My 2025-26 NHL Regular Season Predictions

Photo Credit: NHLPA

By Zane Miller

Playoff teams listed in bold and italics

EC Atlantic

Florida Panthers

Tampa Bay Lightning

Detroit Red Wings

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ottawa Senators

Boston Bruins

Buffalo Sabres

Montreal Canadiens

EC Metropolitan

Carolina Hurricanes

New Jersey Devils

Washington Capitals

Columbus Blue Jackets

New York Islanders

Pittsburgh Penguins

New York Rangers

Philadelphia Flyers

WC Central

Winnipeg Jets

Colorado Avalanche

Utah Mammoth

Minnesota Wild

Dallas Stars

St. Louis Blues

Nashville Predators

Chicago Blackhawks

WC Pacific

Los Angeles Kings

Edmonton Oilers

Calgary Flames

Vegas Golden Knights

Vancouver Canucks

Anaheim Ducks

San Jose Sharks

Seattle Kraken

Who I Want to Win in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

Photo Credit: TaurusEmerald - Wikipedia

By Zane Miller

I think you might already know what my answer is...

Out in Round 1

#24 William Byron

#5 Kyle Larson

#88 Shane van Gisbergen

#1 Ross Chastain

Out in Round 2

#20 Christopher Bell

#48 Alex Bowman

#23 Bubba Wallace

#3 Austin Dillon

Out in Round 3

#9 Chase Elliott

#45 Tyler Reddick

#22 Joey Logano

#2 Austin Cindric

Championship Four

#11 Denny Hamlin

#19 Chase Briscoe

#12 Ryan Blaney

#21 Josh Berry

Winner: #19 Chase Briscoe

ARCA’s Street Race: The 1994 Des Moines Ruan Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Super Cars Today

By Zane Miller

Over the past three seasons, NASCAR has partaken in building temporary street circuits for the Cup and Xfinity Series, most recently racing on the streets of Chicago before announcing street races in San Diego and St. Petersburg, Florida (Truck Series only), for 2026. However, one stock car street race which has been largely forgotten about was put on by the ARCA SuperCar Series (now ARCA Series) on July 3^rd, 1994 in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. It was part of a larger race weekend involving the Sports Car Club of America, with the ARCA race serving as a companion event. The course itself was 1.6 miles in length, consisting of several abrupt right-angle turns. A particularly unique feature of the course was that the drivers would cross not one, but two different bridges, which went over the Des Moines River in between turns six and nine.

The Des Moines circuit had been in use by the SCCA for both its Trans-Am and World Challenge series since 1989, with local transportation company Ruan sponsoring the race weekend. The sports car races were always run in July, and were initially a big hit with fans as the proximity to a metro area (unlike most road courses) created a unique environment for summer festivities. Gradually, the hype slowed down a bit after the inaugural season, but the SCCA races remained a premier event in Iowa’s capital city throughout the early 1990s. However, in 1993, the future of the Des Moines street course was dealt a major blow as the city experienced severe flooding in the lead-up to the scheduled race weekend. Over 10,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes, with 40,000 more left without electricity. Not only that, much of the course was directly adjacent to the Des Moines River, obviously creating unsafe conditions for both fans and competitors. Both races were cancelled for 1993, but event organizers were determined to recoup the lost momentum by adding another major race to the weekend in 1994, which is where ARCA comes in.

Founded in 1953, ARCA had been around nearly as long as NASCAR, but had generally been viewed as a feeder series to NASCAR rather than a direct competitor. Even so, as NASCAR boomed in popularity in the 1980s, so too did ARCA reap the rewards with an increase in televised races and the opportunity to create a more diverse schedule. Seeing the opportunity to further establish themselves as more than a small short track series, ARCA worked out a deal with street circuit president Jack Housby before the 1994 season to headline the Sunday proceedings. Also of note, the races were moved from their usual mid-July spot to the July 4^th weekend for 1994, thus putting the World Challenge race before the ARCA race and the Trans-Am race on July 4^th itself.

Photo Credit: Super Cars Today

In the days before the ARCA race, some drivers expressed concerns about potential brake issues due to the 90-degree angle turns putting constant stress on the brake rotors. These concerns weren’t necessarily unfounded as the few road courses the series had run in the past mostly involved gradual sweeping turns, but up-and-coming ARCA star Frank Kimmel assured fellow competitors that the stock cars would be up to the task. One of the other drivers in the field was NASCAR Cup Series regular Jimmy Spencer, who certainly gained a boost in popularity after capturing his first-ever Cup Series victory at Daytona International Speedway that same weekend in dramatic fashion, making a last lap pass of Ernie Irvan before taking the checkered flag by a fender. Spencer then quickly made the flight over from Daytona Beach to Des Moines for qualifying, but his hurry was rendered moot after the qualifying session was rained out.

In lieu of qualifying, the starting lineup was set by car owner points, meaning 1992 champion Bobby Bowsher would be starting from the pole with Kimmel starting to his outside. No cars were sent home as a result of the washout, with the track being plenty big enough to accommodate the 38-car field. The ARCA race would be the second leg of a Sunday doubleheader, as the World Challenge race was won by longtime race Mauro Baldi, fresh off of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans a couple weeks earlier. Unfortunately, before the ARCA race could get going, inclement weather got in the way as a pop-up shower prompted a brief delay. However, this would just be an isolated blip on the radar, and the Des Moines Ruan Grand Prix finally commenced shortly after the scheduled start time.

