There’s many questions hockey fans ask themselves ahead of the NHL regular season, but one always seems to come up; who will be a 50-goal-scorer this year?
The 2016-17 campaign featured zero players accomplish the feat, and only Ovechkin reached that number the year before. Crosby led all players last year with 44, and fans are hoping to see a new player join the exclusive list.
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Rookie sensations Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine came close, as they managed to pot home 40 and 36 respectively. It has been evident in recent years that hockey is evolving into a relatively young man’s game, and it’s not out of the question to see a sophomore reach that number. With that in mind, we took a look back at the three youngest 50-goal-scorers in NHL history.
1) Wayne Gretzky
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This one doesn’t come as a surprise, as the ‘Great One’ put more pucks in the back of the net than any other player (894). In his first full season in the NHL, Gretz became the youngest player to reach 50 goals at 19 years and two months of age. He would also record 86 assists and finish the season with a ridiculous 137 points.
Wow.
2) Jimmy Carson
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Carson only recorded 50 goals in a single season once, and it impressively came at a very young age. In the 1987-88 campaign, Carson reached the mark as a sophomore for the Los Angeles Kings. The next year he would miss 50 by a single goal, and would only go on to score more than 30 goals once more over the course his playing days (1991-92 with the Red wings). By the time he retired, the Southfield, Michigan native had 275 tallies along with 286 assists.
3) Steven Stamkos
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The only active skater on the list, Stamkos joined his elite company after notching home 51 as a sophomore. The half-century marker came in a 4-3 shootout victory against the Florida Panthers at just 20 years, two months and three days.. ‘Stammer’ also hit 60 in his career, but has failed to surpass 50 since 2011-12 primarily due to injuries.
another notable player worth mentioning is Ovechkin, who was roughly 20 and-a-half years of age when he score 52 as a rookie with the Washington Capitals. Had the 2004-05 lockout not occurred, Ovy very well could have found his name on the list.
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At just 19 years of age, it will be interesting to see if Matthews or Laine (or both) are able to pass one of the big three. Goals are a bit harder to come by today, but we wouldn’t put it past them. Rookies Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick are candidates as well, however, a rookie has not scored 50 since Ovechkin.
Buckle up hockey fans, because we might witness history in the coming year.
(H/T NHL.com)
