NHL: 30 most prolific scorers of all-time

NHL: 30 most prolific scorers of all-time: No. 29 Ziggy Palffy

Here’s another supreme scorer who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Ziggy Palffy played just 12 seasons in his career due to a lingering shoulder injury. It seemed to really take the spark out of him. However, at his peak, Palffy was one of the best goal scorers of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Palffy was never in the Hart Trophy conversation, nor was he considered the best in the world, but that was mostly because of the talent surrounding him. He was able to score 40+ goals three times for the mid-90s Islanders. He was a player that dominated on a team that had nothing else.

The injuries started to pile up, however, and the 1997-98 season was the last time he played a full 82 game season. He was still a prolific scorer after he was surprisingly traded to the Los Angeles Kings. After failing to hit 30 goals in his first season in LA, he broke out the following season. He lit the lamp 38 times in 73 games. Fighting through injuries every year, he still broke 30 goals in the next two seasons as well.

Coming out of the 2004 lockout, Palffy signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins to show he could overcome a career full of injuries. It didn’t work, and he surprisingly retired in the middle of the season, despite scoring 11 goals in 42 games. His shoulder just didn’t have it anymore, and it was time to step away from the greatest league in the world. He was able to continue his career later overseas, but he wasn’t able to handle the grind of the NHL.

This shouldn’t take away from the greatness of Palffy. When he was right, he was unstoppable. If he stayed healthy across his career, he’s probably a top 20 scorer of all-time. Despite playing through injuries, he’s still in the top 30 in goals per game of every player who has at least 200 goals.