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One-Man Power-Plays

By Hawerchuk Updated

I thought this was an interesting list - players who were on the ice for the highest percentage of their teams' power-play goals. Clearly power-play usage has changed over the years - Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr went on the ice for every PP and didn't come off the ice until the Bruins scored or the penalty was over. Brian Leetch is probably the last player to have been used in this manner.

Player Team Season PP+ Tm PPG PP%
Esposito BOS 1972-73 67 67 100.0
Esposito BOS 1973-74 65 65 100.0
Potvin NYI 1976-77 56 56 100.0
Mikita CBH 1967-68 37 37 100.0
Esposito BOS 1969-70 80 81 98.8
Orr BOS 1970-71 79 80 98.8
Potvin NYI 1977-78 70 71 98.6
Macinnis STL 1998-99 60 61 98.4
Leetch NYR 1991-92 79 81 97.5
Orr BOS 1969-70 79 81 97.5
Esposito BOS 1970-71 78 80 97.5
Lemieux PIT 1987-88 106 110 96.4
Persson NYI 1978-79 78 81 96.3
Marotte LAK 1972-73 50 52 96.2
Esposito BOS 1971-72 71 74 95.9
Leetch NYR 1998-99 68 71 95.8
Kariya MDA 1994-95 22 23 95.7
Leetch NYR 1990-91 87 91 95.6
Lysiak ATF 1973-74 42 44 95.5
Orr BOS 1973-74 62 65 95.4


The list over the last decade is somewhat more defense-heavy:

Player Team Season PP+ Tm PPG PP%
Gonchar WSH 2002-03 54 57 94.7
Boyle TBL 2006-07 65 69 94.2
Ovechkin WSH 2008-09 80 85 94.1
Kovalchuk ATL 2003-04 55 60 91.7
Zubov DAL 2001-02 55 60 91.7
Weight EDM 2000-01 54 59 91.5
Gonchar PIT 2006-07 85 94 90.4
Kovalchuk ATL 2007-08 47 52 90.4
Timonen NSH 2001-02 43 48 89.6
Leetch NYR 2000-01 58 65 89.2
Savard BOS 2006-07 63 71 88.7
Malkin PIT 2008-09 55 62 88.7
Zubov DAL 2002-03 55 62 88.7
Phaneuf CGY 2007-08 52 59 88.1
Gonchar WSH 2001-02 51 58 87.9
Tarnstrom PIT 2003-04 57 65 87.7
Bure FLA 2000-01 40 46 87.0
Enstrom ATL 2007-08 45 52 86.5
Housley CGY 1999-00 51 59 86.4
Tverdosky MDA 2000-01 57 66 86.4

It was really only a small number of coaches during a short period of time who kept a small number of truly dominant players on the ice for the entirety of every PP. Indeed, eight of the 20-highest percentages of all time are from Harry Sinden (as coach and GM) keeping Esposito and Orr on the ice at all times.