It is difficult to score in the NHL. Not exactly breaking news. That';s why
only three players -  Connor McDavid, Claude Giroux, and Nikita Kucherov -
reached the 100-point mark last season. That doesn';t seem like many players,
and it';s not compared to the 1981-82 season when 13 reached the century mark,
but it';s still the most since four did so during in 2009-10.

In general, those who score 100 points are in or near their peak years. A
University of British Columbia study found that forwards peak at 28 but are
within 90 percent of their peaks until age 32. Afterwards, a significant
decline occurs that continues as their careers progress.

Last season, only Giroux at 30 was beyond his peak age. In 2009-10, three of
four were younger than their peak ages with only 29-year-old Henrik Sedin was
beyond his peak. Yet he was still in his 20';s. Finally, for the 1981-82
season, Marcel Dionne was the only player past his peak of the 13. This article
 is about players beyond their peaks who have scored 100-plus points in a
season.Of the three players to hit the 100-point mark last season, only Claude
Giroux was beyond his peak age. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

In NHL history, there have been 23 players with at least 100 points in their
age-30 or older seasons. These are the 10 oldest players to achieve said feat
and the facts that made their seasons monumental.

Notes: A player';s age is based on how old he was on Feb. 1 of that
season.T-10. 1995-96 Ron Francis - 32 Years Old

Stats: 77 Games Played (GP), 27 Goals (G), 92 Assists (A), 119 Points (P), 1.19
 Assists Per Game (A/G), 1.66 Points Per Game (P/G)

With a March 1 birthday, Ron Francis played part of the 1995-96 campaign as a
33-year-old but is listed as a 32-year-old. He finished the season with a
second place Selke Trophy finish and tied fellow Pittsburgh Penguin Mario
Lemieux for the league lead in assists with 92, also a career-high. His 92
assists tie him with Wayne Gretzky for the most in a season by a player 32 or
older.

Furthermore, he had career highs with: 1.19 A/G, 1.55 P/G, 9.3 Offensive Point
Shares (OPS), and 10.5 Overall Point Shares (PS). In addition to assists,
Francis was top-five in assists per game and among the five, only he and
Lemieux were 30 or older.Two decades before he was the Carolina Hurricanes';
general manager, Ron Francis tied for the league lead in assists as a
32-year-old. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

Francis had 58 games with a point, which tied for 10th-most in the league but
only third on the Penguins as Jaromir Jagr and Lemieux both had more. It';s a
similar situation with multi-point games as Francis had 34 of them, fifth-most
in the NHL, but still behind Jagr and Lemieux. Between March 3 and 30, he had a
 12-game point streak during which he scored two goals and totaled 22 points.
His streak coincided with Jagr having a six-game streak and Lemieux having six-
 and four-game streaks at the same time.

Francis never went more than three consecutive games without a point and waited
 until Feb. 3 for that streak to occur. In 11 playoff games, he added three
goals and nine points as the Penguins reached the Conference Finals.T-10.
1974-75 Phil Esposito - 32 Years Old

Stats: 79 GP, 61 G, 66 A, 127 P, 30 Even Strength Goals (EVG), 27 Power Play
Goals (PPG), 8 Game-Winning Goals (GWG), 52 Goals Created (GC), 4 Hat Tricks,
.77 Goals Per Game (G/G)Esposito led the league in goals for the sixth and
final time as a 32-year-old veteran with the Bruins. He played six more seasons
 but never reached 100 points again. (via Wikimedia Commons)

As a late February birthday, Phil Esposito was even closer to turning 33 than
Francis was. The 1974-75 season was Esposito';s last full one with the Boston
Bruins before he was traded to the New York Rangers. It was also the last of
his six straight goal scoring titles on a roster that included Bobby Orr and
Johnny Bucyk. By scoring 61 goals, he broke his own record for the oldest
player to score 60-plus goals in history.

Esposito led the league in goals, power play goals, hat tricks, goals created,
and goals per game and was second only to Orr in points. He was also named an
all-star for the eighth consecutive year.

He registered a point in 59 of 79 games and had two or more points in 36 games.
 He had two eight-game point streaks. One between Oct. 17 and Nov. 3 when he
had 11 goals and 18 points and another between Dec. 10 and 22 when he
accumulated 13 goals and 27 points.

He was especially tough against the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Philadelphia
Flyers and the playoff-bound Rangers. In four games versus the Flyers, Esposito
 had eight points and in three against the Rangers, 11 points. He accomplished
all of this while being the second-oldest forward on the Bruins roster behind
only Bucyk at 39.9. 2005-06 Daniel Alfredsson - 33 Years Old

Stats: 77 GP, 43 G, 60 A, 103 P, 22 EVG, 16 PPG, 8 GWG, 5 SHG, 1.34 P/G

The 2005-06 season was Daniel Alfredsson';s best and by a sizable margin. His
43 goals broke his career best by three and it was his only time as a 100-point
 player. It was also his only all-star season and the only in which he finished
 top-five in MVP voting.

