Stat Kings - 1984-85 NHL Scoring Leaders

Last year I began a series called "Stat Kings", where I revisit statistical leaders from sports history as a way to enjoy and appreciate cards from my collection.  On the hockey side of things, I looked at the NHL scoring leaders from the 1982-83 season, and the 1983-84 season.

After that, I kind of fell off.  These posts take a good deal of time between locating cards, buying and shipping any that I may be missing, scanning, researching, and on and on.  But after a long hiatus I'm pleased to return to the series today with the 1984-85 NHL scoring leaders!

Let's get to it...

#21 - Bob Carpenter - Center - Washington Capitals - 95 Points

80 Games Played, 53 Goals, 42 Assists

I've been looking at the top 20 scoring leaders by season, but today we get 21 as we technically have two players tied for 20th place.  The first is easily one of the most surprising names on today's list, Capitals center Bobby Carpenter.  His 53 goals and 95 points in '84-85 were career highs and definite statistical outliers.  In a lengthy NHL career spanning 18 seasons, Bob never tallied more than 32 goals in any other campaign, and aside from '84-85 never even achieved 70 points in any other single season.

The most stark way that I can put it is that Bob's 95 points in 1984-85 account for 24% of his career points over his 18 total seasons.  How's that for a stat?  This will certainly be Carpenter's one and only appearance in this series, at least as far as league point leaders go.

#20 - Michel Goulet - Left Wing - Quebec Nordiques - 95 Points

69 Games Played, 55 Goals, 40 Assists

Nordiques winger Michel Goulet also recorded 95 points, but using goals scored as a tie-breaker he beats out Carpenter for the 20th spot on today's list.  Unlike Bob, Michel has appeared frequently atop the league's scoring leader chart.  He finished 8th in league scoring in '82-83, moved up to 3rd in '83-84, and drops down to 20th here for '84-85.  Some of that can be attributed to the fact that he missed 11 games in '84-85.  Still, a fine season indeed, and his third consecutive 50-goal effort!

#19 - Brian Propp - Left Wing - Philadelphia Flyers - 97 Points

76 Games Played, 43 Goals, 54 Assists

For the second season in a row Flyers left wing Brian Propp just makes the list.  Brian's 97 points were a career high (tied with the 97 he'd post in the following season as well), and he was still just 25 years of age at this point.  A lot of young talent here at the beginning of the list, as Carpenter was just 21 in '84-85, and Goulet just 24.

#18 - Tim Kerr - Center - Philadelphia Flyers - 98 Points

74 Games Played, 54 Goals, 44 Assists

Finishing just in front of Propp on the list with one point more is teammate and linemate Tim Kerr.  Tim was an absolute beast, especially on the power play, for Philadelphia throughout the '80s.  Like Brian Propp, Kerr was just 25 years old here, and like Brian Propp this was a career high for points in a season.  Interestingly enough, both of these players would later wrap up their NHL careers with single-season stints with the Hartford Whalers!  How's that for a coincidence?

#17 - Kent Nilsson - Right Wing - Calgary Flames - 99 Points

77 Games Played, 37 Goals, 62 Assists

Kent Nilsson was a very interesting player.  He was an absolute stud in the twilight years of the WHA, and was able to replicate that success in the NHL after that league folded.  He put up some very impressive numbers in the NHL (you'll find him in the #10 spot on my '82-83 post), but didn't last long enough to rack up the kind of career statistics that get you consideration for HOF enshrinement.  1984-85 was Kent's last truly great season, you won't see him present in these posts going forward.

#16 - Peter Stastny - Center - Quebec Nordiques - 100 Points

75 Games Played, 32 Goals, 68 Assists

Here's a very familiar name.  HOFer Peter Stastny!  Peter was one of the most effective offensive players of the 1980s.  In fact here's another interesting stat you may not have heard.  Wayne Gretzky obviously scored the most points in the NHL during the 1980s.  Do you know who scored the second most total points in the decade though?  Yup, Stastny!

#15 - John Tonelli - Left Wing - New York Islanders - 100 Points

80 Games Played, 42 Goals, 58 Assists

Here's one that may surprise you.  John Tonelli was an outstanding winger for many years in the WHA and the NHL.  He was known as much for his defense and for being a great two-way player as he was for his offense though.  Only twice in his lengthy career did he record more than 70 points in a season, and in '84-85 he exploded for a career-best 100!

