gold star for USAHOF
One of the best and most resected power forwards in his era, Jarome Iginla emerged as a physical presence and a very consistent scorer. Currently, Iginla holds the record for the most Goals and Points in Calgary Flames history and has led the NHL in Goals twice and Points once. With three First Team All-Star selections under his belt, and the 1,000 Point plateau hit, Iginla has a resume that should get him inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.  It also needs to be discussed that Iginla won the Gold Medal with Canada at the World Hockey Championship, the World Cup and the Olympics twice.  Pretty impressive wouldn't you say?
Exceeding the 1,000 Point mark in the National Hockey League is a milestone that few can claim, but that is not necessarily an automatic induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Slovakian born forward, Marian Hossa has accomplished that and then some as he is a three time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks. His Hall of Fame candidacy will be very interesting as while he is accumulating a solid resume, he was only a post season All Star once (Second Team in 2009, but is a five time All Star Game participant.

As one of the top offensive defenseman of his era, Doug Wilson was a stalwart on the Chicago Black Hawks blue line for well over a decade. Wilson was capable of creating and capitalizing on many scoring chances while still being a more than capable defender. He won the Norris Trophy in 1982 and was on seven All Star squads. Wilson could not only play the game, but he had a mind for the business of it as well. He served as President of the NHLPA and long after his playing career ended he became the GM of the San Jose Sharks. He has not been inducted to the Hall yet, but his chances are still decent.

29. Guy Carbonneau

Guy Carbonneau seems to have a career of “threes”. On three occasions, he won the Stanley Cup and three times he won the Frank J. Selke Award as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Unlike other centers on this list, Carbonneau was not known for putting the puck in the net. Sure, he netted 260 goals over his career and was more than capable offensively, but it was his defensive prowess that made him an essential player. Whomever his team was playing against, you could count on Carbonneau being on the ice against that team’s best player. Guy Carbonneau was not a star for hat tricks he scored; he was a star for the hat tricks he prevented.

Though it appears that all of the key members of the 1980’s Oilers dynasty are in the Hall, there is a very strong case that one still remains.  Kevin Lowe was a steady two way defenseman who was with the Oilers for the duration of Edmonton’s stellar run.  He was overshadowed by his offensive juggernauts, but as he watched them slowly depart Alberta, he remained steadying the blue line and becoming more important with each Cup run.  Lowe provided the same leadership (and was under similar shadows) when he was part of the Rangers Cup win in 1994.  A seven time All Star and six time Stanley Cup winner, Kevin Lowe was not just along for the ride; he helped steer the bus.  If any one left of those great Edmonton teams gets in, our bet is on Kevin Lowe.

44. Sergei Zubov

It is curious how a player who was often amongst the top points producers for defensemen and played for good big market teams flew under the radar, but outside of the teams he played for, most fans barely gave Sergei Zubov a second thought.
Ace Bailey played his entire professional career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and in 1929 won the NHL scoring championship (as well as leading the league in goals). Bailey was very popular in Toronto and for a three year period was a top star for the Blue and White. His production declined sharply, but he was still effective in Toronto’s Stanley Cup win in 1932. Unfortunately, Bailey is best known for a near death injury on the ice when he was decked by Eddie Shore who was retaliating from a hit by Bailey’s teammate. The injury was a skull fracture that ended his career and almost ended his life. Bailey did recover and would work in various capacities for the Maple Leafs for decades after.  
When you look at the career numbers of Adam Oates, you wonder why it took so long for him to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame. With three Assists titles, and over 1,400 career points, Oates career numbers are easily Hall of Fame worthy. However Oates never played for a championship team, nor was he really associated with any one team as the longest he ever played for one franchise was a near six season stint with the Washington Capitals. Still, you can’t deny a Hall of Fame slot for a man with over 1,000 career assists, as there were few purer playmakers in the game of Hockey.

