Ranking Every NHL Rookie of the Year (1970s)

Photo Credit: NHLPA

By Zane Miller

10. Eric Vail (1974-75)

Vail took the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1974-75 for the Atlanta (now Calgary) Flames, getting 39 goals and 21 assists. Vail maintained a decent career throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s playing mostly in the Flames organization, scoring 216 goals and 260 assists for 476 points in 591 games, last playing at the NHL level in 1981-82. His best season arguably came in 1978-79 as he contributed 35 goals and 48 assists.

9. Steve Vickers (1972-73)

Vickers claimed the Calder in 1972-73 for the New York Rangers, collecting 30 goals and 23 assists. His career best season occurred just a couple of years later, as he was a second-team All-Star in 1974-75 with 41 goals and 48 assists. Vickers spent the entirety of his decade-long career as a Ranger, potting a total of 246 goals and 340 assists for 586 points in the process as he retired after the 1981-82 season.

8. Willi Plett (1976-77)

The only player in NHL history to be born in Paraguay, Plett secured yet another Calder Trophy for the Atlanta Flames in 1976-77 with 33 goals and 23 helpers. In 1980-81, the team’s first season after relocating to Calgary, Plett introduced himself with a career-high 38 goals to go along with 30 assists. Plett spent most of his career between the Flames and Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars), playing in a total of 834 games with 222 goals and 215 assists for 437 points before retiring after the 1987-88 season.

7. Bobby Smith (1978-79)

As the first overall pick of the 1978 draft, Smith proved himself right away with 30 goals and 44 assists to earn the 1978-79 Calder Trophy as a Minnesota North Star. His scoring totals improved even more over the next couple of seasons, culminating in a 1981-82 campaign which saw him get a career high 43 goals and 71 assists, taking the only 100-point season of his career with 114. However, his biggest moment took place during his stint with the Montreal Canadiens, as Smith lifted the Stanley Cup in 1986 with a five-game victory over the Flames. Prior to this, in the first round three-game sweep of the Boston Bruins, Smith collected a total of two goals and two assists. Smith eventually returned to the North Stars and retired after the 1992-93 season, collecting 357 goals and 679 assists for 1,036 points in 1,077 career games between Minnesota and Montreal.

6. Gilbert Perreault (1970-71)

Another first overall draft pick, Perreault burst onto the scene in 1970-71 with 38 goals and 34 assists for the Buffalo Sabres, winning the Calder in a landslide. Shortly thereafter, fellow Quebec natives Rick Martin and Rene Robert joined the team, ultimately forming the notorious “French Connection” line. With team chemistry firmly established, Perreault scored a top-five finish in the Hart Trophy voting for league MVP in 1972-73 thanks to his 28 goals and 60 assists. He then set career highs in the 1975-76 season with 44 goals and 69 assists, though his only second-team All-Star nomination came in 1976-77 after netting 39 goals and 56 assists (surprisingly Perreault never won a first-team All-Star award). Perreault played his entire career with the Sabres, accumulating an impressive 512 goals and 814 assists for 1,326 points in 1,191 games before retiring after 1986-87. Perreault was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990, with his #11 jersey being officially retired by the Buffalo Sabres that same year.

5. Tony Esposito (1969-70)

Although his older brother, Phil, was already a superstar in the league, Tony Esposito would not stay in his brother’s shadow for long. The younger Esposito captured both the Calder and the Vezina Trophy for the NHL’s best goaltender in 1969-70 with the Chicago Black Hawks (now Chicago Blackhawks), leading the league in wins with 38 as well as shutouts with 15, all while posting the top save percentage at .932. In his sophomore season of 1970-71, Esposito again led the way in wins with 35, before recapturing the Vezina in 1971-72 with 31 wins in 48 games played along with a league-leading nine shutouts and .934 save percentage, as the performance also earned him a first-team All-Star.

In 1973-74, Esposito grabbed his third Vezina title, claiming 34 victories, 10 shutouts and a .929 SV%, though he strangely did not win the first-team All-Star that season. He would need to wait until the 1979-80 campaign to get his third first-team All-Star nomination, as his 31 wins, league-leading six shutouts and .903 SV% also let him finish as a Hart Trophy finalist for the first time since his Calder-winning rookie season. Esposito retired from the NHL after the 1983-84 season, holding an impressive 423 career wins, 76 shutouts and .906 save percentage in 886 games, the vast majority of those coming as a member of the Black Hawks. Esposito was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, with the Black Hawks retiring his #35 jersey that same year.

