#40 - Bernie Geoffrion

 Bernie Geoffrion (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #40)

Adjusted Stats

1950-1951   Mtl          21 GP   11 goals   8 assists      19 points     0.88 PPG
1951-1952   Mtl          78 GP   42 goals   33 assists    75 points     0.96 PPG
1952-1953   Mtl*        76 GP   33 goals   26 assists    59 points     0.77 PPG
1953-1954   Mtl          63 GP   44 goals   38 assists    81 points     1.28 PPG
1954-1955   Mtl          82 GP   54 goals   53 assists    107 points   1.31 PPG
1955-1956   Mtl*        69 GP   41 goals   47 assists    88 points     1.27 PPG
1956-1957   Mtl*        48 GP   25 goals   28 assists    54 points     1.12 PPG
1957-1958   Mtl*        49 GP   35 goals   30 assists    64 points     1.31 PPG
1958-1959   Mtl*        69 GP   27 goals   55 assists    82 points     1.19 PPG
1959-1960   Mtl*        69 GP   37 goals   50 assists    87 points     1.25 PPG
1960-1961   Mtl          75 GP   60 goals   54 assists    114 points   1.52 PPG
1961-1962   Mtl          73 GP   28 goals   43 assists    71 points     0.97 PPG
1962-1963   Mtl          60 GP   28 goals   22 assists    50 points     0.83 PPG
1963-1964   Mtl          64 GP   27 goals   23 assists    51 points     0.79 PPG
1966-1967   NYR       68 GP   21 goals   30 assists    51 points     0.75 PPG
1967-1968   NYR       65 GP   6 goals     20 assists    26 points     0.39 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1950-1951    Mtl          11 GP   1 goal      1 assist        3 points      0.25 PPG
1951-1952    Mtl          11 GP   4 goals     1 assist        6 points     0.52 PPG
1952-1953    Mtl*        12 GP   6 goals     4 assists      10 points    0.85 PPG
1953-1954    Mtl          11 GP   8 goals     7 assists      14 points    1.30 PPG
1954-1955    Mtl          12 GP   10 goals   6 assists      16 points    1.32 PPG
1955-1956    Mtl*        10 GP   5 goals     9 assists      14 points    1.41 PPG
1956-1957    Mtl*        10 GP   11 goals   7 assists      18 points    1.81 PPG
1957-1958    Mtl*        10 GP   5 goals     5 assists      10 points    1.00 PPG
1958-1959    Mtl*        11 GP   5 goals     7 assists      12 points    1.11 PPG
1959-1960    Mtl*        8 GP     2 goals     10 assists    12 points    1.55 PPG
1960-1961    Mtl          4 GP     2 goals     1 assist        3 points      0.84 PPG
1961-1962    Mtl          5 GP     0 goals     1 assist        1 point       0.20 PPG
1962-1963    Mtl          5 GP     0 goals     1 assist        1 point       0.20 PPG
1963-1964    Mtl          7 GP     1 goal       1 assist        2 points     0.30 PPG
1966-1967    NYR       4 GP     2 goals     0 assists       2 points     0.52 PPG
1967-1968    NYR       1 GP     0 goals     1 assist        1 point       1.00 PPG

Career - 1029 GP, 519 goals, 560 assists, 1079 points, 1.05 PPG
Career-Highs - 60 goals (60-61); 55 assists (58-59); 114 points (60-61); 1.52 PPG (60-61)
Avg. (15 seasons) - 67 GP, 34 goals, 37 assists, 71 points, 1.05 PPG
Peak Avg. (53-61) - 66 GP, 40 goals, 44 assists, 85 points, 1.29 PPG, 5 Cups

Playoff Career - 132 GP, 62 goals, 62 assists, 125 points, 0.95 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 11 goals (56-57); 10 assists (59-60); 18 points (56-57); 1.81 PPG (56-57)

Accolades - 1 MVP award, 2 Art Ross Trophies, Calder
All-Star Teams - 1-time 1st-team, 2-time 2nd-team
6-time Stanley Cup Champion

Bernie Geoffrion's peak average of 0.62 goals-per-game in the period between 1953 and 1961 is right in the ballpark of Jagr, Selanne and Bossy, and even slightly ahead of Guy Lafleur's. The problem for Geoffrion is that he always seemed to have a nagging injury that kept him out of 15-20 games a season. His per-game averages tell the story of an elite goal scorer, but his career totals, while respectable, seem to fall short of that level.

I'll still take Geoffrion at his best any day when considering the greatest right-wingers: 40 goals and 85 points averaged over an 8-year span, with five Stanley Cup championships in that period. That's essentially Jari Kurri's peak. And some of the goal-scoring seasons are truly remarkable: 44 in 63 games played in 53-54, and of course 60 in 1960-61.

Geoffrion was certainly aided by playing for the powerhouse Canadiens, and you can see his point totals really take off when a center named Jean Beliveau arrived on the scene. But 42 goals in his first full season gives evidence of a player who was a natural goal-scorer from the get-go, whether he had an elite playmaker with him or not. Geoffrion may have been the third-best player on the Habs' dynasty of the late 1950s (after Beliveau and Doug Harvey), but some of the all-time great players were the third best on their team (Trottier and Messier come to mind).

Geoffrion's legacy is also helped by his postseason exploits. The six Stanley Cup championships speak for themselves, of course, but what is more impressive is that for a seven-year stretch from 1953 to 1960, Geoffrion had 10+ adjusted points and averaged over a point-a-game in each of the Habs' postseason appearances (for the record, the Canadiens won five championships during that stretch).

"Boom Boom" will always be remembered as a Hab, which is as it should be. The fact that he came out of retirement to join the Rangers is a blip, although Geoffrion still mustered one last 20-goal season with New York. His final numbers are impressive (500+ career goals, 1000+ career points), but what cements Geoffrion's legacy is how excellent he was when he was at his best. A Hart Trophy, three all-star appearances (and surely more if he hadn't been contemporaries with Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard at RW), six Stanley Cup rings. It's easy to see why "Boom Boom" retains his legendary status.