Al Arbour had a respectable career in the National Hockey League playing in over 600 games and winning three Stanley Cups.  However, it was as a Head Coach that he entered the Hall of Fame.  As soon as Arbour retired as a player with the St. Louis Blues, he was inserted as their Head Coach, but it was in Long Island where he found his chance to shine.  Arbour took over the second year New York Islanders and he brought them to respectability and later four consecutive Stanley Cups.  As always, as any Head Coach of a dynasty can punch their ticket to the Hall of Fame.  Al Arbour was no exception.
Born in Canada, Al Leader moved to the United States and eventually worked his way to Seattle, Washington and became an on ice official and administrator for the Seattle City Hockey League. He would also Coach and General Manage teams within the league and by 1940, he would form the Defense Hockey League which comprised of five teams in Seattle and Portland, and later he would become the Secretary of the Pacific Hockey League. By the early 50’s, the league became a professional one and was rechristened the Western Hockey League in which Leader became the President. It was under his tenure, that NHL officials were concerned that the league could become a threat and this helped convince the National Hockey League to expand from six to twelve teams in 1967. The Western Hockey League would eventually fold, but for his dedication to the sport, Leader was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. We are sure if he were still alive, he would have somehow found a way to facilitate an NHL team to the American Pacific Northwest.
Al MacInnis would go down in NHL history as one of the top offensively skilled Defencemen of all time. He is one of the few of that position to hit the magical 100 point mark in a season and his career total of 1,274 was very impressive. He won the Norris Trophy in 1999 and was a seven time NHL All Star selection. MacInnis actually had the hockey eyes of Alberta on him (no easy task during the Gretzky years) when he led the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup in 1989 and won the coveted Conn Smythe Trophy for his post season play.
Nicknamed the “Ottawa Fireman” (Again, where are these cool nicknames today?) Alec Connell was a star Goaltender whose legacy might be higher had any of the teams he played on remained in the NHL with their original names (we are not counting the Senators who was resurrected scores later with the same name). Connell would backstop two squads (Ottawa in 1927, and the Montreal Maroons in 1935) to the Stanley Cup and remains the goalie with the lowest career Goals Against Average in NHL history. That alone makes him a legit Hall of Fame inductee.
You would think that it would be impressive enough that Alex Delvecchio played a little over twenty two seasons in the NHL for just one team; that being the Detroit Red Wings: but it was far more than that accomplishment that made him enter the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Delevecchio’s lengthy tenure in Motown was made more impressive by the fact that he rarely missed a game and his production was robotically consistent.
As the eldest of the Smith family of Hockey players from Ottawa, Alf Smith had a bit of a rough road to the Hall of Fame. Smith started his career in the 1890’s but was declared ineligible for amateur contests and did not play in what was likely his prime. He would however reclaim his eligibility and had his most famed years as the Player/Coach of the Ottawa Silver Seven where he averaged two goals a game and led his team to three consecutive Stanley Cups.
He wasn’t the fastest skater on the ice (a nickname of “Snowshoes” due to his plodding skating style attests to that) but Allan Stanley filled the role of a stay at home Defenceman very well, and was a three time Post Season All Star selection because of it.
Considered one of the game’s early promoters, Ambrose O’Brien was actually a decent player himself. With his playing days over, O’Brien did his best to get his beloved town of Renfrew into the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association. When that failed, he essentially started up a rival National Hockey Association which had an immediate impact. Perhaps more importantly, he founded the Montreal Canadians which would become the most vital professional team in history. To many people (including us) that alone makes him a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.

You may not know this name, but this is actually one of our favorite inductions as it shows that the Hockey Hall of Fame was serious about inducting people to show that it really is an institution that recognizes International achievements.
The winner of the 1959 Hart Trophy winner was one of the most complete forwards of his era, though had the misfortune of playing of having his peak while playing with below average New York Rangers squads. Bathgate was constantly in the top ten in scoring and did tie for the lead in 1962, losing out on the Art Ross to Bobby Hull who had more goals. However, Bathgate did win the assists title twice in the NHL. A spectacular stickhandler wick a devastatingly accurate slap shot, Bathgate could implore a physical game when needed, though was an outspoken advocate against violence for violence’s sake in the sport.
Angela James was considered to be the first great player in women’s hockey. She dominated every level she competed in and was easily the top female in the sport for years. Once the sport had a sanctioned tournament in the IIHF, James again was the dominant player, leading Canada to Gold in the first four World Championships; all of which were finals against the United States. James, however was inexplicably left off the 1998 Olympic roster, though medical conditions would take her out of the game shortly after.
Medalling in four consecutive Olympic Games, Angela Ruggiero is the fourth female hockey player in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ruggiero won the Gold with the United States in 1998 and the same colored medal in four World Championships.