It';s fitting that Alfredsson';s best season occurred simultaneously with the
Ottawa Senators tying for the most points in franchise history. Also on that
team were the newly-acquired Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, both with 90-plus
points each and 25 or younger. Alfredsson thrived with Heatley and Spezza even
as the third-oldest player on the roster behind Dominik Hasek and Bryan
Smolinski.Daniel Alfredsson had a career year in 2005-06 when he hit the
100-point mark for the only time. (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

Although he didn';t outright lead his team in points, he was top-10 in the
league in goals, assists, points, shorthanded goals, and points per game. He
tallied a point in 55 games and had the third-most multi-point games with 32.
When he had a point, the Senators went 44-6-5 and 6-12-4 when he was kept off
the scoresheet. Ottawa';s 44 wins when Alfredsson had a point were second-most
in the NHL after their 48 when Heatley had a point.

In the Senators'; march to a division title, Alfredsson was dominant against
quality Eastern Conference teams. He had 14 points in eight games against the
Buffalo Sabres, including six in a Nov. 2 game, and 17 points in eight versus
the Toronto Maple Leafs. His 14 points were the most against the Sabres by any
player that season.8. 2005-06 Jaromir Jagr - 33 Years Old

Stats: 82 GP, 54 G, 69 A, 123 P, 30 EVG, 24 PPG, 9 GWG, 1.50 P/GIn his
penultimate season before leaving North America for the KHL, Jaromir Jagr
recorded his fifth and final 100-point season at 33 years old.

In 2005-06, the consistently age-defying Jaromir Jagr had his fifth and final
100-point campaign and his first in three seasons. It was also his last
all-star season and his final occurrence as a Hart Trophy finalist. Although he
 finished second in Hart voting, he was awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award,
the predecessor to the Ted Lindsay Award. His 54 goals were the second-most of
his career and, along with his 123 points, remain a Rangers'; record for an
individual season.

He led the league with .58 goals created per game and 12.1 OPS. He finished
second in the league in goals and points, third in assists, and top-five in
even strength, power play, and game-winning goals. He also led the Rangers by
24 goals, 13 assists, and 44 points.

His 64 games with a point were third-most in the league while he was first with
 37 multi-point games. The Rangers followed Jagr';s lead as 38 of the team';s
44 wins occurred when he recorded a point.

During the season, he had two 12-game point streaks. The first occurred between
 Oct. 10 and Nov. 5 when he had 12 goals and 19 points. The second took place
between March 12 and April 4 when he had nine goals and 23 points. He went
pointless in back-to-back games once in games 60 and 61. In eight games against
 the Flyers, Jagr had nine goals and 15 points, the most against them that
season.7. 1984-85 Marcel Dionne - 33 Years Old

Stats: 80 GP, 46 G, 80 A, 126 P, 29 EVG, 16 PPG

Marcel Dionne was the league';s best goal scorer during the 1970';s and 80';s.
His 14 seasons with at least 30 goals tie for the third-most in history and his
 731 goals remain the fifth-highest total. Although he was 33 during the
1984-85 season, his 80 assists were the second most of his career and led the
Los Angeles Kings.

He also led the team in points, power play goals, and point shares and his 46
goals tied for the team lead with Bernie Nicholls, 10 years Dionne';s junior.
Additionally, he was top-five in the league with 46.4 GC, 1.00 A/G, and 1.58
P/G. He was the only player in the top-five of each category who was 30 or
older.Marcel Dionne was one of the game';s most consistent goal scorers and the
 1984-85 season was his 11th straight 30-goal season. (Photo by Graig Abel
Collection/Getty Images)

He had 62 games in which he registered a point and 37 with two or more points.
Between Dec. 8 and Jan. 7, he had a 14-game point streak during which he netted
 11 goals and totaled 24 points. Against the Edmonton Oilers, winners of the
1985 Stanley Cup, Dionne had five goals and 14 points in eight games.6. 1993-94
 Wayne Gretzky - 33 Years Old

Stats: 81 GP, 38 G, 92 A, 130 P, 20 EVG, 20 PPG

Wayne Gretzky';s 1993-94 season was a monumental one for him as he tied and
passed Gordie Howe on the all-time goals list. But it was also his last with
elite production as he won his 10th and final Art Ross Trophy, his fourth Lady
Byng Trophy, and was named to the second all-star team. He led the Kings by 44
assists and 44 points and was six goals behind Luc Robitaille for the team
lead.

