gold star for USAHOF
The captain of the first real dynasty in organized hockey, Mike Grant led his Montreal Victorias a multitude of Stanley Cup victories. A defenceman with very good offensive skills, Grant was also a great ambassador for the game as he organized exhibition games in the United States spreading the sport there. Grant remains the youngest captain to ever hoist the Stanley Cup.
A Detroit based entrepreneur, Mike Ilitch made his mark on the world as the founder of Little Caesar’s Pizza. Despite, the amount of jobs he created, the city of Detroit are probably happier that he bought the Detroit Red Wings. When he bought the team, the Original Six squad was referred to as the “Dead Things” Or “Dead Wings” and they were the dregs of the NHL. It did not happen overnight, but slowly through clever marketing and shrewd hiring; Detroit reclaimed its spot as “Hockeytown U.S.A.” and became a powerhouse in the NHL capturing multiple Stanley Cups. What more could you want from your owner?
The first player selected in the 1988 NHL Draft, Mike Modano would go on to have a very fruitful career as the highest scoring player all time by an American born player. Modano would take the Dallas Stars to their first ever Stanley Cup Championship in 1999 and would also be named to a Second Team All Star squad.
The Centre of Boston’s famed “Kraut Line”, Milt Schmidt was a study in contrasts. His hardnosed play was combined with stellar playmaking and as such was the lynch pin to two Bruins Cup victories in 1939 and 1941. Schmidt would serve his country in World War II and lost three productive seasons of professional hockey, but would return as an effective force and won the coveted Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player in 1951.   
Why do feel wrong questioning the credentials of a Monsignor for the Hockey Hall of Fame?  It is not that Monsignor Athol Murray did not do a lot for sports in Saskatchewan as he did for the young boys in Saskatchewan when he went there.  He developed many athletic programs, including that of Hockey in the Notre Dame College in the province.  As such, many eventual NHL players would be developed from his initial work, but it was not like he was there just focusing on hockey, nor was he the man who trained many of those future stars.  Frankly, this just feels more like a feel good story, than a legitimate induction.
Although he never played in any organized league in Canada, Moose Goheen was an amateur legend in Minnesota. Goheen played for years in Minnesota leading the St. Paul Athletic Club to McNaughton Trophy (symbolic of the top team in U.S. Amateur Hockey) in consecutive years and likely would have won more had he not entered the U.S. Army in World War I. Goheen would return and star for the States in the Olympics help scoring seven goals and winning a Silver medal for his country. Eventually, he would turn pro, but turned down overtures to play in the NHL so that he could play locally for St. Paul in the AHA. Goheen’s star would likely be higher in the memory banks of the hockey world had he played in the National Hockey League.
A gifted scorer for the Montreal Wanderers dynasty that won four Stanley Cups in the late 1900’s, Thomas “Moose” Johnson essentially had two distinct careers in organized hockey. Johnson moved west to the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and shifted from Left Wing to Defense yet remained a perennial All Star. His other claim to fame was the use of what is believed to be the longest stick in history (there were no regulations at the time) which gave him a reported 99 inch reach. 
Murray Costello played 162 NHL games in the 1950’s and was a top executive in the Western Hockey League, but these are not the reasons that he was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 as a builder. Primarily, it was his near twenty year stint as the President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association that got him in. In that period, he saw the merging of the CAHA and Hockey Canada to put together a more cohesive program. Costello also was a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors (OK, that might have helped got him in too), and was once a member of the selection committee.
The first player to be named to a post season All Star team in two positions (first as a Centre, then at Defence) Neil Colville just looked comfortable regardless of his position on the ice. He came up with the New York Rangers (where he would spend his entire pro career) and he would soon centre the “Bread Line” which was consisted of his brother Mac and Alex Shibicky. Colville’s playmaking skills helped the Rangers capture the Stanley Cup in 1940, but the man who was nicknamed “Frosty” participated in World War II and lost a few years due to the war. When he came to play in the NHL he was a step slower, but still found a way to become very productive.
The man nicknamed “Old Poison” (and isn’t that one of the coolest nicknames you ever heard), retired as the NHL’s leading goal scorer in 1940 and held that status for twelve years. Nels Stewart was not just a great scorer, but an overall talented tough guy who was a physical presence everywhere on the ice. Stewart won the Hart Trophy twice as the league’s Most Valuable Player and led his Montreal Maroons to the Stanley Cup in his first year playing with the big boys. Although this would be Stewart’s lone Cup, he would remain a prolific goal scorer for his duration in professional hockey. Curiously, Stewart was never selected to a post season All Star roster perhaps due to playing for only one Cup winner and his less than sunny disposition. Regardless, Nels Stewart is a rightful inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame and did not have to wait too long for the accolade. Furthermore, he was the cornerstone of the 1952 class, and honor he rightfully deserved.
Arguably the first megastar of the legendary Montreal Canadians franchise, Newsy Lalonde scored their first goal and was the captain of their first (of many) Stanley Cup wins. Lalonde was a scoring machine netting 150 goals in just over 100 games in the old NHA and was a seven time scoring champion in multiple leagues. Newsy (cool name isn’t it?) Lalonde is a solid selection to the 1950 Hall of Fame Class.
The best defenceman of his generation, Niklas Lidstrom would play his entire NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings and Motown is certainly glad he did! Lidstrom. The seven time Norris Trophy winner would anchor Detroit to four Stanley Cups and he is one of the rare blueliers to score over 1,000 Points.
Although Norm Ullman never won a Stanley Cup, it was not because he didn’t give everything he had as shown by him being the leading scorer in the playoffs twice. That was no surprise as Ullman was always a good scorer and had sixteen seasons where he at least put the puck in the net twenty times, and he did win the goal scoring title in 1965. Eight times, Ullman would finish in the top ten in scoring and would retire with 1,221 points (and 130 in the WHA). Had he not been in the shadow of more famous teammates, our bet is that Norm Ullman would be a bigger name today.
One of the first players to turn professional, Oliver Seibert was a local legend in the Berlin (Kitchener) area. He was alleged to be one of the first players to use a wrist shot, and he was a prolific goal scorer in the old Western Ontario Hockey Association. Seibert turned professional in 1904 when he joined the Canadian Soo.   His son, Earl Seibert would also become a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The first few seasons of Paddy Moran may not have been the most productive, but as his career progressed, Moran became known as a clutch goaltender and he backstopped the Quebec Bulldogs to two Stanley Cups in 1912 & 1913. Generally though, Moran was not on a lot of winning squads and it was his clutch performances in big games that got him enshrined. A similar career in this era may not have gotten him in.
One of the biggest travesties in our eyes is that Pat Burns did not get into the Hockey Hall of Fame while he was alive. As Burns was dying of cancer, a large grass roots movement was afoot to get him inducted but alas the former Coach of the Year had to be elected posthumously. Burns always made his teams better, was beloved by fanbases and fittingly finally won a Stanley Cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils.
Pat LaFontaine arrived at the New York Islanders a year too late. He joined the Isles in 1984, the year their dynasty ended at the hands of another one (Edmonton) set to begin. Still, LaFontaine became the bright spot of an aging team and hit the 100 point mark (along with the 50 goal total) in the 1989-90 season. However it was a move to the west of the state where he had his best season as he finished second in points with 148 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93. Unfortunately a knee injury took him out the following season and he had to fight his way back. His perseverance in returning was rewarded with the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1995, but concussions would prevent him from reaching the period in his career where he would have accumulated some breathtaking career statistics. Still his 1,013 career points are very good, especially considering his very healthy point per game average.
Patrick Roy was one of the greatest goaltenders that ever lived. Like Ken Dryden did fifteen years before, Roy came out of nowhere to become the starting netminder for the Montreal Canadians and took them to a Stanley Cup in 1986. The difference though, is that the 1986 team had no real business winning that trophy, and had it not been for the emergence of “Saint Patrick” it would not have happened. The same could have been said for the Montreal team that won in 1993; as again Roy backstopped a squad that probably would not have come close without him. Roy was beloved in Montreal and was certifiably amongst the best goalies in the NHL, but even legends have an off night.
Paul Coffey was the most gifted offensive Defenseman of the 1980’s. Five times that decade, he would hit the 100 point mark, including four 30 goal seasons. His dominance would show in his trophy room with a pair of Norris Trophies (he would win a third in 1995) and seven All Star Team selections, with again another in that 94-95 campaign. Coffey was most known for his initial run with the Edmonton Oilers, where he won the Cup three times with the dynamic Oilers squads.
With his short stature, Paul Kariya did not look the part of the professional hockey player, but once he took to the ice, there was little doubt that he was among the elite. Kariya was a very intelligent player and displayed such amazing skill that he was often compared with the immortal Wayne Gretzky. Known for his gentlemanly play, he rarely made mistakes and had incredible speed. Concussions reduced his career and his career points total may not be in the upper echelon, but had he been healthier it very well could have.