Hockey
Established in 1943, and currently based in Toronto, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a quite simply a tribute to those who achieved excellence in hockey. Criticized by some for their failure to recognize international stars, the WHA, women and the high amount of players inducted from the Original Six era, the Hockey Hall of Fame is still one of the most impressive facilities despite its lack of size. The rich history of hockey is certainly well represented there. For our list, we have focused on players as opposed to the builders and journalists categories; although we have included some people whom we felt could not be ignored. Current enshrinement for players is based on receiving fourteen votes out of an eighteen member committee. In terms of NHL players, it is based on being out of the league for three years. We have selected one hundred figures of hockey (though honestly only a handful really has a reasonable shot) and again we encourage debate as to who you feel deserves enshrinement in Toronto.
Until Then, keep your stick on the ice.
Sincerely,
The Not in Hall of Committee.
Seeing limited action with the San Jose Sharks, Miikka Kiprusoff was traded to the Calgary Flames where he would be a sensation for the team leading the NHL in Save Percentage in Goals Against Average finishing second in the Vezina in the 2003/04. The NHL Lockout prevented him from repeating…
Along with Ulf Nilsson, Anders Hedberg became one of the first European stars in North America when the pair joined the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association. Hedberg would be named the Lou Kaplan Trophy winner as the WHA’s version of the rookie of the year and was a…
From the famous Boucher hockey family (two of his brothers, Frank and George, are in the Hockey Hall of Fame), Billy Boucher was a very good player in his own right and won a Stanley Cup championship in 1924 with the Montreal Canadiens. Bucher debuted in Montreal in the 1921/22…
While Glenn “Chico” Resch was only part of the first New York Islanders Stanley Cup in their dynasty (albeit in a backup role to Billy Smith) his role in building up that team cannot be discounted.
Lorne Carr had a very good career where he averaged .74 Points per Game over a 13-year span in the 1930s and 1940s. Carr could best be described as an above-average player, but he would see his numbers increase during World War II, where many of the top talents were…
Jere Lehtinen was easily one of the unsung heroes of the Dallas Stars' run to the Stanley Cup, but considering he played all 14 of his seasons in Texas, the team clearly knew what they had.
Derian Hatcher was not the type of Defenseman who was going to light the lamp regularly, but he was the type of blueliner who was going to keep you from doing it.
In terms of interesting stories on this hockey list, few can match Wilf Cude. The native of Wales holds the distinction of being the main Goaltender for the Philadelphia Quakers’ lone season in 1930/31 and was the “Spare” Goalie after. That did not last long, as he later played for…
Real Cloutier was an absolute phenom in Quebec, and rather than wait for the age-restricted National Hockey League, he would go directly from the Quebec Ramparts of the QMJHL to the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA, where he could play professionally as an 18-year-old.
Gaye Stewart had one of the most unique first three seasons imaginable in the National Hockey League. Listen to this start:
While he was in the shadow (and actually played in it) of his big brother, “The Big M” Frank Mahovolich, Pete Mahovolich was quite the player in his own right.
This is an interesting one for sure. During World War II, there was certainly a level of what could be considered elite in professional hockey. Still, in the 1943-44 season, Herb Cain shocked the statisticians by becoming an NHL league leader with 82 Points.
Vyacheslav Kozlov, one of the last players to be manufactured from the U.S.S.R., played for the Soviet Union as a Junior and was a two-time Silver Medalist in the World Junior Hockey Championship. Entering the NHL two months before his 20th birthday, Kozlov would provide a solid scoring touch for…
Likely because he played the bulk (and peak) of his career with the Washington Capitals, a lot of hockey fans were not watching Kevin Hatcher. The durable defenseman was able to score a lot of points and netted 34 goals in the 1992-93 campaign. On four occasions, Hatcher was able…
Although the career of Sean Burke was a long and prosperous one, it can be argued that he didn’t live up to the overall expectations that he came with when he entered the National Hockey League. Burke was a star for the Canadian National Team. Many thought that his first…
It took a while before Miroslav Satan found his groove in pro hockey, but once he did, he emerged as one of the scoring stars for the Buffalo Sabres in the late ’90s. Satan was good, but leading Buffalo in scoring still did not place him among the NHL's elite…
A large and imposing blueliner, Jerry “King Kong” Korab was a significant cog in the Buffalo Sabres Stanley Cup appearance in 1975. Korab owned a booming shot, which helped him display solid offensive skills. With Buffalo, Korab scored 40 or more Points five times in a row and had another…
Jim Pappin would win two Stanley Cups (1964 & 1967) with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he really broke out in the 1967 playoffs, where he led all skaters in Goals (7) and Points (15) and netted the winning goal in Game 6. A trade to the Chicago Blackhawks would…
Glen Harmon played all nine of his NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens where he assisted the Habs in winning the Stanley Cup in 1944 and 1946. Harmon was a very efficient player who was twice named a Second Team All-Star, but in terms of a modern look, he more…
Born in Liverpool, England, Alex Smith was raised in Ottawa and would become one of the best players ever to come out of that area. Smith was a star with the original Ottawa Senators where he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1927. Twice as a Senator, he would…