Gary Suter started off with a bang, winning the Calder Trophy with the Calgary Flames. Suter continued to rack up points for the Flames, and the star was able to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1989. Year after year, Gary Suter was among the league leaders in points by a defenseman. With a career garnering 844 points, he is among the elite and is in the conversation when discussing the best American-born defenseman ever. Had he ever won a Norris trophy, he would have likely seen his chances increase by a wide margin.

In the era of star centers, it is easy to forget about Bobby Smith. As a player who once scored more points than Wayne Gretzky to win the OMJHL scoring title, Smith entered the NHL with a bang, winning the Calder Trophy with the Minnesota North Stars. Smith was a quiet star in the NHL, whose leadership and passing skills seemed to go unnoticed, except during playoff runs with Minnesota and Montreal. Smith finished his career with over 1,000 points, but he seemed to do so without much fanfare.

If ever there was a hockey player who marched to his own tune, it would have to be Carl Brewer. A brilliant stay-at-home defenseman, Brewer would literally do whatever it took to stop any attacker. He was also the victim of rash decision-making as his uncontrollable intensity often cost his team costly penalties. Brewer also left the game on multiple occasions (even during the peak of his career) due to off-ice disagreements with other players, coaches, or management. Had Brewer stayed in the NHL consistently, his hockey accomplishments would be unquestionably larger, but as such, he will go down in history far more for his off-ice activities than on.

When Rick Tocchet entered the National Hockey League, he seemed to do so with the strength of his fighting skills. Tocchet still fought, but by his fourth season, he emerged as an effective scorer as well. Tocchet was as hard-nosed as they came and was the quintessential power forward of the game. The popular winger won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, and though he played for six different teams throughout his career, he was always among the more popular. Tocchet did score a lot of points, but it may not have been enough to gain entry. Let’s hope that Rick Tocchet isn’t betting on his chances.