The problem with running a Hall of Fame-related website is that many of the big ones we cover all have announcements within months of each other.  The backbone of what we do is list-related, resulting in a long push to revise what we already have, specifically now with our Football Hockey and Basketball Lists.

At present, we have a minor update as we have completed the first ten of the 2024 Hockey List, which you can comment on and vote on:

The new 1 to 10:

1. Joe Thornton*
2. Zdeno Chara*
3. Duncan Keith*
4. Alexander Mogilny
5. Patrick Marleau
6. Theoren Fleury
7. Don Cherry
8. John LeClair
9. Claude Provost
10. Mike Richter 

*Denotes First Year of Eligibility

Rankings are impacted annually based on your comments and votes.

Thank you all for your patience. We will soon unveil more changes to the football and basketball lists.

If you had asked us in 2006, we would have said there is no need for another individual hockey award.  We were wrong.

In the 2006/07 Season, five players were honored monthly as selected by the NHL based on qualifications, with Mark Messier deciding the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award.  Those monthly winners were Brendan Shanahan (New York Rangers), Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks), Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks).  The year after, it was changed to being a yearly award.

There is no better player to name this after than Messier.  He is the only player to lead two NHL teams (Edmonton and New York) to a Stanley Cup as their captain.

The results are as follows:

There are currently five former Mark Messier Leadership winners who are Hockey Hall of Fame eligible, with four entering, yielding a percentage of 80.0. 

As this award has never been a repeat winner, the percentage by year remains the same.

The following are the past players who have won the NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award and are eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame, and have been enshrined.

2007:  Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings, Defense.  0 Goals, 11 Assists, 11 Points, +11, 3.3 Point Shares.

At age 45, Chelios had been a leader for decades, and despite his age, he was in the NHL for three more seasons.  The American Defenseman had won three Norris Trophies, was a five-time First Team All-Star, and won three Stanley Cups, one with Montreal and two with Detroit.  It is hard to debate that this award did not get off to a perfect start.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

2008:  Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs, Center.  32 Goals, 46 Assists, 78 Points, +17, 9.8 Point Shares.

This was Sundin’s penultimate year in the NHL and his last with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  A Maple Leaf since 1994, Sundin was a leader on the ice since day one and was Toronto's best player for over a decade.  He had previously been a Second Team All-Star twice.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

2009:  Jarome Iginla:  Calgary Flames, Right Wing.  35 Goals, 54 Assists, 89 Points, -2, 9.5 Point Shares.

Iginla was not just Calgary's leader but had been the Flames best player for years.  This was his third First Team All-Star season, and seven years before, he was the winner of both the Art Ross and Lester B. Pearson Awards.  Iginla would later play for Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado, and Los Angeles.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

2013:  Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators, Right Wing.  10 Goals, 16 Assists, 26 Points, +1.  2.7 Point Shares.   

Alfredsson was in his 17^th and final year as an Ottawa Senator, and while he couldn't lead them to a Stanley Cup, he was the leader on many good Senator teams.  He played one more year in Detroit and scored 1157 career Points.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.

The following are the players who have won the NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award who are eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame and have not been selected:

2012:  Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes, Right Wing.  22 Goals, 28 Assists, 50 Points, -8, 5.0 Point Shares.    

Since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg to Phoenix, Shane Doan was the franchise's best and most important player when they were in Arizona.  Doan led the Coyotes to a Conference Final this year, and he was with Phoenix for his entire 21-year career.

Eligible since 2020.  Ranked #58 on Notinhalloffame.com.

The following are the players who have won the NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify for the Hockey Hall of Fame:

2011:  Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins, Defense.  14 Goals, 30 Assists, 44 Points, +33, 10.0 Point Shares. 

A Second Team All-Star this year, Chara was the Norris Trophy winner two years previous, and he was a First Team All-Star and Second Team All-Star twice before.  Chara led by example, and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup this year, mainly on what the big man did.

Eligible in 2025.

2014:  Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings, Right Wing.  15 Goals, 12 Assists, 27 Points, +7, 3.1 Point Shares. 

Dustin Brown helped lead the Kings to a Stanley Cup in 2012 and did it again this season.  Brown was an All-Star in 2009.

Eligible in 2025.

2018:  Deryk Engelland, Vegas Golden Knights, Defense.  5 Goals, 18 Assists, 23 Points, +6, 4.5 Point Shares.

