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 477 career NHL points (and 283 in the WHA), the professional statistics speak to a very good player but not that of the Hall of Famer. This is very much the consensus of most hockey pundits and fans alike. However, we all know of that intangible of the 1972…
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…
A long tenured layer for the New Jersey Devils, Patrik Elias established himself as one of the top players ever to play in the Garden State. Elias would progress to a 1,025 point career and anyone who does that (especially after the dead puck era) is at least in the…
It is hard to call someone with the skill set of Andy Moog unfortunate, but he did emerge as star goaltender around 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…
From the Soviet Union, Vladimir Krutov was one of the superstars of the Red Army team that terrorized International Hockey throughout the 1980’s. 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. …
In 1999 Master Card named the all 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…
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 with and the owner of an accurate…
Without a doubt there was a slew of phenomenal players who came out of the Soviet Union and the machine that was the Red Army. One such great player is blueliner Alexi Kasatonov, who played for the elite national team throughout the 1980’s where he was a two time Olympic…
Arguably the best player 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 the…
A two-time All-Star with a 22-year professional career, Mathieu Schneider was one of the best American born blueliner in the game’s history. Schneider was adept on the offensive side of the game as he scored over 700 Points and Internationally played for the U.S. on their 1996 World Cup winning…
As a skill player for the Philadelphia Flyer,s the speedy and undersized Andre Lacroix was a star but not necessarily a superstar. Lacroix was one of the many who took the pay increase to join the WHA, and the more open game worked towards his style of play. Lacroix may…
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 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, but were among the best of his time.
Although many people have laced up the skates for the New Jersey Devils, there were many who thought that Pat Verbeek may very well be one. Verbeek was a tough player who logged over 2,500 in penalty minutes and was as pesky a player as they came. Verbeek could put…
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 point by a…
When Rick Tocchet entered the National Hockey League, he seemingly did so with the strength of his pugilistic skills. Tocchet still fought, but by his fourth season he emerged as an effective scorer as well. Tocchet was as hard nosed as they came and was the quintessential power forward of…
Before his record was broken by Doug Jarvis, Garry Unger was considered the NHL’s Iron Man. Unger played in 914 consecutive games which was a phenomenal accomplishment, considering the rough nature of Professional Hockey. Unger did not just play in those games; he was a seven-time All-Star who was able…
With the distinction the first ever Russian born player to be drafted in the first round by a team in the National Hockey League, Alexei Kovalev did not disappoint. Kovalev would score over 1,000 Points in the NHL and is a winner of the Stanley Cup and a Gold Medal…
Jason Spezza was the second overall pick in the 2001 Draft, chosen by the Ottawa Senators and selected behind Ilya Kovalchuk. Braking out in 2005-06 with a 90 Point Season, Spezza followed that with 87 and 92 Point years, respectively, and was a top player on a contending team, though Ottawa…
You have to think that if you were a kid growing up in Montreal your hockey related dreams might involve winning a Stanley Cup for your beloved Habs. If this was the case for Vincent Damphousse than Mission Accomplished! Damphousse hoisted the Stanley Cup as a first-line centre for his…
It is funny how Ron Hextall may be known more for the one goal (though he did do it again in a playoff game) he scored as opposed to the many he prevented. Hextall was a fearless player who had no qualms leaving the net showcasing his skating acumen. In…