ScottM

The NHL traces its origin back to the 1917-18 season. Nearly universally, that season is considered to be the beginning of the league, and any league prior to that is considered to be an entirely separate entity. That idea is not entirely based in fact, however. While the legal entity known as the NHL did come into being that season, its roots go back farther, to the NHA -- to a league that was, for all intents and purposes, rebranded as the NHL, simply to get rid of one man. That man was Toronto Blueshirts owner Eddie Livingstone. The NHA formed in 1910 after the collapse of the East Coast Amateur Hockey Association. Surprisingly, in its earliest seasons, the league had no team based in Toronto. That changed prior to the 1912-13 season, when two teams, the Toronto Hockey Club and the Toronto Tecumsehs. Livingstone entered the league in 1914, when he purchased the Toronto Ontarios (the team previously known as the Tecumsehs), and renamed them the Shamrocks. Not long after, a feud would begin between Livingstone and Sam Lichtenhein, owner of the Montreal Wanderers that would begin the unraveling of Livingstone's team ownership and the NHA itself. On February 3, 1915, the Shamrocks and Wanderers were scheduled to play one another, but because George and Howard McNamara were away from the team due to their father's being ill, Livingstone informed the league that he was unable to put a full team on the ice, and asked for the game to be postponed. Instead, the NHA and Lichtenhein rejected the request and ruled that the game had been forfeited. Lichtenhein soon reversed course, and offered the Shamrocks another chance to play the game on March 6. Before long, however, he would change his mind once again, after his team became involved in a tight battle for the league title with the Ottawa Senators. Livingstone tried to force the rematch, but the league ruled that the original forfeit stood. They ordered the Wanderers to pay the Shamrocks $300, and the blood began to boil, with Lichtenhein going so far as to petition the NHA for the expulsion of Livingston. The league said no, but Lichtenhein would have the last laugh in the feud. The situation became further exacerbated the following offseason when Livingstone bought the Blueshirts (the team originally known as the Toronto Hockey Club). Despite purchasing the second team, Livingstone announced that he did not want to operate two teams in the same league and would sell the Shamrocks. That would never come to fruition because of Lester and Frank Patrick and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. The PCHA had managed to lure the day's biggest star, Cyclone Taylor out west, and became infuriated over the NHA's attempts to draw him back east. The PCHA's response came in the form of a player raid which hit the Blueshirts hard. Livingstone did not attempt to retaliate since it helped him to achieve his goal of owning the Blueshirts alone. He simply transfered players from the Shamrocks to the Blueshirts, and allowed to former to fall dormant. In response to Livingstone's actions with the Shamrocks, the NHA seized the franchise. The next season, the awarded the slot to the Canadian military in the form of the Toronto 228th Battalion team. The arrangement did not last, however, as the team was ordered overseas mid-season, leaving the NHA with an odd number of teams. Desiring to keep an even number of teams, and with the owners wanting Livingstone out, the NHA had a meeting sans Livingstone and voted to suspend the Blueshirts for the remainder of the season, temporarily transferring its players to other teams. The league agreed to send the players back to Toronto before the next season and reinstated the franchise on the condition that Livingstone sell the team within 60 days. Livingstone responded by acquiring a court injunction to block the sale. But, as Calvin Coolidge once said, persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The other owners were determined to rid themselves of Livingstone, and they would demonstrate persistence in their efforts. The group banded together and voted to suspend NHA operations for a season, and founded the NHL. The new league included a team from Toronto that was largely composed of the same players, but without the official "Blueshirts" name, though it was still generally referred to as such by the nickname in the media. Finally, in 1918, Livingstone forced a shareholders meeting of the NHA, hoping to swing things his way once more, but the plan ultimately backfired, as not only did the league vote down Livingstone's attempt to regain control of his old team, but also voted to dissolve the NHA. Livingstone continued to battle in the courts looking for compensation for the loss of his franchise and players, taking the battle all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The mounting court costs forced the Toronto Arena Company to suspend team operations 18 games into the 1918-19 season, and led to the creation of a new team, the Toronto Arenas, which was a separate legal entity, though it retained the players of the former team. Eventually, the Arena company went into bankruptcy as a result of the battle and sold the team to a group headed by Charle Querrie, who renamed the team the Toronto St. Pats. A few years later, he would sell the team to Conn Smythe, who changed the team's name to the now-familiar Toronto Maple Leafs. Thus, both the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs owe their existence to one man, though certainly not in a positive way. If not for Eddie Livingstone, we might not have either the team or the league as we now know it, though the events chronicled above have led to his infamy. One cannot help but think he would have been better served to sell the team and walk away quietly rather than having his fellow owners in effect tell him, "Away with you!"

