Although the career of Sean Burke was a long and prosperous one, it can be argued that he didn’t live up to the overall expectations that he came with when he entered the National Hockey League. Burke was a star for the Canadian National Team. Many thought that his first NHL team (New Jersey) would go only as far as Burke could take them and though did not prove to be true, Burke proved to be a very good goaltender early in his career. Burke would last twenty years in the NHL and although he tallied over 300 wins, his overall record showed more losses than victories. Throw in the fact that he played for nine teams in the National Hockey League you may have the career of the greatest journeyman goalie of all time. Journeyman and Hall of Fame are not exactly synonymous.

A part of the Edmonton Oilers “Kid Line” (With Joe Murphy and Martin Gelinas), Adam Graves was part of the successful tonic that gave the Oilers their last Stanley Cup in 1990. It was, however, when Graves signed with the Rangers that he was removed from the checking line and was able to show what kind of sniper he could be. Graves was a vital cog in the Rangers Stanley Cup run of 1994 and was able to reach the elusive 50 goal plateau that season. Graves may have been known as one of hockey’s “Good Guys” as his efforts to giving back to the community are well documented. Although Graves was a reliable scorer, he likely lacked the overall points total to make the Hall.

A solid two-way defenseman, Eric Desjardins was one of the better players behind the blue line during the 1990s. Desjardins could help stop the puck as well as help put it in the net. He won a Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1993 and upon being traded to Philadelphia he was even more productive. He was easily their best defenseman and was good enough to represent Canada on three World Class National teams. Desjardins was a star, and with 575 career points he could receive a look, but chances are that will be all he will receive.

If the rabid fan base in Toronto had anything to say about it, the hard hitting Wendel Clark would have skated into the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Clark was the bright spot on dismal Leaf teams, and his gritty take no prisoners style of play made him one of the most popular (if not the most popular) Leaf of all time. He wasn’t the largest player on the ice, but he may have been one of the toughest of his era. In addition, Clark was able to produce decent offensive numbers as he netted 30 goals a season on four occasions. If the Hall put players in just on heart alone, Wendel Clark would be a lock but as such he probably doesn’t have the career stats to get in.