#14 - Mario Lemieux - Center - Pittsburgh Penguins - 100 Points

73 Games Played, 43 Goals, 57 Assists

I typically try to include cards in these posts from the season I'm reviewing, but since Mario Lemieux was a 19-year-old rookie in '84-85 he doesn't have any mainstream cards from that season.  I thought this one, from the following year's set that pays tribute to his amazing 100-point rookie campaign, was a perfect fit.  I actually had to go out and purchase this one for this post, and I'm glad I did.

As every hockey fan knows, Lemieux's rookie season was the beginning of one of the most successful careers in the history of professional hockey.  In the interest of brevity I'm not going to go into just how good he was here.  Besides, I've gone on at length on this blog in the past, wondering how much more impressive his already-impressive career numbers might have been had he not missed all that time due to his significant health setbacks.

I've always been a huge fan of Super Mario, it was worth doing this post if for no other reason than it forced me to get off my butt and pick up this card when I should have long ago.

#13 - Bernie Nicholls - Center - Los Angeles Kings - 100 Points

80 Games Played, 46 Goals, 54 Assists

Like the three players above him in this post, Bernie Nicholls also recorded 100 points on the nose in '84-85.  He gets 13th place on the list though, since his 46 goals were the most among that group of four with 100 points.

Nicholls was a very talented player, and is a definite member of the "Hall of Very Good".  While '84-85 constituted his first 100-point season, it was far from a statistical outlier as he recorded 95 points and 97 points in the two seasons sandwiching this one.  We've seen Bernie on these lists before, and we'll see Bernie on these lists again.

#12 - Paul MacLean - Right Wing - Winnipeg Jets - 101 Points

79 Games Played, 41 Goals, 60 Assists

Paul MacLean's 41 goals, 60 assists and 101 points in 1984-85 were all career highs.  He was remarkably consistent though, as he scored 40 goals in two other campaigns and was a virtual lock to get at least 30 goals in any season where he was healthy.  Injury forced him from the game after only ten seasons, but he still managed to score well over 300 goals and nearly 350 assists in just 719 career games.

#11 - Brent Sutter - Center - New York Islanders - 102 Points

72 Games Played, 42 Goals, 60 Assists

Here's one that kind of shocked me.  I know the Sutter family is infamous in the history of professional hockey, but I didn't know that Brent Sutter had ever put up a 100-point season?!?!  There must have been something in the water on Long Island around the middle of the decade, because his next best season from his 18-year career was a 68-point effort, a full one third less production than he had in '84-85.  Discovering oddities like this are one of the things that make this series of posts so enjoyable for me.

#10 - Mike Gartner - Right Wing - Washington Capitals - 102 Points

80 Games Played, 50 Goals, 52 Assists

After a couple of lesser known names in a row, we're back to a HOFer with right wing Mike Gartner.  Mike famously never won a Stanley Cup, nor did he ever even appear in the Cup Finals.  He never won a major award during his tenure in the league, either.  What he did do is put the puck in the net, consistently, for nearly two decades.  His 50 goals in '84-85 were a career high, however he scored at least 30 goals every year for the first 15 years of his career.  Just think about that stat for a second.  Crazy.

Amazingly, this was his only 100-point season.

#9 - Bernie Federko - Center - St. Louis Blues - 103 Points

76 Games Played, 30 Goals, 73 Assists

No surprise seeing Bernie Federko within the top 10 here.  The career (except for one season with the Red Wings at the very end) St. Louis Blues center was routinely flirting with the 100-point plateau.  This season was actually the third time he'd top it, but wouldn't be the last.  On top of that, he had a few seasons with point totals in the 80s and 90s as well.  In the end he'd play in 1,000 career regular season games, and record 1,130 points, good enough for enshrinement in the Hockey HOF.

#8 - Denis Savard - Center - Chicago Blackhawks - 105 Points

79 Games Played, 38 Goals, 67 Assists

I'm not sure Denis Savard gets the love he deserves among modern-day casual fans of the game.  Yes, he was enshrined in the HOF in 2000, but for whatever reason I don't hear his name mentioned all that often among the all-time greats.  Maybe it's just me.  He won a Cup with the Canadiens in 1993, but in my mind he was a king of the 1980s.  Did you know that he is one of only four players to record over 1,000 points in the 1980s alone?  Pretty impressive, huh?

