Billy Taylor

Billy Taylor’s Career

• NHL: 1939-43, 1945-8; 7 seasons, 6 quality (by modern standards of PPG)
• Totals:
  • 87G,
  • 180A for
  • 267P in
  • 323 games;
  • 23.0 PS
• Per Game: Taylor didn’t score enough to make these leader-boards. However, at his banning, among players who played at least 300 games, Taylor was
  • 6th All Time in APG and
  • 12th in PPG
• Era: Of the 30 players to play in at least 300 games between 1939 and 1948, Taylor is
  • 16th in Goals,
  • 15th in GPG,
  • 8th in Assists,
  • 6th in APG,
  • 11th in Points,
  • 10th in PPG,
  • 14th in OPS,
  • 20th in PS and Games Played
• 82-game average: 22G, 46A for 68P
• 3-year peak (1942-47): 50-game average of 19G, 33A for 52P
• Playoffs: 6G, 18A for 24P in 33 games
• Adjusted:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 106G,
    • 263A for
    • 369P
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 27G, 67A for 94P
  • VsX: Doesn’t qualify for the adjustement
• Trades:
  • Traded at 27 to Detroit for Harry Watson (23) – our 15th Greatest Maple Leafs Trade of All Time
  • Traded at 28 to Boston for Bep Guiidolin (21)
  • Traded at 28 to the Rangers with Future Considerations (Pentti Lund and Ray Manson) for Grant Warwick (26)

Accomplishments

• Top Player:
  • Top 10 Offensive Player (by OPS) twice (’46, ’47)
• Goals:
  • Leader-boards: Top 10 in Goals once
  • GPG leader-boards: Top 10 in GPG once
  • Single-season totals: 20 goals once
• Assists:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Led the league in Assists once,
    • Top 5 three times,
    • Top 10 four times
  • APG leader-boards:
    • Led the league in APG once,
    • Top 5 twice,
    • Top 10 three times
  • Single-season totals:
    • 40 assists twice (1 of only 11 players to do so at his banning)
• Points:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Points twice,
    • Top 10 three times
  • PPG leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in PPG once,
    • Top 10 twice
  • Single-season totals:
    • 60 points twice (1 of only 22 players to do so at his banning)
• All Star: nothing
• VsX Peak: Doesn’t qualify for the adjustment.

Billy Taylor’s Great Teams

• NHL:
  • Top 3 Forward (by points) on one Champion (’42 Maple Leafs) and one Final Four (’47 Red Wings),
  • Top 6 Forward (by points) on two Final Fours (’41, ’43 Maple Leafs),
  • Reserve (or maybe injured – by games played) on one Runner Up (’40 Maple Leafs)
• Amateur:
  • Best Player? (by points) on one Memorial Cup Champion (’38 Generals)

What the hell do we do with Billy Taylor?

He didn’t play enough, compared to the other players of his era, but he missed time first for World War II and then for getting banned from the NHL for gambling on the games.

On the other hand, he was an elite playmaker while he was in the league, ranking in the Top 10 in APG for pretty much half his career.

Who knows what would have happened with his career had he not been banned for gambling.