Once the green flag waved, it didn’t take long for two-time ARCA champ Bill Venturini to run into mechanical problems, although it had nothing to do with brakes. Rather, the camshaft on his iconic #25 Chevy gave way after only completing a single lap. With nothing anyone could do about the terminal failure, Venturini and crew had no choice but to load up early for their fourth DNF just nine races into the 1994 campaign. Meanwhile, at the front of the field, Bowsher only got to enjoy the lead for a single lap before being supplanted by fellow championship hopeful Bob Strait before the caution came out for Venturini’s incident. Strait was able to enjoy the lead for the opening green flag laps, but road course ace Scott Lagasse was hot on his heels.

Lagasse was already a well-known driver around SCCA circles, but a relative unknown when it came to stock cars. In 1985, Lagasse secured the SCCA National Championship at just 18 years old, before repeating as the national champ in 1986. In 1993, Lagasse opted to branch out into stock cars, making his NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) debut at Watkins Glen International where he was relegated to a 31^st-place finish due to a broken transmission. He returned to Watkins Glen a couple months later for his Cup Series debut, which went much smoother as he finished a solid 13^th, on the lead lap. Lagasse also made a lone ARCA Series start in both 1989 and 1992, neither of which seeing him make it to the finish. However, this time appeared to be a different story, as he worked his way around Strait for the lead on lap 11.

With the caution coming out around 10 laps later after Frog Hall stalled on the track, Lagasse and many other leaders made their way down pit road for their first round of stops. Sensing an opportunity to try an alternate strategy, Alabama native Gary Bradberry, in his one and only full-time ARCA season, decided to stay on track along with Eric Smith of Bloomington, Illinois. Bradberry was quickly overtaken after the restart by Smith, who proved he could hold his own on older tires. By the midway point of the race, 1989 ARCA title-holder Bob Keselowski, another driver who had yet to pit, got by Smith for the race lead, prompting the latter to head down pit road. Keselowski would have to pit himself shortly thereafter, though his stop would prove to be an unmitigated disaster.

After completing his pit stop, Keselowski found himself unable to leave his stall, his black #29 Chrysler left dead in the water. Upon inspection it was found that the transmission was broken, with nothing that could be done in the way of repairs. After what seemed like a potential race-winning effort in what would be Keselowski’s final full-time season in the series, it would end in the garage as he suffered his sixth DNF less than halfway through the year.

After Keselowski’s heartbreak, Lagasse reassumed the lead just in time for the caution to come out with veteran driver Roger Blackstock crashing in turn eight. All of the lead lap cars came down for what would be their final pit stop of the day, and Bowsher’s team took advantage with an excellent pit time to put their driver back into the lead for the first time since the opening lap. Once the green flag waved again, though, Bowsher came under attack from Lagasse and Smith, losing the lead to Lagasse with 20 laps to go as Smith passed him for second shortly after. While all this was going on, Strait’s promising showing ended prematurely thanks to a broken rear end gear, though he still managed a 21^st-place finish after a multitude of drivers fell out early with mechanical problems.

Lagasse had the first stock car victory of his career in his sights, but Smith had other plans as he got around him in turn six, only one lap after Lagasse grabbed the top spot from Bowsher. Undaunted, Lagasse went back to work on getting by Smith’s #9 Ford, using every bit of his expertise to reclaim the lead with 16 laps remaining. This turned out to be near-perfect timing on his part, as the caution came out soon after for a blown engine possibly putting fluid on track, thus winding down the laps even more. The cleanup was completed with nine laps to go, with Lagasse able to pull away from Smith on the restart. To add to Smith’s stress, he also reported that he was beginning to feel his right-rear wheel coming loose. Sure enough, with three laps remaining, Smith’s wheel finally came loose from the car, sending him into the turn six tire barrier. Surprisingly, this incident didn’t bring out a caution, which would be bad news for Bowsher as he suffered tire-related tribulations of his own.

As the field closed in on the white flag, Bowsher cut down a right-front tire from the second position, but was able to limp to pit road and salvage a top-five finish. His closest competition now out of contention, all Lagasse needed to do was bring his #39 Chevy back around to the checkered flag in one piece, which he did to seal his first and only career ARCA Series victory. Kimmel finished four seconds behind for the runner-up spot, with Spencer capping his memorable weekend with a third-place run. Bowsher returned to the track to take fourth, while Bradberry was the final lead lap car in fifth.

Thankfully, the predicted brake difficulties did not come to fruition, as only one driver reported loss of brakes during the event. It was still a battle of attrition as nearly half of the field failed to finish due to some sort of mechanical issue, with eight drivers alone sustaining blown engines. However, this level of attrition was not too far out of the norm for ARCA, as it was common for teams to use second-hand equipment left over from the NASCAR side. Lagasse never ran another ARCA race after the Des Moines Ruan Grand Prix, though he did go on to run the inaugural Truck Series season in 1995. He performed admirably, collected two top-fives and seven top-10s for a ninth-place points finish.

Despite his misfortune with the flat tire, Bowsher went on to dominate the SuperCar Series in 1994, claiming his second championship by 575 points over Kimmel. However, Kimmel would have plenty of time to win championships of his own, eventually scoring a record-setting 10 titles over the course of his illustrious career. As for the future of the Des Moines street course, it would not return after 1994, with the organizers citing financial difficulties. 1989 Trans-Am champion and occasional NASCAR road course ringer Dorsey Schroeder won the circuit’s final Trans-Am race on July 4th.

