gold star for USAHOF

1983 Hockey Inductees

Our made up acronym of the IPW (Induction per Worthiness) Class is through the roof on this one. Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Ken Dryden have a combined mantelpiece of awards that would have made us want to find a way to go back in time and attend this personally. With those three, could it get much better?
One of the best players of all time, Bobby Hull easily could have been one of the men who the Hockey Hall of Fame could have made a case for early induction. Hull was a dominant force in the NHL throughout the 1960’s, leading the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 1961, and capturing two Hart Trophies along the way.
A successful coach in the minors, Harry Sinden took over the helms of the Boston Bruins at the tender age of thirty three. Quickly, under his guidance and an influx of talent, the Bruins turned around and won two Stanley Cups. Despite those elite championships in the National Hockey League, it was his coaching of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series, where the Canadians won…
On a hunch, the Montreal Canadians started Ken Dryden in the 1970/71 playoffs. Dryden is now known as one of the best goalies ever, and easily the best of the 1970’s, but prior to those playoffs, he only had played in six regular season NHL games and was not known much at all. Dryden not only played well, but won the Conn Smythe Award as the…
One of the smoothest playmakers of his day, Stan Mikita won the Art Ross Trophy four times and led the National Hockey League in assists three times. He was part of the Chicago Blackhawks rejuvenation of the 60’s, and though they only won the Cup once, they were a solid squad throughout the decade.