Easily one of the top Defencemen in his day, Larry Robinson was the top dog in the Montreal Canadians “Big 3” blue line corps that was the best in the 1970’s. Robinson was part of six Stanley Cups and named to six Post Season All Star teams. The imposing Robinson (he was six foot four, well before many NHL players were this tall) was skilled at both ends of the ice as not only was he a solid playmaker (he retired with 750 assists), but could stifle offensive attackers with relative ease. Perhaps the most impressive career statistic is his career 730 Plus/Minus which is over 130 more than Bobby Orr, who is the career number two in that category. That alone makes him a certifiable first ballot Hall of Fame entry.

The first German born entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Gunther Sabetzki did a lot in his native country to help grow the sport. He would serve as the first German President of the IIHF, and worked diligently not just to grow Hockey in Germany, but throughout the world. Under his near two decade as the IIHF President, membership increased from 31 to 50 nations. The international game owes a lot to the work of Gunther Sabetzki.

Another Veteran’s Category inductee, Bun Cook was a star for most of his career with the New York Rangers where he helped bring the Stanley Cup to Broadway twice. Predominately, he was the Left Wing on the Rangers’ “Bread Line” with his brother Bill and Frank Boucher, which was among the most feared of its time. The innovator of the “Drop Pass”, Cook would be named to Second Team All Star in 1931 and he proved to be an efficient offensive producer in his career. He was a bit of a bubble candidate for the Hall in our eyes, but it is not a terrible induction overall.

Bill Torrey brought the expansion New York Islanders to prominence far faster than anyone would have thought. The former GM of the Oakland Seals, found a real home on Long Island and methodically built a team from the draft and acquired young talent who would grow into a dynasty. It is not a misrepresentation to say that Torrey built the team from scratch. He was the Islanders first employee in 1972, and the vision of team was all his. It worked, as in 1980; New York won the first of four consecutive Stanley Cups. As the architect of that dynasty, Torrey’s Hall of Fame induction was easy to justify.