Pete Rose’s Three-Homer Game: Cincinnati Reds v. New York Mets 4/29/1978

Photo Credit: Fine Art Storehouse

By Zane Miller

On April 29^th, 1978, Cincinnati Reds third baseman Pete Rose was closing in on joining the exclusive 3,000-hit club, a mark set by just eight other hitters during the World Series era at the time. However, one area where Rose was not close to breaking major records was the home run category, as he had accumulated 143 home runs in his 2,346 career games played coming into the 1978 season.

This was just fine as far as the Reds were concerned, of course, considering the fact that he led MLB in hits six times to that point and had nine seasons with over 200 hits, all of which in a Reds jersey. Hitting for power simply wasn’t a major part of his game, but all of that changed on a Saturday afternoon in Shea Stadium, as the Reds visited the New York Mets in the second game of a three-game weekend series.

As they had done throughout the 1970s, Cincinnati entered the afternoon with a winning record, sitting pretty at 13-7. Meanwhile, the Mets had fallen to 9-12 on the year after losing the first game of the series by a score of 5-1. Today, they sent out starting pitcher Nino Espinosa, who had a solid showing in his first full season in 1977, pitching exactly 200 innings to an ERA of 3.42 with 10 victories. The Reds brought on the recently acquired Doug Capilla to start, coming off of a rough 1977 in which he posted a 4.47 ERA in 108 innings pitched for seven wins. Rose, as usual, was put in the leadoff spot, and the game was on.

Rose’s day at the plate got off to an inauspicious start, as Espinosa struck him out looking to begin the first inning. The Reds went down without any runs scored, but this would not be the case in the Mets’ half of the inning. After walking the first two batters, Capilla allowed both to score on an RBI single from left fielder Steve Henderson and an RBI sacrifice fly from first baseman Willie Montanez. The next two batters also walked to load the bases, prompting manager Sparky Anderson to pull Capilla from the game after getting just one out. The attempt to stop the bleeding was unsuccessful, however, as Mets second baseman Bobby Valentine drilled a two RBI single off of reliever Dale Murray to make it a 4-0 first inning.

Not looking to waste any time in getting a comeback going, Reds first baseman Dan Driessen was able to get the team on the board with a solo home run to lead off the second inning. However, Espinosa quickly regained his composure and got three strikeouts to end the inning. The score would stay at 4-1 when Rose came back up to the plate to lead off the third. He was able to strike immediately with a first-pitch line drive single, but the Reds were unable to take advantage with any runs despite eventually working the bases loaded in the inning. Meanwhile, the Mets were able to increase their lead to 6-1 in the bottom half as it seemed they could do no wrong.

Anyway, things started going wrong for the Mets in the fourth inning, with Cincinnati getting their second leadoff homer of the afternoon as center fielder Cesar Geronimo took Espinosa deep. While New York was able to get the next two outs without damage, they weren’t so lucky on Rose’s return to the dish. After working a 3-1 count, he smacked the next pitch over the right field fence for another Reds solo home run. The home run parade was far from over, though, as right fielder Ken Griffey needed just one pitch to add another solo shot, which coincidentally also went to right field. Despite still hanging onto a 6-4 lead, Espinosa was taken out of the game in favor of rookie relief pitcher and former Miami University standout Mardie Cornejo, who retired the side.

After reliever Pedro Borbon got the Mets out in order to end the fourth, the Reds offense was right back at it despite facing a new pitcher. With two runners on against Cornejo, Geronimo had another big hit with a double to deep left-center field. This was more than enough to to tie the game at six apiece, but the Reds weren’t done yet. After Geronimo stole third, he was driven in shortly after on an RBI single by catcher Don Werner, giving the team their first lead of the game. With Werner still on base, Rose drilled a hanging curveball into the Mets’ bullpen for a three-run lead and his second home run of the contest.

The offensive onslaught was on from there, as the Mets were unable to slow the Reds down as Cincinnati went up 13-7 in the top of the eighth inning. One thing they were able to do, however, was hold Rose to a single in his at-bat to open up the seventh. With one away in the eighth inning, Rose faced reliever and 1976 rookie of the year Butch Metzger. Again, Rose brought the count to 3-1, then swatted the next pitch far back into left-center field. Henderson attempted to chase the ball down, but ran out of room as it cleared the outfield fence for the fifth Cincinnati home run, and Rose’s third, of the day.

The score would hold as the Reds won it 14-7, improving to a 13-7 record in game which had been tough on both bullpens. No pitcher went more than four innings in the game, but Reds pitcher Doug Bair picked up the save after going the final three and a third innings. Rose’s five total hits brought him just four away from 3,000, which he reached less than a week later on May 5^th. About a month and a half after his three-homer performance, he would embark on his famous 44-game hitting streak, helping the Reds to finish the year at an impressive 92-69 record.

How Elite Were They? #57- Marc Bulger’s 12-win 2003 Season

Photo Credit: Getty Images

By Zane Miller

After being selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Marc Bulger would have his work cut out for him in terms of working his way up the depth chart. Aside from veteran starting quarterback Jeff Blake, the Saints also had promising rookie Aaron Brooks, the most recent backup in Billy Joe Tolliver, as well as NFL Europe standout and previous How Elite Were They? subject Jake Delhomme making up the quarterback room. Of course, this leads to the head-scratcher of why the Saints felt the need to use a draft pick on a new quarterback to begin with, but nonetheless Bulger had arrived on the NFL circuit.

To the surprise of no one, Bulger did not appear in any regular season contests for the Saints in 2000. In fact, he wasn’t even on the team by the end of the season, as he was waived late in the going. However, Bulger wasn’t off of a roster for long, interestingly being claimed by the Saints’ division rivals in the Atlanta Falcons. While the Saints and Falcons were going in opposite directions as New Orleans had a fairly successful playoff run and Atlanta was in the midst of a 4-12 train wreck, Bulger still didn’t crack the gameday roster as he was limited to a practice squad role for the final two weeks of the year 2000. Before the season could come to an end, though, Bulger was cut by the Falcons and left on the outside once again. Fortunately for him, he would find what would become his more permanent home that offseason.

After the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams suffered a stunning first-round exit at the hands of the Saints, granting New Orleans their first-ever postseason victory, the Rams opted to bring in one of their former prospects in Bulger for the 2001 season. Despite the letdown of 2000, the team was not at all far removed from their exceptional 1999 season in which they posted a 13-3 record and let the league in offense on the way to a Super Bowl title, eventually earning the nickname “The Greatest Show on Turf”. The starting quarterback spot was still headed by 1999 MVP Kurt Warner, with veteran career backups Jamie Martin and Paul Justin also on the team. During the 2001 preseason, Justin sustained a season-ending ACL tear, thus moving Bulger into the third-string role going forward.

While Bulger didn’t take the field in 2001, he still got to see an amazing season from his team as they amassed a 14-2 record, which remains the franchise record for single-season wins. Taking a first-round bye as the #1 seed in the NFC, the Rams rolled past the Green Bay Packers in the second round and survived the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game, meaning that Bulger was headed back to New Orleans. This time, however, he would be on the sideline for Super Bowl XXXVI against the New England Patriots. In said Super Bowl, the Rams fought back from a 14-point halftime deficit, tying it up at 17-all with less than two minutes to go, but unfortunately for Bulger, his fellow sixth-round pick from the 2000 draft class in Tom Brady orchestrated the game-winning drive, setting up kicker Adam Vinatieri for the 48-yard field goal which gave the Patriots their first championship in franchise history.

The Super Bowl loss seemingly lingered into the 2002 season, with St. Louis stumbling out of the gate with five straight losses to open the year. Not helping matters, Warner (who won his second MVP in 2001) was sidelined with a broken finger in week 4. Martin was set to fill in in his absence, but he too went down after a knee injury just one game later. After two years of sitting on the sideline, Bulger finally had his opportunity to prove that he was starter material.

