It did not take long for the number two choice of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft to establish himself as a force on the Vancouver Canucks.  Trevor Linden would be named the Canucks captain at the age of 21, and his nickname of “Captain Canuck” could be one of the most appropriate monikers in Hockey.

One of the biggest travesties in our eyes is that Pat Burns did not get into the Hockey Hall of Fame while he was alive. As Burns was dying of cancer, a large grass roots movement was afoot to get him inducted but alas the former Coach of the Year had to be elected posthumously. Burns always made his teams better, was beloved by fanbases and fittingly finally won a Stanley Cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils.

Scott Irwin spent a good time of his career teaming up with his brother Bill Irwin in various promotions either in a mask as the Super Destroyer in the South or as one half of the biker team, the Long Riders.  He was a tough customer who may not have been the most talented in the ring but looked like the guy at the end of the bar you would least want to mess with.  Despite his success with his brother, it was with another partner early in his career, that he captured WWE Tag Team gold when he donned the persona of Eric; one half of the Yukon Lumberjacks.  He died at the age of 35 from a brain tumor and likely would have had many good years in the ring left in him.

Oliver Humperdink had a few decent runs as a wrestler, but it was as a manager that he made his biggest impact.  Humperdink was very successful in Florida and was a long time heel manager there.  He did reach the WWE as a face manager of Bam Bam Bigelow and Paul Orndorff, but he was largely mute in that role and it was not an indication of his value on the ring apron.  His place in the Hall of Fame is better viewed if they look at what he did outside of the WWE as opposed to inside of it.