It may surprise the casual NHL fan (or even many of the die-hard fan) that Ron Francis is number two all-time in career assists. Actually it is easy to see why Francis is sometimes forgotten. Francis may be a member of the 500 goal club, but he never was in the top ten in goals. He also never played for Canada in the Olympics, the World Cup or the Canada Cup. He did win the Stanley Cup with the Penguins twice, but that was not his team, as it was Mario Lemieux’s. Still, Francis was a two time Assists winner in the NHL and a three time Lady Byng Award winner. Throw in a Selke Award showcasing his defensive prowess, and you have the makings of legitimate first ballot Hall of Fame entry, and one whose durability and solid two way play should be celebrated more than it is.

Wayne Gretzky may have been the offensive star of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, but for many it was Mark Messier who was the fan favorite of the team. He was easy to like as he still had offensive firepower that fans love and the defensive prowess that traditionalists respect. He could check, he was a leader, and was a proven winner. The best example of this is that it was Mark Messier who led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup AFTER Wayne Gretzky was traded to Los Angeles. That was in 1990, a special year for Messier as he also won his first of two Hart Trophies (the second was in 1992).

This is not one of our favorite inductions in the Hockey Hall of Fame builder category. Jim Gregory was a competent executive for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1970’s, and would later become the Director of Central Scouting, and the Executive Director of Hockey Operations. He would also later become the Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee in 1998, and while still serving in that role, become inducted himself.   Are we alone in finding that a little fishy?

Al MacInnis would go down in NHL history as one of the top offensively skilled Defencemen of all time. He is one of the few of that position to hit the magical 100 point mark in a season and his career total of 1,274 was very impressive. He won the Norris Trophy in 1999 and was a seven time NHL All Star selection. MacInnis actually had the hockey eyes of Alberta on him (no easy task during the Gretzky years) when he led the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup in 1989 and won the coveted Conn Smythe Trophy for his post season play.