#7 - John Ogrodnick - Left Wing - Detroit Red Wings - 105 Points

79 Games Played, 55 Goals, 50 Assists

For me, perhaps the most surprising entry in today's list is John Ogrodnick of the Red Wings being all the way up in 7th place!  John was sort of on his last legs by the time I became a hockey fan at the very end of the decade.  I remember him for sure, but had no idea that he'd ever put up a beast 50-goal, 50-assist season like this one.  His next best season after this one was a full 20 points below what he put up in '84-85, but for this one year he was a legit top-10 threat in the league.  Pretty cool.

#6 - Mike Bossy - Right Wing - New York Islanders - 117 Points

76 Games Played, 58 Goals, 59 Assists

Now that we've reached the top six, there aren't going to be any real surprises like John Ogrodnick left.  In '84-85 Mike Bossy did what Mike Bossy had done every year since coming into the league; score 50 goals and supplement them with a big pile of assists.  His 9 consecutive 50-goal seasons to begin his career is something I don't think we'll ever see again as hockey fans.

Here's another interesting statistic for you.  Mike's 400 goals in the 1980s are good for fourth place among all players in that decade.  The thing is, he retired after the 1986-87 season, missing the final three years of the decade.  And he still finished fourth.  I think that says it all.

#5 - Paul Coffey - Defense - Edmonton Oilers - 121 Points

80 Games Played, 37 Goals, 84 Assists

Paul Coffey was, without dispute, one of the most effective "offensive defensemen" in the history of the NHL.  Only Ray Bourque scored more career points at the position than Coffey, and to be fair he played in over 200 more career games than Paul did.  Coffey was just as effective in the post-season as well.  In fact, in 1984-85 he set records for most goals (12), assists (25) and points (37) for a defenseman during a single playoff run.  All three of those records stand to this day.

#4 - Marcel Dionne - Center - Los Angeles Kings - 126 Points

80 Games Played, 46 Goals, 80 Assists

The great Marcel Dionne would top 100 points for the 8th and final time in 1984-85.  Appearing in every single game for the Kings, the durable Dionne scored at an assist-per-game pace, and tossed in 46 goals to go with that.  His 126 points represent the 29th best season recorded by any player during the decade of the 1980s, and he was already 33 years old at the time.  Not exactly a spring chicken by hockey standards.

#3 - Dale Hawerchuk - Center - Winnipeg Jets - 130 Points

80 Games Played, 53 Goals, 77 Assists

While Dale Hawerchuk was a model of consistency throughout the decade, and is enshrined in the HOF, his '84-85 season was without question the best year of his professional hockey career.  His 53 goals were a career high, as were his 130 points.  He's easily within the top 10 as far as overall league scoring for the entire decade.  Easy to see why he was such a fan favorite in Winnipeg.

#2 - Jari Kurri - Right Wing - Edmonton Oilers - 135 Points

73 Games Played, 71 Goals, 64 Assists

71 goals?  Are you kidding me?!?!  I know there will always be detractors who say that Jari's numbers are obviously inflated, since he had the good fortune to be placed on a line with the greatest center in the history of organized hockey.  I don't disagree that there's some truth to that, but someone had to skate with Gretzky, and I don't think they were exactly pairing Wayne with 4th line scrubs if you know what I mean.  Kurri may have had an opportunity that most wingers would salivate over, but you can't argue the fact that he clearly embraced it and enjoyed tremendous success.

To this day, Jari Kurri's 71 goals in '84-85 are still tied for 10th most in a season.  And now, to nobody's surprise, the 1984-85 NHL point leader...

#1 - Wayne Gretzky - Center - Edmonton Oilers - 208 Points

80 Games Played, 73 Goals, 135 Assists

Yes, it's Wayne Gretzky atop the list again.  For the 6th straight year (and this was only his 6th season!), The Great One paced the league in scoring.  This was the second straight season, and third season overall, where he'd top the 200-point plateau, something we'd never seen before Wayne and that I'm confident we'll never see again without major rule changes or something of that nature.

Here's the NHL scoring leaders card from next year's O-Pee-Chee set that pays tribute to Gretzky's league-leading 208 points in '84-85.  I like including these as a nice way to wrap up the post when I can.

The table on the back gives you a run-down of the upper portion of the list we just looked at.  I've said it before and it's obvious anyway, but what impresses me most about Gretzky wasn't just that he was the best year after year, but rather how much better he was than anyone else playing the game.  I mean he finished with 73 points more than the next closest player, and that next closest player was his line-mate who benefited directly from Gretzky's skill.

