NHL: Most surprising 40 goal seasons in NHL history

NHL: Most surprising 40 goal seasons in NHL history: 24. Danny Gare – 1979-80 Buffalo Sabres

Danny Gare might seem like a strange one to be on this list. Prior to his 1979-80 season, he had one 40-goal season and one 50-goal season. He was clearly a scorer coming out of the WCJHL. He had 127 points in his final season with the Calgary Centennials. He had 31 goals in his rookie season for the Buffalo Sabres. He jumped to 50 in his second season. Then get got 11. Wait, what?

Gare’s production plummeted in an injury-fueled third season in the league. He bounced around for decent years, but he absolutely exploded in 1979-80, leading a very goal-heavy NHL in scoring. He lit the lamp 56 times that season, made his only All-Star Game, and was a monster for the Buffalo Sabres.

Gare was scoring in bunches that season. He had 14 games with at least two goals. It was a stunning season from Gare, who helped the Sabres make it to what is now considered the Conference Finals. This was a phenomenal season.

Gare never did much after this season. He immediately dropped to 20 goals two years after that. Then, he never hit 30 goals again. Injuries and inefficiencies were front and center of his career. He never got to another All-Star Game, and this was the peak of his career, as surprising as that might seem.