While the landscape of downtown Des Moines has changed in the 30-plus years after the last race on the street course, many landmarks which surrounded the circuit are still in place, such as the city hall building between turns seven and eight, as well as the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (now Community Choice Convention Center) which served as the backdrop to the pit lane. The start/finish line on Crocker Street is now the approximate entrance to the main parking lot for events at the Convention Center, along with the nearby Casey’s Center, which was completed in 2005 and currently hosts the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild along with the Indoor Football League’s Iowa Barnstormers.

List of sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttbnCVWf4Zk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acQ645115rk

https://projectdesmoines.dmpl.org/items/show/63

Who I Want to Win in the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs

Photo Credit: TaurusEmerald - Wikipedia

This was a tough one, there's nobody in the playoff field this year that I don't like so I definitely had to put my thinking cap on here.

By Zane Miller

Out in Round 1

#38 Chandler Smith

#13 Jake Garcia

Out in Round 2

#19 Daniel Hemric

#18 Tyler Ankrum

#9 Grant Enfinger

#71 Rajah Caruth

Championship Four

#11 Corey Heim

#34 Layne Riggs

#98 Ty Majeski

#52 Kaden Honeycutt

Winner: #34 Layne Riggs

Ranking Every NHL Rookie of the Year (1960s)

Photo Credit: Primetime Sports

By Zane Miller

10. Brit Selby (1965-66)

Selby took the Calder Trophy for the 1965-66 season as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 14 goals and 13 assists in 61 games played. He remained in the NHL as a journeyman for the next few seasons, leaving the league in favor of the World Hockey Association after the 1971-72 season. During that time, Selby played mainly for the Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers, posting 55 goals and 62 assists for 117 points in his 347 NHL games. His best season came with the Flyers in 1967-68, adding 15 goals and 15 assists for the expansion club.

9. Kent Douglas (1962-63)

Douglas scored the Calder in 1962-63 with the Maple Leafs, getting seven goals and 15 assists as a defenseman with a +18 plus/minus rating. Not only that, Douglas’ play would carry over into the playoffs that season, as he helped the Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup title in five games over the Detroit Red Wings. However, he would largely be unable to follow up the success of his rookie season, as he was out of the NHL after the 1968-69 campaign with 33 goals, 115 assists and a career plus/minus of -1, spending the majority of his career as a Maple Leaf.

8. Bill Hay (1959-60)

Hay took home the Calder for 1959-60 as a member of the Chicago Black Hawks (now Chicago Blackhawks), netting 18 goals and 37 assists. His sophomore season would see Hay reach the pinnacle of his career, lifting the 1961 Stanley Cup as Chicago took down the Red Wings in six games. He then posted arguably his best career numbers in 1961-62, crossing the 50-assist mark for the only time in his career with 52, while also contributing 11 goals. Hay remained a consistent scorer in the Black Hawks lineup for the next handful of seasons before retiring after the 1966-67 season, finishing with a total of 113 goals and 273 assists for 386 points in 506 games to go along with his Stanley Cup win. Although his playing career was better than most, Hay became more well known in his post-playing career after becoming the Chairman and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame from 1998 to 2012, which he himself would be inducted into as a builder in 2015.

7. Danny Grant (1968-69)

Before capturing the Calder in the 1968-69 season with the Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars), Grant had a rather interesting start to his NHL career as he played a limited number of games in 1967-68 with the Montreal Canadiens. Despite not playing the requisite amount of games to qualify as his official rookie season, Grant made it onto the postseason roster and won the Stanley Cup in a sweep of the newly-formed St. Louis Blues. In the offseason, Grant was traded to the North Stars and wasted no time in showing Montreal what they were missing out on with 34 goals and 31 assists. He continued on as a reliable 60-point scorer for the remainder of his time in Minnesota, before being traded again to the Red Wings in 1974-75. In his debut season in the Motor City, Grant had the finest season of his career with a team-leading 50 goals to go along with 37 assists, serving as a bright spot in a rough year for the team. However, he was hampered by injuries throughout the late ‘70s, eventually retiring in 1978-79 with 263 goals and 273 assists in 736 total games, mostly with the North Stars.

6. Derek Sanderson (1967-68)

Sanderson claimed the Calder Trophy in 1967-68 with the Boston Bruins, collecting 24 goals and 25 assists. He wouldn’t need to wait too long for his first Stanley Cup championship, as he and the Bruins took down the Blues in a four-game sweep for the team’s first title since 1941. Sanderson was a dominant presence in the sweep, nabbing three goals and three assists, including the helper on Bobby Orr’s spectacular “flying goal” to clinch the series. After hitting the 25-goal mark with over 30 assists in each of next two seasons, Sanderson again joined the Bruins on another Stanley Cup bout in 1972. Though he was held to just a goal and an assist during the playoffs, Boston nonetheless knocked off the New York Rangers in six games for both the team and Sanderson’s second title in three seasons.

After a brief stop in the World Hockey Association, Sanderson rejoined the Bruins for 1972-73. However, a hip injury left Sanderson out of the lineup for each of the next two seasons, prompting the team to trade him to none other than the Rangers for 1974-75. After strong seasons for the Rangers and St. Louis Blues, Sanderson struggled with both injuries and off-ice issues, leading to his retirement after the 1977-78 season with 202 goals and 250 assists in 598 games, primarily as a Bruin.