Well, that's the conclusion of our look at the top 20 (or 21) scorers in the NHL back in 1984-85.  I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together.  I think I may have all the cards I need already for an '85-86 post, I'll try to make sure it doesn't take me so long to get around to it next time.  Thanks for stopping by!

Stat Kings - 2004 MLB Batting Leaders

As a Red Sox fan, 2004 will always be one of the most memorable seasons in Major League Baseball history.  I was living in Massachusetts at the time while my wife and I saved up for a house, and was able to witness the breaking of the infamous curse.  I was just 22 years old but I could still appreciate the decades of torment that Sox fans had suffered through waiting for that elusive World Series championship.

So, when it came time to put together my first Stat Kings post on the baseball side of things, I thought 2004 would be a great place to start.  Though I was still a rabid sports fan in '04, I wasn't collecting cards, so this was also a great chance for me to pick up some cardboard from an era that's somewhat unfamiliar to me.  With one exception, every 2004 card in today's post came courtesy of COMC, and I don't think I paid more than 75 cents for any one of them.

For your enjoyment, today I've got the 2004 MLB batting leaders for you (top 20), in cardboard format of course!  As was the case with the first couple of Stat Kings hockey posts I did, there were some names that I expected, and others that were total surprises.  Let's get started...

#20 - Scott Rolen - St. Louis Cardinals - .314 Average

Kicking things off is third baseman Scott Rolen, who hit .314 in 2004.  I always forget just how good Scott was.  He was the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year, was a 7x All-Star and 8x Gold Glove winner, and captured a World Series with the Cards in 2006. 

2004 was without a doubt his finest season at the plate.  His .314 average was a career high, as were 34 home runs, 124 RBI, and 1.007 OPS.  He finished fourth in NL MVP voting, the highest he would ever place.

#19 - Mark Kotsay - Oakland Athletics - .314 Average

Here's a name I was very surprised to see, outfielder Mark Kotsay, who also hit .314 in 2004.  This was Kotsay's highest single season average by a long shot, in fact it was the only time over the course of his 17-year career that he even topped .300.  It's statistical anomalies like this one that make this Stat Kings series enjoyable.

#18 - Johnny Estrada - Atlanta Braves - .314 Average

Here's another name I would never have guessed.  Estrada was a 17th round pick who managed to carve out an 8-year MLB career.  He achieved career highs in almost every single offensive category in '04, and was named an All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the only times in his career.

#17 - Javy Lopez - Baltimore Orioles - .316 Average

I always think of Javy Lopez, the talented Puerto Rican catcher, as a member of the dominating Braves teams of the '90s, but by 2004 he was winding down his career in Baltimore (he actually finished with a very brief stint with the Red Sox in '06).  Even at 33 years of age, he still managed to swat .316 in '04, good for 17th in the league.

#16 - Lance Berkman - Houston Astros - .316 Average

Lance Berkman was a 6x All-Star who won Comeback Player of the Year (and a World Series) in 2011 with the Cardinals.  Berkman could hit for both average and power, and his .316 mark in 2004 was actually the second best season of his career as far as batting average goes.  He registered over 100 RBI in 2004 as well, one of six times he'd achieve that stat!

#15 - Aramis Ramirez - Chicago Cubs - .318 Average

Maybe it's because he played his entire career in the National League, and I'm more of an AL guy, but I didn't realize just how good a hitter Aramis Ramirez was until assembling this post.  While his .318 average in 2004 was a career high, it certainly wasn't abnormal, as Ramirez topped .300 seven different times.  He could put up big power numbers as well, as he topped 100 RBI in a season seven times also, and finished with close to 400 career home runs.

#14 - Carlos Guillen - Detroit Tigers - .318 Average

Carlos Guillen missed the final month of the 2004 season with an injury, but the .318 he batted before going down was enough to land him on this list.  '04 was the first time he was selected as an All-Star, and kicked off an impressive 5-year span in which he hit .318, .320, .320, .296 and .286.  Not too shabby!

#13 - Jason Kendall - Pittsburgh Pirates - .319 Average

Longtime Pirates catcher Jason Kendall was known as a contact hitter, and he certainly lived up to that in '04 when he had 183 hits en route to a .319 average.  Not bad for a guy who also had to handle catching duty for 146 games!  Jason cleared .300 half a dozen times over the course of his career, and had 180 or more hits during three separate seasons.

