#103 - Norm Ullman

Norm Ullman (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #103)

Adjusted Stats

1955-1956   Det        77 GP   13 goals   13 assists   26 points      0.33 PPG
1956-1957   Det        75 GP   21 goals   48 assists   70 points      0.93 PPG
1957-1958   Det        81 GP   30 goals   36 assists   66 points      0.81 PPG
1958-1959   Det        81 GP   27 goals   45 assists   72 points      0.89 PPG
1959-1960   Det        82 GP   29 goals   42 assists   71 points      0.86 PPG
1960-1961   Det        82 GP   34 goals   50 assists   84 points      1.03 PPG
1961-1962   Det        82 GP   31 goals   45 assists   77 points      0.93 PPG
1962-1963   Det        82 GP   31 goals   36 assists   68 points      0.83 PPG
1963-1964   Det        71 GP   27 goals   39 assists   66 points      0.93 PPG
1964-1965   Det        82 GP   53 goals   51 assists   104 points    1.27 PPG
1965-1966   Det        82 GP   37 goals   49 assists   85 points      1.04 PPG
1966-1967   Det        80 GP   31 goals   53 assists   85 points      1.06 PPG
1967-1968   Det/Tor  79 GP   43 goals   45 assists   88 points      1.12 PPG
1968-1969   Tor         81 GP   39 goals   47 assists   86 points      1.06 PPG
1969-1970   Tor         80 GP   21 goals   48 assists   69 points      0.86 PPG
1970-1971   Tor         77 GP   35 goals   53 assists   88 points      1.15 PPG
1971-1972   Tor         81 GP   24 goals   53 assists   77 points      0.95 PPG
1972-1973   Tor         68 GP   20 goals   35 assists   54 points      0.79 PPG
1973-1974   Tor         82 GP   22 goals   48 assists   70 points      0.85 PPG
1974-1975   Tor         82 GP   8 goals     24 assists   32 points      0.39 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1955-1956    Det         10 GP   1 goal      3 assists      4 points      0.40 PPG
1956-1957    Det         5 GP     1 goal       1 assist      2 points       0.40 PPG
1957-1958    Det         4 GP     0 goals     2 assists     2 points       0.45 PPG
1959-1960    Det         6 GP     2 goals     2 assists     4 points       0.69 PPG
1960-1961    Det         11 GP   0 goals     4 assists     4 points       0.41 PPG
1962-1963    Det         11 GP   4 goals     12 assists   16 points     1.44 PPG
1963-1964    Det         14 GP   7 goals     11 assists   18 points     1.28 PPG
1964-1965    Det         7 GP     7 goals      4 assists    11 points     1.56 PPG
1965-1966    Det         12 GP   6 goals     10 assists   16 points     1.32 PPG
1968-1969    Tor         4 GP     1 goal       0 assists     1 point        0.25 PPG
1970-1971    Tor         6 GP     0 goals      2 assists    2 points       0.31 PPG
1971-1972    Tor         5 GP     1 goal       3 assists    4 points       0.75 PPG
1973-1974    Tor         4 GP     1 goal       1 assist      2 points       0.49 PPG
1974-1975    Tor         7 GP     0 goals      0 assists    0 points       0.00 PPG

Career - 1587 GP, 576 goals, 860 assists, 1438 points, 0.91 PPG
Career-Highs - 53 goals (64-65); 53 assists (70-71); 104 points (64-65); 1.27 PPG (64-65)
Avg. (20 seasons) - 79 GP, 29 goals, 43 assists, 72 points, 0.91 PPG
Peak Avg. (64-72) - 80 GP, 35 goals, 50 assists, 85 points, 1.06 PPG, 0 Cups

Playoff Career - 106 GP, 31 goals, 55 assists, 86 points, 0.81 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 7 goals (64-65); 12 assists (62-63); 18 points (63-64); 1.56 PPG (64-65)

Accolades - None
All-Star Teams - 1-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
Never Won Stanley Cup

Ullman checks in right behind Ratelle, although their careers were essentially the same. I give Ratelle the slight edge because he achieved a higher peak than Ullman, but one has to give credit to Ullman for being remarkably consistent for twenty years. He's a bit of a center version of a Mike Gartner, remarkable more for putting up twenty seasons of 80 games played at decent production than for any particular standout season. While his 0.91 career PPG isn't standout for a center, what is impressive is that in Ullman's twenty years, he had seventeen seasons of over sixty points, and had seven of eighty or more.

With a few breaks here or there, Ullman might be ranked higher on the Pyramid, perhaps closer to Mike Modano, whose peak numbers are comparable. Unfortunately, Ullman had brutal luck when it comes to team success. He joined the Detroit Red Wings the year after their run of four Stanley Cups in seven years, and although the team made the Stanley Cup finals five times during Ullman's tenure, they lost each time. Ullman wasn't a slouch during these playoff runs either: twice he led the entire league in postseason scoring, in 1963 (when the Red Wings were beaten by the Maple Leafs) and in 1966 (when they lost to the Habs).

Ullman was eventually traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle of the 1967-1968 season, which (as everyone knows) was the year after the Leafs had made their final run to the Stanley Cup. Ullman still continued to put up very good numbers, leading the Leafs in scoring season after season with about 85-90 points, but the team he was with was mediocre at best (Sittler was a little before his prime). After finally hitting a wall with 32 points in 1974-1975, Ullman left the Leafs to join the WHA, ensuring that his career would end without a Stanley Cup championship.

With 576 adjusted career goals and 1438 career points, Ullman is high on several of the all-time scoring lists. I have him ranked lower than Ratelle because he really only peaked once, in 1964-1965, when he was given first-team all-star honours and had 53 goals and 104 points. As with Sundin, Ratelle and Hawerchuk, Ullman fits onto that list of not-quite-elite centers who wracked up a lot of points, but never achieved hockey's ultimate goal.