Roger Neilson never won the Stanley Cup, nor was he ever named the Jack Adams Trophy winner for NHL Coach of the Year. Actually, Neilson bounced around as the bench boss for several National Hockey League teams during his career. It would appear on the surface that his induction is not exactly warranted, and the sympathy that he got throughout Hockey fans for his courageous fight against cancer (he was diagnosed in 1999, and continued to coach) may have been part of it. We hate to say it, but he was inducted in 2002, eight months before he passed away, so we wonder if this is a case of the Hall of Fame being nice to someone who was an all-around good man. That may have been the case, but there are other factors worth discussing.

Rod Langway was a bit of a throwback in his time as the NHL was becoming accustomed to Defencemen becoming scoring threats. Langway was not one to light the lamp, but he was traditional tough as nails blue liner who knew every trick to get the puck outside of his end and sacrifice every part of his body to accomplish it. He really came into his own in the early 80’s and he won two consecutive Norris Trophies with the Washington Capitals, a team whose culture he helped to change. He was not a flashy player, but every defensive corps needs a player like Rod Langway.

We will openly question this Hall of Fame induction. Although we respect the career of Clark Gillies, his Hall resume looks a little weak. Granted he was a good part of four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders, and he was on a star line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier; however he was the third amigo on that line. Gillies was a decent scorer, and the rugged enforcer on the line, but at no time did he get 40 goals or 100 points in what was becoming an era where many players hit those levels.

Some people have called Bernie Federko one of the most underrated players in Hockey history and others have openly questioned this induction. Federko played all but one season in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and had a career of over 1,100 points. He was called the “Magician” for his ability to expertly put the puck in the perfect position for his teammates to score and was the first player to get 50 assists in ten consecutive seasons.