For the second year in a row, the Mark Messier Leadership Award winner also won the King Clancy.  Engelland was the first Golden Knight to win this trophy, but with all due respect to the former Defenseman, he is the least likely Mark Messier Award winner to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Eligible in 2023.

The following are the players who have won the NHL Mark Messier Leadership Award and are still active.

2010:  Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, Center.  51 Goals, 58 Assists, 109 Points, +15, 14.7 Point Shares

At age 23, it will be difficult to envision another Mark Messier Leadership Award winner to be younger than Sidney Crosby.  Crosby is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion.  This season, Crosby was in his fifth NHL season and was a Second Team All-Star and a Rocket Richard winner.  He was already a Hart Trophy winner and would be again four years later.

35 Years Old, Playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2015:  Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks, Center.  28 Goals, 38 Assists, 66 Points, +30, 9.4 Point Shares.

This season Toews led Chicago to their third (and his) Stanley Cup win of the decade.  The Center had previously been named a Second Team All-Star (2013), a Conn Smythe winner (2010), and a Frank J. Selke Trophy winner (2013).

35 Years Old, Playing for the Chicago Blackhawks.

2016:  Shea Weber, Nashville Predators, Defense.  20 Goals, 31 Assists, 51 Points, -7, 9.5 Point Shares.

Weber had been the core player in Nashville for years by this time, and before this Mark Messier Award, he was twice a First Team All-Star, twice a Second Team All-Star, and had five top-four finishes for the Norris Trophy.

37 Years Old, Playing for the Vegas Golden Knights.

2017:  Nick Foligno, Columbus Blue Jackets, Left Wing.  26 Goals, 25 Assists, 51 Points, -4, 5.9 Point Shares.

Foligno also won the King Clancy Award this year, marking the first time a Blue Jacket won.  

35 Years Old, Playing for the Boston Bruins.

2019:  Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators, Right Wing.  17 Goals, 13 Assists, 30 Points, -16, 1.9 Point Shares.

This is the first and, to date, only Mark Messier Leadership winner who split his award-winning season between two years.  Simmonds was dealt from Philadelphia to Nashville for their playoff run, primarily due to his overall contributions as a Flyer, though do not discount what he did as a Predator.

34 Years Old, Playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

2020:  Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames, Defense.  5 Goals, 26 Assists, 31 Points, +2, 5.4 Point Shares.

Giordano is a late bloomer, winning his first Norris Trophy at age 35 and setting personal statistical bests.   Giordano played most of his career with Calgary and was their leader for years.

39 Years Old, Playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

2021:  Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins, Center.  23 Goals, 25 Assists, 48 Points, +27, 6.9 Point Shares.

Bergeron is one of the best two-way players of his generation (if not the best) and was already a four-time Selke winner (he won a fifth a year after).  He won a Cup with the Bruins in 2011 and captured the King Clancy award in 2013.

37 Years Old, Playing for the Boston Bruins.

2022:  Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings, Center.  19 Goals, 48 Assists, 67 Points, -6, 5.7 Point Shares.

Kopitar already anchored Los Angeles to two Stanley Cups (2012 & 2014), and the Slovenian Center added to his already ample trophy case (he had two Selkes and a Lady Byng) with the acquisition of the 2022 Mark Messier Leadership Award.

35 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Kings.

The Mark Messier Leadership Award is not exclusive to superstars, but the character requirement is off the chart.   

It is onward and upward for us at Notinhalloffame.com, as we have added on to our Hockey Futures Section, with the creation of the 2025 dropdown of the former players who are eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame that year.

Those who you can now vote and give your opinions on are:

Alexander Semin:  Semin had three 70-Point NHL Seasons, and had a World Championship Gold Medal with Russia.

Andrej Sekara:  The former Defenseman is mostly known for his time in Buffalo, and he represented Slovakia multiple times.  He also won a Silver Medal in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey representing Team Europe.

Duncan Keith:  Keith was one of the cornerstones of Chicago’s success in the first half of the 2010s, winning three Stanley Cups and two Norris Trophies.  A Conn Smythe Winner in 2015, Keith also won two Olympic Gold Medals for Canada.

Dustin Brown:  Brown helped lead Los Angeles win two Stanley Cups, and would win the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2014.  He is also an Olympic Silver Medalist with the United States in 2010.

Frans Nielsen:  Nielsen had a nice career in the NHL, and he was a member of Team Europe’s Silver Medal winning team in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.  He represented Denmark in all other international competitions.

James Garrison:  Garrison played for five NHL teams, and the Defenseman helped Canada win the 2005 World Championships.