I don't think you hijacked it at all. That's a very detailed, researched post that makes the case very well. In fact, if anything, I think it proves that the idea is even more pronounced than I would have thought.

I didn't include the Lady Byng or Jack Adams in my post, but I'll remark about them here. O'Reilly is a great candidate for the Lady Byng, but wouldn't it be the ultimate irony if he won it? Everyone seemed ready to throw him under the bus before the season, and now he could win that award? Incredible turnaround. As for the Adams, I'll throw something Buck Showalter said at the press event I was in the other night into the discussion. Someone asked him about his AL manager of the year awards, and he said he looks at it as more of an organizational award than anything. Basically, he said that he thinks they tend to give it to the manager whose team had the greatest improvement, and overlook guys who keep their teams consistently at the top. Do we tend to do that with the Jack Adams as well? I don't ask that to discredit Ruff, because I think he's a great pick. He's built that team up in a hurry, and last year was a big part of that too. Still, in general, do we (and the voters) tend to do what Showalter said?

This is a key part of the original post. Again, I can't stress enough that I'm not trying to take anything away from Selanne. He had a season for the ages that year no matter how you slice it. Also note, I'm not arguing that Selanne should be considered ineligible that season. The only thing I said that might could be taken that way was the comment that if he had been from North America, he would've been in the NHL before that season. We all know that's true. That's why I pointed out that he wasn't in the same boat as an 18 or 19-year-old breaking into the league. But I also took care to point out that he's not in the same category as Makarov. I do believe that Selanne should've been Calder eligible, because he was still young, and it was a big step up. The Gretzky thing could be debated all day depending on your views of the WHA as a "major league," but I won't get into that here, because this is meant to be a tribute to Selanne's record. Selanne deserves all the credit in the world for what he accomplished in 1992-93, the only reason for bringing up his previous play in the Finnish Elite League was to fully demonstrate the perfect storm that it would take for this record to be broken. It would take someone with a similar pre-NHL background, a similar level of talent, and a similar drive. One thing I'd encourage everyone to keep in mind: these posts aren't meant to tear down these records, but to honor them. I do try to give an accurate background that explains how the records happened for the sake of context, but I also explain why they won't be broken.

I'm not saying that at all, but a few years of play there had certainly developed Selanne more than a typical 18-year-old rookie would have been. That's all I'm suggesting. Nothing more.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Selanne's season, because that was a remarkable campaign for anyone at any age, but yes, the fact that he was already a pro in Europe helped him. That has to be considered to get the full view of the record. I also agree that there's inconsistency between him and Gretzky, but by the same token, had Gretzky been considered a rookie in 1979-80, there would have to be a bit of an asterisk on his "rookie season" for the same reason we're saying that about Selanne. In the end, it is what it is, and the record belongs to Selanne, but those factors are part of what makes this so unassailable.

While you may have a point, Ovi still came nowhere close to this record, and I don't think we'll see anyone do so unless there are some MAJOR changes ahead. Ovi's rookie year helps to show why this record is so unbreakable.

