only 10 goalies ever at his retirement)
- Over .925 three times (1 of only 12 goalies ever, 6 at his retirement)
- Over .920 four times (1 of only 6 goalies ever at his retirement)
- Leader-boards:
- Leader-boards:
- Goals Against:
- Leader-boards:
- Top 5 twice
- Top 10 six times
- GAA:
- Leader-boards:
- Led league in GAA twice
- Top 5 four times
- Top 10 eleven times
- Average:
- Under 1.9 once
- Under 2.05 twice
- Under 2.25 three times (1 of only 23 goalies ever at his retirement)
- Under 2.50 five times (1 of only 22 goalies ever at his retirement)
- Leader-boards:
- GSAA:
- Leader-boards:
- Led league in GSAA once
- Top 5 six times (t-10th most All Time)
- Top 10 nine times (10th most All Time)
- Single-season totals:
- Set and holds the single-season record for GSAA
- +70 once (only goalie ever)
- +45 twice (1 of only 5 goalies ever – Hasek, Dryden, Esposito, Roy)
- +30 three times (1 of only 9 goalies ever)
- +25 four times (1 of only 9 goalies ever)
- +20 five times (1 only 14 goalies ever)
- +15 seven times (1 of only 14 goalies ever)
- Leader-boards:
- Leader-boards:
- Minutes:
- Leader-boards:
- Led the league in Minutes once
- Top 5 six times
- Top 10 nine times
- Leader-boards:
- Adjusted Peak:
- .926 SV% (5th All Time – Dryden, Hasek, Esposito, Roy)
- 244.4 Goals Vs. Average (5th All Time – Hasek, Esposito, Dryden, Roy)
- 517.6 Goals Vs. Threshold (9th All Time)
- Other:
- Set and holds the record for single-playoff Save Percentage on a Flyers team that was eliminated in the first round
- WHA:
- 2nd Team All Star
- Led WHA in Wins
- Top 5 in Shutouts
- Led WHA in Goals Against
Bernie Parent’s Great Teams:
- NHL:
- MVP (led playoffs in games, wins, shots against, saves, save percentage, shutouts and minutes, played every minute) on one Champion (‘74 Flyers)
- MVP (led playoffs in games, wins, losses, shots against, saves, GAA, shutouts and minutes) on one Champion (‘75 Flyers)
- Starter on one Final four (‘78 Flyers)
- 1A on one Runner Up (‘76 Flyers)
- WHA:
- Left team due to contract dispute mid series on one Final Four (‘73 Blazers)
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