An NHLer that scored more than a goal per game over his career? The only NHL player to score seven goals in one game? A player that one season scored at a pace that would have netted him 180 goals over the modern 82 game schedule? A mythical super-hero? No. We’re talking here about the great Joe Malone.
Malone was a pioneer of the game of hockey. He spent from 1910-11 to 1916-17 with the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association. When the National Hockey League came into existence for the 1917-18 season, Quebec was left without a franchise and Joe Malone became a Montreal Canadien.
Buy a Joe Malone 1923-24 vintage hockey card right now!
Joe returned to Quebec for the 1919-20 season as the Bulldogs began play in the NHL. Malone followed the franchise as it was relocated to Hamilton, Ontario for the 1920-21 season. The team was known as the Tigers and Joe played two seasons in Canada’s steel city. He finished his NHL career back with the Montreal Canadiens for the 1922-23 and 1923-24 seasons.
During his NHA/NHL career, Malone failed to score at a goal per game pace in only four seasons. One was his rookie season with the Bulldogs. Another was 1918-19 with the Canadiens when he only played eight games due to injury. The other two were his final two seasons with Montreal when he would only score one goal in 30 games.
Malone scored more than two goals per game in three seasons. for the 1912-13 Bulldogs, Joe scored 43 in 20 games. For the 1916-17 Quebec team, he scored 41 in 19. In the inaugural season of the NHL, 1917-18, Malone scored 44 in 20.
On two occasions, Joe won the NHL’s scoring title. The first was that first year in Montreal and the second was in 1919-20 upon his return to Quebec.
His still current NHL record of seven goals in a single game was set in 1920. While playing for the Bulldogs, Malone scored seven of the ten Quebec goals in a 10-6 victory over Toronto.
With 5 games over his NHL career scoring 5 or more goals in a single game, Malone is still tops in that category, ahead of such greats as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Maurice Richard. Although not accomplished in the NHL, Malone did score nine goals in one playoff game with the Quebec Bulldogs during the 1912-13 NHA season.
Malone retired with 143 goals in 126 NHL games and 179 goals in 123 NHA games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.
Beckett Hockey recognizes just three Joe Malone hockey cards. Although valued quite high, I believe, considering the great hockey player Joe was, these cards to be extremely under-valued.
- 1911-12 C55 #4 Joe Malone Rookie Card – valued at $500-$1000
- 1912-13 C57 #48 – valued at $500-$1000
- 1923-24 V145-1 #13 – valued at $200-$400
The following year after his last card came out, 1924-25, the Champs Cigarettes C144 Howie Morenz Rookie Card was released and is now valued at up to $3500. A sharp contrast between the rookie cards of two great early players of the game who had similar careers.