5. Roger Crozier (1964-65)

Crozier broke onto the scene in 1964-65 with the Red Wings, taking the Calder Trophy thanks to a league-leading 40 wins and six shutouts while also posting a .913 save percentage. Not only did he win the Calder, the outstanding rookie campaign gave Crozier first-team All-Star honors and a fourth-place spot in Hart Trophy voting for league MVP. Although his win totals dropped off to 27 in 1965-66, it was far from a sophomore slump as he again led the NHL with six shutouts for a .904 save percentage. In the playoffs, he led Detroit to a Stanley Cup Final appearance with a .914 SV%, but the Red Wings came up short in six games against the Canadiens. Even so, Crozier claimed the dubious distinction of being the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP despite being on the losing team.

Even more unfortunately for Crozier, the Red Wings began to fall apart as the league exited the Original Six era, causing his stats to plummet as he split the net with teammate Roy Edwards. Crozier was traded to the expansion Buffalo Sabres for their inaugural season in 1970-71, but this change in scenery turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag. As is usually the plight of good goalies playing on bad teams, Crozier’s win totals were largely underwhelming in Buffalo. That being said, he managed to secure a .902 save percentage during the team’s abysmal 16-win 1971-72 season, followed up by getting a .905 SV% and three shutouts in 1972-73. This would be the final season in which Crozier saw the majority of starts, staying on as a backup for a few more seasons before retiring in 1976-77 to transition into a coaching role. In 515 career games, Crozier collected 206 victories, 29 shutouts and a career save percentage of .903 with most of his appearances coming with the Red Wings and Sabres. Crozier was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 1980.

4. Bobby Rousseau (1961-62)

Rousseau captured the Calder Trophy in 1961-62 for the Montreal Canadiens, scoring 21 goals and 24 assists. He continued to establish himself as a mainstay in the Canadiens forward group for the next few seasons, before getting his first chance at a Stanley Cup ring in 1965. Although Rousseau had an underwhelming regular season by his standards, he saved his best for the postseason as he grabbed five goals and eight assists. The Canadiens knocked off the Black Hawks in a nailbiting back-and-forth series in seven games, with Rousseau being credited with the three assists in the deciding game.

In 1965-66, Rousseau kept up the positive momentum for his best career season at the NHL level, getting 30 goals and a league-leading 48 assists in the quest for back-to-back Stanley Cups. The Maple Leafs were no match for Montreal in the first round of the playoffs, with Rousseau earning three goals and two assists in the four-game sweep. He and the team did not have as easy of a time against the Red Wings, but still took care of business in six games to lift the Cup for the second straight season.

Rousseau was again one of the league’s best passers in each of the next two seasons, as fellow championship hopefuls were well aware of the threat he posed on the ice. After losing the Stanley Cup to Toronto in 1967, he and the Canadiens came hungry to avenge the defeat in 1968. Facing the Bruins in the first round, Montreal advanced to the semifinals in a sweep with Rousseau adding two assists. In the Stanley Cup Final itself, the team took out the expansion Blues in another sweep, as Rousseau got his third Stanley Cup title despite after scoring an overtime goal in game three.

After another strong regular season in which he scored 30 goals and 40 assists, Rousseau was set for another back-to-back Cup run in 1969. In a postseason which would see its fair share of déjà vu moments, the Canadiens again got a first-round sweep, this time eliminating the Rangers with Rousseau getting two goals and two assists. Once Montreal arrived at the Stanley Cup Final, they were again set to face St. Louis for the title. Just like the year before, Rousseau was held to just one goal, but the Canadiens got the sweep regardless for his fourth career championship.

Though Rousseau’s tenure in Montreal ended on a sour note as the team missed the playoffs in 1969-70 (their first time being left on the outside looking in since the 1947-48 season), he still grabbed 24 goals and 34 assists. He ended up playing a few more seasons in the NHL as a member of the Rangers (including another Stanley Cup appearance in 1972) before his retirement in 1974-75. In his 942 career games, Rousseau collected 245 goals and 458 assists for 703 points, most of which being scored for the Canadiens.

3. Jacques Laperriere (1963-64)

Laperriere took yet another Calder for the Montreal Canadiens in 1963-64, as the homegrown defenseman scored two goals and 28 assists with a plus/minus of +25 in 65 games. He came up just short of making first-team All-Star in his rookie season, but would take the award in 1964-65 thanks to his five goals and 22 assists in 67 games. He also challenged Black Hawks legend Pierre Pilote for the Norris Trophy, but was forced to settle for the runner-up spot. If he felt any disappointment about losing the award, it was likely water under the bridge after seeing what the Canadiens did in the playoffs. Montreal won the opening round in six games against the Maple Leafs, but Laperriere was injured in the series’ final game and was unavailable for the Stanley Cup Final, coincidentally against the Black Hawks. While the showdown between the first and second-place finishers in the Norris race didn’t materialize, the Canadiens still managed to hold off Chicago in seven games for their second championship of the decade. Despite being sidelined for the Final itself, Laperriere got his name on the Stanley Cup for the first of several occasions.

In 1965-66, Laperriere would not be denied of the Norris, claiming six goals and 25 assists in 57 games played for a plus/minus of +14. In addition, he captured his second career first-team All-Star nod, but again the Canadiens would be forced to go into the Stanley Cup Finals without him as he missed the entire postseason with a late-season leg injury. The team went on to win the Finals over Detroit in six games, as the Canadiens made sure to have Laperriere’s name engraved along with his teammates. However, due to not appearing in any postseason contests, he was not officially classified as a Stanley Cup winner for 1966. With Laperriere being mostly healthy again in 1966-67, the Canadiens were strong contestants for a three-peat, but were thwarted in the Finals by the Maple Leafs as the curtains closed on the Original Six era.

