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.
Possibly the best player of the New York Islanders dynasty not yet in the Hall of Fame, John Tonelli traveled where others feared to tread. Tonelli was a grinder and was one of the few players who were just as comfortable chasing an open puck as he was digging for…
From Madison, Wisconsin, Phil Kessel had a very successful career in the NHL, where he became the league’s “Iron Man”, setting a record for consecutive games played with 1,064. As impressive as that accomplishment is, the other former players who had achieved that record over the previous decades were not…
If ever there was a hockey player who marched to his own tune, it would have to be Carl Brewer. A brilliant stay-at-home defenseman, Brewer would literally do whatever it took to stop any attacker. He was also the victim of rash decision-making as his uncontrollable intensity often cost his…
The forgotten third center of the Montreal Canadians, Ralph Backstrom, was a forgotten grinder on the great Hans team of the ’60s. As he was primarily on a checking line (and not French Canadian), he was not necessarily the poster boy of Canadians Hockey. Still, Backstrom was a multi-time All-Star…
While Nikolai Khabibulin actually has a losing won/loss record in the NHL, nobody can say that he did not have a very good career in the National Hockey League. The “Bulin Wall” may never have been considered the top goaltender in the league (or maybe even in the top three),…
If you think about statistical enigmas, Curtis Joseph would top our list. As we have yet to rank that category, we are struggling to find the right place to rank him on the list that we actually do.
Although Peter Bondra was not born in Slovakia (he moved there when he was three years old), he is one of the best players to have ever emerged from the Eastern European nation. After four years in the Czech league, Bondra joined the Washington Capitals and, after a few years,…
An intense workout machine whose gym work likely granted him twenty NHL seasons, Rod Brind’Amour was not just a physical anomaly, but one hell of a hockey player.
Marc Tardif is the all-time leading goal scorer in league history. Sadly, that league is the World Hockey Association. Tardif was really starting to come into his own with the Montreal Canadians, and fans were beginning to think they had an absolute emerging superstar on their hands. He joined the…
A long-tenured player for the New Jersey Devils, Patrik Elias established himself as one of the top players ever to play in the Garden State. Elias would progress to a 1,025-point career, and anyone who does that (especially after the dead puck era) is at least in the conversation for…
With a devastating wrist shot and smooth skating skills, Sergei Gonchar has quietly put together a very good career in professional hockey. Gonchar is a four-time All-Star and has had eight seasons with 50 points or more, which is very impressive for a defenseman. With over twenty campaigns in the National Hockey…
From the Soviet Union, Vladimir Krutov was one of the superstars of the Red Army team that terrorized International Hockey throughout the 1980s. The Left Wing was a superstar for the Soviets as he helped his country win two Olympic Golds, a Canada Dup Gold, and five World Hockey Championships. …
Should someone compile a list of the best all-time hockey players from Sweden, Kent Nilsson often gets left out. Nilsson was a largely forgotten international star whose professional path may have made him the forgotten man. After a few years lighting up the Swedish league, Nilsson joined the WHA and…
When you are taken 256th Overall in the NHL Amateur Draft, just making it to the largest North American hockey league is hard enough. Putting that in perspective, what Finnish Goalie Pekka Rinne accomplished was miraculous. Drafted in 2004, Rinne played a combined three NHL Games in his first three years in…
During the 1980s and early ’90s, Steve Larmer was a vital cog in the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He won the Calder Trophy in 1983 and, as a ten-year member of the Blackhawks, was a model of consistency and durability. While averaging a point a game, Larmer went on a streak…
One of the better offensive defensemen of the 1980s, Randy Carlyle saw his career take off when he got traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Carlyle won the coveted Norris Trophy in 1981 and was consistently among the top points performers amongst defensemen in the 80s. Carlyle’s career pinnacle may have…
It could be argued that Pat Stapleton is one of the better players who seem to have been forgotten in the National Hockey League. He shouldn’t be just a footnote, as he would develop into an excellent point man on the blue line and the owner of an accurate and…
A major contributor to the Los Angeles Kings in the ’70s, Butch Goring tasted his most tremendous success when he was traded to the New York Islanders and became the “final piece of the puzzle”. Goring was a part of the Islander dynasty that won four consecutive Stanley Cup Championships,…
A somewhat disrespected goaltender, Chris Osgood, won three Stanley Cup Rings without anyone really saying that he was among the elite in his position. Granted, he played with a loaded Red Wings team, but he still backstopped the team to victory after victory.
Reggie Leach was one of the more prolific scorers in the Western Junior Hockey League. He was able to perform similar feats in the NHL, primarily when he arrived to the Philadelphia Flyers and joined the Broad Street Bullies. Interestingly, Leach’s best season may have been his most frustrating. Leach…