Bulger made an impact starting with his first game, throwing for three touchdowns and 186 yards as the Rams beat the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders 28-13. A few weeks later, Bulger what would be the best game of his NFL career, getting four touchdowns on 453 passing yards in a 28-24 comeback win against the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers. The Rams rattled off five straight victories to get back into playoff contention, and it seemed Bulger’s potential was higher than the Gateway Arch. However, like the other two QBs before him, he also missed significant time with an injury, this time with a sprained finger. The Rams fell in their next three games and although Bulger was able to make a return later on, it wasn’t enough to salvage the season as they went 7-9 and missed the playoffs. However, the promise that Bulger showed in his mid-season play would end up being a preview of things to come in 2003.

While Bulger wasn’t technically the starter to begin the 2003 season, it would work out that way as Warner suffered a season-ending hand injury in week one. This gave Bulger the reins the rest of the year, which proved to be a wise decision on September 28^th against the Arizona Cardinals. That afternoon, he threw for two touchdowns and 272 passing yards as St. Louis cruised to a 37-13 win. The Rams’ domination continued into their next game on October 13^th as they faced the Atlanta Falcons, with Bulger getting another pair of touchdown passes with 352 yards. The Rams easily took care of business in the Monday night contest, nabbing a 36-0 shutout. Their next game on October 19^th versus the Green Bay Packers wouldn’t be nearly as much of a runaway, but Bulger still had another strong game, scoring three touchdown passes and 247 passing yards in the team’s 34-24 win.

Bulger’s hot streak continued as he returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on October 26^th. He quickly linked up with wide receiver Torry Holt for a 36-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive and opted to stick with Holt for most of the game, as he ended the day with an astounding 174 receiving yards. In all, Bulger threw for 375 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ 33-21 win to improve to 5-2 on the campaign. While the team’s winning run came to an end on November 2^nd against the San Francisco 49ers with a 30-10 loss, Bulger wasn’t the main problem as he collected a season-high 378 passing yards along with a touchdown (with Holt getting 200 receiving yards on the dot).

While Bulger’s stats didn’t reach this same level in the second half of the season, this was due to the return of future Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, who missed the bulk of the first half with both hand and knee injuries. However, he didn’t skip a beat upon his return, rushing for over 100 yards in four straight games to finish off the month of November and begin December. This of course meant that Bulger wasn’t required to throw it as much, as Faulk’s strong play helped the team to a seven-game winning streak. The regular season wrapped up neatly with a 12-4 record, with Bulger being credited with all 12 of those wins. The Rams held off the 10-6 Seattle Seahawks to win the NFC West crown, which happened to come with a first-round bye in the playoffs. Their first opponent would be the NFC South-winning Carolina Panthers, who made the trip over to St. Louis for the January 10th, 2004 matchup.

The Rams made their way into the red zone on all three of their complete first-half possessions, but were unable to capitalize as they were forced to settle for three short field goals, enabling Carolina to have a slim 10-9 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, neither side was able to get into the end zone, though the Panthers one-upped the Rams to go up 16-12 going into the final frame of regulation. To open up the fourth, however, Bulger threw a crucial interception, turning it over to longtime Panthers safety Mike Minter. After a 36-yard pass from former teammate Delhomme to should-be Hall of Famer Steve Smith, fullback Brad Hoover punched it in for what might have been the dagger with 8:50 left to play.

Facing a 23-12 deficit, the Rams were forced to put their fortunes on the right arm of Bulger, though the comeback attempt initially went off to a horrible start as he immediately threw his second interception of the day. Luckily for St. Louis, the Panthers went three-and-out and actually lost seven yards in the process, prompting a 53-yard field goal attempt which doinked harmlessly off of the left upright. With a second life, Bulger and the Rams got down to business, moving into Carolina territory once again. The biggest play of the drive came in a fourth-and-two situation, where Bulger hit Faulk out of the backfield for a 22-yard gain. Even though they were in the red zone, they were far from out of the woods as they faced a third-and-10. Using an empty backfield formation, Bulger found Faulk, this time lined up as a slot receiver, down the middle with Faulk doing the rest to pick up another first down. The Rams eventually worked it all the way to the one-yard line, with Faulk appropriately finishing off the drive with a touchdown run. With just over two minutes left, though, the Rams would need to pull off a two-point conversion to cut it to a three-point lead. Bulger faked the handoff to Faulk, before finding rookie wide receiver Dane Looker to put St. Louis just a field goal behind.

With just one timeout remaining, Rams head coach Mike Martz opted to go with an onside kick try. Kicker Jeff Wilkins floated the ball towards the Panthers’ hands team after making a hard right turn, where it bounced off the chest of a sliding Jermaine Wiggins. This sent the ball on another high bounce, allowing Wilkins to recover his own onside kick just past the Rams 40-yard line. An exhausted Panthers defense was forced to head back onto the field, and were unable to stop a pair of lengthy completions from Bulger to another future Hall of Famer in receiver Isaac Bruce. Although the offense was already in the red zone and still firing on all cylinders with quite a bit of time still left on the clock, Martz made the controversial decision to let the clock run down and settle for the tying field goal, which Wilkins put through from 33 yards out to send the game into overtime.

In the days before both teams were entitled to at least one possession in overtime, both sides had golden opportunities for walk-off field goals on their opening drives. However, Panthers kicker John Kasay missed a 45-yarder before Wilkins missed from 53, but the Rams’ chance to end it would come again after a Carolina punt. From inside Panthers territory, Bulger again connected with Faulk out of the backfield, turning it into a 25-yard catch and run to put it just outside of field goal range. However, the atmosphere inside the Edward Jones Dome would make a 180 just one play later. Trying to find Holt on the first-down play, Bulger’s pass was intercepted by rookie cornerback Ricky Manning, bring the scoring threat to an abrupt halt. The Rams’ fate was sealed on the first play of double overtime, as Delhomme completed a pass to Smith just past midfield, who dodged a pair of potential St. Louis tacklers on the way to the game-winning 69-yard touchdown. Bulger ended the wild afternoon with 332 passing yards despite giving up three interceptions, while Delhomme grabbed the 29-23 OT victory with one touchdown pass, 290 yards and one interception.

Bulger remained the Rams primary starter throughout the rest of the 2000s, though he was never quite able to recapture the success of his first year and a half with the club. He would help St. Louis to another playoff appearance in 2004 in spite of the team’s 8-8 regular season record, and picked up a 27-20 victory in the first round over the Seahawks before a blowout against Atlanta ended the postseason run. Unfortunately, the end of the 2000s were not kind to the Rams, as the team could only muster a total of six wins in the final three years of the decade. Bulger retired after a brief stop with the Baltimore Ravens in 2010, finishing with 41 career victories. After hanging up the cleats, Bulger opted to get involved in a different sport, though likely not the one you’re thinking of. In 2016, Bulger joined up with other retired NFL stars to form a team on the World Curling Tour (appropriately enough with the Winter Olympics coming up as I’m writing this), which eventually led to him opening a new curling training center in Nashville in 2021.

Ranking Every NHL Rookie of the Year (1940s)

Photo Credit: NHL

10. John Quilty (1940-41)

Quilty secured the Calder Trophy as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 1940-41, earning 18 goals and 16 assists while playing in all 48 contests. Unfortunately for Quilty, he would not be able to reach these heights again at the NHL level, playing to diminishing returns in 1941-42 before leaving to serve in World War II for the Royal Canadian Air Force. He returned to play for 1946-47 and had a pretty strong postseason effort that season, but could only patch together limited playing time in 1947-48 and opted to exit the NHL in favor of the Quebec Senior Hockey League soon after.

9. Pentti Lund (1948-49)

Known for being the first player born in Finland to go full-time at the NHL level, Lund captured the Calder Trophy in 1948-49 with the New York Rangers after scoring 14 goals and 16 assists. His next two seasons were unusual to say the least, as his 1949-50 campaign saw him collect 18 goals with just nine assists, before doing a complete 180 in 1950-51 with four goals and 16 assists. During the 1951-52 season, however, Lund suffered a severe eye injury, causing permanent blindness in his right eye. Even so, he was able to return before the end of the season, amazingly only missing about three months of play. Lund came back in 1952-53 and did well considering the circumstances with eight goals and nine assists, which likely would have won him the Masterton Trophy had the award existed at the time. Similar to Quilty, Lund left to join a different league after that season.

