Does Johnny Bucyk belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bucyk retired as one of the Top 5 scorers in NHL history. And he set the single season record for a Left Winger.

But does his career look as good as it does because of his incredible longevity? Because he was never the best player on the Bruins when they were good.

Listen to us discuss John Bucyk’s Hockey Hall of Fame case here:

John Bucyk’s Career:

• NHL: 1955-78; 23 seasons, 20 quality
• 96th in The Athletic‘s list of 100 Best Post-Expansion Players
• 160th All Time on the Hockey History List of Top 200 NHL Players
• Totals:
  • 556G (4th All Time at his retirement – Howe, Esposito, Hull),
  • 813A (4th All Time at his retirement – Howe, Mikita, Delvecchio) for
  • 1369P (4th All Time at his retirement – Howe, Esposito, Mikita),
  • -7;
  • 122.4 Point Shares (12th All Time at his retirement);
  • 1540 Games (17th All Time, 3rd at his retirement – Howe, Delvecchio)
  • At his retirement, Bucyk was 7th All Time in Offensive Point Shares;
  • Among forwards, Bucy was 19th All Time in Defensive Point Shares at retirement
• Per Game: Not in the Top 25
• Era: Of the 12 skaters to play in at least 1148 games (14 modern seasons) between 1955 and 1978, Bucyk is
  • 1st in Goals
  • 3rd in GPG (10 qualifying players)
  • 2nd in Assists
  • 4th in APG (10 qualifying players)
  • 2nd in Points
  • 3rd in PPG (6 qualifying players)
  • 8th in Plus/Minus
  • 2nd in Offensive Point Shares
  • 10th (3rd last) in Defensive Point Shares
  • 2nd in Point Shares
• 82-game average: 30G, 43A for 73P, 0
• 3-year peak (1970-73): 78-game average of 41G, 56A for 97P, +23
• Playoffs:
  • 41G (15th All Time at his retirement),
  • 62A (12th All Time at his retirement) for
  • 103P (14th All Time at his retirement),
  • +29 (8th All Time at his retirement) in
  • 124 Games (20th All Time at his retirement)
  • Per Game: At his retirement, Bucyk was
    • 18th All Time in playoff GPG
    • T-25th All Time in playoff PPG
  • Era: Of the 73 skaters to play in at least 82 playoff games between 1955 and 1978, Bucyk is
    • 10th in playoff Goals
    • 15th in playoff GPG
    • 8th in playoff Assists
    • T-14th in playoff APG
    • 9th in playoff Points
    • T-15th in playoff PPG
    • 8th in playoff Plus/Minus 
    • 11th in playoff Games
• Adjustment for Era:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 557G
    • 834A
    • 1391P (23rd All Time)
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 30G, 44A for 74P (+1P per 82 games)
    • Per Game: Not in the Top 25
  • VsX:
    • 685G (13th All Time)
    • 1093A (12th All Time)
    • 1519P (13th All Time)
    • Per Game: Not in the Top 25; however, if the qualifier is set to 1230 Games, Bucyk is
      • 14th All Time in VsX Adjusted GPG
      • 19th All Time in VsX Adjusted APG
      • 13th All Time in VsX Adjusted PPG
• Trades:
  • Traded at 22 to Boston for Terry Sawchuk (28)

John Bucyk’s Accomplishments:

• Lady Byng (‘71, ‘74)
• All Star:
  • 1st Team All Star once
  • 2nd Team All Star once
  • 7 All Star Games
• Top Player:
  • Top 5 Player (by PS) once (‘71)
  • Top 5 Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘71)
  • Top 10 five times (‘63, ‘65, ‘66, ‘68)
• Goals:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Goals once
    • Top 10 five times
  • GPG leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in GPG once
    • Top 10 three times
  • Single-season totals:
    • 50 goals once (1 of only 20 players ever at his retirement)
    • 40 goals twice (1 of only 22 players ever at his retirement)
    • 30 goals seven times (1 of only 10 players ever at his retirement)
    • 25 goals eleven times (1 of only 11 players ever at his retirement)
    • 20 goals sixteen times (1 of only 21 players ever, 3 at his retirement – Howe, Ullman)
• Assists:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Assists once
    • Top 10 five times
  • APG leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in APG once
    • Top 10 five times
  • Single-season totals:
    • 50 assists four times (1 of only 13 players ever at his retirement)
    • 40 assists eight times (1 of only 10 players ever at his retirement)
• Points:
  • 110 points once (1 of only 12 players ever at his retirement)
  • 90 points twice (1 of only 22 players ever at his retirement)
  • 80 points five times (1 of only 11 players ever at his retirement)
  • 70 points six times (1 of only 17 players ever at his retirement)
  • 60 points twelve times (1 of only 6 players ever at his retirement)
  • 50 points seventeen times (1 of only 18 players ever, 5 players at his retirement – Howe, Ullman, Delvecchio, Mikita)
• VsX Peak:
  • Best 7 Seasons:
    • Goals: 45th All Time
    • Assists: 61st All Time
    • Points: 46th All Time
  • Best 10 Seasons:
    • Goals: 37th All Time
    • Assists: 51st All Time
    • Points: 38th All Time

John Bucyk’s Great Teams:

• NHL:
  • Top 3 Forward (co-led playoffs in Goals) on one Champion (‘72 Bruins)
  • Top 3 Forward (by points) on one Champion (‘70 Bruins), one Runner Up (‘74 Bruins) and one Final Four (‘69 Bruins)
  • Top 6 Forward (by poins) on two Final Fours (‘59, ‘76 Bruins)
  • Top 9 Forward (by points) on two Runners Up (‘56 Red Wings, ‘58 Bruins)
  • Role Player (by points) on one Final Four (‘57 Red Wings)
  • Injured (missed 9/14 games) on one Runner Up (‘77 Bruins)
  • Didn’t dress on one Runner Up (‘78 Bruins)