1979-80 NHL Goal Scoring Log Jam

Who led the NHL in goals in 1979-80? Charlie Simmer of the Los Angeles Kings, Danny Gare of the Buffalo Sabres and Blaine Stoughton of the Hartford Whalers tied for the league lead with 56 goals each.

It remains a remarkable piece of NHL history. Three players finished a season tied for the goal-scoring lead, with Simmer reaching 56 goals despite playing just 64 games.

The 1979-80 season was also the NHL's first following the collapse of the World Hockey Association. Four former WHA franchises: the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques, joined the NHL for the season.

1979-80 NHL Goal Scoring Leaders

Player	Team	Goals	Games
Charlie Simmer	Los Angeles Kings	56	64
Danny Gare	Buffalo Sabres	56	76
Blaine Stoughton	Hartford Whalers	56	80

Charlie Simmer – Los Angeles Kings

If today's Rocket Richard Trophy rules were applied to the 1979-80 season, Charlie Simmer would have shared the award with Gare and Stoughton. The trophy did not yet exist; it was first awarded following the 1998-99 NHL season.

What makes Simmer's performance particularly impressive is that he scored his 56 goals in only 64 games. That works out to 0.875 goals per game.

Simmer played on the famous Triple Crown Line with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor. He scored another 56 goals the following season, giving him consecutive 50-goal campaigns.

Those were the only two 50-goal seasons of Simmer's injury-plagued NHL career. Originally drafted by the California Golden Seals, Simmer played for the Seals, Cleveland Barons, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished his NHL career with 342 goals in 712 regular-season games.

Danny Gare – Buffalo Sabres

Danny Gare scored his 56 goals in 76 games for the Buffalo Sabres. It was the second 50-goal season of his NHL career after he scored exactly 50 for Buffalo in 1975-76.

A second-round pick of the Sabres in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft, Gare developed into one of Buffalo's most dangerous goal scorers. He spent the majority of his career with the Sabres before also playing for the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.

Gare finished his 13-year NHL career with 354 goals in 827 regular-season games.

Blaine Stoughton – Hartford Whalers

Blaine Stoughton completed the full 80-game schedule for the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80 and scored 56 goals. It was Hartford's first season in the NHL after the franchise moved over from the WHA.

The season marked Stoughton's first NHL 50-goal campaign. He reached the milestone again in 1981-82 when he scored 52 goals for the Whalers.

Originally selected seventh overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, Stoughton played in both the NHL and WHA during his professional career.

His NHL teams included the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers. In the WHA, Stoughton played for the Cincinnati Stingers, Indianapolis Racers and New England Whalers. He also scored 52 goals for Cincinnati in 1976-77.

Why Was the 1979-80 Goal-Scoring Race Unusual?

The three-way tie between Simmer, Gare and Stoughton makes the 1979-80 scoring race one of the more unusual in NHL history. All three finished with exactly 56 goals despite playing significantly different numbers of games.

Simmer needed just 64 games to reach 56. Gare played 76 games, while Stoughton appeared in all 80. Simmer therefore had easily the highest goals-per-game rate of the three.

The season also came during an important transition in professional hockey. Edmonton, Winnipeg, Quebec and Hartford had entered the NHL following the end of the WHA, increasing the league to 21 teams.

1979-80 NHL Goal Scoring FAQ

Who scored the most goals in the NHL in 1979-80?

Charlie Simmer, Danny Gare and Blaine Stoughton tied for the NHL lead with 56 goals each.

How many games did Charlie Simmer play in 1979-80?

Simmer played 64 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Kings and scored 56 goals.

Who scored 56 goals for the Buffalo Sabres in 1979-80?

Danny Gare scored 56 goals in 76 games for Buffalo.

How many goals did Blaine Stoughton score for Hartford in 1979-80?

Stoughton scored 56 goals while playing all 80 games for the Hartford Whalers.

Did the Rocket Richard Trophy exist in 1979-80?

No. The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy was introduced for the 1998-99 NHL season. It is awarded annually to the NHL's leading regular-season goal scorer.

7 NHL Stars Who Played For The California Golden Seals

The Califonia Golden Seals existed in the National Hockey League for just a short nine year span from 1967-68 to 1975-76. Originally dubbed the Oakland Seals, the team was one of six expansion teams to enter the NHL for the 1967-68 season. Despite the fact that their nine years were nothing more than dismal, several decent players passed through the organization.

Harry Howell

Harry Howell is the only player in the Hockey Hall of Fame that ever dressed for the Golden Seals. Howell played just the 1969-70 season and part of the 1970-71 season with the club after 17 years with the New York Rangers. After 28 games in 1970-71, he was traded down the California coast to the Los Angeles Kings. The 1966-67 Norris Trophy winner was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

Bryan Watson

Bryan ‘Bugsy’ Watson was best known for the time he spent in the penalty box but he was also a decent defenseman. Now 41st on the NHL’s all-time list of penalty minute leaders, he was once number one. Watson finished his NHL career with 2212 PIM in 878 games. Watson played one season with the Oakland Seals, 1968-69. His NHL career spanned from 1963-64 to 1978-79, also playing for the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals.