He also led the NHL in assists and points by eight and 10, respectively, as
well as assists per game and points per game. He was also top-five with 45.8 GC
 and 11.0 OPS. He had 60 games with a point and led the league with 41
multi-point games. Playing on a Kings team that only won 27 games, the team had
 a 25-27-8 record when he had a point. The 27 losses when Gretzky was on the
scoresheet were fifth-most in the league by a team when any one player had a
point. They went 1-17-3 when he didn';t have a point.The 1993-94 Los Angeles
Kings were bad but it was not because of Wayne Gretzky, who led the league with
 130 points. (Photo By Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Gretzky';s longest point streak was nine games between Jan. 11 and 29 with
seven goals and 19 points in that span. He was at his best against both Western
 Conference division winners, the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames. In four
 games against the Red Wings, he had two goals and nine points and in five
games versus the Flames, he had six goals and 13 points, which were the most
against the Flames.

Although his 130 points were the 13th-highest of his career, that season may
have been Gretzky';s greatest performance given the separation between he and
his teammates. In addition to Gretzky and Robitaille, the Kings also had Jari
Kurri and Rob Blake on the roster and the team had the sixth-best offense in
the league yet they allowed the third-most goals.5. 1995-96 Wayne Gretzky - 35
Years Old

Stats: 80 GP, 23 G, 79 A, 102 P, 16 EVG, 6 PPG

It';s only fitting that The Great One would have two seasons in the list of the
 oldest players with 100 points. It';s also the second time the 1995-96 season
appears, an indicator of the league';s high scoring rate. Gretzky was traded
for the second time in his career that season, this time from the Kings to the
St. Louis Blues.

That season was one of his worst as his 102 points were his sixth-lowest, his
1.28 P/G were fifth-lowest, and his .29 G/G were fourth-lowest. It was also his
 15th and final time eclipsing the century mark for points. Although he only
played 62 games with the Kings, his 81 points led the team by 17. He also paced
 the team with 5.8 OPS.A midseason trade sent Wayne Gretzky from the Los
Angeles Kings to the St. Louis Blues. In total, he reached 100 points for the
15th time and helped the Blues reach the postseason.

Despite a poor season by his standards, he finished fifth in the league with 79
 assists. He also had 53 games with a point and 28 with two or more points.
When he had a point, his teams went 22-20-11 and when he was kept off the
scoresheet, they had a record of 2-18-7. He also had two eight-game point
streaks, one between Nov. 2 and 16 when he had six goals and 19 points and a
second between Jan. 3 and 16 when he totaled three goals and 17 points.

His trade to the Blues greatly improved the quality of the surrounding roster.
The Blues were a playoff team and won a round with Gretzky having two goals and
 16 points in 13 games. By joining the Blues, he became the seventh future
Hall-of-Famer on the roster with teammates that included Brett Hull, Al
MacInnis, Chris Pronger, and Grant Fuhr.4. 1975-76 Jean Ratelle - 35 Years Old

Stats: 80 GP, 36 G, 69 A, 105 P, 18 EVG, 17 PPG, 1.31 P/G

I';m embarrassed to admit this, but I knew nothing of Jean Ratelle before
researching this article. A future Hall-of-Famer, Ratelle had a great season in
 1975-76 when he had 100 points for the second time in his career. Like
Gretzky, Ratelle was traded midseason and went from the Rangers to the
Bruins in a deal that involved Phil Esposito going to the Rangers.

He became the oldest player to have 100-plus points in a season split between
two teams. In 67 games with Boston, he had 90 points to lead the team. He also
led the team with eight goals and 16 points in 12 postseason games and helped
the team reach the conference finals. Ratelle finished the season top-five in
the league in assists and assists per game.Jean Ratelle (center) had a career
year in his age-35 season with 36 goals and 105 points between the New York
Rangers and Boston Bruins. It was the second time in his career with 100-plus
points.

His 69 assists were a career-high while his .86 A/G, 1.31 P/G, and 9.6 OPS were
 the second-highest of his career. Ratelle won the Lady Byng Trophy that season
 and finished top-10 in Hart Trophy voting for the second time in his career at
 35 years old.

He had points in 56 of 80 games, including 32 with more than one point. His
production totals were the result of consistency rather than high peaks as his
most points in a game that season was four. His longest streak without a point
was two while he had a nine-game point streak between March 11 and 27 when he
had seven goals and 20 points. He posted seven goals and 13 points in six games
 versus the rival Maple Leafs and one goal and nine points in four games
against the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Flyers.3. 1970-71 Johnny Bucyk - 35
Years Old

Stats: 78 GP, 78 GP, 51 G, 65 A, 116 P, 29 EVG, 22 PPG, .65 G/G, 1.49
P/GJohnny Bucyk, the Boston Bruins'; franchise leader in goals, had his best
season in 1970-71 at 35 years old when he hit the 50-goal and 100-point marks
for the only time in his career.

