Hockey in the 1960s. For most of the decade there was still only six teams, making jobs scarce. Third and fourth liners were excellent players accepting lesser roles. Chicago was a power, Montreal quietly dominated and the Toronto Maple Leafs - yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs - were a Stanley Cup powerhouse.
Top Ten Scorers
Stan Mikita - In 701 regular season games he led all scorers with 511 assists and 827 points
Bobby Hull - In 670 regular season games he came second with 786 points, including a leading 440 goals. He also led all playoff competitors in goals and points.
Gordie Howe - Ageless wonder had 317 goals and 780 points in 708 contests
Norm Ullman - U stands for underrated and for Ullman. 675 points in 699 games
Alex Delvecchio - Gordie's center had 660 points in 707 games.
Frank Mahovlich - The Big M had 636 points in 680 games, including a second best 329 goals.
Jean Beliveau - Another 1950s legend still going strong in the 1960s with 633 points in 618 games for the 5th best points per game ratio in the decade
Johnny Bucyk - Underrated great had 583 points in 676 games.
Dave Keon - This Leafs great wasn't all about points, but he still came in with 549 in 686 games.
Henri Richard - Rounding out the top ten is the Pocket Rocket with 544 points in 617 games.
More Offense
Bobby Rousseau - I bet you'd be surprised to learn that Rousseau was the 11th highest scorer of the 1960s with 522 points in 643 games.
Phil Esposito - He played fewer games, but averaged more than a point a game with 483 points in 459 games. That included 201 goals and a decade best 51 power play goals and 35 game winning goals.
Murray Oliver - Another long forgotten star with a strong decade. More of a playmaker than goal scorer.
Andy Bathgate - Bathgate had some strong seasons with the Rangers and a Stanley Cup with Toronto in 1964.
Kenny Wharram - Excited Chicago crowds with his blazing speed
George Armstrong - Leafs Leader
Phil Goyette - Another strong player who, somehow, went underappreciated despite playing in New York.
Dean Prentice - See, here's another.
Bob Nevin - A key winger for the Leafs
Ralph Backstrom - Imagine the numbers he could have put up if he didn't have Beliveau and Richard ahead of him on the depth chart.
Bob Pulford - One of the great two way players of his generation
Red Kelly - Wings' superstar defenseman of the 1950s joined the Leafs and became star forward
Claude Provost - Another really solid 3rd liner buried by Montreal's depth.
Rod Gilbert - Arrived mid decade by was Broadway's brightest star.
Don Marshall - Excellent utility player
Eric Nesterenko - Sometimes enigmatic yet one of the most interesting NHL players ever.
John Ferguson - Defined the tough guy role, but was a solid player, too
Reggie Fleming - The most penalized man of the decade was also a good defensive checker
Earl Ingarfield - Spirited forward was a fan favorite in New York
Eddie Shack - No one was more spirited, or entertaining, as Eddie Shack
Ron Stewart - Another prototypical 1960s forward who survived a long time by doing his job very well
Dick Duff - Six time Stanley Cup champion
Val Fonteyne - He played in over 600 regular season games in the 1960s, and took only 26 penalty minutes. He went penalty free in five full seasons. But he never won the Lady Byng.
Don McKenney - Very versatile left winger
Doug Mohns - Kept switching from forward to defense, but put up some impressive numbers.
Daunting Defenders
Pierre Pilote - Chicago great led all defenders in scoring (when you disqualify the constantly switching Mohns). Three time Norris Trophy winner.
Bobby Orr - Orr only started in 1966, but finished third in decade scoring by defensemen with 256 points in just 250 games. Won the last two Norris trophies of the decade
Tim Horton - Coffee King was as solid as they come
Harry Howell - Long time Rangers great won the Norris Trophy in 1967.
Doug Harvey - 1950s top defenseman still could dominate in 1960s, too
J.C. Tremblay - One of the most underrated players in hockey history.