8. Kilby MacDonald (1939-40)

MacDonald grabbed the Calder in 1939-40 for the New York Rangers, earning 15 goals and 13 assists along the way. The Rangers qualified for the postseason and took down the Boston Bruins in six games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, with MacDonald contributing a pair of assists. Although MacDonald was held off of the scoresheet in the Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York still took the series in six games for their third title in franchise history.

Already a Stanley Cup champ, the sky seemed to be limit for MacDonald. However, the 1940-41 season instead saw him run into a sophomore slump, scoring less than half of the points he had the year before despite playing in two more games. As was the case for many NHL players at this time, MacDonald left the league in order to serve in World War II for the Canadian Army. He came back to the Rangers during the 1943-44 season and immediately made an impact with seven goals and nine assists in just 24 games, but injury issues in 1944-45 forced MacDonald into an early retirement.

7. Frank McCool (1944-45)

This is a tough one to rank as McCool definitely deserved more than a seventh-place on this list, and it goes without saying that he has one of the best names for any goalie in NHL history. In the 1944-45 season, McCool burst onto the scene, getting 24 victories, a league-leading four shutouts and a 3.22 goals against average while playing in all 50 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This allowed him to take home the Calder Trophy, but he was far from done that season as Toronto was in the playoffs.

In the first game of the opening round against the bitter rival Montreal Canadiens, McCool posted a shutout in a 1-0 Maple Leafs win, setting the tone for the rest of the series as the team went on to advance to the Finals as McCool took the other three wins as well. Facing the Detroit Red Wings for the title, McCool led Toronto to a 3-0 series lead. He was easily the standout player from this start as he nabbed three consecutive shutouts, two of which in 1-0 wins. However, McCool was unable to bail out the Maple Leafs’ struggling offense as the series continued, with the Red Wings fighting back to force a game seven after wins by scores of 2-0 and 1-0 in overtime. In the decisive game, though, McCool stopped the reverse sweep bid, giving up a lone goal in a 2-1 nailbiter for the Maple Leafs’ fifth championship.

With a Stanley Cup ring in just his rookie season, McCool looked to lead Toronto to further success in the years to come. Sadly, he would not have this opportunity, as a history of stomach ulcers forced him to retire midway through the 1945-46 season. Despite his career being cut short, in my opinion McCool established himself as the greatest ‘one-year wonder’ in NHL history.

6. Grant Warwick (1941-42)

Warwick has the distinction of being the final Calder Trophy winner to be hand-picked by league president and award namesake Frank Calder, who personally selected the rookie of the year from the award’s inception until his unexpected passing in early 1943. With the New York Rangers for his rookie campaign, Warwick contributed 16 goals and 17 assists, helping the Rangers to what would be their final winning record until the 1955-56 season.

Despite the team’s struggles, Warwick maintained his role as a consistent 20-goal scorer throughout the 1940’s, including a personal best season in 1944-45 as he put up 20 goals and 22 assists in 42 games played. However, after a rough 1949-50 campaign with the Montreal Canadiens in which he added just two goals in 26 games, Warwick was sent down to the AHL and never made a return to the big league club. He left the NHL system behind after the 1951-52 season, instead playing in the Okanagan Senior Hockey League for the next several years. This left his NHL time at a total of 147 goals and 142 assists for 289 points in 395 games played.

5. Jim McFadden (1947-48)

One of the few Irish-born NHL players, McFadden won the Calder Trophy in 1947-48 with 24 goals and 24 assists for the Detroit Red Wings. During the 1948 playoffs, McFadden broke through in the first round against the New York Rangers, earning four goals and a pair of assists in the six-game series victory, including two goals and an assists in game two. In the Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, McFadden scored the opening goal of the series, but would be held to just one assist the rest of the way as the Red Wings were swept in four games.

Unfortunately for McFadden and the Wings, they would suffer the same fate in 1949 as Toronto swept them aside in the Finals for their third straight championship, with McFadden notably scoring just one assist throughout the playoffs. However, both he and the team refused to be denied in 1949-50, finishing with the best record in the league to reach the postseason once again. After winning a hard-fought seven-game first round series against the Maple Leafs, the Red Wings were back in the Finals again for a battle with the Rangers, though this turned out to be just as much a challenge. McFadden looked to establish himself early with a goal and an assist in game one, but was kept off of the scoresheet for the next five contests in what became a seven-game series.

In the championship-deciding game seven, the Rangers grabbed a 3-2 advantage just after the game’s halfway mark, but McFadden came through just a few minutes later with the game-tying goal on an assist from Jimmy Peters to end his scoring drought. The tie game held through a scoreless third period and first overtime frame, before left winger Pete Babando, who had only scored six times all season, put in the game-winning goal at the 8:31 mark of the second overtime. On his third Finals appearance, McFadden was a Stanley Cup champion.

After a solid 1950-51 season, McFadden was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks as part of a seven-player deal. While the Black Hawks were in the midst of a disastrous tailspin by the early 1950’s, as they would finish dead last in the standings in five of the six seasons, McFadden proved to be one of the lone bright spots for the club. In fact, he posted his career-best season in 1952-53, leading Chicago in scoring with 23 goals and 21 assists on the way to an unexpected playoff appearance. After a slow start in 1953-54, however, McFadden would leave the NHL to join the newly-formed Western Hockey League (not to be confused with the modern-day WHL), playing in the upstart league until his 1956 retirement. For his NHL career, McFadden claimed exactly 100 goals with 126 assists for 226 total points in 412 games, to go along with his 1950 Stanley Cup title.

4. Howie Meeker (1946-47)

Despite being known primarily for his legendary broadcasting career, Meeker also had a rather impressive NHL playing tenure, starting with his Calder Trophy title in 1946-47 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. That season, Meeker earned 27 goals and 18 assists (including scoring five goals in a single game) as the Maple Leafs easily reached the postseason and it wouldn’t take long before he made an impact in the first round against the Detroit Red Wings. In game one of the series, Meeker captured the overtime game-winner, before getting a pair of goals in game four for what would be a five-game series win to advance to the Finals. Facing the Montreal Canadiens for the Cup, the series would not be as fruitful as the previous one for Meeker as he had just one assist in the first five games. With the Maple Leafs holding a 3-2 series lead in game six, though, Meeker showed why he was named rookie of the year, assisting on both of Toronto’s goals in the 2-1 series-clinching victory. With that, Meeker was officially a Stanley Cup champion, but of course he was far from done.

Meeker followed up his Calder-winning campaign with another strong showing in 1947-48, with the Maple Leafs claiming the best regular season record in the league as the favorites to go back-to-back in the playoffs. In the opening round versus the Boston Bruins, Meeker contributed at least one point in all of Toronto’s wins in the series, taking a goal and four assists in the five-game triumph. This set up a bout with the Red Wings in the third Finals matchup between the two teams that decade, with the Maple Leafs winning the previous two meetings. Indeed, the Red Wings were no match for Toronto, as the Maple Leafs grabbed the four-game sweep. Meeker registered just one goal on the series, but with the team winning each contest by multiple goals, this was just a minor setback on the road to his second career title.

The Maple Leafs went on to capture their third consecutive championship in 1949, though they were forced to do it without Meeker, who went down for the season with a broken collarbone before the halfway point of the year. He returned to lineup for the 1949-50 season with another solid performance in the new 70-game season, but this turned out to be the last time he would play in more than 80 percent of the regular season.

In the 1950-51 season, Meeker was limited to just six goals as he continued to battle with injuries, but most importantly he was healthy for the upcoming playoff run. The Maple Leafs disposed of the Boston Bruins in the first round once again, bringing up a Finals rematch with Montreal. This series was noteworthy as each of the five games went into overtime, but Meeker would be shut out from the scoresheet in the first three games. This changed in game four, as he scored the go-ahead goal in the second period for what would be a 3-2 OT win. With just one more victory needed in game five, this too would go into an extra frame as Toronto rookie forward Tod Sloan got the game-tying tally with just 32 seconds to go in regulation. However, this OT period would not last long. As Meeker collected a loose puck behind the Montreal net, he passed it over to fellow forward Harry Watson. Although Watson was unable to put in the shot, the puck found its way to defenseman Bill Barilko. Barilko made no mistake, finding the back of the net with the goalie out of position to give the Maple Leafs their ninth Stanley Cup title, though Barilko would tragically pass away in a plane crash during the offseason.

