By Zane Miller
As part of the audience suggestion for the 5th anniversary special, here are my current top-five Mr. Irrelevant selections, I'll also be making a list for the NFL, MLB, and possible MLR, though statistics are hard to verify for the latter league. Enjoy!
5. Sergei Priakin- F
After being taken by the Calgary Flames with the 252nd pick of the 1988 draft, Priakin played in 46 NHL games, all of which with Calgary, while adding three goals and eight assists for 11 points before returning to Europe following the 1990-91 campaign. Most importantly, however, Priakin became the first-ever Mr. Irrelevant to win the Stanley Cup, doing so in 1989 for the Flames’ lone title as of this writing.
4. Andy Brickley- F
After being selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 210th pick of the 1980 draft, Brickley played in 385 games while scoring 82 goals and 140 assists for 222 points, the majority of which came with the Boston Bruins, before playing his last NHL game in the 1993-94 season. Brickley’s most productive season offensively occurred in 1989-90 with the Bruins, picking up 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points in just 43 games played.
3. Kim Johnsson- D
After being picked up by the Stanley Cup-winning New York Rangers in 1994 with the 286th overall pick, Johnsson spent most of his career with the Flyers as he played 739 games, scoring 67 goals and 217 assists and 284 points, while also obtaining a career plus-minus of +27 prior to retirement in 2009-10. Johnsson’s best season would be in 2001-02 with the Flyers, playing all 82 games while claiming 11 goals and 30 assists for 41 points, while securing a +12 plus-minus in the process.
2. Gerry Meehan- F
The final selection of the inaugural NHL draft in 1963 with the 21st overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Meehan played out most of his career with the Buffalo Sabres, seeing a total of 670 games played, 180 goals and 243 assists for 423 points before retiring after the 1978-79 season. Meehan’s top season would be in 1976-77 for the Washington Capitals, as he grabbed 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points.
1. Patric Hornqvist- F
After getting selected with the 230th overall pick of the 2005 draft by the Nashville Predators, Hornqvist had easily the most productive career of all the Mr. Irrelevants, playing in 901 games while capturing 264 goals and 279 assists for 543 points, the majority of which as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, before announcing his retirement following the 2022-23 season. Hornqvist’s career year took place in 2009-10 with the Predators, getting 30 goals for the only time of his NHL tenure. Hornqvist had a major hand in the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, scoring a total of 14 goals and eight assists in the two postseason runs.
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