A former backup NHL Goaltender (he played in 95 games), Emile Francis played in the minors before moving on to coaching. Francis would work his way to the New York Rangers system and eventually took over the helm for New York and coached that team to their best record in decades. He would also take over as the team’s General Manager and would follow suit with the same role for the St. Louis Blues, turning them into a serious contender. As respected as Francis was as a Coach and a GM, it should be noted that he never won a Stanley Cup in those roles. Should he not have won at least one, before he got selected to the Hall of Fame, as building a Stanley Cup contender in large and mid-size markets is not as hard as doing it in a smaller one? Just a thought.

Playing the vast majority of his career with the Boston Bruins, John Bucyk exemplified class and skill throughout his lengthy NHL career. Bucyk may never have been considered the best Left Wing during his day (as evidenced by only two All Star Selections) but he was a very consistent producer and retired ranked number four in points when he retired. 

“The Big M”, Frank Mahovlich had a very productive career, though the way he was constantly booed by the Toronto Maple Leafs (while he played for them), you would never have known it.

He wasn’t the fastest skater on the ice (a nickname of “Snowshoes” due to his plodding skating style attests to that) but Allan Stanley filled the role of a stay at home Defenceman very well, and was a three time Post Season All Star selection because of it.