Now a three-time Stanley Cup champ, Meeker looked to use this momentum to bounce back from his recent rough regular season, but this would not be the case as he was hounded by a back injury. In his final two seasons, he was limited to a total of 30 games before his retirement as a player in 1954, ending up with 83 goals and 102 assists for 185 points in 346 games played. While he had a brief stint as head coach of the Maple Leafs shortly after his retirement, Meeker began his broadcasting work as a studio analyst for Hockey Night in Canada in 1969. He remained in the role for the next 18 years, becoming a fan favorite due to his energetic delivery and incorporation of the telestrator, which was a new technology at the time, along with coining the phrase “Golly-gee willikers!”. In 1998, he received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame for contributions to hockey broadcasting.

3. Edgar Laprade (1945-46)

Laprade picked up the Calder Trophy in 1945-46 for the New York Rangers, scoring 15 goals and 19 assists. He slowly built on this success over the next couple of seasons, including getting a career-high 34 assists in 1947-48. Shortly after, in the 1949-50 season, Laprade picked up an even 22 goals and 22 assists to help lead the Rangers into the postseason. He captured a pair of assists in a five-game first round triumph versus the Montreal Canadiens, before taking on the vaunted Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs. In game two, Laprade played a crucial role with a pair of third period goals, ultimately giving the Rangers a 3-1 win. However, despite Laprade ending the Finals with three goals and three assists, the Red Wings would gut out a seven-game series victory.

While he was unable to reach the playoffs again after the 1950 run, Laprade still had the impressive feat of playing two full seasons without committing a single penalty, interestingly doing so in both his rookie season and his final season before retirement in 1954-55. In fact, Laprade had just one season in his career with double-digit penalty minute totals, as he finished with a mere 42 penalty minutes over the course of his 500-game long career. This, along with his 108 goals and 172 assists for 280 career points, was likely the catalyst for his 1993 induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

2. Gus Bodnar (1943-44)

Bodnar earned the Calder Trophy for 1943-44 as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 22 goals along with a then-rookie record 40 assists. This mark would stand in the record books through the 2016-17 season, but Bodnar would have plenty of other reasons to be remembered in the annals of NHL history. Although his goal totals dropped significantly in 1944-45, he remained a brilliant passer with 36 helpers on the season. Despite Toronto having a disappointing regular season by their standards, they nonetheless made it into the playoffs with a first-round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. In game four of this series, Bodnar scored the game-winning overtime goal as the Maple Leafs led three games to one, before netting a crucial insurance goal in the deciding game six. The Leafs would face the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals, where Bodnar came in clutch once again as he scored the only goal of game three, enabling Toronto to go up three games to none. The Red Wings nearly fought their way back with three straight wins of their own, but Bodnar and the Maple Leafs were able to shut it down in game seven for his first Stanley Cup.

After a decent bounceback in 1945-46, Bodnar again hit a down year in 1946-47 with just four goals and six assists in 39 games played. However, the Maple Leafs were still near the top of the standings and handily made it into the playoffs. Bodnar did not play in Toronto’s opening round defeat of the Red Wings, but made his way back into the lineup for what would be the final game of the Finals against Montreal. Holding a 3-2 series lead in game six, the Maple Leafs would fend off the Canadiens 2-1, allowing Bodnar to lift the Stanley Cup for a second time. After this season, though, Bodnar was traded to the team he would spend the bulk of his NHL career with, that being the Chicago Black Hawks.

Bodnar had a nice introduction to his new organization in 1947-48, before putting up the best season of his career since his rookie season. For 1948-49, Bodnar collected 19 goals and 26 assists, but the Black Hawks came up short of reaching the postseason. Unfortunately for Chicago, this became a common occurrence throughout the 1950’s, but Bodnar nonetheless gutted it out through the difficult times as a staple center in the organization as he generally scored around 40 points per season. Eventually, Bodnar wound his career down with the Boston Bruins, retiring after the 1954-55 season with 142 goals and 255 assists for 397 points in 667 games played.

1. Gaye Stewart (1942-43)

Stewart had an impressive start to his NHL career even before taking the Calder Trophy, winning his first Stanley Cup in 1942 at just 18 years old with three playoff games played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite not appearing in any regular season contests. He won the Calder in 1942-43, nabbing 24 goals and 23 assists in Toronto. With this also taking place during World War II, Stewart missed each of the next two seasons as he served in the Royal Canadian Navy. He rejoined the Maple Leafs in 1945-46 and improved on his already impressive rookie campaign, leading the league with 37 goals on the way to a first-team All-Star selection. While he wouldn’t be able to follow up those numbers in 1946-47, the Maple Leafs themselves were still on top of the hockey world as they went on a deep playoff run once again. They took down the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round, where Stewart had a goal and three assists in the five-game series, to take on the Montreal Canadiens in the Finals. The team recovered from a 6-0 loss in game one to defeat the Canadiens in six games, with Stewart adding a goal and two assists along the way for his second Stanley Cup title.

Stewart started out the 1947-48 season with the Maple Leafs, but shortly after the season began he, along with teammate and fellow Calder winner Gus Bodnar, were traded across the border to the Chicago Black Hawks. The deal immediately paid off for the Black Hawks, as Stewart claimed 26 goals and 29 assists in 54 games for Chicago, taking second-team All-Star honors as well. He followed this up with two more 20+ goal campaigns, before being traded again prior to the 1950-51 season. Stewart spent his final two full-time seasons with the Red Wings and New York Rangers to modest success, before being signed on a minor league deal with the Montreal Canadiens. Stewart played just five games with the Canadiens in 1952-53 and didn’t get called up at all for the 1953-54 regular season, but would surprisingly get an opportunity for his third Stanley Cup in the 1954 playoffs. After not having played in the NHL for a year and a half, Stewart was brought up in game five of the Stanley Cup Finals against one of his old teams in the Red Wings. Detroit held a 3-1 series lead at that point, but Montreal fought back with two straight wins to force a game seven. Unfortunately for Stewart and the Montreal faithful, the run ended with the Red Wings scoring a 2-1 overtime win. This turned out to be the final NHL game for Stewart, who played the 1954-55 season in the AHL before retiring with 185 goals and 159 assists in 502 NHL games to go along with his two Stanley Cups.

Who I Want to Win in the 2025 NFL Playoffs

 

Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

By Zane Miller

AFC Wild Card

#7 LA Chargers v. #2 New England- Los Angeles

#6 Buffalo v. #3 Jacksonville- Buffalo

#5 Houston v. #4 Pittsburgh- Pittsburgh

NFC Wild Card

#7 Green Bay v. #2 Chicago- Chicago

#6 San Francisco v. #3 Philadelphia- Philadelphia

#5 LA Rams v. #4 Carolina- Carolina

AFC Divisional

#7 Los Angeles v. #1 Denver- Los Angeles

#6 Buffalo v. #4 Pittsburgh- Buffalo

NFC Divisional

#4 Carolina v. #1 Seattle- Carolina

#3 Philadelphia v. #2 Chicago- Chicago

AFC Championship Game

#7 Los Angeles v. #6 Buffalo- Los Angeles

NFC Championship Game

#4 Carolina v. #2 Chicago- Carolina

Super Bowl LX

#N4 Carolina v. #A7 Los Angeles

Winner: Carolina Panthers

Random Recap Thursday #12: Anthem Rugby Carolina v. Miami Sharks 4/27/2025

Photo Credit: ESPN

By Zane Miller

On Sunday, April 27^th, 2025, the Miami Sharks hosted Anthem Rugby Carolina at Fort Lauderdale’s AutoNation Sports Field, with the Sharks looking to get themselves back to a .500 record in the Major League Rugby standings while Carolina was simply looking to grab their first victory in team history.