4. Mike Bossy (1977-78)

Bossy captured the Calder with the recently formed New York Islanders, getting 53 goals and 38 assists in 1977-78. The next season would be his ultimate statistical breakthrough, however, as he led the NHL with 69 goals along with 57 assists to negate any chance at a sophomore slump. In 1979-80, Bossy nearly hit 100 points again, but his biggest contribution was during the playoffs as he and the Islanders defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games for the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, just eight years into the team’s existence. Bossy one-upped himself in 1980-81, retaking the lead in goals scored with 68 while getting 51 helpers in the process. In the postseason, Bossy was once again a commanding force, leading the playoffs with 17 goals. Five of these were scored in the four-game sweep in the semifinals against the crosstown rival Rangers, as Bossy also ran amok in the first round versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, collecting an impressive four goals and six assists in the three-game beatdown. Taking on the North Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals, Bossy was held off the scoresheet in game one, but quickly rebounded for four goals and four assists as he and the Islanders took back-to-back titles with a five-game win.

Bossy amassed the highest point total of his career in the 1981-82 season, scoring 64 goals and 83 assists to take first-team All-Star honors, just as he had a season ago. Obviously the Islanders remained a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs, as they reached the conference finals to face the Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche). The Nordiques proved no match, as Bossy potted four goals and three assists in the four-game sweep. Even so, the Finals were where he really went into high gear, as the Vancouver Canucks were the only team keeping the Islanders from three straight Stanley Cups. In the four-game rampage, Bossy picked up seven goals, including a hat trick in game one. With that, he was now a three-time champion, with his efforts also granting him the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

With the Islanders going for four consecutive titles in 1982-83, Bossy showed up for 60 goals and 58 assists, thus giving him his third first-team All-Star. Also for the third straight year, he had exactly 17 goals in the playoffs, being helped out by a pair of hat tricks and a four-goal performance leading up to the Finals date with the Edmonton Oilers. Although Bossy missed game one of the series, he returned for the other three to contribute two goals and two assists. This gave him his fourth championship, as the Islanders took care of Edmonton with a four-game sweep. As of this writing, no other NHL team has earned four straight titles, or three straight titles for that matter.

Bossy continued to be awesome as ever in 1983-84, securing 51 goals and 67 assists for his fourth first-team All-Star award. He would just miss out on a fifth straight in 1984-85, though it wasn’t for lack of effort as he got 58 goals and 59 assists. As it turned out, he would only need to wait until next season to claim his fifth total first-team All-Star, doing so with 61 goals and 62 assists in 1985-86 for his seventh career 100-point season. Sadly, the end to Bossy’s career came abruptly, as a back injury which had hounded him throughout the 1986-87 season sidelined him for all of 1987-88, eventually causing his early retirement. However, despite playing in just 752 regular season games, he still earned a total of 573 goals and 553 assists for 1,126 points. He is also known for having the highest shooting percentage amongst eligible players since the stat was recorded in 1959-60. In 1991, Bossy was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, with the New York Islanders officially retiring his #22 jersey the next year.

3. Bryan Trottier (1975-76)

Making his NHL debut at just 19 years old, Trottier collected the Calder with 32 goals and 63 assists for the Islanders in 1975-76. After a somewhat slow sophomore campaign, Trottier came through in the 1977-78 season with 46 goals and a league-high 77 assists, earning him the first-team All-Star. He would outdo himself in 1978-79, scoring 47 goals and an NHL-best 87 assists to capture the Art Ross Trophy with his league-leading 134 points, getting another first-team All-Star as well. In addition to the Art Ross, Trottier was also voted as the Hart Trophy winner by a wide margin. This was only the beginning, of course, as the Islanders embarked on their Stanley Cup dynasty in the 1979-80 season. After another 100-point regular season, Trottier rose to the occasion in the playoffs with a postseason-high 12 goals and 29 points. After the Islanders disposed of the Flyers in the Finals, Trottier emerged with the Conn Smythe Trophy.

