NHL: 25 Most Dominant Scoring Duos of the Last 50 Years
The National Hockey League has some very impressive groups of scorers in the league today. From Chicago's group of Toews, Kane, Hossa and Sharp to Anaheim's Perry, Getzlaf, Ryan and Selanne, there are a number of teams that have unreal star power up front.
Not always, though, does a team with one elite superstar putting up huge points, have a second player also rack up an enormous total.
In this slideshow, we're going to look back at the most dominant rosters of the last 50 years.
What you will find here are the best point-producing duos since the 1960-61 season. How we determined dominance is the difference between the top point-producing duo and the second-best tandem in the league in that given year.
Some of the point differences will astound you, and some of the names will make you chuckle.
Here are the 25 most dominant pairs in the last 50 years.
24T. 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers
1 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne GretzkyĀ - 149
Mark MessierĀ - 111
Total - 260
No. 2 Total: 247
Difference: 13 points
24T. 2009-10 Washington Capitals
2 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Alex Ovechkin - 109
Nicklas Backstrom - 101
Total - 210
No. 2 Total: 197
Difference: 13 points
23. 1961-62 Chicago Blackhawks
3 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Bobby Hull - 84
Stan Mikita - 77
Total - 161
No. 2 Total: 146
Difference: 15 points
.jpg?w=256 "Bills Broncos Football")
22. 1989-90 Los Angeles Kings
4 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne Gretzky - 142
Luc Robitaille - 101
Total - 243
No. 2 Total: 226
Difference: 17 points
21. 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins
5 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Evgeni MalkinĀ - 113
Sidney CrosbyĀ - 103
Total - 216
No. 2 Total: 198
Difference: 18 points
20. 1965-66 Chicago Blackhawks
6 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Bobby Hull - 97
Stan Mikita - 78
Total - 175
No. 2 Total: 155
Difference:Ā 20 points
18T. 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins
7 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Mario Lemieux - 131
Kevin Stevens - 123
Total - 254
No. 2 Total: 228
Difference:Ā 26 points
18T. 1974-75 Boston Bruins
8 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Bobby Orr - 135
Phil Esposito - 127
Total - 262
No. 2 Total: 236
Difference: 26 points
17. 1972-73 Boston Bruins
9 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Phil Esposito - 120
Bobby Orr - 101
Total - 231
No. 2 Total: 204
Difference: 27 points
16. 1997-98 Pittsburgh Penguins
10 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Jaromir Jagr - 102
Ron Francis - 87
Total - 189
No. 2 Total: 161
Difference: 28 points
15. 1960-61 Montreal Canadiens
11 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Bernie Geoffrion - 95
Jean Beliveau - 90
Total - 185
No. 2 Total: 154
Difference:Ā 31 points
14. 1971-72 Boston Bruins
12 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Phil Esposito - 133
Bobby Orr - 117
Total - 250
No. 2 Total: 215
Difference:Ā 35 points
13. 1981-82 Edmonton Oilers
13 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne Gretzky - 212
Glenn Anderson - 105
Total - 317
No. 2 Total: 276
Difference:Ā 41 points
12. 1966-67 Chicago Blackhawks
14 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Stan Mikita - 97
Bobby Hull - 80
Total - 177
No. 2 Total: 135
Difference:Ā 42 points
11. 1978-79 New York Islanders
15 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Bryan Trottier - 134
Mike Bossy - 126
Total - 260
No. 2 Total: 215
Difference:Ā 45 points
10. 1963-64 Chicago Blackhawks
16 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Stan Mikita - 89
Bobby Hull - 87
Total - 176
No. 2 Total: 129
Difference:Ā 47 points
9. 1969-70 Boston Bruins
17 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Bobby Orr - 120
Phil Esposito - 99
Total - 219
No. 2 Total: 151
Difference:Ā 68 points
8. 1982-83 Edmonton Oilers
18 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne Gretzky - 196
Mark Messier - 106
Total - 302
No. 2 Total: 229
Difference:Ā 73 points
7. 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins
19 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Mario Lemieux - 161
Jaromir Jagr - 149
Total - 310
No. 2 Total: 236
Difference:Ā 74 points
6. 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers
20 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne Gretzky - 205
Paul Coffey - 126
Total - 331
No. 2 Total: 240
Difference:Ā 91 points
Yes, you're reading that correctly. In 83-84, Gretzky had only 35 fewer points than the second-bestĀ pair in the NHL.
5. 1973-74 Boston Bruins
21 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Phil Esposito - 145
Bobby Orr - 122
Total - 267
No. 2 Total: 167
Difference:Ā 100 points
4. 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers
22 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne Gretzky - 183
Jari Kurri - 108
Total - 291
No. 2 Total: 178
Difference:Ā 113 points
Again, as time passes people begin taking the ridiculousness of Gretzky's numbers for granted. In 86-87, Gretzky had five points more than the second-highest pair of players in the NHL.
3. 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers
23 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne Gretzky - 215
Paul Coffey - 138
Total - 353
No. 2 Total: 225
Difference:Ā 128 points
The point totals put up by the Oilers teams in the mid-1980s are almost laughable. Consider that teams had multiple 100-point players in the same season and they weren't even within 128 points of the Oilers' top tandem.
2. 1970-71 Boston Bruins
24 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Phil Esposito - 152
Bobby Orr - 139
Total - 291
No. 2 Total: 161
Difference:Ā 130 points
If the numbers put up by the Oilers teams are staggering, think about the 1970-71 season in Boston. Four skaters in the entire league had more than 97 points, and they were all in Boston. In fact, the Bruins had seven of the nine-highest point totals in the league.
1. 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers
25 of 25Top Two Scorers:
Wayne Gretzky - 208
Jari Kurri - 135
Total - 343
No. 2 Total: 209
Difference:Ā 134 points
Once again, in the high-flying mid-1980s, Wayne Gretzky was putting up as many points as two of the best producers in the NHL all by himself. The man's career is ridiculous, but this collection of all-time best seasons displays that Gretzky stands with very few peers āOrr and Esposito in Boston, Lemieux in PittsburghĀ and Hill and Mikita in Chicagoāas a transcendent producer in the history of the game.
.jpg?w=480 "Bills Broncos Football")
.png?w=600 "Winners & Losers From 1st Day of the Playoffs")