The Sharks entered the weekend at 4-5, hoping to improve on their inaugural 2024 campaign which saw them just barely miss out on the playoffs with a 6-10 record. On the other end, their Eastern Conference competitor in Carolina were far more worse off, as they too entered MLR in 2024 but finished at a dreadful 0-16. Their 2025 season was unfortunately trending the same way, as they sat with an 0-10 record before travelling to South Florida.

Miami received the opening kickoff, and would soon score the opening try just before the eight-minute mark. Back and team captain Tomas Cubelli punched it over the line, with Santiago Videla knocking though the conversion kick for a 7-0 advantage. Anthem was unable to go anywhere once they took the ball back, and back Matias Orlando made them pay with a big run into scoring range. Charlotte put up a good fight near the goal line, but ultimately back Marcos Young was able to finish the job with the try, making it a 14-0 game. Carolina sustained another setback later in the half as starting tighthead prop Alex Maughan went down for the game with an injury, and Videla capped off the first half scoring for the Sharks as he hit a penalty kick for a 17-0 lead.

Miami picked up right where they left off as the second half got underway, capitalizing on a massive run by Orlando to set up Cubelli for his second try of the night. The Sharks’ defense held pat for much of the latter half as well, keeping Anthem outside of scoring range, though Carolina broke through with about 20 minutes to go in regulation to end the shutout bid. Back Connor Mooneyham sprinted down the sideline for their best scoring opportunity of the evening, getting brought down short of the try marker but setting up forward Connor Robinson for the eventual score. The conversion kick was no good to make it 24-5, though even without the miss Anthem would need a miracle in order to get back in contention. Alas, such a miracle was not forthcoming for Carolina, as Miami was able to put in their backups due to the comfortable lead. One of those backups, Tomas Bekerman, added another try to give the Sharks four on the game (thus giving them an extra bonus point in the standings). As time expired, the Sharks were indeed able to reach the .500 mark while Carolina was still seeking their first win as a franchise.

The Sharks were able to maintain their even win-loss record throughout the regular season, improving on their 2024 showing with an 8-8 finish. This was indeed good enough to qualify for the playoffs for the first and only time in franchise history, though they would be thwomped in the first round by the eventual champion New England Free Jacks 32-10. Meanwhile, Anthem suffered their second straight winless campaign, going 0-16 once again. However, this does come with a sort of silver lining for Carolina as the team still has the opportunity to collect their first victory in 2026. The Sharks would not be so lucky, closing up shop after the 2025 season.

My 2026 MLR Regular Season Predictions

Photo Credit: America's Rugby News

By Zane Miller

Playoff teams listed in bold

Chicago Hounds

New England Free Jacks

Seattle Seawolves

Old Glory DC

California Legion

Anthem Rugby Carolina

Ranking Every NHL Rookie of the Year (1950s)

Photo Credit: Vintage Detroit Collection

10. Jack Gelineau (1949-50)

Gelineau grabbed the Calder Trophy as the backstop for the Boston Bruins in 1949-50, winning 22 games while posting four shutouts and a goals against average of 3.28 in 67 games. Despite this feat, Gelineau would only play a total of two full-time seasons at the NHL level, getting 46 wins with a 3.13 GAA in 143 games.

9. Larry Regan (1956-57)

Regan earned the 1956-57 Calder Trophy for the Boston Bruins, thanks to his 14 goals and 19 assists. This would be the peak of Regan’s playing career, however, as he played in just 280 total regular season games with 41 goals and 95 assists before being out of the league after 1960-61. Regan is more known for his post-playing career as a coach/general manager, heading the Los Angeles Kings from their inaugural 1967-68 season until 1973-74.

8. Camille Henry (1953-54)

Henry captured the Calder as a member of the New York Rangers in 1953-54, nabbing 24 goals and 15 assists. Despite the strong rookie season, Henry was sent down to the minor leagues for most of the next couple seasons, before rejoining the Rangers proper in 1957-58. Catching a second wind, Henry significantly improved his output even compared to his Calder-winning season, becoming a consistent 50-60 point scorer for the next several years. His career-best season came in 1962-63, scoring 37 goals and 23 assists in 60 games played for exactly a point per game.

After leaving the Rangers, Henry reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice, doing so with the Chicago Black Hawks (now Chicago Blackhawks) in 1965 and the St. Louis Blues in 1969, but would come up short on both occasions. He retired from playing early on in the 1969-70 season, finishing his career with 279 goals and 249 assists for 528 points in 727 games played, mostly with New York.

7. Ed Litzenberger (1954-55)

Litzenberger has a unique claim to fame amongst Calder Trophy winners, as his 1954-55 Calder-winning campaign was split between two different teams. After starting the year with the Montreal Canadiens, Litzenberger was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks near the midway point of the season. Even with the abrupt change in scenery, he still posted an impressive 23 goals and 28 assists. Litzenberger remained with the Black Hawks for the majority of his career, getting a career-high 33 goals and 44 assists in 1958-59, though his only season with end-of-season All-Star consideration came two seasons earlier with an even 32 goals and 32 assists.

While his offensive production dropped off in the second half of his career, it would ironically feature by far the most postseason success. In 1961, Litzenberger helped put a definitive end to the malaise which had loomed over the Black Hawks throughout the previous decade, captaining the team to a Stanley Cup title by taking down the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals. However, with Litzenberger only scoring 10 goals during the regular season and a lone assist during the six-game Finals, he was traded away in 1961-62 to the very same Red Wings team (interesting trade partner choice), who in turn flipped him a couple months later to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While Litzenberger’s stats never really improved again, his veteran leadership proved valuable as Toronto went on a run of three straight Stanley Cups from 1962 to 1964. In the first of these, he defeated his former team in the Black Hawks, before taking home the hardware against another former team in Detroit the other two years. Litzenberger exited the NHL after 1963-64 as a four-time champion, claiming 178 goals and 238 assists for 416 points in 619 games (mainly for Chicago) along the way.

6. Ralph Backstrom (1958-59)

An incredibly underrated talent of the Canadiens’ dynasty years, Backstrom collected the Calder Trophy for Montreal in 1958-59 on the strength of 18 goals and 22 assists. That same season, the Canadiens made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, seeking their fourth consecutive championship. After being held to just one assist in the semifinals, Backstrom exploded against the Toronto Maple Leafs, especially in the series-deciding game five. After potting the opening goal of the contest, Backstrom went on to add three assists as Montreal took care of business for their 11th championship in franchise history. While Backstrom was now already a Stanley Cup winner at 21 years old, this would, of course, be far from his last title with the Canadiens.

The 1960 playoff run saw the Canadiens get sweeps over the Chicago Black Hawks in the semifinals and the Maple Leafs in the Finals itself, with Backstrom having a three-assist showing in game three against Chicago. With multiple Stanley Cup titles already under his belt, Backstrom had now established himself as a consistent force in the Habs’ lineup. In 1961-62, he had the best season of his NHL career offensively, setting career highs with 27 goals and 38 assists.

In 1965, Montreal reached the Finals once again, where they would hold off the Black Hawks in seven games for Backstrom’s third career Cup, capping off a season in which he crossed the 50-point mark for a second time. The team ran it back the next year, sweeping Toronto in the semifinals as Backstrom registered a goal and two assists in the four-game set. He and Montreal took care of business against the Red Wings, winning the Finals in six games to etch his name on the Stanley Cup for a fourth time.

While the Maple Leafs would get their revenge against the Canadiens in the 1967 Stanley Cup battle, they bounced back big time in 1968. Facing the Boston Bruins in the opening round, Backstrom grabbed two goals and two assists for a four-game sweep. Against the expansion St. Louis Blues in the Finals, he scored a goal and an assist to help complete the sweep and give himself a whole hand’s worth of Stanley Cup rings. With no reason to stop there, the Canadiens easily made their way back to the Finals in 1969, defeating the New York Rangers in the first round in a sweep as Backstrom notched a goal and two assists. The series turned out to be a rematch with the Blues, and predictably had similar results as the Canadiens again won it in four games. Backstrom assisted on the game-winning goal in game four, along with getting the opening goal of game two for his sixth career Stanley Cup.