Jason Spezza:  The Center was a two-time All-Star with his best years coming in Ottawa.  He won two Silver Medals for Canada in World Hockey Championship competition.

Keith Yandle:  Yandle was briefly the NHL’s ironman, having played in 989 consecutive Games.  The Defenseman was also a three-time All-Star.

P.K. Subban:  Subban won the Norris Trophy and was a two-time First Team All-Star when he played for Montreal, and would add a Second Team All-Star accolade as a Nashville Predator.  He also won an Olympic Gold Medal with Canada in 2014.

Ryan Getzlaf:  Getzlaf played his entire NHL career with Anaheim, winning a Stanley Cup as a rookie in 2007.  The Forward was a Second Team All-Star in 2014, and would win two Olympic Gold Medals for Canada.

Tuukka Rask:  A very successful Goalie who played his entire career in Boston, Rask backstopped the Bruins to a Stanley Cup win in 2011, and was the Vezina winner in 2014.  He also represented Finland, winning Bronze in the 2014 Olympics.

Zdeno Chara:  The towering Defenseman won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins, and was a former Norris Trophy winner.  A three-time First Team All-Star, Chara is also a former Mark Messier Leadership Award winner, and he represented Slovakia internationally.  He is another person on this list who won a Silver Medal for Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

The entire 2025 Hockey Eligible Section can be found here.

As always, we thank you for your support!

Standing at 6' 9" and born in the former Czechoslovakia, Zdeno Chara was a Third Round Pick in 1996 by the New York Islanders, but while he made the team a year later, he never figured into their long-term plans.  A trade to obtain the disgruntled Alexei Yashin sent Chara to Ottawa, and it would be evident in a few years that it was the Slovak Defenseman who was the best player in the deal.

Chara developed on the offensive side with the Senators, utilizing his size and booming shot to become a feared attacker while controlling his own blue line.  Chara moved to elite status in Ottawa, earning his first post-season All-Star honors (First Team in 2004 and Second Team in 2006) and was the anchor of a potent Sens team, but as this was a small market, Chara's skills soon exceeded what Ottawa could pay.

Chara signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006, and as good as he was in the Canadian Capital, he was even better in New England.  Named the Captain as soon as he arrived, Chara played for Boston for 14 seasons, collecting five more post-season All-Stars and the coveted Norris Trophy as the NHL's top Defenseman in 2009.  He led Boston to win the 2011 Stanley Cup, holding it higher than anyone else and did so in the same year he won the Mark Messier Leadership Award.

Chara finished his career in his 40s, with a season each in Washington and the New York Islanders.

Chara retires with the most Games Played by a Defenseman (1,652) and set records as the oldest Defenseman to score in the playoffs.

Internationally, “Big Z” won Silver as a representative of Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with two Silvers for Slovakia (2000 & 2012) in the World Hockey Championships.

Chara is an excellent bet for first-ballot entry.

We could argue that this is one of the biggest retirements in Hockey history.

Standing at 6’9”, Slovakia’s Zdeno Chara signed a one-day contract with the team he had his greatest success, the Boston Bruins, where he officially ended his career.

Born in the former Czechoslovakia, Chara was a Third Round Pick in 1996 by the New York Islanders, but while he made the team a year later, he never figured into their long-term plans.  A trade to obtain the disgruntled Alexei Yashin sent Chara to Ottawa, and it would be evident in a few years that it was the Slovak Defenseman who was the best player in the deal.

With the Senators, Chara developed on the offensive side, utilizing his size and booming shot to become a fear attacker, while controlling his own blueline.  Chara moved to elite status in Ottawa, earning his first post-season All-Star honors (First Team in 2004 and Second Team in 2006) and was the anchor of a potent Sens team, but as this was a small market, Chara’s skills soon exceeded what Ottawa could pay.

Chara signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006 and as good as he was in the Canadian Capital, he was even better in New England.  Named the Captain as soon as he arrived, Chara played for Boston for 14 seasons, collecting five more post-season All-Stars, along with the coveted Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2009.  He led Boston to win the 2011 Stanley Cup, holding it higher than anyone else, and did so in the same year he won the Mark Messier Leadership Award.

Chara finished his career into his 40s, with a season each in Washington and the New York Islanders.

Chara retires with the most Games Played by a Defenseman (1,652), and set records as the oldest Defenseman to score in the playoffs.

Internationally, “Big Z” won Silver as a representative of Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with two Silvers for Slovakia (2000 & 2012) in the World Hockey Championships.

