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Who are the top NHL players of the 1950s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Bert Olmstead: an underrated star of the era, Olmstead tallied over 450 points during the decade, earning four All-Star Game selections and winning four Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens.
9. Dickie Moore: anointed as Maurice Richard’s successor, Moore won back-to-back Ross Trophies and made five All-Star Games in the 1950s while scoring over 400 points and winning five titles with the Canadiens.
8. Bernie Geoffrion: one of the first NHL players to utilize the slapshot, Geoffrion followed up his 1951-1952 Calder Trophy with the 1954-1955 Ross Trophy en route to over 250 goals and 500 points for the decade; the 7x All-Star Game selection was also part of five Stanley Cup-winning Montreal teams.
7. Jean Beliveau: with over 500 points and the second-highest per-game scoring rate of the 1950s, Beliveau was a 7x All-Star Game participant, won both the Hart and Ross Trophies in 1955-1956 (and finished top-five for the Hart on three other occasions), and guided the Canadiens to four Cups.
6. Ted Lindsay: the namesake of the Lindsay Award (previously known as the Pearson Award) for most outstanding player in the regular season, Lindsay was second only to his teammate Gordie Howe with more than 550 points during the decade, winning the 1949-1950 Ross Trophy and making eight All-Star Games while leading the Detroit Red Wings to four Stanley Cups.
5. Doug Harvey: arguably the greatest defenseman in NHL history pre-Bobby Orr, Harvey was a 9x All-Star Game selection who led all defensemen in the 1950s with more than 350 points and won four straight Norris Trophies while winning five Stanley Cups with Montreal.
4. Maurice Richard: the namesake of the Richard Trophy for top goal-scorer annually, Richard led the league in goal-scoring 3x for the 1950s (second overall with nearly 300 goals) and was an All-Star Game selection every year with four top-five Hart placings and five Stanley Cup titles.
3. Jacques Plante: the first goalie to wear a protective mask regularly, Plante won four straight Vezina Trophies in the 1950s (as part of five in a row), made four All-Star Games, and won five Stanley Cups while tallying 227 wins and 47 shutouts (both second overall) with a 2.10 GAA.
2. Terry Sawchuk: one of the legendary goalies of the Original Six era, Sawchuk led all goalies with 311 wins and 80 shutouts for the 1950s (2.33 GAA) – in addition to the 1950-1951 Calder Trophy as top rookie, he played in eight All-Star Games, won three Vezina Trophies, and backstopped the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups during the decade.
1. Gordie Howe: Mr. Hockey himself, Howe was far and away the decade’s top scorer with more than 800 points; in the process, he also made nine All-Star Games, won five Ross Trophies and four Hart Trophies, and led the Red Wings to four Stanley Cup titles in the 1950s.
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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Countdown 82: Top 10 NBA Players of the 1960s
