50 Most Outstanding Players in St. Louis Blues History: 30-21

28. Chuck Lefley

Forward, 1974-77, 1979-81; 233 games, 83 goals, 104 assists, plus-11 rating, 77 PIM

Relative to some of the other guys on this list, Chuck Lefley didn’t play a whole lot of games with the Blues, and his time wearing the Blue Note was broken up over two stints as he left to play in Europe during the late ’70s. Especially during the early part of his time with the Blues, though, Lefley was an exceptionally productive offensive threat.

Lefley, a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder who was always considered a strong two-way player, originally joined the Blues when the Montreal Canadiens traded him in November 1974. He proceeded to be more productive than ever before, collecting 23 goals and 26 assists in 57 games with the Blues for a then career-best 0.86 points per game.

He had his best season in 1975-76, exploding for 43 goals and 42 assists with a plus-15 rating in 75 games. A respected penalty killer, he also led the league with eight shorthanded goals. As he turned 27 for the 1976-77 season, though, his production took a marked downward turn. He had just 41 points with a career-worst minus-15 rating over 71 games in ’76-’77.

That regression triggered his temporary defection to Europe, and after returning to the NHL in 1979, he played in just 30 more games over two seasons, collecting six goals and six assists with a plus-5 rating.

Lefley’s eight shorthanded goals in a season are a franchise record, and his 10 during his career are tied for fourth on the franchise leaderboard. His nine game-winning goals in ’75-’76 are also tied for the sixth-most in a season in franchise history.