Unbreakable

I am standing in the conference's trade show writing this article. That's exactly how committed I am in getting the information posted from some of the incredible guest writers that have been recruited this month. Today, I bring to you an article written by annual HBIC Playoff Pool entrant Justin St. Louis who has had a long and storied passion for hockey. Of course, that means we should expect a great article, and I'm happy to say that Justin looks at some statistics that seem out-of-this-world.

Justin and I work together, albeit in different departments, at our respective company. Justin has worked for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings in the past, and always loves hitting the Keystone Centre for a good Wheaties game. He's a life-long sport enthusiast, loves the Miami Dolphins, and plays a mean game of softball. Today, though, he's looking at the unbreakable. Here's Justin with his article.

I have agreed to write two articles, and in the first one I want to take a look at 5 NHL records that I believe will never be broken. There are many records in the NHL record book and I tried not to pick ones that are too obscure. Have a look and don't be afraid to let me know what you think.

Record #1 - Most points in one season - 132 (1976-77 Canadiens 60-8-12)

In today's NHL there is to much parity amongst the teams to make this record reachable - even with the 'three point game'. This Canadiens team was almost unstoppable. They lost 1 game at home all season, that's right - 1 game. (finished the season 33-1-6) The second best team in the NHL that season was Philadelphia and they finished 20 points back with 112 points (48-16-16). In the playoffs Montreal played three series and went 12-2 on the way to the Stanley Cup. (4-0, 4-2, 4-0) The only team to challenge the record was the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings who finished 62-13-7 good for 131 points in an 82 game schedule. Montreal did it on an 80 game schedule.

Record #2 - Longest undefeated streak - 35 (Philadelphia Flyers - Oct 1979- Jan 6 1980 - 25 wins, 10 ties)

See above. In today's NHL with free agency and parity amongst the teams this record will not be touched. The team with the second longest streak is the Montreal Canadiens at 28 and then two teams are ties with 23 and none of those have been set after 1980.

Record #3 - Longest winless streak - 30 (Winnipeg Jets - Oct 1980-Dec 1980 - 0-23-7)

Yikes! The Jets had some bad teams back in the day but this was by far the worst. Winnipeg finished the year with a record of 9-57-14 which would represent the worst in franchise history and also included the record above. The record has not been touched since and likely will not be touched again. Teams in this era spend too much time conditioning in the off-season and work hard to be competitive day in and day out. The Jets team of 1980-81 was just plain awful - think Sharks and Senators expansion years... those were better.

Record #4 - Highest goals per game average - 5.58 (Edmonton Oilers - 1983-84 - 446 goals in 80 games)

Remember the days of wide open hockey? The Oilers exemplified this during the 1983-84 season on their way to their first Stanley Cup. Today's NHL is too defence-minded and even with the new rule changes meant to open up the play no team will be as explosive as this Oiler team was. In today's game if a team scores six goals it is considered a high scoring contest. That season the Oilers had 32 games where they scored more than six goals. Including six games where they scored in the double digits! Amazingly the Oilers were also shutout that season - the score in that game?? 11-0 on February 12 at the hands of the Hartford Whalers. That season the Quebec Nordiques were the second highest scoring team in the NHL scoring 360 goals over 80 games which is an average of 4.5 GPG.

Record #5 - Fastest three goals - 21 Seconds

Billy Mosienko of the Chicago Blackhawks on March 23, 1952 scored at 6:09, 6:20 and 6:30 of the third period with both teams at FULL strength. Chicago wins the game 7-6.

There are several other NHL records that will likely never be broken but I did not want to monopolize this space with all of them - most seasons played (Gordie Howe - 26), most points in career (Wayne Gretzky - regular season 2857, including playoffs 3239), most goals in one season including playoffs (Mr. Gretzky - 100), and most goals in one game (Joe Malone - 7), but I digress.

I have one more article to write next week where I am compiling my picks for the upcoming season. No need to sit through 1230 games this year as I will have all the answers for you in advance.

I have to agree with Justin that some of these are simply ridiculous with the parity of most teams in the NHL today. Most points and longest undefeated streak are simply unfathomable, and the Billy Mosienko scoring may only be seen in an NHL All-Star Game where defence is non-existent.

I'm looking forward to Justin's predictions next week for the upcoming 2010-11 NHL season, and that should make for a very interesting article. As always, comments below, and feel free to add any records you think will never be touched by another NHL player!

Thank you, Justin, and well done on this article!

Just as a reminder, don't forget to vote on James Huening's decision from Saturday!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!