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1975 Hockey Inductees

Led by “Mr. Goalie”, Glenn Hall, the 1975 Class is an interesting one. It features a few players who we suspect barely made the cut (Ace Bailey, George Armstrong and Gordie Drillon), but again it is Hall that makes this group special. With all due respect to reminder of this group, only a handful of players are on the same level as Glenn Hall, so how could they completely look Hall worthy when you are entering with him?
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,…
A dedicated administrator to Amateur Hockey in Ontario, Frank Buckland worked his way into the Ontario Hockey Association and would serve a two year term as its President. He would also be the organization’s treasurer for a fifteen year span and was considered one of the most efficient executives they ever had. As the OHA has always been a big part of the growth of Hockey,…
With all due respect to George Armstrong, the Hockey Hall of Fame may not be the right place for him. It was not that Armstrong wasn’t a good player; he was a multi time All Star game participant who spend his long career as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs who won four Stanley Cups. Although he played in multiple All Star Games, the…
Unarguably one of the greatest Goaltenders in the history of professional Hockey, it should come as no surprise that Glenn Hall is one of the most decorated. Dubbed, “Mr. Goalie”, Hall was a consistent force between the pipes, raising the levels of teams (see the St. Louis Blues in the late 60’s) that may not have been a Cup contender without him.
Although Gordie Drillon only played seven seasons in the National Hockey League, they were all productive ones for the Right Winger. Drillon played most of those campaigns in Toronto and he averaged nearly a point a game. Drillon won the NHL scoring title in 1938, which would also be the same year he won the Lady Byng Trophy. A two time First Team All Star, Drillon…
You would not expect that someone who did not play his first organized game of Hockey until the age of seventeen to one day make the Hall of Fame, but Pierre Pilote as not your average man. Working hard to improve his skating skills to a professional level, Pilote entered the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1955 and though his debut campaign was not a…
A longtime President with the New York Rangers, William M. Jennings also sat on the NHL Finance Committee. Most importantly, Jennings was the Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors and the head of the Expansion Committee. Also in 1964, he was instrumental in setting up a National Hockey League office in New York City. His Rangers may never have won a Stanley Cup under his…