Bruin Johnny Bucyk had his best season as a 35-year-old in 1970-71. He hit the
50-goal and 100-point thresholds for the only times in his career and is the
oldest player in league history to score 50 goals. That season was the only
time he was named to the first all-star team and the first time he won an award
 when he took home the Lady Byng Trophy for his eight penalty minutes on the
year.

Although he had an excellent season with numerous personal bests, he finished
second on the team and in the league in goals and third in assists and points,
behind Esposito and Orr in all three categories. He did, however, lead the
league by shooting 22.7 percent. It was his first of three times doing so.

Bucyk was a model of consistency throughout his career and the same holds true
for his 1970-71 season as well. He had 59 games with a point, 32 with multiple
points, and never went two consecutive games without a point. He also had two
six-point games. Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 25, he had a 13-game point streak in
which he potted 13 goals and tallied 27 points.2. 2006-07 Joe Sakic - 37 Years
Old

Stats: 82 GP, 36 G, 64 A, 100 P, 20 EVG, 16 PPG, 1.22 P/G

There had been a four-season gap between Joe Sakic';s 100-point season in
2006-07 and his previous occurrence in 2000-01. The 2006-07 season was the last
 100-point season for the lifelong Quebec Nordique/Colorado Avalanche who holds
 nearly every offensive franchise record.

That season, Sakic led the Avalanche in goals, assists, and points, including a
 17-point lead over Andrew Brunette despite tying Pierre Turgeon as the oldest
player on the roster. Sakic also led Avalanche forwards with 18 minutes and 10
seconds of ice time at 37 years old. He finished top-10 in the league in with
64 assists, 100 points, 36.1 GC, 16 PPG, 1.22 P/G, and 9.1 OPS.Joe Sakic had an
 excellent season up his sleeves in 2006-07 in his 18th of 20 seasons.

In what was his last full season, Sakic had a point in 58 games, fourth-most in
 the league, and his 28 games with multiple points tied for sixth. The
Avalanche won 34 of his 58 games with a point but just 10 of the 24 games he
went pointless in. He had a 12-game point streak between Feb. 3 and 25 and
accumulated six goals and 20 point during that span. He also had two six-game
streaks and never went back-to-back games without a point.

It';s only fitting that Sakic victimized the Flames that season, the team he
had the most success against in his career. In eight games against them in
2006-07, he had five goals and 20 points, the most points Calgary yielded to
one player by seven. His success against them included a five-point performance
 on Feb. 15 in which he became the 17th member of the 600-goal club.1. 1968-69
Gordie Howe - 40 Years Old

Stats: 76 GP, 44 G, 59 A, 103 P, 35 EVG, 1.36 P/G, 12.5 PS

Any list encompassing the "best of" or "most" when it comes to hockey typically
 includes Gordie Howe at or near the top. In this case, it';s no surprise. Mr.
Hockey';s career spanned five decades. He was 18 when he debuted in 1946 and 52
 when his career concluded in 1980. Even on this list, which is filled with
some of the game';s greats, Howe was older than Sakic by three years and with a
 March 31 birthday, he played part of the 1968-69 season as a
41-year-old.Related: Remembering Mr. Hockey

Howe';s 103 points that season were a career-high and the only time he reached
the century mark in the NHL. He did have two 100-point seasons in the WHA, but
those seasons don';t count for the purposes of this article. He led the Red
Wings by 20 points over fellow elder statesman, Alex Delvecchio and finished
third in the league in points behind 26-year-old Phil Esposito and 30-year-old
Bobby Hull.Gordie Howe';s only 100-point season occurred during the 1968-69
season when he was 40 years old. With a career that spanned five decades, it';s
 no surprise that he was the oldest in history to have such a season.

Howe received Hart Trophy votes and was an all-star for the 15th straight
season. His 1.36 P/G tied for the second-highest rate of his career and 12.5 PS
 were the third-most. By comparison, his top-two seasons by point shares
occurred when he was 24 and 23.

He had a nine-game point streak between Nov. 23 and Dec. 12 with eight goals
and 15 points. His longest pointless streak was two games. In eight games
against the Bruins, Howe had three goals and 13 points, the same number of
points he had in eight games against the Chicago Black Hawks.

*All stats and information came from Hockey-Reference and NHL.com

The post Oldest Players With 100-Point Seasons appeared first on The Hockey
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