Kucherov, MacKinnon, McDavid in close pursuit of Art Ross Trophy

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Also known as "The Hockey Maven," Fischler's insight and humor appear here each Wednesday. This week compares NHL points leaders this season with the immortal Gordie Howe. In 1952-53, "Mr. Hockey" pursued Maurice "Rocket" Richard's 50-goal mark set in 1944-45. Howe missed the bullseye by only one goal in the finale of the 70-game schedule.

Take your pick: Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche or Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and you'll find contenders for Art Ross Trophy given to the NHL points leader and the Maurice Richard Trophy for the most goals at the end of the regular season.

The forwards rank in the top three, each with at least 100 points. Kucherov, a back-to-back Art Ross winner, had 95 points (29 goals, 66 assists) in 45 games from Nov. 22 to March 20, the most by any NHL player in a 45-game span during a single season since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. He was also as many as 22 points back of the scoring lead earlier this season (prior to games Dec. 27). Over 20 games from Jan. 20 to March 20, Kucherov had 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists), McDavid had 30 (seven goals, 23 assists) and MacKinnon 29 (seven goals, 22 assists).

MacKinnon, Kucherov, Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield and Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston have each scored at least 40 goals, putting them in contention for the Richard Trophy with McDavid, Stars forward Jason Robertson, and Minnesota Wild teammates Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy not far behind.

While McDavid has been acclaimed by many as the best offensive player of this generation, his counterpart from the Original Six epoch was Gordie Howe. So dominating was "Mr. Hockey" during his time in the NHL (1946-71; 1979-80) that New York Rangers right wing Aldo Guidolin once quipped, "Howe plays 'The funny kind of game.'" Then, a pause: "He doesn't let anyone touch the puck!"

Howe's superiority never was more apparent than in 1952-53 coming off the Detroit Red Wings running the table in the 1952 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canadiens en route to the Stanley Cup, the first playoff sweep of its kind in NHL history. 

"We were strong at every single position," Howe said in a 1988 interview, "and I was at the top of my game. Matching the Rocket's 50-goal record was at the head of my to-do list."

"The biggest story of that regular season (1952-53) was Howe's prodigious scoring," wrote author Roy MacSkimming in Howe's biography "Gordie: A Hockey Legend."

"From the opening game, Gordie operated at full speed and by February he had scored his 200th career goal."

"In our clubhouse," Red Wings general manager Jack Adams said, "the feeling was that the Big Guy could reach 50 with a little bit of luck and (left wing) Ted Lindsay setting him up."

The melodrama reached its crescendo in the 68th game of the season when the Red Wings played the Boston Bruins on March 19, 1953. Howe scored twice to get within one goal of 50 in a 6-1 victory at Detroit Olympia with two games remaining. He was held without a point in a 4-3 loss at the Chicago Black Hawks in Game No. 69 and it came down to the regular-season finale against the Canadiens in Detroit on March 22. 

"That set the stage for some Howe heroics," MacSkimming wrote, "fittingly against The Rocket himself."

Wrote former Canadiens broadcaster Dick Irvin, Jr. in "The Habs: An Oral History of the Montreal Canadiens, 1940-1980":

"Rocket was passionately proud of his (50-goal) record. Meanwhile, the Detroit press was blatantly hoping Howe would first tie and then break the record on a night when Richard would be forced to watch him do it."

Despite the home crowd urging him on, Howe was in a losing battle with attrition and Montreal goalie Gerry McNeil. 

"Howe had a couple of good chances," McNeil told Irvin. "And I made some big saves."

When the final buzzer sounded, the exhausted Howe was stuck at 49, having played 33 minutes in a 1-1 tie. Canadiens coach Dick Irvin slid across the ice to hail Richard, his record preserved, but it was McNeil who delivered the ultimate punchline while wrapping his arms around the grinning Richard. 

"Well, 'Rock,' he's got to start at one again."

Howe did, but never reached the elusive 50-goal mark.