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Marc Tardif is the all-time leading goal scorer in league history. Sadly, that league is the World Hockey Association. Tardif was really starting to come into his own with the Montreal Canadians and fans were beginning to think they had a real emerging superstar on their hands. He joined to upstart WHA (for a very substantial pay increase) and eventually landed cross-province province Quebec Nordiques. It was there that Marc Tardif in his prime lit up the WHA tallying goals at a blistering pace. With the merger of the NHL and WHA, he found himself back in the NHL still with the Nordiques where he was still an effective contributor. One of the knocks on the Hall is its lack of recognition from the WHA. Inducting their two -ime MVP would silence those critics.
One of the better offensive defenseman of the 1980’s, Randy Carlyle saw his career take off when he got traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Carlyle won the coveted Norris Trophy in 1981 and was consistently among the top points performers amongst defensemen in the 80’s. Carlyle’s career pinnacle may have been as a head coach when he led the Anaheim Ducks to their first Stanley Cup in 2007. It is possible that should they combine his efforts on both sides of the bench, Carlyle could receive a solid look from the Hall.
Although he was shocked to find he was traded to Montreal, Kirk Muller did not dwell on it for long. Much like he did in New Jersey, Muller was a star, putting points in the stats column without missing much ice time. Muller was a six time all star and was among the better offensive left wings of his day. When his skills eroded, he was still an effective checker and was a great help on both the defensive and locker room front. Muller did finish with over 900 points, and six All Star appearances. Kirk Muller was never flashy, but he was always effective.
The sniper of the fabled Triple Crown Line, Charlie Simmer scored an impressive 56 goals two seasons in a row for the Los Angeles Kings. Simmer was definitely at his best with L.A., but it wasn’t long before serious injury after serious injury would take their toll. Simmer’s peak would only last a few seasons, and his game fell with each compounding injury. For the Hall to consider Charlie Simmer, they would have to really focus on his peak seasons and a good helping of “what might have been”. Sounds like a lot of other great players on this list.