Amazingly, the man who scored 801 goals over his NHL career never reached the 50 goal plateau. Gordie Howe did come close on occasion, topping 40 goals five times, including three consecutive seasons in the early 1950’s when teams played just a 70 game schedule.
The closest Mr. Hockey came to the milestone was in 1952-53 when he scored 49. Over his last six games that year, Howe scored just a pair of goals. Both of those came in game 68 in a 6-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
In the last two games of the year, the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens shut him down, not allowing Gordie a single point. He would score two goals in the post season to finish with an overall total of 51.
Despite not reaching 50, Howe led the NHL in goal scoring five times and was the recipient of the Art Ross Trophy six times as the overalll scoring leader.