Laperriere and the Canadiens responded to the bitter defeat in 1967-68, as Laperriere finished fifth in Norris voting with four goals and 21 assists in 72 games for a +23 p/m. They wouldn’t be denied in the playoffs either, sweeping Boston as Laperriere added a goal and an assist for a p/m of +3. After taking down the Black Hawks in the semifinals, Laperriere was finally able to play in the Stanley Cup Final proper. The Canadiens made quick work of the Blues with a sweep and Laperriere had his second Stanley Cup title. Despite being held off the scoresheet in the four-game series, he still registered a +2 p/m for a +7 in the playoffs overall. The Canadiens ran it back in 1968-69, as Laperriere was on top of his game once again, particularly in the playoffs. In the first round sweep against the Rangers, he tacked on an assist with a +2 p/m, followed by another Stanley Cup sweep against St. Louis which saw him improve to a +4 for the series. In the playoffs as a whole, Laperriere was credited for a +6 p/m, taking the Cup for a third time.

The Quebec native set a career high in points in 1969-70, earning six goals and 31 assists along with a solid +27 p/m to claim the fourth spot in Norris Trophy voting. However, this would be one of the few bright spots for Montreal this particular year, as they shockingly missed the playoffs to end a 21-year postseason streak and squash what could have been a 47-year streak for the franchise. Undeterred, the team returned even stronger in 1970-71, with Laperriere posting a +24 p/m despite being held to just 49 games played due to injury. Once playoff time came around, he had his best postseason from an offensive perspective by a long shot. As a true defensive defenseman, he never scored more than seven goals in a single season, but unexpectedly put up four goals and nine assists in the 20 playoff games. Granted, the Canadiens had a bit more trouble in the playoffs for 1971 than in years past, thus requiring more games to be played, but ultimately the team still emerged victorious as they defeated the Black Hawks in a seven-game bout. Laperriere had his fourth Stanley Cup as he approached his age-30 season.

Laperriere had another strong year in 1971-72 at a +34 p/m in 73 games, but wound up saving arguably his most incredible season for 1972-73. That season, Laperriere blew nearly all other NHL defensemen out of the water with an astounding +77 plus/minus in 58 games, beating his previous career best by over 40 points. The only other defenseman to come close that season was teammate and defensive partner Serge Savard, who finished at a +70. Despite this, Laperriere had to settle for fifth in the Norris race due to a handful of missed games and other defensemen posting far higher offensive totals.

Regardless, the Canadiens were the Stanley Cup favorites, but Laperriere was again bitten by the injury bug. He would only play in two of the Finals contests against the Black Hawks, but one of them was the deciding sixth game of the series. With their longtime defensive anchor back in the lineup, Montreal scored the win to collect their sixth Stanley Cup in 10 years. Now with an entire hand’s worth of Stanley Cup rings, Laperriere was poised for another strong year in 1973-74, but sadly suffered a career-ending knee injury midway through the season. In 692 career games, Laperriere scored 40 goals and 242 assists, but more importantly in his case collected a career plus/minus rating of +256 which was instrumental towards his induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. This went along with his five Stanley Cup titles, not to mention two more championships as the Canadiens’ assistant coach in 1986 and 1993.

2. Dave Keon (1960-61)

Keon won the Calder after the 1960-61 season thanks to his 20 goals and 25 assists with the Maple Leafs. His scoring totals improved to 26 goals and 35 assists in 1961-62, but his biggest impact of the campaign was yet to come. The Maple Leafs drew the Rangers in the first round of the postseason, and held a single-game lead in the series going into game six. After being kept in check for most of the round, Keon found an extra gear and potted two goals and two assists in Toronto’s 7-1 rout, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals to face the Black Hawks. Chicago’s hopes of winning back-to-back championships would be dashed in six games by the Maple Leafs, allowing Keon to collect his first Stanley Cup at just 21 years old.

After another consistent season in 1962-63, Keon and the Maple Leafs were hungry (thirsty?) for back-to-back Stanley Cups. They would take down the heated rival Canadiens in the opening round before going up against the Red Wings in the Finals. Keon was a key player throughout the series, but came through the most in the decisive game five with Toronto holding a two-game lead. He got the ball rolling with a shorthanded goal to open the scoring in the first period, before putting in the game-sealing empty net goal to provide Ontario’s capital with another Stanley Cup. With two championships now under his belt, excitement was sky high for Keon to lead the way to another three-peat for the Leafs.

The Maple Leafs previously achieved the rare three-peat with Cups in 1947, 1948 and 1949, and the team wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make it happen again in 1964. After a solid regular season, Keon initially stumbled in the playoffs as he was held scoreless in the first five games in the opening round against the Canadiens. However, after notching an assist in game six, Keon exploded for a hat trick in game seven as Montreal was held to a lone goal. This set up another Finals battle against the Red Wings, which would end the same as the previous year, though not without a fight from Detroit as they forced the series to go the full seven games. The three-peat was now complete, with Keon contributing on all three squads just four years into his lengthy NHL career.

A couple more productive seasons passed before Keon found his way into the Finals once again in 1967, as the Maple Leafs took on the Canadiens for the Stanley Cup for the fifth and final time in the rivalry’s history. Although Keon was held to just one goal and one assist in the six-game series, Toronto was able to secure their 13^th title four games to two. As Keon captured his fourth Stanley Cup ring, a new era in NHL history was on the horizon with the league doubling its number of teams, but surely this wasn’t anything the Maple Leafs couldn’t handle. Anyway, Toronto unexpectedly missed the playoffs in 1967-68 with Keon having an off year by his standards, but bounced back in 1968-69 with 27 goals and 34 assists. He was officially named team captain in 1969-70 and rewarded the team by crossing the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career with 32.

