Hockey
Established in 1943, and currently based in Toronto, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a quite simply a tribute to those who achieved excellence in hockey. Criticized by some for their failure to recognize international stars, the WHA, women and the high amount of players inducted from the Original Six era, the Hockey Hall of Fame is still one of the most impressive facilities despite its lack of size. The rich history of hockey is certainly well represented there. For our list, we have focused on players as opposed to the builders and journalists categories; although we have included some people whom we felt could not be ignored. Current enshrinement for players is based on receiving fourteen votes out of an eighteen member committee. In terms of NHL players, it is based on being out of the league for three years. We have selected one hundred figures of hockey (though honestly only a handful really has a reasonable shot) and again we encourage debate as to who you feel deserves enshrinement in Toronto.
Until Then, keep your stick on the ice.
Sincerely,
The Not in Hall of Committee.
With a devastating wrist shot and smooth skating skills, Sergei Gonchar has quietly put together a very good career in professional hockey. Gonchar is a four-time All-Star and has had eight seasons with 50 points or more, which is very impressive for a defenseman. With over twenty campaigns in the National Hockey…
From the Soviet Union, Vladimir Krutov was one of the superstars of the Red Army team that terrorized International Hockey throughout the 1980s. The Left Wing was a superstar for the Soviets as he helped his country win two Olympic Golds, a Canada Dup Gold, and five World Hockey Championships. …
Should someone compile a list of the best all-time hockey players from Sweden, Kent Nilsson often gets left out. Nilsson was a largely forgotten international star whose professional path may have made him the forgotten man. After a few years lighting up the Swedish league, Nilsson joined the WHA and…
When you are taken 256th Overall in the NHL Amateur Draft, just making it to the largest North American hockey league is hard enough. Putting that in perspective, what Finnish Goalie Pekka Rinne accomplished was miraculous. Drafted in 2004, Rinne played a combined three NHL Games in his first three years in…
During the 1980s and early ’90s, Steve Larmer was a vital cog in the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He won the Calder Trophy in 1983 and, as a ten-year member of the Blackhawks, was a model of consistency and durability. While averaging a point a game, Larmer went on a streak…
One of the better offensive defensemen of the 1980s, 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 80s. Carlyle’s career pinnacle may have…
It could be argued that Pat Stapleton is one of the better players who seem to have been forgotten in the National Hockey League. He shouldn’t be just a footnote, as he would develop into an excellent point man on the blue line and the owner of an accurate and…
A major contributor to the Los Angeles Kings in the ’70s, Butch Goring tasted his most tremendous success when he was traded to the New York Islanders and became the “final piece of the puzzle”. Goring was a part of the Islander dynasty that won four consecutive Stanley Cup Championships,…
A somewhat disrespected goaltender, Chris Osgood, won three Stanley Cup Rings without anyone really saying that he was among the elite in his position. Granted, he played with a loaded Red Wings team, but he still backstopped the team to victory after victory.
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…
Vincent Lecavalier was saddled some lofty expectations when he entered the National Hockey League and while that level of excellence may not have been met (from the view he was seen at age 19), this is still a player who had one hell of a career.
It might seem a little laughable now, but there was a time when all Russian players were considered soft. Vladimir Konstantinov may have been part of the 1980s Soviet Red Army team, but he was a man who seemed to be bred for the NHL, as he was anything but…
With 477 career NHL points (and 283 in the WHA), the professional statistics speak to a very good player, but not that of a Hall of Famer. This is very much the consensus of most hockey pundits and fans alike. However, we are all familiar with the intangible legacy of…
In 1999, Master Card named the entire Canadian Junior Hockey Team. This team featured current Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, Denis Potvin, Bobby Orr, and Bernie Parent. It also featured Saskatchewan native Brian Propp, who lit up the lights for the Brandon Wheat Kings. Propp’s first…
Now we have a real test of the reduced scoring totals of the new millennium, as the career tallies of Markus Naslund do not approach many of the Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, but were among the best of his time.
Gary Suter started off with a bang, winning the Calder Trophy with the Calgary Flames. Suter continued to rack up points for the Flames, and the star was able to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1989. Year after year, Gary Suter was among the league leaders in points by a…
Without a doubt, there was a slew of phenomenal players who emerged from the Soviet Union and the formidable Red Army. One such great player is blueliner Alexi Kasatonov, who played for the elite national team throughout the 1980s, winning two Olympic Gold Medals (1984 & 1988), a Canada Cup…
In the era of star centers, it is easy to forget about Bobby Smith. As a player who once scored more points than Wayne Gretzky to win the OMJHL scoring title, Smith entered the NHL with a bang, winning the Calder Trophy with the Minnesota North Stars. Smith was a…
Arguably one of the best players to come out of the hockey-rich state of Minnesota, Neal Broten did not just come from the Gopher State; he played virtually his entire career there. Broten played his collegiate hockey for the University of Minnesota and played the bulk of his career for…
It is hard to call someone with the skill set of Andy Moog unfortunate, but he did emerge as a star goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers around the same time as Grant Fuhr. As such, Moog did not receive as much playing time in Edmonton as he would have liked,…