Chara will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025, and is an excellent bet for first ballot entry.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Zdeno Chara the best in his post-playing career. 

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the third revision of our top 50 Boston Bruins of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

This is the second revision, and our first in two years.

The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Bobby Orr

2. Eddie Shore

3. Ray Bourque

4. Phil Esposito

5. Milt Schmidt

The top five remains unaltered from our initial rank but there are some significant jumps and three new entries.

Zdeno Chara cracks the top ten, moving from #11 to #9.  Goalie, Tuukka Rask moves from #36 to #30.

The three new ranked players are Brad Marchand (#32), David Pastrnak (#38) and Torey Krug (#42).

We admit to erring that Marchand should have been ranked three years ago.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Was the Stanley Cup ever held higher than when Zdeno Chara hoisted it in 2011?

Like I said in part one, this isn’t meant to be scientific.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

The Hockey Hall of Fame works a little faster than other North American sports hall doesn’t it?

With only a three year waiting period after retirement from the game (playing in Europe still counts as being active), we have decided some time ago that active players over the age of thirty-five would be profiled and made available for your vote.

Rather than only mention the new entries, we are listing all of the “TBD” players who are currently in that section.

The players listed are as follows:


Alex Tanguay, a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche and an All Star in 2004.

Andrei Markov, a two time All Star and member of the 2011 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Champions.

Brad Richards, a key member of the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup winners and past winner of the Conn Smythe and Lady Byng Trophies.

Brian Campbell, a member of Chicago’s 2010 Stanley Cup Champs and was once a Second Team All Star and Lady Byng winner.

Dan Boyle, a two time All Star Defenceman and member of the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup Champions.

Eric Brewer, a traditional Defenceman who won Olympic and World Cup Gold with Canada.

Jarome Iginla, a former Art Ross Trophy Winner, two time Goal Scoring Champion, two time Olympic Gold Medalist and three time First Team All Star.

Jaromir Jagr, a scoring machine who has won two Stanley Cups, an Olympic Gold Medal, a Hart Trophy, and has appeared in nine All Star Games.

Joe Thornton, a former Hart Trophy winner and multi-time All Star with both the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks.

Lubomir Visnovsky, an All Star in 2007 and four time representative for Slovakia in the Olympics.

Marian Hossa, a three time Stanley Cup Champion with the Chicago Blackhawks and one time Second Team All Star.

Mark Streit, a four time Olympian with Switzerland and one time NHL All Star.

Mike Ribeiro, a one time All Star known for his shooting accuracy.

Niklas Backstrom, a Finnish Goalie who has played his NHL career thus far with Minnesota Wild.

Olli Jokinen, a multi time Finnish Olympian who was an All Star in 2003.

Patrik Elias, a ling time player for the New Jersey Devils with two Stanley Cup Rings and three All Star nods. 

Patrick Marleau, a longtime San Jose Shark with two Olympic Gold Medals and three NHL All Star Games.

Pavel Datsyuk, a Russian who won two Stanley Cup Rings (Detroit), the Lady Byng four times and the Frank J. Selke Award three times.

Roberto Luongo, a two time Gold Medalist with Canada and three time NHL All Star.

Scott Gomez, the Alaska born forward who won two Stanley Cups with New Jersey and was the Calder Trophy Winner in 2000.

Sergei Gonchar, a smooth Russian who is a four time Al Star.

Shane Doan, who spent most of his career with the Coyotes and is a two time NHL All Star.

Shawn Horcoff, who was a one time NHL All Star. 

Simon Gagne, who is a former Olympic Gold Medalist and Stanley Cup Champion.

Stephane Robidas, a one time All Star Defenceman.

Vincent LeCavalier, a four time All Star, Stanley Cup Champion with Tampa Bay and a former Rocket Richard Award winner.

Zdeno Chara, a former Norris Trophy winner, six time post season All Star and Stanley Cup Champion with the Boston Bruins

I think you know what we are looking for you to do!

When your time permits, take a look at this group and let us know if their Hall of Fame inductions are justified!

At an imposing six foot nine, Slovakian Defenseman, Zdeno Chara is not just an imposing figure on the ice; he is a spectacular player as well. Chara won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top Defenceman in 2009, but has also been named to a Post Season All Star team six times. In 2011, Chara was the Captain of the Boston Bruins when they won the Stanley Cup. Realistically, is there any reason to think that he hasn’t done enough to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame?