gold star for USAHOF
Another longtime administrator who dedicated his professional career to the sport of Hockey, Robert Lebel rose up the ranks to take over as the President of the Quebec Amateur Hockey League in 1955. Shortly thereafter he took over as the President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and in 1960 was elected as the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Quite an impressive five year period, don’t you think?   Overall, his lifelong work to growing Hockey in Canada and to a lesser extent internationally, paved his induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
One of the best New York Rangers of all time, Rod Gilbert may never have drank from the Stanley Cup, but the career long Ranger was a consistent producer on Broadway and a regular at the annual All Star game. Gilbert’s best seasons came in the early 70’s, when New York was icing a good team (the teams in the mid 60’s were not particularly good) and he was on a line with Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield where the GAG (Goal a Game) Line, which became one of the most feared in the NHL. The Rangers still did not win the Cup, but they were bona fide contenders and Gilbert posted his best offensive statistics during this period. Gilbert was named as the second greatest New York Ranger of All time, and if you hold that spot in any Original Six roster, you should be considered a Hall of Fame player. 
Rod Langway was a bit of a throwback in his time as the NHL was becoming accustomed to Defencemen becoming scoring threats. Langway was not one to light the lamp, but he was traditional tough as nails blue liner who knew every trick to get the puck outside of his end and sacrifice every part of his body to accomplish it. He really came into his own in the early 80’s and he won two consecutive Norris Trophies with the Washington Capitals, a team whose culture he helped to change. He was not a flashy player, but every defensive corps needs a player like Rod Langway.
Roger Neilson never won the Stanley Cup, nor was he ever named the Jack Adams Trophy winner for NHL Coach of the Year. Actually, Neilson bounced around as the bench boss for several National Hockey League teams during his career. It would appear on the surface that his induction is not exactly warranted, and the sympathy that he got throughout Hockey fans for his courageous fight against cancer (he was diagnosed in 1999, and continued to coach) may have been part of it. We hate to say it, but he was inducted in 2002, eight months before he passed away, so we wonder if this is a case of the Hall of Fame being nice to someone who was an all-around good man. That may have been the case, but there are other factors worth discussing.

In all likelihood the best goaltender of the 1970’s not yet in the Hall of Fame would have to be Rogie Vachon. The Quebec born net minder was a part of three (two of which he was the starting goalie) Stanley Cups for the fabled Montreal Canadians. Vachon’s star would actually rise in the mid 70’s, when he put up huge years for the Los Angeles Kings and took that team to places that they had no real business going to at the time. In that same time frame, Vachon backstopped Canada to victory in the 1976 Canada Cup and was easily the best player of the tourney. Rogie has been eligible for twenty five years now and with a crop of good eligible goalies around him, he may very well be forgotten by the Hall.

It may surprise the casual NHL fan (or even many of the die-hard fan) that Ron Francis is number two all-time in career assists. Actually it is easy to see why Francis is sometimes forgotten. Francis may be a member of the 500 goal club, but he never was in the top ten in goals. He also never played for Canada in the Olympics, the World Cup or the Canada Cup. He did win the Stanley Cup with the Penguins twice, but that was not his team, as it was Mario Lemieux’s. Still, Francis was a two time Assists winner in the NHL and a three time Lady Byng Award winner. Throw in a Selke Award showcasing his defensive prowess, and you have the makings of legitimate first ballot Hall of Fame entry, and one whose durability and solid two way play should be celebrated more than it is.
The final entrant in the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Veteran’s Category, Roy Conacher won the Art Ross Trophy in 1949.  Conacher was seemingly born to score, as he led the NHL in goals in his rookie year, and would finish second four other times.  He was part of two Stanley Cup wins in Boston and like so many others, had his prime taken away by the second World War.  It is likely that the delay to Conacher’s delayer to the Hall of Fame, may have been due to a perceived one dimensional nature as he was never known for his defensive skills, nor his overall playmaking efforts.  Still, anyone who finishes in the top two in goals in five different seasons cannot seem out of place in the Hall of Fame.
Standing at only five foot three, Roy Worters is not only the shortest player in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but is also the shortest to ever play in the National Hockey League. Worters is a forgotten player, though not because of his size, but due to the bad and (long since defunct) teams he played for.
The ultimate amateur athlete, Russell Bowie refused to change his beliefs despite the changing hockey world around him. A major star in the first decade of the 20th century, Bowie would refuse all overtures to take pay of any kind; despite the sport moving towards that direction. He was an incredible stickhandler who led his league in scoring five times and averaged two and a half goals per game throughout his career. Bowie may have been selected in the second Hall of Fame class, but easily belonged in the first one.
Thought to be one of the fastest skaters in his day, SamuelRusty” Crawford was a very good goal scorer who had his best run in a five year stint with the Quebec Bulldogs in the old National Hockey Association. Crawford out in over sixty goals in that period and won a Cup. Later, he finally joined the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with the Toronto Arenas. Crawford would not stay in the National Hockey League, but would continue to play semi-pro until the age of 45.
A longtime executive with the Montreal Canadians, Sam Pollock first rose to importance as the Director of Player Personell, and it was clear that his eye for talent had few equals. He would continue to rise up the ranks and in 1963 he took over the reins of the General Manger position when Frank J. Selke resigned. Pollock thrived in this new role, and it was hard to argue that he was not the shrewdest GM in the NHL as he constantly outwitted his rivals keeping his franchise loaded with talent. Under the fourteen years that Sam Pollock served as the Habs’ General Manager, they would win the Stanley Cup nine times. How can you keep that kind of resume out?
When you ate inducted at the same time as Wayne Gretzky (who was the only player selected), do you think anybody noticed Scotty Morrison going in at the same time?  Probably not.  