#12 - Erubiel Durazo - Oakland Athletics - .321 Average

Of the twenty players in today's post, Erubiel Durazo may have been the most surprising to me.  He lasted just seven years in the Majors, and was a part-time player for all but two of those seasons.  His .321 average in 2004 was a full 40 points better than his overall career average.  He surpassed 20 home runs for the second straight year as well, and set a career high with 88 RBI.  It's remarkable that he played just 41 more games total after that impressive season before retiring.

#11 - Sean Casey - Cincinnati Reds - .324 Average

"The Mayor", Sean Casey, never had trouble putting the bat on the ball over the course of his career, which started with the Indians in 1997 and ended with the Red Sox in 2008.  In fact, he finished with more than 1,500 career hits in just 1,405 games played for a career batting average of .302.  I was pumped to be able to grab this beautiful Topps Chrome Black Refractor for use in this post for just 65 cents.

#10 - Juan Pierre - Florida Marlins - .326 Average

Now we crack into the top ten with Marlins speedster Juan Pierre, who appeared in all 162 games for the second of five consecutive seasons in 2004!  Pierre's 748 plate appearances were tops in the National League; same goes for his 221 hits.  I'm sure plenty of those were infield hits legged out by the speedy Pierre.  This was right in the midst of a 6-year stretch during which Juan surpassed 200 hits four times!

#9 - Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals - .331 Average

Here's a name that should surprise nobody.  Albert's career was really just getting underway at this point.  He really cemented his spot in Cooperstown right out of the gate, hitting better than .300 with more than 30 doubles, more than 30 home runs, and more than 100 RBI in each of his first ten seasons!  Just insane.  I was drawn to this particular card based on the sweet retro uniform.

#8 - Ivan Rodriguez - Detroit Tigers - .334 Average

In the #8 spot is one of the best hitting catchers that the game has ever seen in Ivan Rodriguez.  He'll get his plaque in Cooperstown later this year, and deservedly so.  2004 was Ivan's 14th year in the league, and his first with the Detroit Tigers.  While he'd still have some good seasons afterwards, '04 might be his last truly great season, as his average dropped a full 58 points in 2005.

#7 - Adrian Beltre - Los Angeles Dodgers - .334 Average

Here's another guy that I think everyone has come to realize is bound for the HOF.  2004 will likely go down as his best season ever; his .334 average is a career high, same with his insane 1.017 OPS.  Oh yeah, and he also paced the league with 48 home runs.  He finished second in NL MVP voting to a player we'll see further down the list here.

#6 - Mark Loretta - San Diego Padres - .335 Average

Most of the surprises on this list come in the upper half, but if I had to pick a player in the top ten that shocked me while putting this post together it would be Mark Loretta, hands down.  Not only was 2004 his best season average-wise, but it was his best as far as power goes as well.  He set career highs in doubles (47), home runs (16) and RBI (76), was selected as an All-Star, captured a Silver Slugger Award, and even got a few MVP votes for the only time in his career.

#5 - Vladimir Guerrero - Anaheim Angels - .337 Average

In 2004 Vlad Guerrero did what he did just about every season of his career, absolutely pummeled opposing pitching.  He ran away with the AL MVP this season, accumulating 206 hits, 39 home runs and 126 RBI.  He came tantalizingly close to registering an OPS greater than 1.000, which would have been the fourth time he'd done so.  For most players this would be a season to remember, for Guerrero it was just another season.

#4 - Melvin Mora - Baltimore Orioles - .340 Average

After a few years spent as a "super utility" player, the Orioles made Melvin Mora their permanent third baseman in 2004.  He responded with the best season of his career, setting statistical highs in most offensive categories and making himself known as the most feared hitter in Baltimore's lineup.  His .340 average was good for second in the American League.

#3 - Todd Helton - Colorado Rockies - .347 Average

The 2004 season was the last of a 6-year stretch during which Todd Helton was basically regularly batting .330 or above and could be counted on for between 30 and 50 home runs and 100 RBI or more.  It was the fifth straight year that he was selected as an NL All-Star, and the fifth straight year that he received at least some NL MVP votes as well.  One of the best pure hitters of his era, Todd finished with an impressive .316 career batting average.

#2 - Barry Bonds - San Francisco Giants - .362 Average

The second best average posted in 2004 belongs to everyone's favorite villain, Barry Bonds.  Barry was right in the middle of his "enhanced" run of insane, video-game-like statistics at this point in his career.  He would capture the National League MVP for the fourth straight season in 2004.  Barry swatted .362 in '04 despite recording only 135 hits, as he was walked an insane 232 times. 