In 1980-81, Trottier finished fifth in the Hart Trophy race thanks to his 31 goals and 72 assists. Once the playoffs got underway, he was practically unstoppable, as evidenced by the three-game sweep against the Maple Leafs where he had six goals and four assists. He followed it up with four assists in the sweep of the Rangers, as he and the Islanders captured back-to-back Stanley Cups after beating the North Stars in the finals. 1981-82 saw him reach the 50-goal mark on the dot, while also adding 79 assists to take the runner-up spot in the Hart voting. The team proceeded to sweep the Nordiques in the playoffs, which Trottier contributed to by scoring a goal and five assists. He was again held to a lone goal against the Canucks, but more than made up for it with his six assists in the Finals sweep.

Now a three-time champion, Trottier kept up his strong passing offense in the 1983 playoffs. In their Finals sweep over the Oilers, he picked up a goal and three assists to finish off the Islanders’ run of four straight championships. Not content to leave it at that, Trottier became a Hart finalist for the fourth time in his career in 1983-84, earning 40 goals and 71 assists while also finishing runner-up for the Selke Trophy (awarded to the league’s best defensive forward). Although this was the last season where Trottier was in MVP consideration, he still posted mostly consistent totals for the remainder of his Islander career, along with a King Clancy leadership award in 1988-89. However, his career would get a final boost in 1990-91, as he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency.

While his scoring totals at 34 years old were nowhere near his peak, he provided crucial on-ice leadership as the Penguins scored their first Stanley Cup in franchise history with a five-game Finals win over the North Stars. Trottier then played a similar role in 1991-92, as well as getting a pair of goals in a conference final sweep over the Bruins. Pittsburgh followed it up with a sweep of the Black Hawks in the Finals, winning back-to-back and providing Trottier with his sixth Stanley Cup title. He retired during the 1993-94 season, finishing with 524 goals and 901 assists for 1,425 points in 1,279 career games. Trottier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, with his #19 jersey being officially retired by the New York Islanders in 2001.

2. Denis Potvin (1973-74)

Being taken with the first overall pick of the 1973 draft by the brand new New York Islanders, Potvin cemented his presence further with the Calder Trophy in 1973-74, taking 17 goals and 37 assists albeit with a -17 plus/minus in 77 games. However, his defense took a massive leap in 1974-75, as he played in all but one game with a +25 p/m. His offense even improved a bit with 21 goals and 55 assists, grabbing second in the running for the Norris Trophy and a first-team All-Star nod. He would get his hands on the Norris in 1975-76, getting 31 goals and 67 assists with a +12 p/m over the course of 78 games, which also allowed him to grab the runner-up spot in the Hart voting.

The 1976-77 campaign saw Potvin become a Norris finalist for a third time, claiming 25 goals and 55 assists after playing in all 80 games for a +42 p/m. This was a mere warmup for what Potvin had in store to finish out the 70’s, as 1977-78 saw him capture his second Norris Trophy and first-team All-Star with 30 goals, 64 assists and a +57 p/m in all 80 games played. Despite missing seven games in 1978-79, Potvin had 30 goals and 71 assists for his first and only season with over 100 points. However, most notable about this season was his staggering +71 p/m rating, enabling him to earn his third Norris title and first-team All-Star honors. With the veteran presence of Potvin to go along with star players such as Bossy and Trottier, the Islanders superteam was complete.

Despite missing more than half the 1979-80 season due to injury, Potvin was still more than ready for the playoffs. He played in all 21 postseason games, leading the Islanders to victory over the Flyers for their first Stanley Cup championship in team history. In 1980-81, Potvin collected his fourth first-team All-Star and nearly won another Norris, scoring 20 goals and 56 assists with a +39 p/m in 74 games. Maintaining that same level of play in the postseason, he had a pair of three-assist games while facing Toronto before a huge two goal, two assist performance in game two of the Stanley Cup Finals against the North Stars. Eventually the Islanders took the series in five games, but winning it all the next season would not come without adversity for Potvin.

