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Will Legends be
Made?
Scaling Olympus
Well, the playoffs are here, and to steal an old
NHL marketing slogan "Legends will be Made". But will they really? Sure, some
players will have a great post-season, and a small percentage of them will
actually get to see their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. That's what
everyone plays for, and there is definitely some measure of 'Legend' building
that happens as a result. But can you honestly remember who played 4th line
Left Wing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004? Or the name of the back-up
goalie for Colorado in 1996?
The sad fact is that many of the players,
even if they win the cup, won't become legends. Heck, Chris Kelly has a ring,
and give yourself a point if you knew he still plays on the bottom couple lines
for the Boston Bruins! For whatever reason, today's NHL just doesn't seem able
to create legends, or even legendary performances anymore.
Maybe it's
parody, or the whistle being put away. Perhaps it is over-coaching, and the
constant media scrutiny, but sustained greatness throughout the playoffs just
doesn't seem to happen anymore.
But if it could, if someone could
catch lighting in a bottle for 16 - 28 games, imagine what would happen if
these all-time marks fell!
Most Goals in a Single Playoff: 19 (Jari
Kurri and Reggie Leach)
Most Goals in a Single Series: 12 (Jari Kurri)
Most Assists in 1 Single Playoff: 31 (Wayne Gretzky)
Most
Points in a Single Playoff: 47 (Wayne Gretzky)
Most Game Winning Goals
in a Single Playoff: 7 (Brad Richards)
Most Overtime Goals Career: 7
(Joe Sakic)
Most Overtime Goals in a Single Playoff: 3 (Mel Hill and
Maurice Richard)
Most Points by a Rookie in a Single Playoff: 21 (Dino
Ciccarelli)
Longest Point Streak in a Single Playoff: 18 (Bryan
Trottier)
Most Shutout in a Single Playoff: 7 (Martin Brodeur)
At a quick glance, these marks seem unassailable.
However, that very formidableness is what makes them so special. Picture Joe
Pavelski rifling his 20th of the playoffs into the net and tell me that
wouldn't be legendary? Or, watching as Patrick Marleau blows down the wing in
the 2OT of a game to score his 4th extra-time winner? Those moments wouldn't
just be great for the Sharks, but they would transcend teams and be great for
the game.
After all, only one city celebrates at the end of the
playoffs, and any heroes that are made are local ones at best. To truly make
new Legends, something the NHL desperately could use, it'll take something far
rarer than a single franchise achieving something; it'll take personal
greatness. That means someone who scales Olympus, and brings ascends to heights
of historic levels.
Contact Ryan at
ryanhall@letsgosharks.com
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