Contrary to what you might think, the first Defenceman to hit 1,000 points was not Bobby Orr. That accolade goes to Denis Potvin who was the anchor behind the New York Islanders success. Potvin was the first overall pick by the Isles, who were a struggling expansion team. He won the Calder Trophy, and was a two way superstar throughout his career. Potvin would become a three time Norris Trophy and five time First Team All Star in his career, but the pinnacle was the four consecutive Stanley Cups that the Islanders captured in the early 1980’s. The Hall of Fame ceremony had to be an extra special one for Potvin, as the ceremony was in Ottawa, where he grew up, and his Class included longtime teammate, Mike Bossy.

The fourth Veterans Category inductee is another that we are bit on the fence on.   Clint Smith was a good player for the New York Rangers and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1940. Smith was known for his playmaking and gentlemanly play winning the Lady Byng in 1939. Smith found his way to Chicago and was on a dream line with Bill Mosienko and Doug Bentley and led the NHL in assists in 1944 and won his second Lady Byng. Overall, Clint Smith had a very productive career, but we have to question whether it was a Hall of Fame one.

It is not so much that we have an issue with the induction with Bob Pulford, but couldn’t the Hockey Hall of Fame just admit the induction of Pulford was a combination of what he did on the ice and off of it, as frankly he probably is not a Hall of Fame entry without the sum of all of the parts. As a player, he was a five time All Star game participant and helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win four Stanley Cups in the 1960’s. He was an excellent defensive forward, and had a multitude of checks that he mastered to slow attackers. As a Head Coach, he would win the Jack Adams Award (as Coach of the Year) completely turning around the Los Angeles Kings in 1975. Later he would take over the reins in Chicago, and though it was not as good, he still posted a winning record in the Windy City over a seven year period. Overall, the career is a Hall of Fame one, but again we feel it is based on the combination of his on and off ice work.

Arguable the greatest Buffalo Sabre in that franchise’s history, Gilbert Perreault still holds many records for that team. He played his entire professional career in Western New York, and was the leader of its most famous hockey line, The French Connection, that also had Rick Martin and Rene Robert. He dazzled the Buffalo faithful with his offensive skills and brought excitement to the team. Perreault would crack the top ten in scoring five times and finished his career over 1,300 points. Although, he did not win the Stanley Cup in Buffalo, he did take the Sabres to the 1975 Finals and was the major reason for the success that Buffalo had through the 1970’s. Gilbert Perreault remains in high regard in Buffalo and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.