#41 - Marcel Dionne

Marcel Dionne (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #41)

Adjusted Stats

1971-1972   Det          82 GP   30 goals   52 assists   81 points     0.99 PPG
1972-1973   Det          81 GP   39 goals   49 assists   89 points     1.10 PPG
1973-1974   Det          78 GP   24 goals   55 assists   79 points     1.07 PPG
1974-1975   Det          82 GP   43 goals   68 assists   111 points   1.35 PPG
1975-1976   LA           82 GP  37 goals   50 assists    87 points     1.06 PPG
1976-1977   LA           82 GP  50 goals   66 assists   116 points    1.41 PPG
1977-1978   LA           72 GP  34 goals   41 assists   76 points      1.06 PPG
1978-1979   LA           82 GP  53 goals   64 assists   117 points    1.43 PPG
1979-1980   LA           82 GP  48 goals   75 assists   123 points    1.50 PPG
1980-1981   LA           82 GP  48 goals   63 assists   111 points    1.35 PPG
1981-1982   LA           80 GP  39 goals   53 assists   92 points      1.15 PPG
1982-1983   LA           82 GP  46 goals   42 assists   87 points      1.06 PPG
1983-1984   LA           68 GP  31 goals   42 assists   74 points      1.09 PPG
1984-1985   LA           82 GP  37 goals   65 assists   102 points    1.24 PPG
1985-1986   LA           82 GP  29 goals   46 assists   75 points      0.91 PPG
1986-1987   LA/NYR  83 GP  24 goals   48 assists   72 points      0.87 PPG
1987-1988   NYR        69 GP  26 goals   29 assists   55 points      0.80 PPG
1988-1989   NYR        38 GP  6 goals     13 assists   19 points      0.50 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1975-1976   LA            9 GP    6 goals     1 assist       7 points       0.75 PPG
1976-1977   LA            9 GP    4 goals     8 assists     12 points     1.37 PPG
1977-1978   LA            2 GP    0 goals     0 assists     0 points       0.00 PPG
1978-1979   LA            2 GP    0 goals     1 assist       1 point        0.45 PPG
1979-1980   LA            4 GP    0 goals     3 assists     3 points       0.64 PPG
1980-1981   LA            4 GP    1 goal       2 assists     3 points      0.71 PPG
1981-1982   LA            10 GP  5 goals     3 assists     9 points       0.86 PPG
1984-1985   LA            3 GP    1 goal      2 assists     2 points       0.75 PPG
1986-1987   NYR         6 GP    1 goal      1 assist      2 points       0.30 PPG

Career - 1389 GP, 644 goals, 921 assists, 1566 points, 1.13 PPG
Career-Highs - 53 goals (78-79); 75 assists (79-80); 123 points (79-80); 1.50 PPG (79-80)
Avg. (18 seasons) - 77 GP, 36 goals, 51 assists, 87 points, 1.13 PPG
Peak Avg. (74-82) - 81 GP, 44 goals, 60 assists, 104 points, 1.29 PPG, 0 Cups

Playoff Career - 49 GP, 18 goals, 21 assists, 39 points, 0.80 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 6 goals (75-76); 8 assists (76-77); 12 points (76-77); 1.37 PPG (76-77)

Accolades - 1 Art Ross, 2 Lady Byngs
All-Star Teams - 2-time 1st-team, 2-time 2nd-team
Never won Stanley Cup

Well, we're at #41, and we've finally done it: reached the first player on the Pyramid who did not win a Stanley Cup. The greatest of the non-greats, if you will.

There is no equivalent to Marcel Dionne in the history of hockey. I've tried desperately to find one, and I can't. Where else has there been a center who scored for as long as he did, as consistently as he did, without ever once winning the Stanley Cup? Or for that matter getting even close!!! Marcel Dionne never once played in the Conference Finals, something that's unthinkable for a player who sits fifth all-time in career scoring (in real life) and thirteenth all-time in adjusted points.

Removing the element of team success from the equation, Dionne stacks up against Believeau, Sakic, Yzerman, Mikita. Year after year, he gets 80, 90, 100, 110 points. So what went wrong? Was Dionne awful defensively? Well, while he wasn't known for his two-way play, Dionne's career +/- stands at a modest +28, more impressive when you consider the sometimes truly awful teams he was playing for.

Dionne helped turned a dreadful team into a mediocre/decent team, along with linemate Dave Taylor. The Kings had no business ever being in the semifinals, but they did appear a few times, and they even upset the heavily favoured Oilers in the early 1980s (an experience that certainly helped the Oilers mature and learn what it took to win playoff hockey).

And yet, we judge people based on their individual accomplishments, yes, but in hockey (unlike in, say, baseball) you are also judged by how far you are able to lead your team. This is where the tragedy of Dionne takes shape. Despite averaging over an adjusted PPG for thirteen consecutive regular seasons, Dionne only once bested that mark in the postseason. His career-PPG in the playoffs of 0.80 is 33 points lower than his regular-season mark, a sharp decline that perhaps explains why the Kings couldn't ever get over the hump.

Even if some of the blame for Dionne's lack of team success fell on his shoulders, it's hard not to feel sorry for him. He was drafted second overall, one pick after Guy Lafleur, and surely Dionne would have won several Stanley Cup rings with those loaded Canadiens' teams (though whether or not he would have helped lead them to the heights they reached with Lafleur is up for debate). When he was with the Red Wings, Gordie Howe had just retired. When he left the Los Angeles Kings, it was right before Wayne Gretzky was traded to them.

At the beginning and the end, Marcel Dionne had terrible timing and terrible luck. There is no equivalent to him in any era in hockey. With Ray Bourque having won his championship, Dionne is probably the best player to never win one, and certainly the best to never reach the finals (Ovechkin may surpass him in this regard if the Capitals' don't enjoy success soon). His regular-season numbers are staggering. His accomplishments were extremely rare. Yet he is not a legend, because legends win.