In 1970-71, Keon went even further as he scored an even 38 goals and 38 assists for a career-high 76 points, finishing fourth in the race for the Hart Trophy. After an underwhelming 1971-72 campaign, Keon returned to form with 37 goals and 36 assists in 1972-73, though the Maple Leafs seemed to be on the decline with a string of first round playoff exits. In fact, Toronto was unable to get out of the first round for the remainder of Keon’s career with the team, despite their captain posting solid numbers in both 1973-74 and 1974-75.

After the latter season, Keon left to join the lucrative yet unstable World Hockey Association, eventually settling with the New England Whalers. He would play in the WHA until the league’s demise in 1979, at which point the Whalers were integrated into the NHL for the 1979-80 season. Due to protests from the Bruins organization, Keon’s team was renamed the Hartford Whalers (eventually becoming the Carolina Hurricanes) in time for its NHL foray. Nearing his age-40 season and playing in the league for the first time in four years, Keon proved that he had more than enough left in the tank, breaking the 50-assist mark for the only time in his career with 52 helpers. He spent the next two years in Hartford before retiring after the 1981-82 season, playing in 1,296 total games with 396 goals and 590 assists, narrowly missing out on a 1,000-point career at 986. However, these totals along with his four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs enabled him to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1986. In addition, his #14 jersey was officially retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016.

1. Bobby Orr (1966-67)

Orr hit the ground running to start his legendary NHL career, not only winning the Calder for the Bruins in 1966-67 but also placing third in Norris Trophy voting on the strength of 13 goals, 28 assists and a plus/minus of +1 in 61 games. Despite being injured for a significant chunk of 1967-68, Orr still had an impressive +28 plus/minus in his 46 games played with 11 goals and 20 assists. This effort allowed him to claim his first of many Norris trophies, along with his first first-team All-Star nomination and a fourth-place spot in Hart voting. Orr was able to play through most of the 1968-69 campaign, improving even more on his strong resume with 21 goals, 43 assists and a league-leading +55 p/m in 67 games. He moved up to third in the race for the Hart, while getting his second Norris and another first-team All-Star nod.

The 1969-70 season was unmistakably the peak of Orr’s dominance, as he was finally able to play an entire season without missing any games. The rest of the league could only watch as Orr put up a league-leading 87 assists and a +54 plus/minus, in addition to netting 33 goals. Obviously, Orr won his third Norris Trophy and first-team All-Star honors, but was also able to break through to win his first Hart Trophy. Thanks to his 120 points on the season, he was also awarded the Art Ross Trophy, becoming the only defenseman to this day to lead the NHL in points. Even with all of the individual accolades, one trophy that still eluded him was waiting at the end of the 1970 playoffs. In said playoffs, Orr remained as unstoppable as ever, including a semifinal sweep of the Black Hawks which saw him earn a goal and four assists. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Bruins faced the Blues, who were coming off of losing the Cup in back-to-back seasons. However, with Boston seeking their first title since 1941, they would not leave any room for a feel-good story, taking home the championship in another sweep. Orr matched his one goal, four assist statline from the previous round, giving him both his first Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for good measure.

Although 1969-70 was Orr’s greatest overall season, the 1970-71 campaign certainly made a strong case of its own. In 78 games, he not only amassed an eye-popping 102 assists, but also contributed a plus/minus rating of +124, which is still the NHL record for the highest plus/minus in a single season. Scoring 37 goals on the year, Orr finished with a career-high 139 points, only being kept from another Art Ross Trophy by teammate Phil Esposito. With his fourth Norris, second Hart Trophy and yet another first-team All-Star, Orr was ready for a run at back-to-back titles, but this goal was cut short by the Canadiens in the first round. Instead, the Bruins were forced to refocus their efforts for 1971-72, with Orr doing his part by pacing the NHL in assists (80) and plus/minus (+83), as his 37 goals made for a third 100-point season. Taking his fifth straight Norris Trophy and first-team All-Star combo, along with a third consecutive Hart, Orr led the Bruins on another Stanley Cup run. They swept the Blues again, this time in the semifinal round, as Orr posted a total of seven assists in just four games. This paved the way for a Finals contest against the Rangers, which the Bruins took in six games. Orr grabbed his second Stanley Cup title, with the Conn Smythe coming his way as well due to a +20 p/m and 19 total assists.

In 1972-73, Orr had another 100-point campaign with 29 goals and 72 assists, capturing a +55 p/m in 63 games to earn both the Norris and first-team All-Star for a sixth time. He followed that exceptional season up with a league-leading 90 assists in 1973-74, with his +84 p/m also being the best in the NHL. Being credited with 32 goals, Orr claimed his fifth consecutive 100-point season, while finishing third in the Hart voting for the second year in a row. Of course, it nearly goes without saying at this point that he took home another Norris title with first-team All-Star honors, doing so for the seventh straight year. In the playoffs, the Bruins made their way to another Stanley Cup Final, with Orr leading the postseason field in assists, but were eliminated in six games by the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 1974-75 season saw Orr get a career-high goal total of 46, with his league-topping 89 assists granting him a second Art Ross at 135 points. His +80 plus/minus after playing in 80 games would be his sixth occasion leading the NHL in p/m, enabling him to win his eighth straight Norris Trophy with a first-team All-Star designation to boot. Unfortunately, while Orr was only 27 years old and had just recently passed 600 games played, injuries began to catch up quickly for him in the second half of the 1970’s. He would only play in 36 more games after 1974-75, prompting his retirement in 1979. In just 657 games played, mostly with the Bruins, Orr nabbed 270 goals and 645 assists for 915 points. He also never finishing any season (full or otherwise) with a negative plus/minus rating as he accumulated a +582 p/m. The usual three-year waiting period for Hockey Hall of Fame eligibility was waived in Orr’s case, allowing him to join the HoF in 1979, with the Boston Bruins officially retiring his #4 jersey earlier in the year.

