INTRODUCTION FROM THIN ICE TO SOLID n December 19 1917 exactly one minute into the first National Hockey League NHL game defenseman Dave Ritchie scored a goal for the Montreal Wanderers This was the first statistic or stat recorded in league history Since then a wildly popular league has emerged Its history is filled with fascinating and fun to read statistics Fans use these stats to analyze and compare the performances of players and teams Stats can help fans get information that may not be easy to see in a fast paced game To better understand hockey's important stats it's helpful to know about the sport's history Changes to rules equipment and rosters have all had an impact on hockey stats MONTREAL WANDERERS AROUND 1914 BIOLO var48 tu
OH CANADA Hockey's roots are in Canada The first organized hockey game was played March 3 1875 in Montreal Quebec There were nine players per side and most were college students Soon teams and leagues began to form and in 1909 the National Hockey Association NHA was founded It had seven teams in Ontario and Quebec Eight years later the NHA became the NHL Teams joined the league Others folded In 1942 the NHL had only six teams the Boston Bruins Chicago Blackhawks Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings These teams later known as the Original Six represented the league for the next 25 seasons But when a Las Vegas team is added in 2017 2018 the league will consist of 31 teams Not surprisingly teams that have existed the longest have an advantage in all time team statistics such as wins and Stanley Cup titles TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VS DETROIT RED WINGS IN 1942
CHAPTER ONE PLAYER SUPER STATS RACKING UP NUMBERS In the 1944 1945 season Maurice Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games for the Montreal Canadiens For the next 30 years it looked as if no one would be able to repeat or beat this scoring record Finally in 1980 1981 New York Islanders forward Mike Bossy achieved 50 in 50 Then just one season later Wayne Gretzky shattered the record scoring 50 goals in just 39 games for the Edmonton Oilers By the end of the season Gretzky had scored 92 goals UNDA WAYNE GRETZKY Most Goals scored in a Career PLAYER TEAM Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Penguins Brett Hull St Louis Blues Marcel Dionne Los Angeles Kings Phil Esposito Boston Bruins Mike Gartner Washington Capitals Mark Messier Edmonton Oilers Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins The player spent most of his career with this team GOALS 894 801 749 741 731 717 708 694 692 690 O
SCORING FRENZY Joe Malone began playing for the Montreal Canadiens in 1917 Malone scored five goals in his first game He scored again in his second game and then again in his third In fact Joe Malone known as Phantom scored at least one goal in each of his first 14 games That's still the longest goal scoring streak to begin a career in NHL history Malone finished the season with 44 goals an incredible 2 2 goals per game a record that still stands He JOE MALONE was the league's first single season scoring leader Most Goals Scored in a Season Wayne Gretzky 1981 1982 Edmonton Oilers Wayne Gretzky 1983 1984 Edmonton Oilers Brett Hull 1990 1991 St Louis Blues Mario Lemieux 1988 1989 Pittsburgh Penguins Teemu Selanne 1992 1993 Winnipeg Jets Player Season Team Alexander Mogilny 1992 1993 Buffalo Sabres Phil Esposito 1970 1971 Boston Bruins Wayne Gretzky 1984 1985 Edmonton Oilers Brett Hull 1989 1990 St Louis Blues Wayne Gretzky 1982 1983 Edmonton Oilers Jari Kurri 1984 1985 Edmonton Oilers 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 Number of goals