After losing 20 games of the 1981-82 season with an injury, Potvin had a slow start to the ensuing playoffs as he was held off the scoresheet entirely and had a -2 p/m in their opening round matchup against the Penguins. However, he recovered in the second round against the Rangers, then grabbed a goal and four assists with a +5 p/m in the sweep of the Nordiques. He reached full form against the Canucks in the Finals, getting two goals and seven assists with a +3 p/m as the Islanders pulled off the three-peat in four games. In 1982-83, Potvin crossed the 50-assist mark for the seventh time in his career with 54, then tallied three assists in the Finals to eliminate the Oilers and guide the Islanders to a fourth consecutive title.

Now holding nearly a hand’s worth of Stanley Cup rings, Potvin wound down his playing career with two more excellent seasons, being credited with 63 assists in 1983-84 and 51 helpers in 1984-85. He retired after the 1987-88 campaign with 310 goals, 742 assists and 1,052 points in 1,060 games to go along with his four Stanley Cup titles. In 1991, Potvin joined the Hockey Hall of Fame, before his #5 jersey was officially retired by the New York Islanders the year after, becoming the first Islander to have his number sent into the rafters.

1. Ken Dryden (1971-72)

Dryden came into his official rookie season of 1971-72 in a unique position, as he had already claimed his first Stanley Cup title with the Montreal Canadiens the year before while winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. However, due to him only appearing in six regular season contests in 1970-71, he was still eligible to earn the Calder Trophy. Of course, he did just that for Montreal, leading the NHL in wins with 39 to go along with an exceptional .930 save percentage in 64 games. This showing also enabled him to grab the second spot in the Hart Trophy running.

In 1972-73, Dryden led the way in wins once again with 33, with his .926 save percentage and six shutouts also being the best in the league. Unsurprisingly, Dryden collected the Vezina Trophy, while also winning first-team All-Star honors. In the postseason, Dryden got all 12 wins for the Canadiens, getting a .907 save percentage in the process as they knocked out the Black Hawks in the Finals in six games. Despite having two Stanley Cups among other accolades just two full seasons into his career, Dryden was unable to capitalize on the momentum in 1973-74 as he sat out the season due to a contract dispute. The matter was settled before the 1974-75 season, but Dryden truly returned to form in 1975-76. This season, he paced all NHL goalies with 42 wins and eight shutouts, maintaining an impressive .927 SV% in 62 games played. This got him his second Vezina triumph, but the playoffs would again be where he shined brightest. Picking up all 12 of the Canadiens’ wins once again, Dryden posted a playoff-best .929 SV% as the team went on to best the Flyers for the Stanley Cup.

In 1976-77, the Canadiens assembled quite possibly the greatest ice hockey team of all time, as they remain the last team in NHL history to finish out the regular season with single-digit losses at 60-8-12. Dryden was credited with 41 of those victories, with this, his 10 shutouts and .920 SV% in 56 games all leading the league. He closed out the remarkable campaign with a third Vezina and another first-team All-Star selection, but clearly the true test would be in the postseason. He and the Canadiens passed with flying colors, starting all 12 of the team’s playoff victories for a league-high four shutouts and .932 SV% along the way. He and Montreal defeated the Bruins in a four-game sweep to go back-to-back in the Finals. In 1977-78, the Canadiens were nearly as spectacular as the previous season, with Dryden being a major factor with 37 wins and a league-leading .922 SV% in 52 games. This got him his third first-team All-Star and fourth Vezina title, followed by another 12-win postseason with a league-topping .920 SV% and a pair of shutouts, completing the three-peat and giving Dryden his fifth Stanley Cup.

While Montreal wasn’t quite as amazing in 1978-79, they weren’t showing any signs of going away as Dryden posted 30 victories, an NHL-best five shutouts and a .909 SV% for his fifth Vezina to go along with yet another first-team All-Star. Dryden nabbed all 12 of the Canadiens’ postseason wins for the fourth straight championship, as well as his sixth overall. While all of this success would likely have allowed Dryden to remain in the league well into the 1980s, he instead decided to hang up the skates after the 1978-79 season to pursue a career in both broadcasting and politics. Despite playing for less than a full decade, Dryden certainly got a lot done in a very short amount of time, getting 258 wins and 46 shutouts with a career .922 save percentage in 397 games played to go along with his six Stanley Cups. Dryden was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, with the Montreal Canadiens officially retiring his #29 jersey in 2007.