“The Killer” Brian Kilrea did not have much of a career as a player in the National Hockey League (though he does have the distinction of scoring the first ever goal for the Los Angeles Kings), but it was his role as a coach in the Ontario Hockey League that truly made him a name. Kilrea would spend most of his coaching career in Ottawa with the 67’s and won the Memorial Cup twice, the OHL Coach of the Year five times and would be the winningest coach in OHL history. It may not be a Hall of Fame career by NHL standards, but this is the HOCKEY Hall of Fame after all.

Roger Neilson never won the Stanley Cup, nor was he ever named the Jack Adams Trophy winner for NHL Coach of the Year. Actually, Neilson bounced around as the bench boss for several National Hockey League teams during his career. It would appear on the surface that his induction is not exactly warranted, and the sympathy that he got throughout Hockey fans for his courageous fight against cancer (he was diagnosed in 1999, and continued to coach) may have been part of it. We hate to say it, but he was inducted in 2002, eight months before he passed away, so we wonder if this is a case of the Hall of Fame being nice to someone who was an all-around good man. That may have been the case, but there are other factors worth discussing.

Rod Langway was a bit of a throwback in his time as the NHL was becoming accustomed to Defencemen becoming scoring threats. Langway was not one to light the lamp, but he was traditional tough as nails blue liner who knew every trick to get the puck outside of his end and sacrifice every part of his body to accomplish it. He really came into his own in the early 80’s and he won two consecutive Norris Trophies with the Washington Capitals, a team whose culture he helped to change. He was not a flashy player, but every defensive corps needs a player like Rod Langway.

We will openly question this Hall of Fame induction. Although we respect the career of Clark Gillies, his Hall resume looks a little weak. Granted he was a good part of four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders, and he was on a star line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier; however he was the third amigo on that line. Gillies was a decent scorer, and the rugged enforcer on the line, but at no time did he get 40 goals or 100 points in what was becoming an era where many players hit those levels.