Bobby Baun

In the final season of the ‘Original Six’era, 1966-67, Bob Baun was the hero of the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup victory. The following season, he was on the blue line for the Oakland Seals, a team that won just 15 games. 1967-68 was the only season Baun spent in California during a career that started in 1956-57 and ended after the 1972-73 season. Baun also played three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

Carol Vadnais

Carol Vadnais played sparingly for the Montreal Canadiens during the 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons. He became a regular in the NHL with the Seals in 1968-69. Vadnais spent two years with California before moving on to bigger and better things with the Boston Bruins. Carol played a total of 1087 regular season NHL games between 1966-67 and 1982-83 with the Canadiens, Golden Seals, Bruins, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

Reg Leach

Drafted third overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, Reggie Leach never really caught on with the Big Bad Bruins, playing just two partial seasons with the club in 1970-71 and part of 1971-72 and scoring just a total of nine goals. Playing with the California Golden Seals until the end of the 1973-74 season, Leach’s goal scoring ability began to blossom. It was with the Philadelphia Flyers that Leach exploded. He scored 61 in 1975-76 and 50 in 1979-80. He scored 19 in 16 playoff games in 1975-76 earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing effort. He won two Stanley Cups with Philadelphia, included a victory over the Bruins in 1974.

Charlie Simmer

Charlie Simmer was a third round pick of the Seals in the 1974 NHL Draft. He was a seldom used forward by California and even by the Cleveland Barons when the team was relocated there for the 1976-77 season. However, after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1978-79 and being stuck on a line with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor, Charlie showed the hockey world what he could do. Simmer scored 56 goals in each the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons as a member of the Triple Crown Line. Those goal totals were accomplished in just 64 and 65 games. Simmer played 712 NHL games with the Seals, Barons, Kings, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Dennis Maruk

In the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, the last for the Golden Seals, they finally got it right. In the second round, they drafted Dennis Maruk. Maruk scored 30 goals in his rookie season and 36 with the Barons two years later. He topped out with 60 goals and 136 points in a Washington Capitals uniform in 1981-82. Dennis played 888 regular season NHL games with the Seals/Barons/North Stars and Capitals and scored 356 goals over that time.

A Bit More About The Team

The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) that existed from 1967 to 1976. Originally known as the California Seals, the team underwent a name change in 1970 to become the California Golden Seals. Based in Oakland, California, the Seals faced financial and on-ice challenges throughout their brief history. 

The team struggled to achieve success in terms of playoff appearances and faced difficulties in building a dedicated fan base. Despite their challenges, the California Golden Seals are remembered for their distinctive green and gold jerseys and remain a unique part of NHL history. 

The franchise ultimately relocated to Cleveland in 1976 and later merged with the Minnesota North Stars, ceasing to exist as an independent team.

Hockey Trivia: Los Angeles Kings Individual Single Season Records

The Los Angeles Kings entered the National Hockey League for the 1967-68 season in what was the first of several rounds of expansion. The Kings have been host to several players with a talent for offence. The team’s individual single season scoring records can be considered unsurpassable in today’s defensive minded NHL game.

Test and expand your hockey knowledge of the Los Angeles Kings with these four trivia questions focused on the team’s individual single season records.

Q. What player holds the Los Angeles Kings record for most points in a single regular season?

A. Wayne Gretzky became a Los Angeles King for the 1988-89 season and he impressed his new fans with a 168 point season. The second highest point total in history also belongs to Gretzky when he contributed 163 in 1990-91. The highest non-Gretzky single season point total in Los Angeles history is the 150 of Bernie Nicholls in 1988-89.

Q. Who holds the Los Angeles Kings single season record for most goals?

A. With the influence of Wayne Gretzky in 1988-89, Bernie Nicholls went over and above his talents and scored 70 goals. The next best goal scoring output by a King was Luc Robitaille with 63 in 1992-93. Nicholls and Robitaille are the only two L.A. players to top the 60 goal plateau. When it comes to scoring 50 goals, just Marcel Dionne, Charlie Simmer, Jimmy Carson and Gretzky can be added to the list.

Q. Two Los Angeles Kings players have led the team in goals scored on eight occasions. Who was the latest to accomplish this feat?

A. Luc Robitaille first led the team with 45 goals in 1986-87. The last occasion was the 1999-00 season when he scored 36. His best was 63 in 1992-93 and he surpassed the 50 goal plateau on two other occasions. Marcel Dionne is the other Los Angeles King to lead the team in goals on eight occasions.

Q. What Los Angeles King holds the team record for most penalty minutes in a single regular season?

A. Marty McSorley surpassed Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams’ team record of 358 PIM with 399 of his own during the 1992-93 season. McSorley came to Los Angeles from the Edmonton Oilers along with Wayne Gretzky for the 1988-89 season and led the Kings in PIM a total of five times.

For Tiger, 1987-88 was his second last season in the NHL and his final full season, playing just 28 games in 1988-89. His 358 PIM placed him second in the NHL in 1987-88, three minutes behind leader Tim Hunter of the Calgary Flames.

McSorley’s 399 PIM led the NHL in 1992-93, 29 more than second place Gino Odjick of the Vancouver Canucks. In over 961 regular season NHL games between 1983-84 and 1999-00, Marty sat 3,381 minutes in the penalty box. This total ranks him fourth all-time, behind Tiger Williams, Dale Hunter and Tie Domi. The group are part of an exclusive nine NHL players to accumulate more than 3,000 PIM in a career.