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) Leafs 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, netting 30 goals in 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.

Reggie Leach was one of the more prolific scorers in the Western Junior Hockey League. He was able to perform similar feats in the NHL, primarily when he arrived to the Philadelphia Flyers and joined the Broad Street Bullies. Interestingly, Leach’s best season may have been his most frustrating. Leach scored the most goals in the 1975-76 season (61) and led his team to a Stanley Cup appearance. Despite scoring 16 goals in the playoffs and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, his Flyers failed to win the Cup that year. Leach would go on to gain 666 points in the NHL and had he been a better playmaker he would have a points total that may have garnered a look from the Hall.   

The last survivor of the Original Six, Wayne Cashman, made the most of what he had. Cashman was not considered a gifted skill player, but he was an adept grinder and the last guy you wanted to fight for a puck in the corners. He was also known as one of the game’s best fighters, and although he was not known for his scoring, he finished in the top five in points during the 1973-74 season. A seventeen-year veteran of the Boston Bruins, Cashman remains one of the most beloved figures in Beantown. He will likely receive no such love from the Hall in Toronto.

Although the bulk of the early era players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, a case could be made for the talented Lorne Chabot. The Montreal native was successful everywhere he went, posting winning records and winning two Stanley Cups. Chabot’s career saw him achieve 200 Wins over eleven seasons, but as he played with six different teams, he was labeled a journeyman despite his successful performances.