After a shocking postseason miss in 1970, the Canadiens traded Backstrom to the Los Angeles Kings midway through 1970-71. Although the Kings were nowhere near Montreal’s caliber, Backstrom would put up his strongest offensive numbers in years, scoring 23 goals and 29 assists in 1971-72 before netting 26 goals and 32 assists in 1972-73. However, the latter season wasn’t entirely spent in Los Angeles, as he was moved to the Black Hawks at the trade deadline. Although he clearly had plenty left in the tank, Backstrom’s NHL career came to an end after the 1972-73 campaign, with him jumping ship to the newly formed World Hockey Association. Backstrom would play in the WHA through the 1976-77 season, wrapping up his NHL time with 278 goals and 361 assists for 639 points in 1,032 games played. This was in addition to his six Stanley Cup championships, all of which with the Canadiens.

5. Frank Mahovlich (1957-58)

Mahovlich secured the 1957-58 Calder as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, getting 20 goals and 16 assists on the year. While the Maple Leafs had a rare playoff miss that year, they made it to the Finals in each of the next two seasons, but Mahovlich and company were unable to solve the Montreal Canadiens either time. After three seasons of solid play at the NHL level, Mahovlich had his breakthrough campaign in 1960-61. There, he more than doubled his previous career goal total with 48, adding 36 assists as well to take a first-team All-Star nomination.

Now that Mahovlich had officially arrived, he put together another impressive season in 1961-62 with 33 goals and 38 helpers to collect a second-team All-Star nod. Mahovlich also had a major impact on Toronto in that year’s Finals, scoring four goals and three assists against the Chicago Black Hawks, including getting two goals and two assists in game five. The third time would indeed prove to be the charm for Mahovlich, as the Maple Leafs won the series in six games for his first of many Stanley Cups.

Mahovlich posted similar stats the following season, nabbing 36 goals and 37 assists to claim his second first-team All-Star selection. The Leafs qualified for the postseason with the best record in the league and although Mahovlich was held to just two assists during the 1963 playoff run, Toronto still handled the Detroit Red Wings in the Final with a five-game triumph. The now two-time champ kept the momentum going in 1963-64, contributing 26 goals and 29 assists for another second-team All-Star. Still, Mahovlich saved his best for the playoffs, leading the entire postseason field with 11 assists. After surviving the Canadiens in the semifinals, the Red Wings proved even more daunting this time around. Mahovlich scored a pair of two-assist games, including the decisive game seven. The Maple Leafs ultimately came out on top against the Red Wings, giving Mahovlich his third Stanley Cup ring.

In both 1964-65 and 1965-66, Mahovlich was a second-team All-Star again, securing 23 goals and 28 assists in the former and 32 goals with 24 assists in the latter. In 1966-67, however, his regular season scoring took a bit of a dip, scoring less than 50 points for the first time in seven seasons, but the Maple Leafs qualified for the playoffs again nonetheless. The opening round against the Black Hawks saw him have an impressive three-assist performance in game four, on the way to another Finals date with the Canadiens. Mahovlich was limited to two assists in the Finals, but the Maple Leafs came out on top, defeating their arch-rival in six games. Of course, 1967 remains the most recent championship for the Maple Leafs, and it would also be Mahovlich’s last full season with the franchise.

Near the end of the 1967-68 campaign, Mahovlich was involved in a massive eight-player trade which sent him to the Red Wings. Interestingly, the deal did not pay immediate dividends for either side, with both Toronto and Detroit missing the playoffs that season. However, Mahovlich quickly embraced the change of scenery, as 1968-69 saw him score a career-high 49 goals to go along with 29 assists for another second-team All-Star nod. He would repeat as a second-team All-Star in 1969-70, adding 38 goals and 32 assists for the red and white.

For 1970-71, Mahovlich was off to another strong start, but found himself on the move once again. This time, he was traded to the Canadiens midway through the year, and immediately showed that Montreal had made the right choice. With the Canadiens looking to bounce back from their playoff miss a year earlier with a strong run in 1971, Mahovlich dominated the postseason, leading in both goals and points on the way to another Finals appearance. In a seven-game bout with Chicago, Mahovlich put up two goals in game three with a goal and two assists coming in game six, earning his fifth Stanley Cup title and the 17^th in the history of the Canadiens.

Now playing alongside younger brother Pete, Mahovlich found himself right at home in Montreal. He crossed the 50-assist mark for the first time in his NHL career in 1971-72, before claiming first-team All-Star honors for the first time in over a decade in 1972-73 with 38 goals and a career-high 55 assists. The Habs posted the best record in the league to easily reach the playoffs, with Mahovlich just as much of a scoring threat there as he was in the regular season. The Canadiens eventually made it all the way to the Finals for a rematch against the Black Hawks. Mahovlich was remarkably consistent throughout the series, scoring at least a goal and an assist in all but one game of the six-game series. Naturally, Montreal emerged victorious, allowing Mahovlich to add his name to the Stanley Cup for a sixth time. He had another successful season with the team in 1973-74, but would leave the NHL behind to join the WHA, playing in the upstart league until 1977-78. Mahovlich retired as one of a few players at the time to reach 500 goals, getting 533 in total along with 570 assists for 1,103 points in 1,181 games.

4. Gump Worsley (1952-53)

Worsley captured the Calder Trophy for 1952-53 with the New York Rangers, grabbing 13 wins with a 3.02 goals against average in 50 games played. Even with this impressive introduction to the league, Worsley was sent down to the minors for the next season before re-emerging in 1954-55. His second year in the NHL was a significant sophomore slump, but Worsley would flip a switch in 1955-56. Playing in all 70 games that season, he nabbed an impressive .923 save percentage to become a finalist for the Hart Trophy, losing in a tight three-way battle between himself, Toronto Maple Leafs veteran Tod Sloan and Montreal Canadiens great Jean Beliveau.

After a somewhat underwhelming 1956-57 campaign, Worsley returned to form in 1957-58- sort of. While he led the NHL with a .927 SV%, this was obtained in just 37 games as he missed a massive chunk of the regular season due to injury. Three goalies in the then six-team league started all 70 contests that season, though their final save percentages were all significantly lower than Worsley’s. He got the net back full-time for the Rangers going forward, but his next couple seasons were nothing to write home about. Starting in the 1960-61 season, however, Worsley truly began to come into his own.

That season, Worsley posted an impressive .913 save percentage with 20 wins in 59 games, followed up in 1961-62 as he claimed 22 wins and a .912 SV% in 60 games played. Both save percentages were on par with that of Chicago Black Hawks netminder Glenn Hall and Toronto goalie Johnny Bower, both future Hall of Famers, though New York was unable to convert Worsley’s strong play into postseason success. 1962-63 was more of the same in this regard, as the Rangers missed the playoffs despite Worsley getting a .914 SV% and 22 wins in a league-leading 67 games played. This wound up being Worsley’s final season in the Big Apple, as he was abruptly traded due to his involvement in what would become the NHL Players’ Association. However, in a twist of fate, this would be the catalyst to Worsley making the transition from really good goalie to future Hall of Famer, as the trade landed him with the Montreal Canadiens.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, the Canadiens were the team to beat in the late 1960s, though Worsley would have to wait his turn as Charlie Hodge was holding down the net for Montreal at the time of the trade. In 1964-65, Worsley remained the backup as Hodge led the team to the playoffs, but would be thrust into action shortly into the playoff run when Hodge sustained a groin injury. He led the way past the Maple Leafs in the first round, before getting the first two wins in the Finals against Chicago. Hodge returned to the lineup in time to get the third victory, but went down again prior to the decisive game seven. Despite being thrown into the fire for a second time, Worsley proved that the moment wasn’t too big for him, collecting a 20-save shutout for his first Stanley Cup title.

Worsley got the bulk of the starts for Montreal in 1965-66, earning 28 victories in 51 games with a .917 SV%. The team qualified for the playoffs as the #1 seed, knocking off the Maple Leafs in a series sweep in the opening round. Worsley started all four contests, including a shutout in game two. In the Finals versus the Detroit Red Wings, Worsley recovered from an early stumble to win it in six games, going back-to-back for the Canadiens’ 14^th championship in franchise history. The Cup came in addition to multiple personal accolades for Worsley, who also claimed a second-team All-Star nomination and his first Vezina Trophy. I must note that the Vezina Trophy winner(s) at this time was determined by fewest goals allowed (similar to the current Jennings Trophy) rather than the voting-based award it is today.

