The dynasty of the late 1950’s Montreal Canadians had a plethora of scoring power, all of which felt comfortable to let it fly on the ice with the knowledge that Jacques Plante was in between the pipes. Plante is known for being the first goalie to regularly wear a protective mask, which seems to be what he is remembered mostly for. That may be an important fact, but we would rather think of his six Stanley Cups, seven Vezinas, one Hart and seven All Star selections.

We are not sure that we completely agree with the Builder’s Category selection of Jack Bickell. He came into Hockey with an investment to stabilize the Toronto St. Pats and was essentially the silent partner. Later, the team was purchased by Conn Smythe and rechristened the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Bickell was convinced by Smythe to still serve in the same capacity. He was not exactly the silent partner in the creation of the fabled Maple Leaf Gardens, where his financial support and tireless efforts ensured that it came to fruition. Smythe would appoint Bickell as the Garden’s first President and later the Chairman of the Board. Maple Leaf Gardens is a vital place in Hockey’s history, but does a silent partner in a hockey franchise really belong in the Hall of Fame?

The winner of the 1959 Hart Trophy winner was one of the most complete forwards of his era, though had the misfortune of playing of having his peak while playing with below average New York Rangers squads. Bathgate was constantly in the top ten in scoring and did tie for the lead in 1962, losing out on the Art Ross to Bobby Hull who had more goals. However, Bathgate did win the assists title twice in the NHL. A spectacular stickhandler wick a devastatingly accurate slap shot, Bathgate could implore a physical game when needed, though was an outspoken advocate against violence for violence’s sake in the sport.

At the risk of breaking the illusion to many young donut fans, there really WAS a Tim Horton, and he was one hell of a Hockey player. Horton entered the NHL in the mid 50’s and immediately made an impact being named to the Second Team All Star squad in his second full season. A devastating collision with the New York Rangers’ Bill Gadsby slowed his career a bit, but when he returned to form, he was still a dominant force on the blue line.