Morrison began his NHL career as a referee (he was the youngest at the time at 24) and would later become the referee in chief in the Western Hockey League.  He would later return to the NHL as the referee in chief in 1965, but he was made the President and CEO in 1991 of the Hockey Hall of Fame and oversaw the move from the CNE to the new grounds in Toronto downtown.   Primarily, it was his work overseeing the Hall that got him in…really how could it not?
What didn’t Scott Niedermayer win? He is a four time Stanley Cup Champion, a World Cup winner, a two-time Olympic Champion, a World Hockey Championship, a World Junior Champion and won the Norris Trophy and the Conn Smythe. That is one hell of a trophy case!
Scott Stevens was a hard hitting; punishing Defenceman whose lengthy tenure in the National Hockey League was best known for his leadership as a member of the New Jersey Devils where he helped to lead them to three Stanley Cups. Stevens was a very good two way player and he had over 900 points in his career. He may not have won the Norris Trophy, but he did capture the Conn Smythe in 2000 and was a multi time Post Season All Star Selection. He was never a player who was considered the top of his position, but he was close to that level, and his Hall of Fame induction was warranted.
Although we have covered players who returned to the ice after they were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and owners who completely should have been kicked out after they were inducted, we now have a builder who continued to have a Hall of Fame career AFTER he was inducted.
Considered one of best wingers in the early days of Hockey, Scotty Davidson was a star in the NHA, captaining the Toronto Blue Shirts to a Stanley Cup win in 1914. Davidson was a good goal scorer for Toronto with 42 goals in 40 games. The 23 year old Davidson enlisted into the Canadian Army and was killed shortly thereafter ending what should have been a stellar career. He was inducted posthumously in 1950.
An integral part of the Montreal Canadians defensive squad of the 1970’s, Serge Savard brought a blended and intelligent game to the Habs’ blue line. Savard did not have the same offensive skills as his team mate, Larry Robinson, but his methodical hardnosed style of play was a perfect complement to the rest of Montreal’s stars. Savard was part of seven Stanley Cup victories (and was the GM for two more in Montreal) and he won the Conn Smythe in 1969. Perhaps his greatest individual accolade was the winning of the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1979 which is given annually to the player who represents perseverance, sportsmanship and an overall dedication to the sport. Sounds like an award meant for Serge Savard.
One of the flashiest players to ever be born in the Soviet Union, Sergei Fedorov, dazzled fans in Russia and in North America where he was a star with the Detroit Red Wings. Fedorov helped take the Detroit Red Wings to three Stanley Cups and is himself a former Hart Trophy Winner.

If you go by just totals in the NHL, you wouldn’t think that a total of 384 points over seven seasons equates to a Hall of Fame career. However, in the case of Sergei Makarov his professional career did not start until he was thirty one years old. Prior to that, Makarov was one of the most dynamic forces for the Soviet Union; the nation that scared the world on the ice and off. Makarov was part of the feared KLM line (with Igor Larinov & Vladimir Krutov) which was considered the best line in International hockey.

Seymour Knox is the man who brought the National Hockey League to the city of Buffalo. Knox initially sought a franchise in the first wave of NHL expansion in 1967, but had to wait until 1969 for the second wave. His franchise was dubbed the Sabres, and they instantly became a fixture in the Western New York sporting world. The Sabres made the Stanley Cup finals in 1975, and though they did not win, Knox was named the Executive of the Year. Seymour Knox would serve on the Board of Governors for 25 years and was also a Director for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. The induction of Seymour Knox to the Hockey Hall of Fame was a no brainer.