It is a very sad day in the world of professional wrestling as it was announced that Thomas Billington, who performed as The Dynamite Kid passed away at the age of 60.

Beginning his career in 1975, the Dynamite Kid first gained serious attention in the late 1970’s working for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary where he would rise to the top of the card despite having a small stature.  As good as he was in Calgary, Dynamite made heads turn in Japan where along with Tiger Mask they put forth some of the best high-flying matches that the world had ever seen.  He combined moves off the top rope with a throwback tough as nails attitude where he would quickly be referred to by many of his peers as the best pound for pound wrestler in the business.

Along with Davey Boy Smith, he would form the British Bulldogs tag team in the WWF and within two years the duo would become WWF World Tag Team Champions.  During this reign Dynamite would suffer a severe back injury, which would force the Bulldogs to drop the titles to the Hart Foundation.  Despite this injury, when he came back to wrestle, the Dynamite Kid kept the same style and would eventually do more damage to his spine. 

The Bulldogs would leave the WWF in 1988 and they would compete in Stampede and later All-Japan until the tag team was broken up when Davey Boy Smith returned to the WWF in 1990.  He would continue to wrestle for a couple more years and he made his last in ring appearance in 1996 for Michinoku Pro but he was literally half the size that people remembered lacking any musculature.  Due to the injuries he sustained over his career he was reduced to a wheelchair for the final 20 years of his life.

The Dynamite Kid goes down in history as one of the greatest workers of all-time and one of the most influential.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of the Dynamite Kid.

As most of the regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware we are (very) slowly putting together our top 50 players of every franchise in the “Big 4” of North American sports.  After that is completed we will take a look at how each organization honors their past players and executives.  

As such, it is important to us that the New York Rangers retired the number 11 yesterday of Vic Hadfield in a pre-game ceremony.

Hadfield was a member of the Rangers’ famed “Goal A Game” Line that also consisted of Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, both of who already had their number retired so this is a reunion of sorts. 

As a member of the New York Rangers, Hadfield played 13 seasons where he scored 262 Goals and 310 Assists.  He was also the captain of the team from 1971 to 1974.

This marks the tenth time that New York has retired a number.  Hadfield joins Mark Messier, who also had the #11 retired.  This has happened before as the #9 was retired for both Adam Graves and Andy Bathgate. The other retried numbers are Ed Giacomin #1, Brian Leetch #2, Harry Howell #3, Rod Gilbert #7, Jean Ratelle #19 and Mike Richter #35.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Vic Hadfield for earning this prestigious honor.

As most of the regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware we are (very) slowly putting together our top 50 players of every franchise in the “Big 4” of North American sports. After that is completed we will take a look at how each organization honors their past players and executives.

As such, it is important to note that last night the Boston Bruins retired the #16 of former forward, Rick Middleton.

After playing his first two seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers, “Nifty” was traded to Boston prior to the 1976-77 season and it proved fruitful for the Bruins. In the 1979-80 season, Middleton would begin a five season streak of 40 Goals, which included a career high of 51 n the 1981-82 campaign. That season he would be named a Second Team All Star as well as winning the Lady Byng Trophy. Middleton would represent the Bruins in three All Star Games and also had a pair of 100 Point seasons. His overall statistical contribution to Boston would see the Right Wing score 402 Goals, 496 Assists and 898 Points.

Middleton becomes the 11th player to have his number retired. He joins Eddie Shore #2, Lionel Hitchman #3, Bobby Orr #4, Dit Clapper #5, Phil Esposito #7, Can Neely #8, John Bucyk #9, Milt Schmidt #15, Terry O’Reilly #24 and Ray Bourque #77.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Rick Middleton for earning this very prestigious honor.

As most of the regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware we are (very) slowly putting together our top 50 players of every franchise in the “Big 4” of North American sports. After that is completed we will take a look at how each organization honors their past players and executives.

As such, it is important to note the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame has announced that they will be inducting former players, Lars-Erik Sjoberg and Ab McDonald to their institution at their February 26 home game.

Sjorberg joined the Jets after playing in his native Sweden for various teams and twice at the Olympics (1968 & 1972). The Defenceman would be 30 when he arrived in Manitoba and he proved himself to be a good playmaker accruing 40 or more Assists in his first four years in the WHA. In the 1977-78 season Sjoberg would win the Dennis A. Murphy Trophy as the league’s best blueliner and he would help the team win three Avco Cups (1976, 1978 & 1979). When the team joined the National Hockey League, Sjoberg would become the first Jets Captain in the NHL. He would retire after the 1979-80 season.

Ab McDonald was a three time Stanley Cup Champion and five time Al Star who played fourteen years in the NHL before he joined the Jets in their inaugural season. McDonald was named the first Team Captain and he was with the team for two years scoring 70 Points with the team.

We do want to point out that while the Jets Hall of Fame includes players from the first incarnation, the current one does not own the history of the franchise hence when we do our all-time 50 for this team we have to base it on the beginning as the Atlanta Thrashers.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Lars-Erik Sjoberg and Ab McDonald for earning this very impressive honor.