At age 39, he posted the best OPS in baseball history in 2004.  It's amazing what those steroids can do, huh?  I read Game of Shadows, the book that broke down Bonds and the BALCO scandal, cover to cover a few years back and used to really detest the guy.  I've softened on him over time though, and he doesn't really bother me that much any more.  Chalk it up to getting older I guess.  By the way, what a great card this is, hats off to Donruss for this one.

#1 - Ichiro Suzuki - Seattle Mariners - .372 Average

At last we've made it to #1, and your 2004 Major League batting champion, Ichiro Suzuki.  In his fourth season in the league, Ichiro broke the record for hits in a single season with 262!  This is a mark that still stands well over a decade later, and probably will for quite some time.  His .372 average that year is a career high as well (he's still playing at age 43, but will obviously never approach that number again), and one of four times that he would top .350 in a campaign.

Suzuki is an absolute lock for induction whenever he decides to hang up the spikes.  I'm glad that he received an appropriately awesome card in 2004; thanks to a cameo from Mr. Met this is easily my favorite card in this entire post (RIP Upper Deck!).

So, there you have it, your 2004 MLB batting leaders!  I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Stat Kings - 1983-84 NHL Scoring Leaders

It's time for another Stat Kings post here on Shoebox Legends.  In this series I take a look at statistical leaders from sports history and match them up with relevant cardboard.  My hope is that these posts will help me to more closely tie my card collection to the actual sports I enjoy watching, and get me some more play and enjoyment out of the cards I already have vs. always chasing something new.

In the first installment we looked at the NHL scoring leaders from the season I was born, 1982-83.  Today we'll jump forward one year and look at the scoring leaders from the '83-84 campaign.  Let's get rolling...

#22 - Marcel Dionne - Center - Los Angeles Kings - 92 Points

66 Games Played, 39 Goals, 53 Assists

There were actually four players who recorded 92 points in the '83-84 campaign, the first being HOFer Marcel Dionne.  Marcel had finished 5th in the league the season prior with 107 points, but finishes much lower here due to the fact that he played in just 66 games in '83-84.  Those missing game's would result in Marcel's lowest point output for any season between '78-79 and '85-86.  Still good enough to barely make this countdown though!

#21 - Brian Propp - Left Wing - Philadelphia Flyers - 92 Points

79 Games Played, 39 Goals, 53 Assists

The second guy to record 92 points in '83-84 was winger Brian Propp of the Flyers.  He recorded the exact same stat line as Dione with 39 goals and 53 assists, only it took him 79 games to do so.  In retrospect I probably should have ranked him at #22 and Dione at #21 because of that, but oh well.  While Brian never topped the 100-point plateau, this was the first of three consecutive 90-point seasons for Propp.

#20 - Charlie Simmer - Left Wing - Los Angeles Kings - 92 Points

79 Games Played, 44 Goals, 48 Assists

Charlie Simmer recorded 92 points in 1983-84 as well, and there's no doubt that he and Marcel Dionne are both on this list in large part due to the fact that they played on the infamous "Triple Crown" line together for LA.  While his point total was the same as Dionne and Propp, he lit the lamp five times more than those guys did with 44 goals scored.

#19 - Mike Bullard - Center - Pittsburgh Penguins - 92 Points

76 Games Played, 51 Goals, 41 Assists

Speaking of lighting the lamp, Mike Bullard recorded a career-best 51 goals with the Pens in '83-84!  Bullard's NHL career was relatively short, but after moving on from the league he played professionally overseas until 2003.  He was certainly one of the top offensive weapons that Pittsburgh possessed in the pre-Mario Lemieux era.

#18 - Rick Vaive - Right Wing - Toronto Maple Leafs - 93 Points

76 Games Played, 52 Goals, 41 Assists

Part of the fun of doing these posts for me is discovering some of the more obscure names that I never would have guessed to be on the list.  As far as this list goes, Rick Vaive is that guy for me.  I guess it's just due to the fact that I was merely an infant during his prime, but I was unaware of just how effective a goal-scorer Vaive was.  In fact, '83-84 was the third consecutive season that Rick scored 50 or more!  Those actually represented the first 50-goal seasons in Maple Leafs history.

#17 - Tim Kerr - Right Wing - Philadelphia Flyers - 93 Points

79 Games Played, 54 Goals, 39 Assists

This is the lone card in today's post that is not from the '83-84 season.  O-Pee-Chee was the only game in town that year, and they did not include Tim in their set.  You can understand the decision, as Kerr had played in just 24 games the season prior.  He would break out big-time in '83-84 though with 54 goals.

