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.
Although the bulk of the early era players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, a case could be made for the talented Lorne Chabot. The Montreal native was successful everywhere he went, posting winning records and winning two Stanley Cups. Chabot’s career saw him get 201 over eleven seasons…
As part of Buffalo’s vaunted “French Connection” line, Rick Martin was part of the most exciting lines in hockey in the 1970s. Martin was a lethal sniper and once he mastered his defensive skills was one of the better two-way players in hockey. With two 50 goal seasons (not exactly…
If you think about statistical enigmas, Curtis Joseph would top our list. As we have yet to rank that category, we are struggling to find the right place to rank him on the list that we actually do.
It wasn’t that Dave Taylor wasn’t supposed to make the NHL, but when you are drafted 210th overall the expectations aren’t great. Dave Taylor shattered all expectations becoming part of the legendary Los Angeles Kings Triple Crown Line with Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer. Taylor was an unexpected scoring machine…
While Nikolai Khabibulin actually has a losing won/loss record in the NHL, nobody can say that he did not have a very good career in the National Hockey League. The “Bulin Wall” may never have been considered the top goaltender in the league (or maybe even in the top three),…
Although Peter Bondra was not born in Slovakia (he moved there when he was three), he is one of the best players to ever emerge from the Eastern European nation. After four years in the Czech league, Bondra joined the Washington Capitals and after a few years emerged as their…
With a devastating wrist shot and smooth skating skills, Sergei Gonchar has quietly put together a very good career in professional hockey. Gonchar is a four-time All-Star and had eight seasons of fifty points plus which is very good for a defenseman. With over twenty campaigns in the National Hockey League, Gonchar…
A somewhat disrespected goaltender, Chris Osgood won three Stanley Cup Rings without anyone really saying that he was among the elite in his position. Granted, he played with a loaded Red Wings team, but he still backstopped the team to victory after victory.
Generally when General Managers engineer trades both hope for some sort of accurate equity in return. The New York Rangers certainly did not get that equity when they traded Rick Middleton to the Boston Bruins for Ken Hodge who was at the tail end of his career. Middleton however was…
The forgotten third center of the Montreal Canadians, Ralph Backstrom was a forgotten grinder on the great Hans team of the 60’s. As he was primarily on a checking line (and not French Canadian), he was not necessarily the poster boy of Canadians Hockey. Still, Backstrom was a multi time…
Possibly the best player of the New York Islanders dynasty not yet in the Hall of Fame, John Tonelli traveled where others feared to tread. Tonelli was a grinder and was one of the few players who were just as comfortable chasing an open puck as he was digging for…
It might seem a little laughable now, but there was a time that all Russian players were considered soft. Vladimir Konstantinov may have been part of the 1980’s Soviet Red Army team but he was a man who was seemingly bred for the NHL as he was anything but “soft”.…
During the 1980s and early ’90s, Steve Larmer was a vital cog in the Chicago Black Hawks organization. He won the Calder trophy in 1983 and as a ten-year member of the Black Hawks was a model of consistency and durability. While averaging a point a game, Larmer went on…
If ever there was a hockey player who marched to his own tune, it would have to be Carl Brewer. A brilliant stay at home defenseman, Brewer would literally do whatever it took to stop any attacker. He was also the victim of rash decision making as his uncontrollable intensity…
Marc Tardif is the all-time leading goal scorer in league history. Sadly, that league is the World Hockey Association. Tardif was really starting to come into his own with the Montreal Canadians and fans were beginning to think they had a real emerging superstar on their hands. He joined to…
An intense workout machine whose gym work likely granted him twenty NHL seasons, Rod Brind’Amour was not just a physical anomaly, but one hell of a hockey player.
Should someone compile a list of the best all time hockey players from Sweden, Kent Nilsson often gets left out. Nilsson was a largely forgotten international star whose professional path may have made him the forgotten man. After a few years lighting up the Swedish league, Nilsson joined the WHA…
A major contributor to the Los Angeles Kings in the ’70s, Butch Goring tasted his greatest success when he was traded to the New York Islanders and became the “final piece of the puzzle”. Goring was a part of the Islander dynasty that won four consecutive Stanley Cup Championships and…
When you are taken 256th Overall in the NHL Amateur Draft, just making it to the largest North American hockey league is hard enough. Putting that in perspective, what Finnish Goalie, Pekka Rinne accomplished was miraculous. Drafted in 2004, Rinne played a combined three NHL Games in his first three years in…
Vincent Lecavalier was saddled some lofty expectations when he entered the National Hockey League and while that level of excellence may not have been met (from the view he was seen at age 19), this is still a player who had one hell of a career.