Joe Malone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joe Malone |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1950 | |||
Malone with the Hamilton Tigers in 1920
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| Born | February 28, 1890 Saint-Colomb-de-Sillery, Quebec, Canada |
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| Died | May 15, 1969 (aged 79) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Quebec Bulldogs Waterloo Colts Montreal Canadiens Hamilton Tigers |
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| Playing career | 1910–1924 | ||
Maurice Joseph Malone (born February 28, 1890 – died May 15, 1969) was a famous Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was a centre, a key position in hockey. Malone played in two major leagues: the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL). His career lasted from 1910 to 1924.
He played for teams like the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Canadiens, and Hamilton Tigers. Malone was known for scoring many goals and playing fairly. He led the NHL in goals and points in 1918 and 1920. He also led the NHA in goals twice. Malone won the Stanley Cup with the Quebec Bulldogs in 1912 and 1913. He is the only player in NHL history to score seven goals in a single game! Malone was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.
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Joe Malone's Early Life and Family
Joe Malone was born on February 28, 1890. He grew up in Saint-Colomb-de-Sillery, a town near Quebec City. He was the second of eleven children in his family. His father, also named Maurice Joseph Malone, worked in the lumber industry. Joe's mother was Marie-Louise Rochon.
In 1916, Joe Malone married Mathilda Power. After his amazing hockey career, he worked for a telephone company in Montreal. Joe Malone passed away from a heart attack on May 15, 1969, in Montreal, Quebec.
Joe Malone's Hockey Journey
Starting Strong: Quebec Bulldogs and Early Success
Joe Malone started playing hockey when he was very young. People noticed his talent as early as 1904, calling him a "rising star." At 19, in 1909, he joined the Quebec Bulldogs. This was his first time playing in a senior league. He scored 8 goals in 12 games that season.
In 1910, a new league called the National Hockey Association (NHA) was formed. Quebec wasn't allowed to join at first. So, Malone played for the Waterloo Colts in another league, scoring 9 goals in 11 games. The Quebec Bulldogs team returned in 1911 and joined the NHA. Malone came back to his team, scoring 9 goals in 13 games.
He played as a centre with teammates like Eddie Oatman and Jack Marks. In the 1911–12 season, he scored 21 goals in 18 games. Quebec finished first in the league and won the famous Stanley Cup!
Winning Stanley Cups and Leading the League
Quebec won the Stanley Cup again in 1913. Malone was a scoring machine that season, leading the NHA with 43 goals in 20 games. He even scored a career-high nine goals in one Stanley Cup game! His brother, Jeff Malone, also played for Quebec when they won the Cup in 1913.
In the 1913–14 season, Malone scored 24 goals in 17 games. He missed some games in 1914–15 due to an ankle injury. But he still managed to score 16 goals in 12 games. Malone returned to his top form in 1915–16, scoring 25 goals in 24 games.
In 1916–17, Malone scored an amazing 41 goals in 19 games. He tied for the scoring lead in the NHA with Frank Nighbor.
Joining the NHL: A New Era of Scoring Records
When the National Hockey League (NHL) started in 1917, Quebec did not have a team. So, Malone joined the Montreal Canadiens. He played on a very strong line with Newsy Lalonde and Didier Pitre. Malone even scored one of the first goals in NHL history on December 19, 1917. He finished that game with five goals!
He had two other games where he scored five goals that season. Malone ended the season with 44 goals in 20 games, leading the entire league. This set an NHL record for goals in a season that lasted until 1945. His average of goals per game is still unmatched! Malone also set a record by scoring at least one goal in his first 14 NHL games.
In the 1918–19 season, Malone missed some games because of his job. He played only Saturday home games in Montreal. In the eight games he played, he scored seven goals. He also scored five goals in five playoff games. However, he missed the Stanley Cup final due to an arm injury. The final series was stopped early because of a widespread illness.
Return to Quebec and Hamilton Tigers
Quebec brought back its team in 1919, and Malone rejoined them. He again led the league in scoring with 39 goals. On January 31, 1920, he set an NHL record that still stands: seven goals in a single game against Toronto! He also scored six goals in another game that season. Even though Malone scored a lot, his team was not strong, finishing last in the league.
