#84 - Bill Cook

Bill Cook (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #84)

Adjusted Stats

1926-1927   NYR        82 GP   95 goals   11 assists   106 points     1.29 PPG
1927-1928   NYR*      80 GP   54 goals   18 assists   72 points       0.90 PPG
1928-1929   NYR        80 GP   59 goals   31 assists   90 points       1.13 PPG
1929-1930   NYR        82 GP   56 goals   58 assists   114 points     1.40 PPG
1930-1931   NYR        80 GP   72 goals   29 assists   100 points     1.25 PPG
1931-1932   NYR        82 GP   72 goals   30 assists   101 points     1.23 PPG
1932-1933   NYR*      82 GP   65 goals   51 assists   115 points     1.41 PPG
1933-1934   NYR        82 GP   28 goals   28 assists   57 points       0.69 PPG
1934-1935   NYR        82 GP   44 goals   31 assists   75 points       0.92 PPG
1935-1936   NYR        75 GP   17 goals   24 assists   41 points       0.55 PPG
1936-1937   NYR        36 GP   2 goals     9 assists     11 points       0.30 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1926-1927    NYR        2 GP     2 goals    0 assists     2 points         0.89 PPG
1927-1928    NYR*      9 GP     4 goals    6 assists     10 points       1.10 PPG
1928-1929    NYR        6 GP     0 goals    0 assists      0 points        0.00 PPG
1929-1930    NYR        4 GP     0 goals    1 assist       1 point          0.37 PPG
1930-1931    NYR        4 GP     4 goals    0 assists      4 points        1.05 PPG
1931-1932    NYR        7 GP     3 goals    3 assists      6 points        0.91 PPG
1932-1933    NYR*      8 GP     4 goals    3 assists      7 points        0.86 PPG
1933-1934    NYR        2 GP     0 goals    0 assists      0 points        0.00 PPG
1934-1935    NYR        4 GP     2 goals    3 assists      5 points        1.25 PPG

Career - 843 GP, 564 goals, 320 assists, 882 points, 1.05 PPG
Career-Highs - 95 goals (26-27); 58 assists (29-30); 115 points (32-33); 1.41 PPG (32-33)
Avg. (11 seasons) - 77 GP, 51 goals, 29 assists, 80 points, 1.05 PPG
Peak Avg. (26-34) - 81 GP, 63 goals, 32 assists, 94 points, 1.16 PPG, 2 Cups

Playoff Career - 46 GP, 19 goals, 16 assists, 35 points, 0.76 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 4 goals (30-31); 6 assists (27-28); 10 points (27-28); 1.25 PPG (34-35)


Accolades - None
All-Star Teams - 3-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
2-time Stanley Cup Champion


One of the pleasures of compiling this list has been unearthing some of the buried treasures of NHL history. Bill Cook is a prime example. I knew almost nothing about him, and had only heard of him once or twice, perhaps during Rangers broadcasts when they mentioned past Ranger greats. How surprising then to discover that the man was no less than the greatest right-winger of his era (or perhaps a close second to Charlie Conacher).

All he did was average a staggering 68 goals and 100 points for his first seven seasons, making the first all-star team the first three seasons they existed (and surely he would have made them the previous four years as well) and winning two Stanley Cups along the way. He led the league in goals scored three times. Granted, we are talking about a completely different era (the goals-to-assists ratios of this era's stars are laughable...probably due to the fact that there were no forward passes allowed!). But as has been discussed before, all you can do is be the best of the era you're part of, and Cook was certainly one of the best.

By all objective criteria, Cook should be ranked higher than his most appropriately comparable player, Charlie Conacher. So why isn't he? Conacher led the league in goal scoring five times to Cook's three, and won one Stanley Cup, while Cook had two. Surely they should be closer than twenty-three spots apart?

Well, every single list of great players that I see ranks Conacher, Busher Jackson and Aurele Joliat higher than Cook. I didn't see any of them play, so all I can go on is the (hopefully not deteriorating) memories of the old-timers who watched them. Cook's name isn't as well known as the other stars of his era (Morenz, Shore, Conacher). I'm assuming there's a reason for that, but strictly looking at the numbers and accolades, Cook's career was one for any age.