We are approximately halfway through the 2015-16 NHL season, and this is a point that we frequently see awards predictions given. As such, I want to make some predictions of my own, and tell you who I think would win the Hart, Norris, Vezina, Selke, and Calder Trophies if the season ended today. A couple of these are the same as what I predicted in the preseason, but others have changed. So, without further ado, here are the guys I think are worthy to pose with the trophies after the awards banquet this summer. Hart Trophy Winner: Patrick Kane; Finalists: Erki Karlsson and Alex Ovechkin Not long ago, I made the case as to why Karlsson should win the Hart. Truth be told, I still believe everything I said, but with Chicago holding up much better in the standings, and Ottawa currently just outside the playoff picture, I think the close battle goes to Kane. What both of those guys have done this season has been incredible, and I think they're head and shoulders above the field for now. As for Ovi, he seems to have gotten himself back on track from a fairly slow start, and now leads the league in goals. Somehow, I think another 50-goal season is a foregone conclusion. Norris Trophy Winner: Erik Karlsson; Finalists: Drew Doughty and Ryan Suter There's a reason these three guys lead the league in time on ice per game: they are highly effective, and their coaches trust them greatly. All three of these guys are quite deserving, but I think Karlsson is all but a lock here. He is having an offensive season for the ages from the blue line, still on pace for nearly 90 points, even after something of a dropoff in scoring by his team. Unless someone goes off in a way as obvious as a nuclear bomb, no one is dethroning the reigning Norris holder this season. Vezina Trophy Winner: Braden Holtby; Finalists: Corey Crawford and Roberto Luongo Right now, the Washington Capitals have the best record in the league. While he's not the only reason, Braden Holtby is a huge reason for that. I think this is a tossup between him and Luongo at this point, and Luongo has been gaining a lot of ground as of late during the Panthers' recent tear. If the vote were held today, I would not really be shocked or offended by either of these guys winning. I think Crawford is a bit behind, but his six shutouts are a league high, and he has helped keep the Blackhawks in the contender category. Selke Trophy Winner: Patrice Bergeron; Finalists: Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Toews Honestly, this trophy is a lot harder to call, because the kinds of contributions that win it do not show up on a score sheet. I still feel pretty comfortable going with these three guys, however, because they have established a reputation for defensive excellence, and their teams are outperforming expectations. Bergeron's reputation is the highest, and it is well-deserved. I think he will give Bob Gainey company with his fourth Selke. Calder Trophy Winner: Artemi Panarin; Finalists: Jack Eichel and Dylan Larkin Last season's rookie class received a lot of hype, and rightfully so. This year's group can still give them a run for their money. I believe Panarin will win it because he is running away with the rookie scoring race, but he is certainly not the only quality newcomer in the NHL. Larkin has the best plus-minus rating in the league and looks like a future Selke winner. Eichel is proving that the excitement over his arrival was justified. It probably goes without saying that a lot of this will change in the second half of the season, but as of this moment, that is the way I see it playing out. How close or far will I end up being? Time will tell.

It has been over two decades that the NHL has seen a player post a 70-goal season. Mario Lemiuex's goal scoring pace in 1995-96 would have been good enough to break Gretzky's record of 92 over the course of a full season, but since cancer limited him to just 60 games that season, he finished with "only" 69 goals. Because of that, you have to go back to 1992-93 to find a player that reached the 70 mark. That season, Alexander Mogilny and Teemu Selanne both accomplished the feat. The most shocking thing about it is, of course, that Selanne was a rookie. Today's unbreakable record is his rookie record of 76 goals. Now, to be fair, Selanne was not a rookie in the sense that we think of an 18 or 19-year old player breaking into the NHL. He was 22 years old and was already established as a skilled player in his native Finland, playing for Jokerit Helsinki, and had played in the Olympics in 1992. By the same token, however, he was not in the same class as Sergei Makarov who won the Calder at age 31 either. So, while Selanne would not have been a rookie that season had he been born in North America, it should be noted that he was still an eligible "Calder rookie." It goes without saying that Selanne won the Calder that season. It also goes without saying that he shattered the NHL rookie goal scoring record. Besides Selanne, among players eligible for the Calder under the current rule, only Mike Bossy (53 goals in 1977-78), Alex Ovechkin (52 goals in 2005-06), and Joe Nieuwendyk (51 goals in 1987-88) have ever scored at least 50 goals in their debut NHL season. If you choose to ignore the fact that Gretzky was ineligible for the Calder because of his WHA season, you can add him to the list, but no matter how you look at it, the list is short indeed. There are several reasons to think that we will never see this record broken. First, even if we use a lower threshold of 70 goals, we find that only eight players have reached that milestone at any point in their NHL careers. Raise the bar to 76 goals, and that number falls to just six. If we lower the target to 60 goals, we find that 20 players have reached that mark, but such seasons have become much rarer in recent years. Since the 1995-96 season when Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr both eclipsed 60, only two players have managed to get to the mark. One of those is Ovechkin, who has already established himself as one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the NHL, and some believe may end up as the greatest goal scorers ever. Even when he had his peak season, he fell short of 76 by a full 11 goals. Add to those facts that this is a record that can only be broken by a rookie, and this record seems untouchable. What would it take to break the record? First, there would have to be a significant increase in scoring. Such a change would probably require a rule change such as smaller goalie pads or larger nets (and the latter would cheapen goal scoring records in my mind). Additionally, any player that would be capable of scoring so many goals would have to be much more than a "generational talent." It would take the type of player that only comes along once or twice in a lifetime. Further, I suspect it would have to be a European player, as any North American player of that caliber would undoubtedly be in the NHL at age 18, and even a once in a lifetime player would be highly unlikely to perform such a feat at 18. Most Europeans of that level would also be in the NHL at 18, but there is more chance that they might play in another professional league to develop than that a North American would. Take all the facts together, and I highly doubt I'll see this one chance only record broken in my lifetime.