Hockey
Established in 1943, and currently based in Toronto, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a quite simply a tribute to those who achieved excellence in hockey. Criticized by some for their failure to recognize international stars, the WHA, women and the high amount of players inducted from the Original Six era, the Hockey Hall of Fame is still one of the most impressive facilities despite its lack of size. The rich history of hockey is certainly well represented there. For our list, we have focused on players as opposed to the builders and journalists categories; although we have included some people whom we felt could not be ignored. Current enshrinement for players is based on receiving fourteen votes out of an eighteen member committee. In terms of NHL players, it is based on being out of the league for three years. We have selected one hundred figures of hockey (though honestly only a handful really has a reasonable shot) and again we encourage debate as to who you feel deserves enshrinement in Toronto.
Until Then, keep your stick on the ice.
Sincerely,
The Not in Hall of Committee.
Vic Hadfield had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde career in the National Hockey League. In his early years, Hadfield was an enforcer who, in the 1963-64 season, led the league in Penalties in Minutes. While he performed that role admirably, he would be placed on a line later…
Sometimes people forget just how good Bill Guerin was. Winning the Stanley Cup twice over his 18-year career, Guerin became the first player in NHL history to score over 20 goals in a season for seven different teams. That shows us two things: one, he was quite the scorer, and…
When you think of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1970s, you automatically come up with the images of the bruising “Broad Street Bullies”, the pounding and bruising team that won and fought a lot. That is all fine and good (and it was pretty good), but you still needed hockey…
A very good defenseman from Slovakia, Lubomir Visnovsky, has showcased offensive flash, though not many of his market people outside appeared to be aware. Visnovsky finished 5 points shy of 500, still a good number for a defenseman, but that number and only one All-Star appearance aren’t likely to get him…
A three-time NHL All-Star and one-time Canada Cup player for the United States, Reed Larson had eight seasons where he had at least 60 Points. Larson was never an All-Star, though the Calder Trophy runner-up had more than a good career in the National Hockey League. Historically, Larson was the…
A lot of the success of the Buffalo Sabres can be claimed by their netminder, Don Edwards. Edwards was twice named a Second Team All Star (1978 & 1980), the second of which was a Vezina Trophy winning campaign (along with Bob Sauve).
Patrick Sharp, a member of the Chicago Blackhawks' three Stanley Cup wins of the 2010s (2010, 2013 & 2015), was one of the better defensive forwards of his era. Sharp spent the majority of his professional career with Chicago, and he was often a fringe contender for the Frank J.…
Considering that Steve Thomas went undrafted, making the NHL is an impressive feat. Throw in that he lasted 19 seasons, and that feat is extraordinary. Steve Thomas became a solid goal scorer and a dependable player on both ends. He managed to get over 900 points in his long career,…
Carson Cooper would silently be a force in the National Hockey League, where he would rarely be penalized and prove himself as a productive offensive force. In his second season in the NHL, he was Point per Game player with 36 Points with the Boston Bruins and would put the…
While Dennis Hull is thought of by some as Bobby’s brother or Brett’s uncle, we choose to remember him as a pretty good two-way hockey player who represented the Chicago Blackhawks five times in the All-Star Game. Hull was a Second Team All-Star in 1973, a year after he represented…
Right when Todd Bertuzzi was hitting his stride in the National Hockey League, he derailed his career. His attack on Steve Moore from behind (which ended his career) caused Bertuzzi to be suspended for over a year. When he returned, he was not nearly the productive player he was, as…
While many can’t envision the idea of a Scandinavian power forward, that was an excellent way to describe what Sweden’s Tomas Sandstrom was.
A top player for the Hartford Whalers, Kevin Dineen twice scored 40 goals and was clearly one of the better players in the NHL during the late ’80s. Dineen also had a good run with the Flyers through the following decade. He was clearly a good player who had very…
In terms of the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jean Pronovost would make franchise history as the first player to score 100 Points and 50 Goals in a season.
Kenny Wharram played his entire career with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1961. Wharram would have four 65 Point seasons and two of which would see him nab a First Team All-Star nod. His best season took place in 1963-64, when he won…
The Calder Trophy winner in 1954, Camille Henry would stumble afterward and toiled in the AHL before coming back with a vengeance, earning Second Team All-Star honors along with the Lady Byng in 1958, where he accrued no penalty minutes. In fact, the Centre had less than 100 Penalty Minutes…
While Kelly Hrudey was never an All-Star, the flashy goaltender was actually better than people remember. Hrudey was never fortunate to play for teams that stressed defensive skill, and as such, he was in the top five in Shots Against four times, including facing the most in the 1988-89 season. …
If you ask the fans of the Ottawa Senators, you already know the answer to this question. Alexei Yashin may have spurned the fans of Canada’s capital, but even they would agree that the Russian was a talented skill player. Now playing in Russia, Yashin had over 750 points in…
Alexei Zhitnik holds the distinction of being the first defenseman born in the former Soviet Union to play over 1,000 Games in the NHL. Early in his career, Zhitnik was a member of the famed Red Army, and he would join his “comrades” in North America. Zhitnik would go to…
As of this writing, Dmitri Khristich is without question the greatest Ukrainian player (born and raised there) who ever existed in the National Hockey League. The native of Kiev was a two-time NHL All-Star (1997 & 1999) and was a 70 Point scorer twice, once with the Washington Capitals and…