In 1967-68, Worsley missed a significant amount of time with injuries, playing in just 40 games, but performed well in the games he did play as he collected 21 wins and a .922 SV% along with a career-high six shutouts. This gave Worsley his first and only first-team All-Star selection, along with another Vezina which was shared with teammate Rogie Vachon. When the playoffs rolled around, however, Worsley was the full-time starter once again and immediately captured the opening series sweep against the Boston Bruins. The Finals set the Canadiens up against the expansion St. Louis Blues, where Worsley picked up a crucial shutout in a 1-0 win in game two on the path to another series sweep and his third career championship.

Worsley dealt with the injury bug again in 1968-69, appearing in just 30 games during the regular season, but returned in time to lead Montreal into the playoffs. In the first round against his former club in the Rangers, Worsley scored the win in three of the four matchups as the Canadiens advanced in a sweep. After playing the first three games of the semifinals against the Bruins, however, he sustained a hand injury which caused him to miss the rest of the playoffs. Vachon took over in his absence and led the team to back-to-back Cups once again. Although Worsley didn’t play in the Finals itself, he was nonetheless credited with his fourth Stanley Cup title. The injury and subsequent strong play by Vachon spelled the end for Worsley’s time in Montreal, as he was traded away during the ill-fated 1969-70 season. He finished out his career as a backup for the Minnesota North Stars and retired after the 1973-74 campaign, claiming a total of 333 wins, 43 shutouts and a 2.87 goals against average in 860 games played.

3. Glenn Hall (1955-56)

Hall entered the fray for the Detroit Red Wings in 1955-56 and immediately showed that he would be something special, earning the Calder and second-team All-Star honors with 30 victories, a .925 save percentage and league-leading 12 shutouts while playing in all 70 games with the team. Although they came up short in the Stanley Cup Finals that year, Hall played just as well, if not better, in 1956-57. He improved his already stellar save percentage to .928 while leading the NHL with 38 wins. He again played in all 70 games, a feat he would accomplish in every season through 1961-62. However, Hall wouldn’t be in the Motor City for long, as the Red Wings made one of the all-time boneheaded trades, shipping him and fellow future Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay out of town due to the pair’s interest in forming a players’ union. The Red Wings would come to regret the trade in a quite direct manner just a few years down the road.

With Hall now finding himself on the struggling Chicago Black Hawks, he didn’t have the same stat totals he had been used to with 24 victories and a .906 SV%, but was still named a first-team All-Star for 1957-58. After a turbulent 1958-59, Hall bounced back with an outstanding 1959-60 campaign to put an exclamatory end to Chicago’s miserable 1950s decade. Hall posted an NHL-best six shutouts with 28 wins and a .918 SV%, winning first-team All-Star for the third time and finishing as a finalist for the Hart Trophy along with teammate and forward Bobby Hull.

Hall dominated throughout the 1960-61 season, collecting 29 wins, a .920 SV% and six shutouts to lead the league in that category once again (in fact, he would end up leading the NHL in shutouts for four consecutive seasons). Despite being the #3-seed in the playoffs, they upset the Montreal Canadiens in the first round to thwart their attempt at a sixth straight championship, before facing none other than the Red Wings in the Finals. Hall started every game during the series and, while he was unable to lock down a shutout, never allowed more than three goals in any of the six games as the Black Hawks claimed their first Stanley Cup in 23 years. Hall had the last laugh against his former team, taking a Stanley Cup ring in his second attempt at the Finals.

Now nicknamed “Mr. Goalie”, Hall picked up a second straight second-team All-Star nod in 1961-62 with 31 victories, a .914 SV% and nine shutouts. He led the Black Hawks to another Finals appearance, but the chance at the repeat was stopped by the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1962-63, Hall led in wins for the first time since joining Chicago, winning 30 games while posting an NHL-leading .918 SV% in 66 games and five shutouts. This effort gave him the first of three career Vezina trophies, going along with first-team All-Star honors.

The good times continued to roll in 1963-64, as Hall again led in wins with 34 with a career-best .930 SV% in 65 games for his fifth career first-team All-Star award. While an injury forced him to miss about half of the regular season in 1964-65, he still claimed a .923 SV% and returned in time for the playoffs. In the first round, Hall again helped to eliminate Detroit, but the Black Hawks were unable to seal the deal as the Canadiens took the Finals in an exciting seven-game series. Undaunted, Hall secured another 34-win campaign in 1965-66, leading in wins for the fourth time in his career, with a .916 SV% to again receive a first-team All-Star nod. Injuries began to catch up to Hall in 1966-67, as he was limited to 32 games, yet he was still good enough to earn second-team All-Star with a .923 SV%. He also took the Vezina Trophy, sharing it with teammate Denis DeJordy. However, this would be Hall’s final chapter with the Black Hawks, as he was selected in the 1967 expansion draft by the St. Louis Blues.

In his first year in St. Louis, Hall shared the net with rookie Seth Martin and scored 18 wins with a .912 save percentage in 49 games. Once the playoffs got underway, though, the much more experienced Hall was the Blues’ go-to throughout the postseason. He led the team to seven-game series victories over the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars to reach the Finals, but the Blues ran out of steam against Montreal. Even so, Hall was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP as he maintained a .916 SV% in the 18 games.

Hall stayed with the Blues in 1968-69, as the team opted for a tandem with him and fellow goaltending legend Jacques Plante. Even with playing in just 41 games, Hall amazingly led the league in shutouts for a sixth time with eight, collecting 19 victories and a .928 SV%. This gave him his seventh career first-team All-Star, along with a third career Vezina Trophy. However, the team gave Plante the majority of starts throughout the 1969 playoff run, and though they swept Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Kings on the way to another Finals appearance, the run would again end in a sweep at the hands of the Canadiens. Hall retired after the 1970-71 season, claiming an impressive 407 wins, 84 shutouts and a save percentage of .918. Hall also had a record streak of 502 consecutive starts from 1955 to 1963, which stands to this day and is largely considered unbreakable.

2. Bernie Geoffrion (1951-52)

After joining the Montreal Canadiens for their Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1951, Geoffrion made a name for himself in his official rookie season of 1951-52, scoring 30 goals and 24 assists to guide the Canadiens back to the Finals again. During the postseason, Geoffrion nabbed a hat trick in the first round versus the Boston Bruins, but Montreal’s championship run came to an end in the Finals as they were swept by the vaunted Detroit Red Wings squad. Determined as ever, the Canadiens returned to the playoffs in 1953, but Geoffrion found an extra gear while facing the Chicago Black Hawks in the first round. In the seven-game series, he contributed five goals and five assists as Montreal recovered from a three-game losing skid to reach the Finals again. Geoffrion added a lone goal in the Finals, but he and the Canadiens needed just five games to beat the Bruins for his first Stanley Cup title.

After losing a hard-fought battle to the Red Wings in the 1954 Finals, Geoffrion appeared to have a chip on his shoulder in 1954-55. He led the NHL in goals that season with 38, getting 37 assists to also lead the league in points at 75. This, of course, gave him the Art Ross Trophy, as well as second-team All-Star as the Canadiens rolled into the playoffs. After disposing of Boston in the first round, they were set to face Detroit for the Cup yet again. Geoffrion had an exceptional series, which included a hat trick in game three and a pair of goals in game six, but the Red Wings ultimately came out on top in seven games, just as they had the year prior.

Geoffrion had a solid season in 1955-56, but saved his best for the playoffs, kicking off the first round against the New York Rangers with two goals and two assists. The Canadiens advanced past New York for a third straight Finals matchup with Detroit. This time, however, Geoffrion would not be denied, getting on the scoresheet in all four of Montreal’s victories as they finally solved the Red Wings in five games. Geoffrion’s second Stanley Cup would be far from his last.

In 1956-57, Geoffrion missed a significant amount of time with injury, but recovered in plenty of time for another postseason run. In the opening round against the Rangers, “Boom-Boom” went off for seven goals and five assists, including a game three hat trick as Montreal went on the Finals after a five-game victory. Taking on the Bruins for the Cup, Geoffrion was again a significant contributor, posting a multi-goal game three as the Canadiens went back-to-back in five games. Now with three Stanley Cup rings, Geoffrion was keen to continue carrying the torch for Montreal’s run of dominance, but he would soon be met with the largest adversity of his career.

During the 1957-58 campaign, Geoffrion suffered severe internal bleeding after an on-ice collision with a teammate, which doctors feared could be life-threatening. He missed the final two months of the regular season, but was miraculously able to rejoin the lineup for the playoffs. Geoffrion didn’t skip a beat, scoring a goal and an assist in the first game of the opening round against the Red Wings. The team took down Detroit in a four-game sweep on the way to another Final against Boston. With the series tied up at two games apiece, Geoffrion again put the team on his shoulders and added a goal and assist in game five, before claiming two goals and an assist in the series-clinching game six for the fourth Stanley Cup of his career.

Geoffrion had a largely healthy season in 1958-59, getting 22 goals and 44 helpers as Montreal took the #1-seed into the playoffs. The Canadiens made their way into the Finals versus the Toronto Maple Leafs and although Geoffrion failed to score a goal in the first three games, he came in clutch in game four. There, he was a part of all three Canadiens goals, adding a goal and two assists in the 3-2 victory. Needing just one more win to take the series, Geoffrion fired in two goals and an assist for Stanley Cup #5. As the 1950s came to an end, Geoffrion was still at the top of his game, finishing 1959-60 with 30 goals and 41 assists for another second-team All-Star nod. Needless to say at this point, Montreal made it to the playoffs, but in 1960 they were even more dominant than usual. In an opening round sweep of the Black Hawks, Geoffrion posted a total of two goals and four assists, including the eventual game winner in game one. The Canadiens took on rival Toronto in the Finals, where Geoffrion surprisingly could not find the back of the net. However, he made up for it in assists, getting six of them as the team took care of business with another four-game sweep. Even after receiving his sixth Cup ring, Geoffrion still had another historic feat left to go.

In the 1960-61 season, Geoffrion jumped out as the best player in the league, becoming the first player since now-retired teammate Maurice Richard (who was the first to do so 16 years earlier) to score 50 goals in a single season. In fact, with his 45 assists on top of the half-century mark, Geoffrion nearly became the first player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season. Not only did he take home his second career Art Ross title, but he also earned a Hart Trophy along with first-team All-Star honors. While Geoffrion didn’t reach quite those heights again, he remained a productive fixture before retiring after the 1967-68 season. With that, Geoffrion finished with 393 career goals and 422 assists for 822 total points in 883 games played.

1. Terry Sawchuk (1950-51)

Sawchuk grabbed the Calder Trophy with the Detroit Red Wings in 1950-51, immediately setting a new NHL record at the time for most wins in a season with 44. If that wasn’t enough for you, Sawchuk also led all goalies with 11 shutouts and had an outstanding 1.97 goals against average in 70 games. This also allowed him to take home a first-team All-Star award to cap off arguably the greatest rookie season by a goaltender in NHL history.

Sawchuk again played all 70 contests in 1951-52, earning another 44 victories with a league-leading 12 shutouts and 1.90 GAA. He claimed the first-team All-Star spot yet again, while adding a Vezina Trophy to his growing trophy case. However, one trophy he did not yet have was the Stanley Cup, though this matter would be resolved in the 1952 playoffs. The Red Wings took a first round sweep over the Toronto Maple Leafs, before doing the same to the Montreal Canadiens in the Finals. Sawchuk won all eight games along the way and was next to unstoppable, posting shutouts in the first two games of the Maple Leafs series and the last two games against the Canadiens for a 0.620 GAA. This likely would have given him the Conn Smythe Trophy as well, had the award existed at the time.

For 1952-53, Sawchuk appeared in 63 games, nabbing a career-best 1.89 GAA with nine shutouts while continuing to hold down the lead in wins with 32. He was named first-team All-Star for a third time, as well as claiming his second Vezina Trophy. Of course, Sawchuk wasn’t done there, as he nailed down 35 more wins in 1953-54 while holding a 1.93 GAA in 67 games. This granted him a second-team All-Star selection, but he still had plenty left in the tank for the playoffs. While not as dominant as they had been in 1952, Detroit still got through Toronto in the first round to face the Canadiens for the Cup. In a back-and-forth series which required a game seven overtime finish, the Red Wings came out on top with Sawchuk earning all eight wins on the road to his second Stanley Cup title.

Sawchuk reached the 40-win mark once again in 1954-55, picking up a GAA of 1.96 in 68 games and an NHL-best 12 shutouts. With his third Vezina Trophy and another second-team All-Star nod, Sawchuk led the Red Wings into another incredible playoff run. Detroit promptly swept the Maple Leafs in the first round, with Sawchuk getting a shutout in game four, to challenge Montreal in the Final. It would be another arduous seven-game series, but the Red Wings would hold on to win their seventh Stanley Cup in franchise history. This made Sawchuk a three-time champ at just 25 years old, but the upcoming offseason would bring in a major shakeup.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the Red Wings actually made a really stupid trade. In this case, it involved Sawchuk being sent to the Boston Bruins in a nine-player deal. While Sawchuk didn’t necessarily play badly in his two seasons with the Bruins, it wasn’t a great fit for either side and the Red Wings traded to get him back for the 1957-58 season. However, in order to do so, the Red Wings were forced to give up future Hall of Fame forward Johnny Bucyk, who ended up being one of the greatest players in Bruins franchise history and who the Red Wings still would’ve kept if they hadn’t traded Sawchuk in the first place.

Nonetheless, Sawchuk was back in Detroit and while the second stint wasn’t as successful as the first, though it did have its share of highlights. In 1958-59, he was able to grab second-team All-Star with 23 wins and five shutouts in 67 games, before helping the team to a Finals appearance in 1961 as he shared the goal with Western Hockey League standout Hank Bassen, though this run came up short. Sawchuk was back as the Red Wings’ primary option in 1962-63, where he collected 21 wins and a .912 save percentage in his 48 appearances. This got him second-team All-Star yet again, as well as a selection as a Hart Trophy finalist for the first and only time of his career. Sawchuk got Detroit back to the Finals against the Maple Leafs, but this time Toronto would have the upper hand as the Red Wings were eliminated in five games.

Sawchuk was even better in 1963-64, winning 25 games in 53 contests for a .916 SV%, backstopping the Red Wings to back-to-back Finals appearances. The team had an opportunity at revenge with the Maple Leafs also making their way back to the Cup, but Toronto was able to increase their string of consecutive championships to three with a seven-game series triumph. With the Red Wings opting to go in a different direction for 1964-65, Sawchuk was available and, oddly enough, found himself with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the upcoming season.

The Maple Leafs went with a tandem of veteran goaltenders for the 1964-65 season, as Sawchuk was paired with a fellow three-time champ in Johnny Bower. Despite the change in scenery, Sawchuk performed well in his 36 games, taking 16 wins with a .915 SV%. With Bower also doing his part, the goaltending duo took home the Vezina Trophy for Bower’s second and Sawchuk’s fourth such award.

By 1966-67, the tandem had evolved into a three-headed monster in net with Sawchuk, Bower and Bruce Gamble each having more than 20 appearances on the season. Sawchuk remained solid regardless, grabbing a .917 SV% and 16 wins in 28 games played as Toronto marched into the postseason. He got all four wins in the team’s opening round defeat of the Chicago Black Hawks before facing the Canadiens in the Finals. Although Bower started games two and three, Toronto went with Sawchuk the rest of the way. This proved to be the right decision, as he allowed just one goal in each of the final two games to guide the Maple Leafs to their most recent championship in franchise history. After four Stanley Cups, Sawchuk retired shortly after in 1969-70, holding the NHL record at the time for most wins at 445, shutouts at 103 and a career goals against average of 2.50. Sawchuk’s single-season wins record was not surpassed until 1974, and is still often brought up in the best NHL goalie of all time conversation.