The forgotten third center of the Montreal Canadians, Ralph Backstrom was a forgotten grinder on the great Hans team of the 60’s. 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 and a pivotal member of many Stanley Cup wins. Like many, Backstrom bolted for the WHA and was a force there. Similar to others on this list, Ralph Backstrom’s tenure in the World Hockey Association might be to his determent for Hall consideration.

Likely because he played the bulk (and peak) of his career with the Washington Capitals, a lot of hockey fans were not watching Kevin Hatcher. The durable defenseman was able to score a lot of points and netted 34 goals in the 1992-93 campaign. On four occasions, Hatcher was able to achieve at least 50 points and was able to get 677 for his career. The five-time All-Star may not make the Hall in Toronto, but he should be able to rightfully gain entry into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

A star for the Chicago Black Hawks and the United States National Team, Tony Amonte enjoyed a solid career. His career zenith was as a Black Hawk where the consistent American Right Winger enjoyed a five-year stretch where he did not miss a game and was among the best players in the Windy City. A five-time All-Star, Amonte was one of the better American born hockey players of All Time, but without that magical 1,000 points NHL plateau or a dominant season, he may have to settle for the American Hall of Fame instead.

Regardless of the era, scoring 50 goals in three consecutive seasons is an impressive statistic. Even though it was the wide-open early 80’s that saw Rick Vaive accomplish that feat, remember he did so for a brutal Harold Ballard organization that saw the worst of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Vaive had a killer slapshot and used that skill to net 441 career goals. Because Vaive played with so many bad teams, his career is often forgotten, but he was often to only bright light on many teams in the 1980s.