There are some players that we are accustomed to seeing carry their team year in and year out with amazing season after amazing season. However, there have also been a few players that seemingly came out of nowhere to dominate for a year, but then quickly faded back into obscurity. Here are three of those men.
1. Jason Blake
(source: islanders.nhl.com)
Jason Blake was signed into the NHL as a free agent in 1999 by the L.A Kings and was later traded to the Islanders in 2000-01. His first half decade or so in the NHL was fairly forgettable as he was a decent player, but not a top flight talent by any means. However, in 2006-07, Blake exploded for 40 goals, nearly doubling his previous career high. This led the Toronot Maple Leafs to sign him to a huge offer sheet that offseason, only to have him never even hit 30 goals again in his career.
2. Ville Leino
(source: therattrick.com)
Now this wasn’t so much a flukey season, but mainly a flukey post season. After playing a number of years in Europe, Leino was eventually signed by the Red Wings but was soon traded to the Flyers without being given much of a shot. During the end of the 2009-10 season, Leino again didn’t wow anyone and thus was left as a healthy scratch once the playoffs started. But after injuries to other forward, Leino was inserted into the lineup. Leino went on to score an amazing 21 points in 19 playoff games, tying the NHL record. While his next season in Philly was decent, he would never really live up to the hype some people bestowed on him after that post season of greatness.
3. Jim Carey
(source: bleacherreport.com)
No, not Ace Ventura. Jim Carey was an American goaltender that made his debut for the Washington Capitals and was wowing people from the get go. His first season began with a 7-0 record and his sophomore season ended with him posting a 2.26 GAA with 35 wins and 24 losses (in 1995-96) and saw him win the Vezina Trophy as a 23 year old. Fans and the team alike were extremely excited when they thought about his future. Unfortunately, his next year wasn’t good and he was traded to the Bruins, where his career ultimately died only a few years later.