Random Recap Thursday #10: Oakland Raiders v. Kansas City Chiefs 12/7/1997

Photo Credit: Getty Images

By Zane Miller

On Sunday, December 7^th, 1997, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium, as the Chiefs looked to keep pace with the Denver Broncos for the lead in the AFC West.

Coming into the week 15 slate of NFL games, the Broncos held a slim one-game advantage over the Chiefs for the division title, which could disappear in an instant as Denver faced a tough Steelers squad in Pittsburgh that same day. Conversely, the Chiefs needed to capitalize on their home matchup against a struggling Raiders group which had not had a winning season since their final season in Los Angeles in 1994. The 1997 campaign was already guaranteed to be a losing one for Oakland, as they came into Kansas City at a 4-9 record with the Chiefs sitting at 10-3.

Under center for the Chiefs would be veteran Rich Gannon, who took over the starting job in November after regular starter Elvis Grbac was sidelined with a broken collarbone. However, Gannon showed some flair once he took over the offense, as he passed for 314 yards in his first start of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his most recent game before taking on the Raiders, he threw for three touchdowns and 186 yards in a 44-9 rout of the San Francisco 49ers before being relieved in the fourth quarter.

As for the Raiders, they would send out a veteran quarterback of their own in former first overall pick Jeff George. Despite not living up to the first overall pick billing, George had posted very good numbers with the Atlanta Falcons in both 1994 and 1995, with the latter year seeing him cross the 4,000-yard barrier. After a controversy-filled 1996 season which saw George receive a lengthy team suspension after a sideline tirade against Falcons coach June Jones, he unsurprisingly left in free agency at the end of the year and was scooped up by the Raiders for 1997. George had his share of strong moments early in the year, including a three-touchdown opening day performance with 298 passing yards against the Tennessee Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) and a three-touchdown, 374-yard game versus the New York Jets on the road. However, the Raiders were coming off a pair of losses where they scored less than 20 points, and looked to George to help correct course against the Chiefs. With that, it was time to play some football.

The Chiefs got the ball on the opening drive, and wasted little time in getting downfield as Gannon found running back Greg Hill for a 39-yard gain, setting up a field goal by Pete Stoyanovich for an early 3-0 lead. The Kansas City defense, which would end the year as the #1-ranked defense in the NFL, was able to hold the Raiders scoreless throughout the first quarter thanks to a quick three-and-out and fumble recovery by defensive end Vaughn Booker. Chiefs running back Donnell Bennett increased the lead to 10-0 with a nine-yard touchdown, where the score would stay going into the second quarter.

The Chiefs started off the quarter with another field goal, but the Raiders had their own chance to get on the board with their ensuing possession after a 29-yard pass from George to sophomore tight end Rickey Dudley. They eventually worked their way into the red zone, but a field goal attempt from kicker Cole Ford bounced off the left upright, ending what would be Oakland’s best drive of the day with no points. Taking advantage of the miscue, the Chiefs methodically marched down the field on a drive taking nearly eight minutes, before Gannon ran it in himself for a five-yard touchdown. The Raiders got nothing going on their next possession, allowing the Chiefs to take a 20-0 lead at halftime.

The teams traded punts to start the second half, which the Chiefs were likely fine with as this ran down the clock for about 10 minutes. Once the Raiders punted again, Bennett took most of the workload to wrap up the scoreless third quarter. Even with the Raiders knowing that the Chiefs were planning on running the ball the rest of the way, they were still able to work their way into field goal range. Stoyanovich connected on his third field goal of the game from 40 yards out, followed by another Raider three-and-out forced by the Kansas City defense. Bennett again saw a lot of carries, but Gannon was able to move the ball himself with a pair of surprise 20-yard completions. He fittingly ended the drive with a touchdown pass, hitting fullback Tony Richardson for a two-yard score. Oakland had one last chance to end the shutout, but a 4^th-and-20 pass play was thwarted by a sack from linebacker Wayne Simmons. With the game all but over, the Chiefs rode off into the afternoon sun with a 30-0 triumph.

This was the team’s first shutout win since a 34-0 drubbing of the Cleveland Browns on September 30^th, 1991, but, more pressingly, they were able to tie the Broncos for the lead in the AFC West at 11-3 as Denver fell to the Steelers 35-24. The Raiders dropped to 4-10 with the loss, with their losing skid continuing for the rest of 1997 as they ended the year at a dismal 4-12 record. George threw for just 102 yards while being sacked six times, two of which were credited to Simmons as the only player with multiple sacks on the day. Oakland’s rushing game arguably performed even worse, as leading rusher Harvey Williams had just 16 yards on the ground. Despite taking three sacks, Gannon had an effective game with 225 passing yards and two total touchdowns in the victory. The Chiefs went on to win the division at 13-3, defeating the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers and New Orleans Saints to end the regular season. However, as fate would have it, they would be knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the wild-card Broncos, who went on to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history a few weeks later.

