Quote:
Originally Posted by FanSince'01
Now, 31 years old in 2025 and 31 years old in 1967 are two vastly different things
|
Maybe so, but probably not in the way you're thinking.
Using the same method you used (age off Hockey Reference and add half a year):
1966-67 Rangers, 29.5
Canadiens, 28.9
Red Wings, 28.9
Black Hawks, 28.5
Bruins, 26.0
I omitted any players who didn't play at least 10 games.
Except for the woeful Bruins (who were just beginning a rebuild with the youngest player in the NHL, 18-year-old Bobby Orr), it was a pretty old league. The Leafs were the oldest team, but not by a wide margin.
Aging stars like Gordie Howe (38), Andy Bathgate (34), Pierre Pilote (35), Glenn Hall (35), ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion (35), Jean Béliveau (35), and Gump Worsley (37) were still productive, and weren't giving up their stalls for anybody. With only six NHL clubs, players usually had to serve a lengthy apprenticeship in the minors before they earned a callup.
All that changed after expansion, as players were promoted much more quickly to fill a vastly increased number of roster spots. The league got younger in a hurry.