Hall of Famer
Joe Malone
Inducted in 1975
Member Details
Career Highlights
Won consecutive Stanley Cups with Quebec
Scored 44 goals in 20 games in the NHL's first season
Won Stanley Cup with Montreal Canadiens
![Hall of Famer Joe Malone](/media/member_files/upload/X2006.852.1.5_u.jpg)
![Inspire](/themes/sportshall_2018/structure/logo_inspire.png)
Story
His nickname was "Phantom," attributable to his speed and deking ability-There he is! Where?-but he was also the top-scoring player of the NHL's earliest years. Malone played in Quebec in the first days of pro hockey, just after the turn of the 20th century and before the creation of the NHL in 1917. He was a star even as a teenager, and in 1911-12 and again the next year led the Bulldogs to consecutive Stanley Cup victories. In the 1912 victory, he scored nine goals in a single game against Sydney and averaged well over a goal a game with the Bulldogs during his nine years with the team. When the NHL was created, though, the Bulldogs were not included in the new league, so Malone signed with the Montreal Canadiens. In that inaugural season, 1917-18, he scored an incredible 44 goals in just 20 games, a rate of more than two per game. He played on a line with Newsy Lalonde and Didier Pitre, the highest-scoring threesome in the league. That record of 44 goals was not bettered until 1944-45 when Maurice Richard scored 50 goals-but it took him 50 games! The next year, Malone broke his arm and missed most of the season, but after making a full recovery he terrorized NHL goalies again in 1919-20. This time, he scored 39 goals to lead the league and his 49 points was also tops. Malone played his next two years in Hamilton, averaging more than a goal a game over 44 games, but it was his last year of pro hockey, 1923-24, when he had his worst season, that he won his only NHL Stanley Cup. Despite not scoring in ten games, the Canadiens went on to win the Cup and Malone retired at the end of the year. In 126 NHL games, he scored an incredible 143 goals, a pace that will surely never be equaled.