Jacques Laperriere - Cerebral defender won the Norris Trophy in 1966
Bob Baun - Defensive defender scored most famous goal of the decade - on a broken leg!
Pat Stapleton - Mobile, swift player who was underappreciated by many until next decade
Leo Boivin - One of hockey's hardest hitters - of any decade.
Jean Guy Talbot - Another Montreal defenseman of this era to be overlooked by history's eyes.
Jim "Chief" Neilson - Rangers dman provided steady play all decade
Terrible Ted Green - Aggressive defender almost died on the ice
Allan Stanley - Wily veteran helped Toronto establish dynasty of the 1960s
Gary Bergman - Another in a long line of underappreciated defensemen from the pre-Bobby Orr era.
Great Goalies
Glenn Hall - Mr. Goalie played in 516 regular season games, almost 150 more than his closest peer.
Johnny Bower - He backstopped the Leafs last dynasty
Gump Worsley - Popular Gump found success in Montreal
Jacques Plante and Terry Sawchuk - 1950s legends continued strong play in 1960s and beyond.
Eddie Giacomin - Very popular in New York and respected around the whole league.
Roger Crozier - 131 wins in the decade
Charlie Hodge - Finally got his chance in the 1960s
Eddie Johnston - Played valiantly through many lean years in Boston.
Bruce Gamble - Forgotten member of Leafs dynasty
Don't Forget!
Bill Masterton - Tragedy struck in 1968
Tommy Williams - A rare American NHL player in the 1960s
Bruce MacGregor - Speedster was dubbed The Redheaded Rocket
Bill Hicke - Underrated Hab
Ab McDonald - Third member of the Scooter Line
Ed Westfall - Long time Bruin before he was an Islander
Dave Balon - Serviceable winger who emerged as a star as decade ended
Bill "Red" Hay - Underrated center cut career short to pursue opportunities outside of the game
Parker MacDonald - Found a home in Detroit
John "Pie" McKenzie - Brought hope to Boston in second half of decade
Floyd Smith - Solid forward with Detroit
Ron Ellis - Young Leaf arrived in Toronto just in time to enjoy dynasty
Marcel Pronovost - Another veteran who contributed to Toronto's success in the sixties
Vic Hadfield - People forget he was a regular Ranger throughout the entire decade.
Red Berenson - Expansion's first star
Camille "The Eel" Henry - Had some strong years with the Rangers left in the 60s
Chico Maki - Unsung Hawk
Ron Murphy - Another nice piece in Chicago
Orland Kurtenbach - Spent much of decade fighting for respect
Jimmy Roberts - One of the most useful utility players in hockey history
Jean Ratelle - Took a while to get going, but by end of decade he emerged as superstar he was known for
Carl Brewer - Free thinker
Bill Gadsby - Still a dominant defender even though he retired mid-decade
Gilles Tremblay - Montreal's other Tremblay
Boom Boom Geoffrion - 50 goal scorer in 1960-61, retired a couple years later only to make a comeback later in decade
Terry Harper - Tough defenseman
Moose Vasko - Steady defender throughout the decade
Wayne Hillman - Played over 500 games in the 1960s
Billy Harris - Nice depth player in Leafs dynasty
Ted Hampson - Struggled to find a steady role until expansion, but still played nearly 500 games in the decade
Al MacNeil - better remembered as a coach later on, he was a steady depth defenseman in the 60s
Kent Douglas - Small defenseman with big upside
Claude Larose - Solid winger went on to lengthy career
Jack McCartan - Only played a handful of NHL games but was standout in gold medal performance at 1960 Olympics for Team USA
Seth Martin - Canadian amateur goaltender was top goalie in international hockey for most of the decade, later came to NHL thanks to expansion.
Anatoli Firsov and Alexander Ragulin - Russia's top players in 1960s
Tumba Johansson and Ulf Sterner - Sweden's top players in the 1960s
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