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.
A long time player for the Phoenix Coyotes, Shane Doan starred in the desert for what seemed like an eternity. He is a good scorer, but what he is mostly known for in Phoenix is his long term leadership for the franchise. Doan was never in the top ten in scoring,…
Teppo Numminen did not get a lot of press over his NHL career as he spent the majority of his time with the Winnipeg Jets, who would later become the Phoenix Coyotes. Having said that, Numminen is one of the few players to have played twenty seasons in the National…
Regardless of the era, scoring 50 goals in three consecutive seasons is an impressive statistic. Even though it was the wide-open early 80’s that saw Rick Vaive accomplish that feat, remember he did so for a brutal Harold Ballard organization that saw the worst of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Vaive…
Although it can be argued that almost all hockey players take a pounding from the game, few may have put themselves in harms way more than Tim Kerr. Dubbed “the Sultan of Slot”, Kerr would park himself in from the net and do whatever it took to get the puck…
A part of the Edmonton Oilers “Kid Line” (With Joe Murphy and Martin Gelinas), Adam Graves was part of the successful tonic that gave the Oilers their last Stanley Cup in 1990. It was, however, when Graves signed with the Rangers that he was removed from the checking line and…
One of the few stars left yet to be enshrined from the “old time hockey era”, Larry Aurie was a master of the penalty kill and was dubbed the “The Little Rag Man” for his entertaining puck handling while shorthanded. Famed Red Wings owner James Norris dubbed the diminutive (he…
Normally if you are considered the best hockey player in your family it isn’t much of an accolade. This was not the case for Brent Sutter who may have been the most talented of what could be the most storied siblings of professional hockey. The Sutters were known for their…
In the world of the National Hockey League, you wouldn’t normally think that any player who amassed over 3,000 career penalty minutes could potentially have over 1,000 points but the notorious Dale Hunter is currently the only player to have accomplished this feat. Hunter may not have led the league…
Known for his strong defensive skills as a hockey player, Don Marshall did not necessarily come by those skills naturally. Upon joining the loaded Montreal Canadians, he was asked to focus on the defensive and checking attributes. It worked, and as Marshall would venture across various teams he was able…
A solid two-way defenseman, Eric Desjardins was one of the better players behind the blue line during the 1990s. Desjardins could help stop the puck as well as help put it in the net. He won a Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1993 and upon being traded to Philadelphia…
He may not be on this list for his career statistics, which although were good (465 career points over 17 years) to do not indicate a Hall of Famer, but Eddie Shack was one of the true characters of the game and at times the most popular. Shack could always…
One of the most interesting Hall of Fame cases has to belong to that of Adam Foote, a player who was never an All Star in his professional career, and never finished higher than tenth in Norris Trophy voting. Despite this, there is no doubt that Foote carried significant value…
Bobby Baun reminds us a lot of Paul Henderson in that he is best known for one game. Baun fractured his ankle early in Game 3 of the 1964 Stanley Cup Championship but returned to the ice to score the game-winning goal against the Detroit Red Wings and would help…
One of the slickest playmakers ever to come out of the United States, Doug Weight reached the magical 1,000 career point mark predominately with assists. Weight was a consistent offensive threat throughout his career and once reached a 100 point season with the Oilers. He achieved the ultimate in team…
Here is another interesting one. The always controversial and outspoken Tim Thomas was quite a story becoming an elite netminder at age 34 and having two spectacular seasons in pro hockey when most players have hung up the pads. Thomas is one of the rare players to win two Vezina…
910 career points is nothing to sneeze at, but it is not the first thing that people think about with Gary Roberts. He was the type of player that every General Manager wanted to have, and every player wanted as a teammate. He made everyone on his team just want…
Considering that the highest season points output for Ray Whitney is 83, it is incredible that he became the 79th player in NHL history to hit the 1,000 mark in a career. This shows that he is very durable, underrated as many have claimed, and as many of stated, an…
A solid goal scorer during his sting with Montreal, Stephane Richer gave Montreal fans a blast from the past and hope for a future with a French Canadian offensive star playing for Les Habitants. Richer was the first Montreal player since Guy LaFleur to score 50 goals a season. Richer…
As one of the toughest members of the 1970’s Boston Bruins (which really says something) Terry O’Reilly was a rough enforcer who was able to score. The emotional leader of Boston was a rugged protector of the skill players, but he himself enjoyed a pair of 70 points plus seasons…
A very good goalie that lost out on the Hart trophy to Wayne Gretzky in 1981, Mike Liut seemed destined for a stellar career after his amazing 1980-81 season. That year he won the Lester B. Pearson award (MVP as selected by their peers) and would be the starting goalie…