How Elite Were They? #54- Jim Kelly’s 12-win 1988 Season

Photo Credit: Sports History Weekly

By Zane Miller

After being drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 14^th overall pick of the 1983 NFL Draft, quarterback Jim Kelly was not initially on board with starting his pro football career in Buffalo. Instead, he opted to join the newly formed United States Football League and, more specifically, the Houston Gamblers, following an intense bidding war for his services. He would lead the Gamblers to back-to-back playoff appearances in 1984 and 1985, but the team was knocked out in the first round on both occasions. Perhaps even more troubling for Kelly, the USFL was forced to fold after the 1985 season, thus leaving him without a viable alternative for making big money playing in the pros. With the Bills still holding his NFL rights, Kelly relented and joined the team for the 1986 campaign.

Kelly would immediately take over the starting job after both of the Bills’ quarterbacks in 1985, Vince Ferragamo and Bruce Mathison, left in free agency. His rookie season at the NFL level saw him post strong individual numbers, but the Bills as a whole were unable to capitalize as they finished at a 4-12 record. He then sat out three games in 1987 due to the players’ strike, getting an impressive 19 passing touchdowns and 2,798 yards with just 11 interceptions in his 12 starts. However, Buffalo still missed out on the playoffs with a 7-8 finish. In 1988, Kelly, along with a little help from an improved defense, ensured that the Bills would not be on the outside looking in again.

In the September 4th season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Kelly posted a solid start with 204 passing yards, albeit without any touchdowns. Still, the Bills held on to win in a defensive struggle 13-10 as defensive linemen Fred Smerlas and Art Still recorded two sacks apiece. The next two weeks would play out quite similarly to opening week, as Kelly and the Bills took the win in low-scoring affairs against the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. However, their contest involving the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 25th would be a change of pace, as Kelly threw for one touchdown and 288 yards in a battle against Steelers quarterback Bubby Brister. Pittsburgh mounted a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, but the Bills would outlast their neighbors to the southwest by a score of 36-28.

The undefeated run for the Bills came to an end the next week against the Chicago Bears, but quickly bounced back in the following week while facing the Indianapolis Colts on October 9th. In a 34-23 win, Kelly threw for three touchdowns and 315 yards, with emerging star wideout Andre Reed getting two touchdowns for 124 yards. Kelly retained his hot hand for October 17^th’s Monday Night Football matchup versus the New York Jets, passing for three touchdowns and 302 yards on the night. The Jets could do little to keep up as Buffalo took it handily 37-14.

By the halfway point of the season, the Bills were both large and in charge with a 7-1 record. However, Kelly in particular hit a bit of a wall in the second half, as he only had one game the rest of the way with multiple touchdown passes and more than 250 passing yards. At first, the Bills defense was able to cover for the sputtering offense, but the dam finally burst going into December as the team lost three of their final four contests. Despite the late-season difficulties, the Bills made the playoffs easily with a 12-4 record, three games ahead of the Colts and Patriots for the AFC East crown. Kelly was the starter for all 16 games, ending the year with 15 touchdown passes to place him 15^th in the league in a four-way tie with the Vikings’ Wade Wilson, the Jets’ Ken O’Brien and Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders). Kelly’s passing yardage was significantly better than his touchdown totals, as his 3,380 yards were good for sixth, just 15 behind fifth-place Neil Lomax of the Phoenix (now Arizona) Cardinals. The sharp decline in Buffalo’s passing game in the latter half of the year coupled with a mediocre rushing attack meant the team finished right in the middle of the NFL pack in total offense at 14^th in the 28-team league, but the defense was third-best as linebacker Cornelius Bennett and future Hall of Famer Bruce Smith were each award first-team All-Pro honors. After closing out the regular season on a sort of high note with two touchdown passes against the Colts, Kelly was ready to continue the rebound into the playoffs.

On New Year’s Day of 1989, the Bills were all business as they hosted the wild-card-winning Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans) at Rich Stadium (now Highmark Stadium) for the divisional round. After clinging to a 7-3 lead at halftime, the Bills scored a crucial touchdown in the third quarter thanks in large part to Kelly finding wide receiver Chris Burkett for a 26-yard gain, with fellow future Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas running it in from 11 yards out. The defense kept the Oilers at bay in the second half, only allowing one touchdown as the Bills won it 17-10, advancing to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history. Kelly put together a solid day overall, getting 244 yards through the air against just one interception, as Oilers quarterback Warren Moon had a strikingly similar 240 passing yards and an interception. Neither quarterback was able to pass for a touchdown during the afternoon.

With the Bills having the chance at their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, they headed down to Riverfront Stadium for their January 8^th AFC title bout against the AFC Central-winning Cincinnati Bengals. At first, the Bills were able to keep up with their fellow 12-4 team, as Kelly found Reed for a nine-yard touchdown strike, but would eventually trail 14-10 at the half.  However, the Bengals defense, which had not been particularly good throughout the regular season, came through big time in the second half as they held Buffalo off the board for the remainder of the afternoon. The Bills’ excellent season came to an end just short of the Super Bowl with the 21-10 loss, with Kelly throwing for 163 yards and a touchdown while giving up three interceptions. Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason also struggled in the cold and windy conditions, going for just 94 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions, but still managed well enough to grab the win. Although the 1988 campaign came to an unfortunate conclusion for Kelly and the Bills, he wouldn’t need to wait long for another 12-win season to come his way.