Tim became a force to be reckoned with, especially on the powerplay, and for the next four seasons he was unbelievably good.  He scored 50 or more goals in each of them, thanks in large part to the fact that he was able to stay healthy and in the lineup (he played 74 games or more each season during this stretch).  After that four-year stretch during which he scored 224 times, he would never never again play 70 games or score 50 goals in a season.  Kerr stepped away from the game in his early 30s, but it's interesting to think of what his numbers might be like had he been healthier and played longer.

#16 - Denis Savard - Center - Chicago Blackhawks - 94 Points

75 Games Played, 37 Goals, 57 Assists

Amazingly enough, 94 points was a down year for Denis Savard at this point in his career.  To put it in perspective, the Hawks' center was third in the entire league with 121 points the season prior.  He'd score 105 points or more in the two seasons following this.  Nonetheless, 94 points is certainly nothing to scoff at, and is good enough to place Savard just outside the top 15...

#15 - Bernie Nicholls - Center - Los Angeles Kings - 95 Points

78 Games Played, 41 Goals, 54 Assists

I find it amazing that Bernie Nicholls is the third Los Angeles Kings player to make this list, yet the team was so bad in '83-84.  With guys like Dionne, Simmer, Nicholls and Dave Taylor on the squad they managed to win just 23 games.  I can only assume they were a total train wreck defensively speaking.

Nicholls is one of those players in the Hall of Very Good.  He came close to scoring 500 goals, and accumulated 1,200+ points at better than a point-per-game pace over a couple of decades in the NHL.  His 95 points in '83-84 were the fourth best total he'd accumulate over the course of his career.

#14 - Ray Bourque - Defense - Boston Bruins - 96 Points

78 Games Played, 31 Goals, 65 Assists

Ray Bourque burst onto the scene at the beginning of the 80s, and while he wouldn't start racking up Norris Trophies until later in the decade he was a force to be reckoned with right out of the gate.  His 96 points in 1983-84 would actually end up as his career high believe it or not, same with his 31 goals scored.  I love the old photo of a mustached Bourque back when he wore just a single #7 on his sweater.

#13 - Glenn Anderson - Right Wing - Edmonton Oilers - 99 Points

80 Games Played, 54 Goals, 45 Assists

Glenn Anderson just missed his third consecutive 100-point season in '83-84, and was a big part of the powerhouse Oilers team that was about to capture 5 of the next 7 Stanley Cups.  He was inside the league's top 10 in scoring in '82-83, but slips down to 13th here.  This is certainly not the last time his name will crop up if I continue this series on through the rest of the '80s (which I plan to do).

#12 - Mark Messier - Center - Edmonton Oilers - 101 Points

73 Games Played, 37 Goals, 64 Assists

Just above Glenn on the list is teammate Mark Messier, who registered two points more than Anderson despite playing in 7 fewer games.  It's fitting that Glenn and Mark appear together on this list, as they were teammates for all 5 Edmonton Stanley Cups as well as the Rangers Cup win in 1994.

#11 - Dale Hawerchuk - Center - Winnipeg Jets - 102 Points

80 Games Played, 37 Goals, 65 Assists

Dale Hawerchuk was really hitting his stride in 1983-84, his third season in the league.  He was 16th in league scoring in '82-83 with 91 points, but jumps up 11 points and 5 spots in the rankings in '83-84.  This would kick-off a run of 5 straight 100+ point seasons for Dale.  The Jets were not a very good team this year, but Hawerchuk was a definite bright spot.

#10 - Rick Middleton - Right Wing - Boston Bruins - 105 Points

80 Games Played, 47 Goals, 58 Assists

Rick Middleton improved his individual stats between '82-83 and '83-84 as well.  His 96 points the season prior were good for 13th in the league, here he sneaks into the top 10 with a 105-point effort (a career high).  This might have been his last truly great season, though he certainly had a couple more very good seasons left in him.

#9 - Bernie Federko - Center - St. Louis Blues - 107 Points

79 Games Played, 41 Goals, 66 Assists

Bernie Federko was a consistent scoring force over the course of his 1,000 career NHL games, most of which were played with the Blues.  1983-84 was his best individual season with 107 points, though he was a model of consistency and had seasons of 102, 103 and 104 points as well.

