The architect of the “Miracle on Ice”, Herb Brooks assembled and coached the United States to the impossible: a Gold Medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics which included a semi-final victory over the most powerful International Team in Hockey, The Soviet Union. That alone is worth enshrinement to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but Brooks did have a decent run as the Head Coach of the New York Rangers and coached the Americans to a Silver Medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Herb Brooks was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously in 2006.

Harley Hotchkiss was part of the consortium that brought (or rescued) the Flames from Atlanta and brought them to Calgary. He also worked to build the Saddledome, which was built for the Calgary Flames and served as the Hockey venue for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Likely what secured Hotchkiss’ Hall of Fame induction was his long serving tenure as the Chairman on the NHL’s Board of Governors. We will wager without that last role on his resume, he would not have gotten in.

Dick Duff was a very good player who was on six Stanley Cup winning rosters, but for a forward his overall points total was decent but perhaps not Hall of Fame worthy based on his era. However, his points per game increased in the post season, and he was a key contributor on many of those Cups, and not just a bystander. It is not a terrible induction, but it was not exactly a snub had Dick Duff never been included.

Valeri Kharlamov never played in the National Hockey League, but every NHL fan in the 1970’s knew who he was.   Vladislav Tretiak may have received most of the attention in the Soviet Red Army, but it was the scoring prowess of Kharlamov that ran the engine. In addition to the passing and stickhandling fundamentals that were ingrained in the Russian players, Kharlamov was a flash on the ice and could maneuver around defenders effortlessly.