Does Yvan Cournoyer Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Cournoyer didn’t have the most dominant regular season career and it’s likely that, had he not played for the Habs, he wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame with his regular season numbers.

But then, there are his playoff numbers. Safe to say, anyone who leads an entire era in playoff goals and sets a single season record in playoff goals is going into the Hall of Fame.

Listen to us talk about The Roadrunner here:

Yvan Cournoyer’s Career:

• NHL: 1963-79, 16 seasons, 12 quality
• Totals:
  • 428G (12th All Time at his retirement),
  • 435A for
  • 863P (17th All Time at his retirement)
  • +254 (18th All Time at his retirement) in
  • 968 Games;
  • Cournoyer was 22nd All Time in Offensive Point Shares at his retirement
• Per Game: At his retirement, Cournoyer was
  • T-24th All Time in GPG
• Era: Of the 22 skaters to play at least 902 games between 1963 and 1979, Cournoyer is
  • 4th in Goals
  • 2nd in GPG (behind by .14)
  • 7th in Assists
  • 6th in APG
  • 6th in Points
  • 6th in PPG
  • 2nd in Plus/Minus
  • 6th in Offensive Point Shares
  • 10th in Defensive Point Shares (5th Forward)
  • 6th in Point Shares
• 82-game average: 36G, 37A for 73P, +22
• 3-year peak (1970-73): 78-game average of 47G, 42A for 89P, +35
• Playoffs:
  • 64G (4th All Time – Richard, Beliveau, Howe),
  • 63A (16th All Time) for
  • 127P (8th All Time),
  • +37 (t-9th All Time) in
  • 147 Games (8th All Time)
  • Per Game:
    • T-6th All Time in playoff GPG at his retirement
    • T-25th All Time in playoff APG at his retirement
    • 11th All Time in playoff PPG at his retirement
  • Era: Of the 54 skaters who played in at least 82 playoff games between 1963 and 1979, Cournoyer is
    • 1st in playoff Goals
    • 4th in playoff GPG
    • 7th in playoff Assists
    • T-16th in playoff APG
    • 3rd in playoff Points
    • 9th in playoff PPG
    • 8th in playoff Plus/Minus
    • 2nd in playoff Games
• Adjusted for Era:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 410G
    • 415A for
    • 825P
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 35G, 35A for 70P (-3P per 82 games)
    • Per Game: Not in the Top 25
  • VsX:
    • 472G
    • 531A
    • 883P
    • Per Game: Not in the Top 25, however, if the qualifier is set to 820 games, Cournoyer is
      • 19th All Time in VsX Adjusted GPG
• Never traded

Yvan Cournoyer’s Accomplishments:

• Conn Smythe (‘73)
• All Star:
  • 2nd Team All Star four times
  • 6 All Star Game appearances
• Top Player:
  • Top 10 Player (by PS) once (‘69)
  • Top 5 Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘69)
  • Top 10 three times (‘71, ‘72)
• Goals:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Goals once
    • Top 10 six times
  • GPG leader-boards
    • Top 5 in GPG three times
    • Top 10 seven times
  • Single-season totals:
    • 45 goals once
    • 40 goals four times (1 of only 9 players ever at his retirement)
    • 35 goals five times (1 of only 13 players ever at his retirement)
    • 30 goals six times (1 of only 17 players ever at his retirement)
    • 25 goals eleven times (1 of only 11 players ever at his retirement)
    • 20 goals twelve times (1 of only 15 players ever at his retirement)
• Assists:
  • 40 assists twice
• Points:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 10 in Points twice
  • PPG leader-boards:
    • Top 10 in PPG four times
  • Single-season totals:
    • 80 points twice
    • 70 points six times (1 of only 17 players ever at his retirement)
    • 60 points nine times (1 of only 15 players ever at his retirement)
    • 50 points eleven times (1 of only 16 players ever at his retirement)
• Plus/Minus:
  • Top 10 in Plus/Minus once
• VsX Peak:
  • Best 7 Seasons:
    • Goals: 58th All Time
    • Assists: 227th All Time
    • Points: 129th All Time
  • Best 10 Seasons:
    • Goals: 53rd All Time
    • Assists: 204th All Time
    • Points: 114th All Time

Yvan Cournoyer’s Great Teams:

• NHL:
  • MVP (set the single playoff record in goals, led playoffs in points) on one Champion (‘73 Canadiens)
  • Best Skater (by points) on one Champion (‘68 Canadiens)
  • Top 3 Forward (led playoffs in plus/minus) on one Champion (‘71 Canadiens)
  • Top 3 Forward (by points) on one Champion (‘69 Canadiens) and one Final Four (‘75 Canadiens)
  • Top 6 Forward (by points) on two Champions (‘76, ‘78 Canadiens)
  • Top 9 Forward (by points) on two Champions (‘65, ‘66 Canadiens) and one Runner Up (‘67 Canadiens)
• Summit Series:
  • Top 6 Forward (by points – played on top line, we think, though) on one Champion (‘72 Canada)