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Who are the top NHL players of the 1960s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Johnny Bucyk: the Boston Bruins’ franchise leader in career goals scored, Bucyk scored nearly 600 points during the 1960s and was a 4x All-Star Game selection.
9. Frank Mahovlich: the second-highest goal-scorer of the decade with 300+ goals, Mahovlich was an All-Star Game selection every year while winning four Stanley Cups during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ heyday.
8. Pierre Pilote: second in scoring among defensemen with more than 350 points, Pilote was incredibly consistent in the 1960s with eight All-Star Game selections, three consecutive Norris Trophies (and eight straight top-five showings), and a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks.
7. Dave Keon: one of the top two-way players of his era, Keon was a 5x All-Star Game selection who scored around 550 points in the 1960s, winning four Stanley Cups (including Conn Smythe honors in 1966-1967) and two Lady Byngs for the Maple Leafs.
6. Bobby Orr: though his career was shortened by injuries, Orr is widely acknowledged as a revolutionary defenseman and dominated during the late 1960s – in his first three seasons, he won a Calder Trophy and two Norris Trophies with two All-Star Game selections and a pair of top-five Hart finishes, and had by far the highest points-per-game scoring rate among defensemen.
5. Jean Beliveau: the first Conn Smythe Trophy winner in NHL history, Beliveau won five Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens during the decade; individually, he tallied nearly 650 points, played in six All-Star Games, and won a Hart Trophy (with three other runner-ups).
4. Stan Mikita: one of the first great European-born NHL players, Mikita led the 1960s with more than 800 total points – he was a 4x All-Star Game selection, 4x Ross Trophy winner, 2x Hart Trophy winner, and 1x Stanley Cup winner with the Blackhawks.
3. Glenn Hall: the first “butterfly-style” goalie, Hall was both consistent and dominant, leading all goalies in the decade with 240 wins and 51 shutouts, along with a 2.48 GAA and .920 SV%, while playing in the All-Star Game every year and winning the Vezina Trophy 3x; not only did he lead the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup in 1960-1961, but he also took home Conn Smythe honors in a losing effort with the St. Louis Blues in 1967-1968.
2. Gordie Howe: Mr. Hockey himself, Howe played in every All-Star Game of the decade and was third overall with nearly 800 points, in the process winning two Harts (while finishing top-10 every year in the 1960s) and a Ross.
1. Bobby Hull: known as “The Golden Jet”, Hull paced the decade with nearly 450 goals, leading the NHL in goals 7x and scoring 50+ goals in a season 4x, including a career-high 58 in 1968-1969; he was an All-Star every year it was held and won three Ross and two Hart Trophies, as well as the Stanley Cup in 1960-1961 with the Blackhawks.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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