Bob Gainey many not have appeared on any end of year top ten offensive statistical lists, but that was not was Bob Gainey was asked to do. He spent his entire career with the Montreal Canadians and though he had “only” 501 career points, it was the thousand plus that he prevented that made him special. Bob Gainey won the Frank J. Selke Award which is given to the NHL’s top defensive forward four years in a row. His amazing checking skills may not have always appeared in box scores, but fans and players alike knew the value of Gainey and it was not an accident that he was a multi-time All Star game participant.   Gainey was also part of five Stanley Cup wins with the Habs, and in 1979 he won the Conn Smythe as the MVP of the playoffs.   He may not have had what a casual fan would see a Hall of Fame career (especially if they only look at offensive statistics), but he certainly belongs.

Although we have covered players who returned to the ice after they were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and owners who completely should have been kicked out after they were inducted, we now have a builder who continued to have a Hall of Fame career AFTER he was inducted.

As the goal scoring machine for the New York Islanders dynasty, Mike Bossy won the Calder Trophy in 1978 and spent the next nine seasons lighting the red lamp on a frequent basis. Bossy would become the second player to net fifty goals in fifty games and would hit the half-century mark in his first nine NHL seasons. More importantly, Bossy would lead his Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cups.

Contrary to what you might think, the first Defenceman to hit 1,000 points was not Bobby Orr. That accolade goes to Denis Potvin who was the anchor behind the New York Islanders success. Potvin was the first overall pick by the Isles, who were a struggling expansion team. He won the Calder Trophy, and was a two way superstar throughout his career. Potvin would become a three time Norris Trophy and five time First Team All Star in his career, but the pinnacle was the four consecutive Stanley Cups that the Islanders captured in the early 1980’s. The Hall of Fame ceremony had to be an extra special one for Potvin, as the ceremony was in Ottawa, where he grew up, and his Class included longtime teammate, Mike Bossy.