As our weekend in Vegas continues, it’s time for another NHL Saturday entry that takes us back in time … to 1950, in fact. The standings went Detroit (88 points), Montréal (77), Toronto (74), New York (67), Boston (60), and Chicago (54). We only have a handful more of these analyses before we run out of Original Six seasons, which is ironic … because there were many seasons before the Original Six era, of course. Stay tuned, folks.

1950 Hart: Chuck Rayner, G, New York (original); Maurice Richard, RW, Montréal (revised)

It’s an interesting vote that chose New York Rangers goaltender Chuck Rayner (12.3) for the Hart; he was fourth among goalies in Point Shares and didn’t win the Vezina. Anyway, we only choose forwards for this award as established a long time ago. And there’s really only one forward here in the overall PS Top 10 who didn’t play for the Detroit Red Wings, and that’s Canadiens right wing Maurice Richard (9.4). Winner!

He was the top forward in Point Shares, as Detroit center Sid Abel (9.2), RW Gordie Howe (9.2), and left wing Ted Lindsay (9.0) all trailed the Rocket in sabermetric value. With the Red Wings finishing above Montréal as well, you can see how valuable Richard was to his team in staying ahead of the other playoff-bound teams in the standings. Detroit had a lot of firepower, and the poor Rocket carried a big load.

This is the second straight Hart we’ve given to Richard, by the way. In real life, he won just once (1947).

1950 Norris: Red Kelly, Detroit

This is getting nuts, but Red Wings defenseman Red Kelly (9.6) posted the high PS mark for any skater in the league, and we have to give him yet another Norris Trophy. This is his seventh overall—and his fifth in a row from us. The last four have come in seasons before the award existed. But no other league blueliner came within 2.3 Point Shares of Kelly here, so it’s an easy award to dish out again. Talk about underrated!

1950 Vezina: Bill Durnan, Montréal (original, confirmed)

Canadiens goalie Bill Durnan (14.2 PS) topped the league in overall sabermetric value, and he won the Vezina, too. But Toronto Maple Leafs veteran Turk Broda (13.1) and Detroit youngster Harry Lumley (13.0) were not far behind. This trio represented the top three teams in the league, too. None of them were the difference between staying home in the spring, yet they all brought different kinds of value to their clubs.

Durnan had a short but dominant career of which this was his last season at age 34. We will see his name a lot in the next few months here. He played in 64 of 70 games and topped the NHL in GAA (2.20). Broda played in 68 of 70 games, while posting a league-best nine shutouts. Meanwhile, Lumley topped the league with 33 wins after playing in 63 games. He had the best offensive support, though, for sure, so he’s out here.

The Leafs also outscored the Canadiens on the season, meaning Durnan had to stay extra sharp—which he did. We will confirm this award, and we know we will be evaluating his other Vezina-winning seasons soon: he won six times in his seven-year career, which is absolutely nuts.

1950 Calder: Jack Gelineau, G, Boston (original, confirmed)

With 7.3 PS, Boston Bruins goalie Jack Gelineau won the Calder vote, but … it’s hard to be impressed with a losing record on a fifth-place team that featured a 3.28 GAA. Yet all the best candidates for this award played for teams that finished out of the postseason hunt. Gelineau was the best of them? And he did play in 67 games for the cause, so we will just confirm this as there do not seem to be much better options here.

1950 Conn Smythe: Harry Lumley, G, Detroit

The Red Wings beat the Leafs in a seven-game semifinal series before facing the Rangers in the Cup Finals, winning in seven games there as well. This was hard-fought playoff season for Detroit, to be sure. Nothing came easy in Hockeytown, did it? As for the Conn Smythe, well … no skater posted double-digit points despite the 14 games played, and Lumley—despite a 1.85 GAA and three shutouts—still lost six times.

Anyone from New York to consider? The Rangers took out the Canadiens in a five-game semifinal matchup, so there’s that. But no one jumps off the stat sheet for New York, in terms of scoring or goaltending. So we give this nod to Lumley for doing just enough to win both Game 7s in a defensively oriented postseason. He tossed an overtime shutout in Game 7 against Toronto and then won Game 7 against N.Y. in double OT.