The Quebec team moved to Hamilton for the 1921 season. Malone joined them in January 1921. He finished fourth in league scoring with 28 goals. He also finished fourth in scoring the next season. In 1921–22, he even served as a player-coach and manager for the Tigers.
Final Seasons with the Canadiens
Malone decided not to return to Hamilton for the 1922–23 season. He was traded back to the Montreal Canadiens in January 1923. He played mostly as a substitute and scored only one goal that season. He played ten games in the 1923–24 season without scoring. His last game was on January 26, 1924.
Joe Malone's Unique Playing Style
Joe Malone mostly played as a centre. He was amazing at finding open spaces on the ice to score goals. He earned his famous nickname, "Phantom Joe," because of his dark eyes and his ability to move to the net almost invisibly.
In an era when hockey was very physical, Malone was known as a "finesse player." Another nickname he had was "Gentleman Joe." Unlike many other players of his time, Malone was not known for being rough. He was considered one of the cleanest players in the game.
Malone wasn't the fastest skater, but he was very smooth. He knew exactly where to be around the opposing goal. People compared his skills to those of baseball player Eddie Collins, who was also known for his smart positioning.
Joe Malone's Amazing Legacy
Joe Malone ended his career with an incredible 343 goals and 32 assists over 15 professional seasons. His 179 goals in the NHA were the most in that league's history. His 44 goals in the 1917–18 NHL season were a league record until Maurice Richard broke it in 1945. Malone's 49 points in 1919–20 were also a record until Howie Morenz surpassed it in 1927–28. He is also the only NHL player to score six goals in a game more than once!
Malone was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950. He is also a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 1998, The Hockey News ranked him number 39 on their list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. This was 74 years after his last game, showing how important he was to hockey history.
A statue of Joe Malone with a bulldog, called Hommage à Joe Malone, was unveiled in Quebec City in 2021. The statue honors his nickname, "Phantom Joe," and his time with the Quebec Bulldogs.
Career Statistics
Here are Joe Malone's career statistics from his time in various leagues:
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1907–08 | Quebec Crescents | QAHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1908–09 | Quebec Bulldogs | ECHA | 12 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1909–10 | Quebec Bulldogs | CHA | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1909–10 | Waterloo Colts | OPHL | 12 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1910–11 | Quebec Bulldogs | NHA | 13 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1911–12 | Quebec Bulldogs | NHA | 18 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1911–12 | NHA All-Stars | Exhib | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1911–12 | Quebec Bulldogs | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1912–13 | Quebec Bulldogs | NHA | 20 | 43 | 0 | 43 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1912–13 | Quebec Bulldogs | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1913–14 | Quebec Bulldogs | NHA | 17 | 24 | 4 | 28 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 | Quebec Bulldogs | NHA | 12 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1915–16 | Quebec Bulldogs | NHA | 24 | 25 | 10 | 35 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Quebec Bulldogs | NHA | 19 | 41 | 8 | 49 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1917–18 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 20 | 44 | 4 | 48 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1918–19 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 8 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 1919–20 | Quebec Athletics | NHL | 24 | 39 | 10 | 49 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1920–21 | Hamilton Tigers | NHL | 20 | 28 | 9 | 37 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1921–22 | Hamilton Tigers | NHL | 24 | 24 | 7 | 31 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1922–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1923–24 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHA totals | 123 | 179 | 27 | 206 | 114 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 126 | 143 | 32 | 175 | 57 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 6 | ||||
| St-Cup totals | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||||
- Source: Total Hockey
NHL Records Set by Joe Malone
Joe Malone holds several impressive records in the NHL:
- Most goals scored in one game: 7 goals (achieved on January 31, 1920, in Quebec).
- Most games played with 5 or more goals: 5 games.
- Highest goals-per-game average in one season: 2.20 goals per game with Montreal in the 1917–18 season (44 goals in 20 games).
- Longest streak of scoring goals from the start of an NHL career: 14 games (in 1917–18).
See also
- List of past NHL scoring leaders
- List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game
