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.
A bit of a late bloomer in terms of his offensive production, Glen Murray began his career quietly with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, but a trade to the Los Angeles Kings would see him gain two 60 Point seasons in the late 90s. He would be traded back…
Petr Svoboda quietly carved out a long and fruitful career in the NHL, where he played 1,028 Games. Svoboda didn’t actually enter the National Hockey League in the quietest of ways, as he was a Czechoslovakian defector, but it proved advantageous quickly as he was a member of the Stanley…
Already a Stanley Cup Champion (with Chicago) when Dustin Byfuglien was traded to the Thrashers in what would be their last year in Atlanta, he was moved back to his natural blueline position and essentially became a more valuable hockey player. In that lone year in Atlanta, Byfuglien scored 53 Points and…
Jimmy Thomson was the flashier of the “Gold Dust Twins,” but along with his partner Gus Mortson, he provided the defensive backbone for the Toronto Maple Leafs for many years. Like Mortson, Thomson was a very rugged player, but he was a better passer than his defensive partner, and he…
While Jean-Sebastien Giguere only finished as high as fourth place in Vezina Trophy voting (2007-08), he will always be known for his playoff performances with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim/Mighty Ducks. It was in the 2003 Playoffs that Giguere led the lower-seeded Mighty Ducks to the Stanley Cup Finals, where…
From Finland, Center Mikko Koivu played 16 years in the NHL, all but seven games with the Minnesota Wild. Over his career, Koivu scored 711 Points (709 in Minnesota), and had three years (2008-09 to 2010-11) where he had at least 62 Points. A solid playmaker, Koivu was equally adept at…
Tod Sloan played a handful of games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the late 1940s and in the 1950/51 season, he secured himself not only a permanent place on the roster but proved to be one of the team’s better players, helping them win the Stanley Cup that season. …
From Massachusetts, Robbie Ftorek went undrafted in the NHL but played a handful of games for the Detroit Red Wings after being part of a surprise Silver Medal-winning United States Olympic Team in 1972. Ftorek would join the Phoenix Roadrunners of the World Hockey Association, where he shocked fans with…
Known for his seriousness, discipline, and overall toughness, Bobby Holik came from Czechoslovakia to the National Hockey League, where, after two seasons with the Hartford Whalers, he found a real home with the New Jersey Devils. Holik would play for the Devils for 10 straight seasons, scoring 463 Points over…
The Kansas City Scouts selected Wilf Paiement second overall in the Amateur Draft in 1974, and he was able to crack the roster instantly of this expansion team. As the Scouts relocated to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies, Paiement would see his scoring improve, posting a pair of 80…
Sweden produces some of the world’s best hockey players but there was a time where it was believed that Scandinavians could not cut the mustard in North America. Ulf Nilsson helped changed that perception.
When you think of players who led the National Hockey League in Goals, there is a pretty good chance that Blaine Stoughton is not one of the ones you think of. He accomplished that with 56 Goals the 1979/80 season, which was the season that the New England Whalers became…
Dave Kerr began his National Hockey League career with the Montreal Maroons and the New York Americans, and later returned to the Maroons, but was traded by the cash-strapped team to the New York Rangers, where he would become one of the top Goalies in the last half of the…
Some considered Cliff Ronning to be a flashy player in terms of his skill, though he always seemed to be overshadowed by bigger names. Ronning’s best run was with the Vancouver Canucks where he had four 60 Point seasons and helped them reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994. He…
Don Beaupre may have lost more games than he won, but considering he played two seasons for a horrific Ottawa Senators expansion team early in his career, perhaps we can cut him some slack on that one.
Dave Ellett averaged nearly half a point per game over his 1,129-game NHL career, most of which was spent with the Winnipeg Jets and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ellett, a two-time All-Star, was part of the Leafs' leadership contingent in the early 1990s, a Stanley Cup contender.
Art Chapman is easily forgotten by many as his greatest exploits took place for the New York Americans, a team that has not existed in close to a century; however, this is a two-time assists leader who, in the mid-1930s, was in the upper echelon of playmaking ability. Chapman would…
Petr Sykora enjoyed a very nice career in the National Hockey League, where the gifted two-way player played 1,017 Games and, more importantly, won two Stanley Cups. Sykora won the first with the New Jersey Devils, the team where he had three consecutive 65 Point Seasons (1988-89 to 2000-01). It…
Considered one of the early tough guys in North American hockey, Ken Randall would lead the NHL in Penalty Minutes in the inaugural season of the National Hockey League. Randall would play both Right Wing and Defense, and he was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with Toronto (1918 & 1922),…
A member of four Stanley Cup Championship teams for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1942, 1945, 1947 & 1948), Wally Stanowski was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy in 1940 and was a First Team All-Star the following season when he had a career high 21 Points. Nicknamed the “Whirling Dervish”…