Pierre Turgeon (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #129)
Adjusted Stats
1987-1988 Buf 78 GP 12 goals 24 assists 36 points 0.46 PPG
1988-1989 Buf 82 GP 29 goals 46 assists 74 points 0.90 PPG
1989-1990 Buf 82 GP 34 goals 56 assists 91 points 1.11 PPG
1990-1991 Buf 80 GP 29 goals 43 assists 72 points 0.90 PPG
1991-1992 Buf/NYI 79 GP 36 goals 50 assists 86 points 1.09 PPG
1992-1993 NYI 81 GP 48 goals 61 assists 109 points 1.35 PPG
1993-1994 NYI 67 GP 35 goals 52 assists 87 points 1.29 PPG
1994-1995 NYI/Mtl 84 GP 42 goals 40 assists 83 points 0.99 PPG
1995-1996 Mtl 80 GP 37 goals 57 assists 94 points 1.17 PPG
1996-1997 Mtl/Stl 78 GP 27 goals 62 assists 90 points 1.15 PPG
1997-1998 Stl 60 GP 26 goals 54 assists 79 points 1.32 PPG
1998-1999 Stl 67 GP 36 goals 40 assists 76 points 1.13 PPG
1999-2000 Stl 52 GP 29 goals 45 assists 74 points 1.42 PPG
2000-2001 Stl 79 GP 33 goals 58 assists 92 points 1.16 PPG
2001-2002 Dal 66 GP 18 goals 38 assists 55 points 0.84 PPG
2002-2003 Dal 65 GP 14 goals 35 assists 49 points 0.75 PPG
2003-2004 Dal 76 GP 18 goals 30 assists 48 points 0.63 PPG
2005-2006 Col 62 GP 16 goals 30 assists 47 points 0.75 PPG
2006-2007 Col 17 GP 4 goals 3 assists 7 points 0.44 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1987-1988 Buf 6 GP 3 goals 2 assists 5 points 0.88 PPG
1988-1989 Buf 5 GP 3 goals 4 assists 7 points 1.37 PPG
1989-1990 Buf 6 GP 2 goals 3 assists 5 points 0.85 PPG
1990-1991 Buf 6 GP 3 goals 1 assist 3 points 0.57 PPG
1992-1993 NYI 11 GP 5 goals 6 assists 11 points 0.97 PPG
1993-1994 NYI 4 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.25 PPG
1995-1996 Mtl 6 GP 2 goals 4 assists 6 points 0.96 PPG
1996-1997 Stl 5 GP 1 goal 1 assist 2 points 0.42 PPG
1997-1998 Stl 10 GP 4 goals 4 assists 9 points 0.89 PPG
1998-1999 Stl 13 GP 4 goals 10 assists 14 points 1.10 PPG
1999-2000 Stl 7 GP 0 goals 8 assists 8 points 1.20 PPG
2000-2001 Stl 15 GP 6 goals 12 assists 18 points 1.17 PPG
2002-2003 Dal 5 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.24 PPG
2003-2004 Dal 5 GP 1 goal 4 assists 5 points 1.02 PPG
2005-2006 Col 5 GP 0 goals 2 assists 2 points 0.40 PPG
Career - 1335 GP, 523 goals, 824 assists, 1349 points, 1.01 PPG
Career-Highs - 48 goals (92-93); 62 assists (96-97); 109 points (92-93); 1.42 PPG (99-00)
Avg. (19 seasons) - 70 GP, 28 goals, 43 assists, 71 points, 1.01 PPG
Peak Avg. (89-97) - 79 GP, 36 goals, 53 assists, 89 points, 1.13 PPG, 0 Cups
Playoff Career - 109 GP, 34 goals, 63 assists, 97 points, 0.89 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 6 goals (00-01); 12 assists (00-01); 18 points (00-01); 1.37 PPG (88-89)
Accolades - Lady Byng
All-Star Teams - None
Never Won Stanley Cup
Exhibit A in the "lies, damn lies and statistics" argument, and also one of the main reasons I wanted to do a Pyramid like this: to distinguish between the players that mattered and those that didn't. Turgeon didn't, or at least not as much as his numbers would indicate. Here is a guy who sits 30th on the all-time scoring list, one of the preeminent Oh Yeah, That Guys in NHL history. Yet he is nowhere near any discussion of the best centers to play the game, and shouldn't be.
At first I assumed that Turgeon's numbers were inflated by playing in the late 80s and early 90s. A little, perhaps, but Turgeon also re-benefits by putting up some decent numbers in the trap era of the late-90s. From 1989 to 2001, he only averaged less than a point-a-game twice (and barely, too, at 0.90 and 0.99). Like Mats Sundin, he was consistently in the 80-90 point range, although Turgeon was actually more prolific than Sundin for a good chunk of his career.
Yet what is he remembered for most? For being the victim of Dale Hunter's hit in 1993. There aren't many, or any, classic Turgeon moments. He put up his points in the regular season with decent-to-mediocre teams, then usually watched as his teams were ousted in the first or second round. Turgeon wasn't a ghost in the playoffs, either...he has a respectable 97 points in 109 playoff games (not quite at his normal production level, but still decent).
It's not like Turgeon was the #1 center for lousy teams: in his eighteen-year career (I'm not counting the 19th season with the Avalanche), his teams made the playoffs fifteen times. The Sabres, Islanders and Blues were always in a state of semi-contention (although no one ever seriously believed they could challenge for the Cup). In 1993, the year the mediocre Canadiens team won the Cup, it was Turgeon's Islanders they defeated in the Conference finals. And in 1999-2000, the year the Blues won the Presidents Trophy, Turgeon had a remarkable 74 points in only 52 games (although Chris Pronger took home the MVP award).
So why despite his consistency and productivity is he ranked this low? For one thing, he was perceived as soft and not an all-around center by any means. He scored goals at an above-average rate, but he wasn't as elite at his defensive responsibilities. And in the middle of his prime, after being drafted 1st overall by the Buffalo Sabres, he was traded to the Islanders (albeit for Pat Lafontaine), then subsequently traded again to the Canadiens within three seasons and sent packing once more two years later to St. Louis.
Turgeon may have scored over a point a game for over 1300 career games, an incredibly impressive feat. But being traded twice in the span of six seasons and ending up playing for six franchises in your career gives an indication that all was not what it seemed with that production. At least with a Hawerchuk or a Sundin we associate them with certain franchises (the Jets and the Leafs). Turgeon on the other hand was always a traveling man. He may have been better than he is currently remembered (and by virtue of the Ciccarelli cutoff point, just barely able to squeak onto my Pyramid), but he was certainly less valuable than his gaudy point totals would suggest.
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