#8 - Bryan Trottier - Center - New York Islanders - 111 Points

68 Games Played, 40 Goals, 71 Assists

Bryan Trottier barely made the top 20 in '82-83, finishing 19th in league scoring, but really re-surged in '83-84 for 111 points, despite missing 12 games of action.  This was Trottier's sixth and final 100-point season, and it was also the end of the era of dominance by the New York Islanders.

#7 - Jari Kurri - Right Wing - Edmonton Oilers - 113 Points

64 Games Played, 52 Goals, 61 Assists

It's no surprise that the top half of this list is littered with Edmonton Oilers.  Jari Kurri was enjoying playing with Gretzky and the gang, and in '83-84 elevated himself into a spot in the top 10 in league scoring.  113 points is an amazing feat, even for this high-scoring era in the game, but believe it or not Jari's best seasons were yet to come.

#6 - Barry Pederson - Center - Boston Bruins - 116 Points

80 Games Played, 39 Goals, 77 Assists

Here's a name that I think will surprise casual fans.  Barry Pederson might not be a household name for many, but at the time when this card was being pulled from packs he was as promising a young star as any in the game.  Still in his early 20s, only 5 players in the entire league registered more points that Barry in '82-83, and again in '83-84 only 5 players topped him (all of them HOFers).  Unfortunately doctors discovered a tumor in Barry's shoulder in the summer of 1984, and though he'd return to the NHL he was never the same player again.

#5 - Mike Bossy - Right Wing - New York Islanders - 118 Points

67 Games Played, 51 Goals, 67 Assists

One of the best pure snipers in the history of the game, Mike Bossy is famous for reaching the 50-goal plateau in each of the first 9 seasons of his career.  Despite missing 13 games of action he still (barely) eclipsed that mark in '83-84 to keep the streak alive.  Oh yeah, then there were the 67 assists.

#4 - Peter Stastny - Center - Quebec Nordiques - 119 Points

80 Games Played, 46 Goals, 73 Assists

Peter Stastny dropped from "most points of any player not named Gretzky" in '82-83 down into the #4 spot in '83-84 with 119 points.  The Nordiques advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, thanks in large part to Peter, as well as the next guy on this list...

#3 - Michel Goulet - Left Wing - Quebec Nordiques - 121 Points

75 Games Played, 56 Goals, 65 Assists

Michel Goulet was one of the top scorers of the high-flying '80s in the NHL, but the '83-84 campaign in particular was his best.  His 121 points were a full 15 points more than he'd register in any other season.  He's another guy on this list, like Barry Pederson and even Mike Bossy, where you have to wonder where his numbers may have ended up had he been able to play longer.

#2 - Paul Coffey - Defense - Edmonton Oilers - 126 Points

80 Games Played, 40 Goals, 86 Assists

In the #2 spot for points scored in '83-84 is Edmonton defenseman Paul Coffey.  Paul had the biggest improvement from the season prior of any player on this list, jumping from 14th place all the way up to second, which is insane for someone who plays defense.  It's easy to see based on his 86 assists that he benefited from the gluttony of talent all around him on the Oilers roster, but Paul was an offensive force to be reckoned with as well and reached the 40-goal mark for the first of two times in his career.

Those 40 goals are still the third most ever recorded by a defenseman in a single season.  Unreal.

#1 - Wayne Gretzky - Center - Edmonton Oilers - 205 Points

74 Games Played, 87 Goals, 118 Assists

I don't think a single one of you will be surprised by the name that tops the list here.  Wayne was in his absolute prime at this point, and just a few seasons into his career had already established himself as probably the greatest player ever to lace up skates.  His 87 goals in '83-84 are still the second most ever recorded in a single season, and without some major changes to the game I don't think this total will ever be surpassed again.

I mentioned this in the last Stat Kings post I did, but Wayne was so good that while other superstars were measured based on surpassing 100 points in a season, a great season for Wayne had him over 200.  Wayne outscored the next closest guy on this list, Paul Coffey, by almost 80 points, and Gretzky missed 6 games!  He's the only player to record 200 or more in a season, and he did it four times!  1983-84 was special for Gretzky for a different reason though, as he would finally capture that elusive Stanley Cup for the first time.

To put a bow on things, here's the card from the following year's O-Pee-Chee set that pays tribute to Wayne's 1983-84 205-point league-leading campaign.

So there you have it, the 1983-84 NHL scoring leaders.  These posts are a lot of work to put together, hopefully at least a few of you enjoyed this look back in time.  For my next Stat Kings post I'll be switching it up to baseball!