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.
While the term of having a lot of heart is applied to athletes a lot, almost to the point of being a cliché, you can’t say that about Saku Koivu.
Dustin Brown played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Kings, debuting for the squad in 2003 and playing in SoCal until 2022. A natural leader, the native of Ithaca, New York, was L.A.'s 12th Overall Pick in 2003, making the team quickly and was consistently one of the team's…
The Montreal Canadians are one of the most successful franchises in NHL history and Jean Guy Talbot is a significant part of that success. Talbot was a member of seven Stanley Cup wins and would play in six All Star Games. A somewhat forgotten member of those teams, Talbot was…
During the heyday of Pierre Larouche, there were few hockey players who had a more gifted scoring touch. Larouche was (at the time) the youngest player to net 50 goals per season and was the first to score 50 goals a season for two different teams. Scoring was never a…
Milan Hejduk played 1,020 Games in the National Hockey League all with the Colorado Avalanche, which is a franchise record. A solid scorer who accumulated 805 Points, the Czech born star would assist the Avs win the Stanley Cup in 2001. Two years later Hejduk would have his best individual…
From the Original Six, Sid Smith was a consistent star for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 50’s. Smith was a solid 20 goal scorer (a big deal for that era) but it always seemed that whenever Smith would put the puck in the net it would be in pivotal…
The talented Slovakian player was a very good scorer in the National Hockey League and in International play, but Pavol Demitra is probably best known these days for his tragic end. Demitra was killed in the tragic plane crash that killed the entire Lokomotiv squad from the Russian League. We…
Physical stay-at-home defenseman don’t get a lot of love outside of their home but home fans know the value they bring. This is why there was never any issue in regards to limited offence that Terry Harper brought to the table.
Before Tiger Woods jumped upon the golf world, the most famous sports feline was that of Dave “Tiger” Williams. The rugged enforcer set the career mark for most penalty minutes of all time, and chances are if you saw a game with Tiger in it, he would be watching the…
While John Ross Roach may not have led the NHL in Goals Against Average he was a workhorse for years. Roach played every game in the net for nine of his fourteen NHL seasons with a very good career GAA of 2.80. Twice leading the league in Wins, Roach was…
One of two players that won the Hart Trophy without being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Al Rollins would win the Hart in 1954, a season in which he actually led the NHL in Losses. Rollins then played for the Chicago Blackhawks, which were then the worst team…
A very potent offensive defenseman, Steve Duchesne went from undrafted to playing sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League. That in itself was an impressive feat but Duchesne would be an NHL All-Star three times and would finish fifth in Norris Trophy voting twice.
Garry Galley may not leap off of the page as someone who had a really good career in the NHL, but this was a player who had an even 600 Points, an excellent number for a blueliner. Galley was a two-time All-Star who played well over 1,100 Games professionally. The…
A three-time post season NHL All Star from the 1930’s, Cecil Dillon is a forgotten star from the era. The first ever Ohio born player in the NHL helped the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1933, and would lead he playoffs in scoring. Dillon would also finish…
Jim Neilson spent the majority of his career with the New York Rangers where he studied under the great Doug Harvey and mentored a young Brad Park. Part Cree, “Chief” was an underrated presence in the league but he did represent the Rangers twice in the All-Star Game and was…
Brad McCrimmon was an underappreciated Defenceman in terms of his overall performance in the NHL. While he played for seven NHL teams, he is (or at least should be) be best known for his time in Calgary where he helped the Flames win the Stanley Cup and was the NHL…
Evgeni Nabokov took his time to enter North America after being a late-round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks in 1994. Six years later, the Goalie would make his debut with the San Jose and is, without doubt, the best backstop in franchise history.
In the National Hockey League, Ziggy Palffy did not have the pleasure of playing for a lot of good teams as he was only in the playoffs for three of his twelve seasons in North America. Still, in a career split with the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings…
A very good power forward, Owen Nolan combined skill and strength to create a solid career in the National Hockey League. Nolan had over 400 goals (and 400 assists) and was a staple on many power play units in his career. As good as he was, Nolan often was not…
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…