1950-51 NHL Regular Season
Maurice Richard strains his posterior cruciate ligament 5 games into the season. He will miss a month. This is a chance for the
Rangers to prove their critics wrong.
Ted Kennedy won the Hart trophy despite his team collapsing. If this team can do anything without the Rocket, now would be a good time to show us.
Maurice returns to the ice on Nov 29th, leading the
Rangers to a 3-2 win over
Chicago. He missed 15 games.
New Yorks record in those games….2-11-2. Without
Richard, they are the worst team in hockey. Quite the fall, and kinda proof how valuable
Richard really is.
The real MVP?
On December 17th, less then a month since
Richards return, this happened.
Ok, well, that’s not a minor injury. Huge fail on the headline.
New York goes 5-3-1 in games
Richard plays between injuries, but obviously, they are now on a direct path to last place.
Richard hopefully will be back 100% for next year. When the season started, he could have become the all-time goal king this year. That will have to wait until he’s healthy.
Richard injured again. I do love this picture.
Red Kelly spent the first 4 years of his career as a defenseman. A good defenseman.
Kelly is a versatile player, who able to play all 5 positions on the ice. Last season, the
Canadiens moved
Kelly to C, and since then, He’s been fantastic. He’s developed into a 5 star player, and is having a breakout season, with 40 points in 35 games. I’m not sure how the CPU will handle him going forward, but I love that they moved him, and he’s become the teams top C!
Kelly's rise from dman to top C the last 2 years.
Woah, and WTF???!!!
Toronto trades
Milt Schmidt to the
Detroit Red Wings for
Gump Worsley, a up and coming 21 year old goalie! The other two players in this deal are half star players.
Ok,
Milt has slowed down, no doubt, but he’s still pretty good. He’s played 43 games this season and has 34 points. He’s contributing to the first place
Leafs.
Gump Worsley has played 29 games in Detroit, and has a .907 save percentage. He has 3 star potential, and that will probably go up the more he plays.
Schmidt leaves Toronto!
Worsley reported TO THE MINORS CUZ THE
LEAFS ALREADY HAVE TWO GREAT GOALIES. WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY TRADE A SCORING CENTER, WHO PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR A PLAYER THEY CANT USE!!! COME ON GAME!! THAT’S THE DUMBEST TRADE IVE EVER SEEN!
The
Leafs made another deal a day later…
Ok,
Cal Gardner is a really good player. He’s a nice 2nd liner who finishes season’s right in the 45-50 point area. He’s 26, so he’s got a lot of years left.
Dickie Moore is a 20 year old whose still a project, but he’s got nice potential, and should develop wherever he plays.
Toronto obviously was clearing a space for
Gardner when they traded
Schmidt, but it still doesn’t make sense.
Gardner is capable of playing both wings. Keep both players, don’t waste a talented C on a goalie, who despite being good, you can’t use!!!
Cal Gardner joins the Leafs
The trade deadline comes a week later, and the
Leafs make 3 more deal to continue re-shapping a team that was already in first place. I’ll look at them all together.
The first deal to get
Woody Dumart is obviously all about now.
Dumart is a ppg player, even at age 34, and will help this team’s offense, maybe even be the focal point at times.
Leo Boivon is a nice prospect and a decent return for the
Bruins.
Dumart joins Toronto
Toronto then gets ANOTHER GOALIE THEY DON’T NEED in
Gerry McNeil, who was splitting time with
Frank Brimsek. It makes some sense for the
Hawks to deal him, it makes no sense for
Toronto to acquire him.
Toronto loses talented defenseman
Frank Mathers. DUMB.
Frank Mathers of to Chicago.
Toronto then trades 21 year old franchise dman
Tim Horton.
Horton is having a much better season then he did on last years cup team. A +15, 22 points and a game rating in the 60’s.
Chicago sends
Marcel Pronovost, who ratings wise, is a poor man’s
Tim Horton. He’s less talented in all areas, and has a smaller potential.
Pronovost should be good one day,
Horton should be great. The
Blackhawks just robbed the
Leafs twice..
Horton trade shocks hockey fans!
Entering the final month,
Gordie Howe has 73 points. That’s 12 less then
Maurice Richard's record setting 85 set in 46/47.
Richard set that record in 55 games, which
Howe has already passed, but most points is most points. Can
Howe set the record?
Final Standings
Without
Maurice Richard, the
Rangers do finish last. Even with all the dumb Leaf moves,
Terry Sawchuk has become incredible, and they are still really deep.
Gordie Howe falls one point short of the all time single season scoring record. I have to think it’s just a matter of time before it falls very soon.
Terry Sawchuk, at 21, has become so much better then all his peers. He’s in a different world of goaltending now. As long as he’s a
Leaf, there moves might now matter. I can see him helming a dynasty.
Gump Worsley and
Gerry McNeil play a combined 11 games, going 8-3 after their acquisitions…. For the
Pittsburgh Hornets of the
AHL. DUMB....
Milt Schmidt gets 15 points in 24 games to finish the year in
Detroit.
Woody Dumart has 19 points in his 24 games as a
Leaf, while
Cal Gardner had 17 in 20.