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.
Born in South Africa but raised in Canada, Olaf Kolzig had a pretty good career in the National Hockey League where he played all but his final season with the Washington Capitals. “Olie the Goalie” would get into a grove in his seventh season where he finished fifth in Vezina…
As one of the rare players in NHL history who has netted 60 Goals on a season, you would think that Dennis Maruk would have received more recognition in his career. Actually, he still is.
Ron Ellis spent his entire professional career with the Toronto Maple Leafs where as one of the teams young guns he helped the Buds win the 1967 Stanley Cup. Prior to that, Ellis established himself as the runner-up to the Calder Trophy in the 1964-65 season and he was known…
Somehow, Ed Litzenberger has not been remembered for his accomplishments in hockey despite having a resume chocked full of accomplishments. Traded from the loaded (or gifted depending on your point of view) Montreal Canadiens in his rookie season, Litzenberger would win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
Before he played his first game for the Montreal Canadiens, Bobby Rousseau was a member of the Canadian Team that won the Silver Medal at the 1960 Olympics. Rousseau was one of the main stars of that team and he would parlay that success to a very good career in…
The NHL expansion sure was a friend to Bill White as at the age of 28 he found a spot with the Los Angeles Kings and would emerge as their top blueliner. White’s skills would increase into his 30’s and a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks would see him make…
Darryl Sydor was never going to be considered the top blueliner for your team but for years he was an upper echelon player for multiple National Hockey League teams. Sydor was a two time All Star and assisted two teams (Dallas & Tampa Bay) win the Stanley Cup. Over a…
A good offensive defenseman, Dan Boyle came into his own late in his career. Boyle became a two time All Star (and a second team post season All Star selection) after he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win a Stanley Cup in 2004. Had Boyle come into his own in…
An All Star four times over his career, Bob Nevin provided solid two way hockey in his 1,100 plus games in the NHL. After helping the Toronto Maple Leafs win two Stanley Cups in 1961 and 1962 he was traded to the New York Rangers where he would accrue five…
Claude Lemieux was known for being a playoff superstar, which he was! He is currently fourth all-time in Playoff Games and he scored 158 Points in those post-season contests. Lemieux is one of only ten players to have captured the Stanley Cup with three different teams (Montreal, New Jersey and…
Rene Robert is best known in hockey for his time with the Buffalo Sabres where he was a member of the famed “French Connection” Line with Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin. Robert helped Buffalo reach the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals (they would lose to Philadelphia) and that was the season…
When you have a nickname of “Old Hardrock” you kind of get an idea of just what type of Defenseman that Gus Mortson was. From Northern Ontario he was paired with another youngster in Jim Thomson and they would become the ”Gold Dust Twins”.
Although the career of Sean Burke was a long and prosperous one, it can be argued that he didn’t live up to the overall expectations that he came with when he entered the National Hockey League. Burke was a star for the Canadian National Team. Many thought that his first…
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…
Was Kevin Stevens a superstar forward in the shadow of Mario Lemieux or was he was only a superstar because of Lemieux? Many asked that question as Kevin Stevens topped over 100 points twice and was among the league leaders. The answer may have been somewhere in between. Stevens may…
Ron Greschner played 984 Games in the National Hockey League, all of which were the New York Rangers. While the blueshirts were not always a star team when Greschner was there but the popular Ranger was more than capable of showcasing his exceptional skill against one in the league. Greschner…
From the famous Boucher hockey family (two of his brothers, Frank and George are in the Hockey Hall of Fame) Billy Boucher was a very good player in his own right and was Stanley Cup Champion in 1924 with the Montreal Canadiens. Bucher debuted in Montreal in the 1921/22 season…
It took a while before Miroslav Satan found his groove in pro hockey, but once he did he emerged as the scoring star for the Buffalo Sabres in the late ’90s. Satan was good, but leading Buffalo in scoring still did not put him among the elite in the NHL…
Derian Hatcher was not the type of Defenseman who was going to light the lamp on a regular basis but he was the type of blueliner who was going to keep you from doing it.
Born in Liverpool, England, Alex Smith was raised in Ottawa and would become one of the best players ever to come out of that area. Smith was a star with the original Ottawa Senators where he helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1927. Twice as a Senator he would…