Jack Bickell

We are not sure that we completely agree with the Builder’s Category selection of Jack Bickell. He came into Hockey with an investment to stabilize the Toronto St. Pats and was essentially the silent partner. Later, the team was purchased by Conn Smythe and rechristened the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Bickell was convinced by Smythe to still serve in the same capacity. He was not exactly the silent partner in the creation of the fabled Maple Leaf Gardens, where his financial support and tireless efforts ensured that it came to fruition. Smythe would appoint Bickell as the Garden’s first President and later the Chairman of the Board. Maple Leaf Gardens is a vital place in Hockey’s history, but does a silent partner in a hockey franchise really belong in the Hall of Fame?