Does Alex Delvecchio Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Alex Delvecchio was 2nd All time in Assists and Points at his retirement and won three Stanley Cups. But he never led the league in any category, nor did he ever lead his team in scoring.

Why? Because he played on the same line as Gordie Howe.

So the big question is, how much of Delvecchio’s incredible production comes from laying next to the greatest winger of all time?

Listen to us discuss Alex Delvecchio’s Hall of Fame case here:

Hall of Fame Class of 1977: Alex Delvecchio, Tim Horton

Alex Delvecchio’s Career:

  • NHL: 1950-74; 24 seasons, 21 quality
  • Totals:
    • 456G (9th All Time at his retirement),
    • 825A (2nd All Time at his retirement – Howe) for
    • 1281P (2nd All Time at his retirement – Howe),
    • +24* in
    • 1550 Games (16th All Time, 2nd at his retirement – Howe);
    • 123.5 Point Shares (7th All Time at his retirement);
    • At his retirement, Delvecchio was 7th All Time in Offensive Point Shares
    • At his retirement, among forwards, Delvecchio was 4th/2nd All Time in Defensive Point Shares (Mohns, Clapper, Howe)
  • Per Game: At his retirement, Delvecchio was
    • 15th All Time in APG
    • 12th All Time in PPG (2nd last among qualifying players)
  • Era: Among the 10 skaters to play in at least 1230 games (15 modern seasons) between 1950 and 1974, Delvecchio is
    • 4th in Goals
    • t-4th in GPG
    • 2nd in Assists (behind by 97)
    • T-4th in APG
    • 2nd in Points (behind by 357)
    • T-4th in PPG
    • 4th in Plus/Minus (behind 3rd by 127)
    • 2nd in Offensive Point Shares (behind by 72.1)
    • 5th (2nd/3rd Forward) in Defensive Point Shares
    • 3rd (2nd Forward) in Point Shares
    • 1st in Games Played (ahead by 91)
  • 82-game average: 24G, 43A for 68P, +1
  • 3-year peak (1967-70): 74-game average of 23G, 52A for 75, +25
  • Playoffs:
    • 35G (14th All Time at his retirement),
    • 69A (5th All Time at his retirement – Beliveau, Howe, Mikita, Henri Richard) for
    • 104P (11th All time at his retirement),
    • -3* in
    • 121 Games (18th All Time at his retirement)
    • Per Game: At his retirement, Delvecchio was
      • 11th All time in playoff APG
    • Era: Of the 55 skaters to play in at least 82 playoff games between 1950 and 1974, Delvecchio is
      • 13th in playoff Goals
      • 18th in playoff GPG
      • 5th in playoff Assists
      • 7th in playoff APG
      • 10th in playoff Points
      • T-10th in playoff PPG
      • T-45th in playoff Plus/Minus
      • 16th in Games
  • Adjustment for Era:
    • Hockey-Reference:
      • 501G
      • 926A (15th All Time)
      • 1427P (18th All Time)
      • Adjusted 82-game average: 27G, 49A for 75P (+7P per 82 games)
      • Per Game: Delvecchio is not in the Top 25; However, if the qualifier is set to 1230 Games Played, he is
        • 22nd All Time in Adjusted APG
    • VsX:
      • 643G (20th All Time)
      • 1241A (6th All Time
      • 1575P (9th All Time)
      • Per Game: Delvecchio is not in the Top 25; However, if the qualifier is raised to 820 Games, he is
        • 14th All Time in VsX APG
        • 25th All Time in VsX PPG;
        • If the qualifier is raised to 1230 Games, Delvecchio is
          • 22nd All Time in VsX GPG
          • 6th All Time in VsX APG
          • 9th All Time in VsX PPG
  • Never traded

Alex Delvecchio’s Accomplishments:

  • Byng (‘59, ‘66, ‘69)
  • All Star:
    • 2nd Team All Star twice
    • 13 All Star Game appearances
  • Top Player:
    • Top 5 Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘65)
    • Top 10 five times (‘53, ‘56, ‘62, ‘66)
  • 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:
      • 30 goals once
      • 25 goals six times (1 of only 20 players ever at his retirement)
      • 20 goals thirteen times (1 of only 9 players ever at his retirement)
  • Assists:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Assists five times
      • Top 10 ten times (t-7th most ever)
    • APG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in APG five times
      • Top 10 nine times
    • Single-season totals:
      • 50 assists twice (1 of only 23 players ever at his retirement)
      • 40 assists nine times (1 of only 6 players ever at his retirement)
  • Points:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Points twice
      • Top 10 eleven times (t-5th most ever – Howe, Gretzky, Beliveau, Crosby)
    • PPG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in PPG twice
      • Top 10 eight times
    • Single-season totals:
      • 80 points once
      • 70 points three times
      • 60 points ten times (1 of only 7 players ever at his retirement)
      • 50 points seventeen times (1 of 3 players at his retirement – Howe, Ullman)
  • Plus Minus:
    • Top 10 once
  • VsX Peak:
    • Best 7 Seasons:
      • Goals: 91st All Time
      • Assists: 24th All Time
      • Points: 73rd All Time
    • Best 10 Seasons:
      • Goals: 84th All Time
      • Assists: 22nd All Time
      • Points: 43rd All Time

Alex Delvecchio’s Great Teams:

  • NHL:
    • Best Player (by points) on one Final Four (‘60 Red Wings)
    • Top 3 Forward (led playoffs in assists) on one Runner Up (‘66 Red Wings)
    • Top 3 Forward (by points) on two Champions (‘54, ‘55 Red Wings), four Runners Up (‘56, ‘61, ‘63, ‘64, Red Wings) and two Final Fours (‘57, ‘65 Red Wings)
    • Top 6 Forward (by points) on one Final Four (‘53 Red Wings)
    • Top 9 Forward (by points) on one Champion (‘52 Red Wings) and one Final Four (‘58 Red Wings)

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