The NHL’s list of scoring leaders at the start of action Friday looks almost exactly like anyone would have imagined going into the season. Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos are all there; so too are duos like Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.
But one spot behind Sidney Crosby, just two points out of the scoring lead for the entire NHL, we find a surprise: Alexander Steen.
It’s a surprise because Steen’s previous career high in points was a modest 51, set in 2010-11. Fifty points is a respectable plateau to crack at the NHL level. Something like 100 players do it every year, and being a top-100 scorer in the best league in the world is quite an accomplishment. But there’s a huge leap from “top-100 scorer” to “top scorer,” and somehow, Steen’s made the jump. How?
That career-best 2010-11 performance is the only time in Steen’s career that he’s topped the 50-point mark. That statement undersells his career somewhat, because injuries and locko ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
How Alexander Steen Went from 50-Point Man to Art Ross Contender
November 22nd, 2013 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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