Does Harry Cameron Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Harry Cameron was a dynamic offensive player from the blue line well before that was a common feature of NHL D.

Was he one of the greatest D of his era or of all time or is it more likely that the position had yet to be defined properly?

Listen to us talk about Harry Cameron:

Harry Cameron’s Career:

• NHL: 1917-1923; 6 seasons, all quality
• Totals:
  • 88G (8th All Time at his release),
  • 51A (3rd)
  • for 139P (6th) in
  • 128 games (5th);
  • 28.6 PS (1st All Time at his release)
  • 6th All Time in Offensive Point Shares when he left the NHL
  • 5th in Defensive Point Shares when he left the NHL
• Per Game: He doesn’t qualify, but if a games played qualifier is set low enough for him to qualify, when he left the NHL, Cameron was
  • 10th in GPG,
  • 5th in APG and
  • 9th in PPG
• 82-game average: 57G, 33A for 89P
• 3-year peak (1919-22): 24-game average of 17G, 10A for 28P
• NHL Playoffs:
  • 5G (t-5th All Time, t-1st D, at his retirement – Lalonde, Cy Denneny, Odie Cleghorn, Georges Boucher)
  • 4A (t-4th All Time, 1st D, at his retirement – Nighbor, Berlinguette, Broadbent) for
  • 9P (4th All Time, 1st D, at his retirement – Lalonde, Denneny, Nighbor) in
  • 11 games (t-1st All Time at his retirement)
  • Per Game: Obviously Cameron doesn’t qualify but if we lower the qualifiers so the he qualifies (5G, 5P), at his retirement he was
    • t-5th All Time (last among qualifying players) in playoff GPG (Lalonde, Cleghorn, Denneny, Malone)
    • 6th All Time in playoff PPG
  • Era: Of the 5 skaters to play in at least 10 NHL playoff games between 1917 and 1923, Cameron is
    • t-2nd in Goals
    • t-2nd in GPG
    • 2nd in Assists
    • 2nd in APG
    • 2nd in Points
    • 2nd in PPG
• Adjusted:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 117G,
    • 231A for
    • 348P
    • Adjusted 82-game average: A preposterous 75G, 148A for 223P
    • Per Game: Cameron doesn’t qualify but, if the qualifier is set at an absurd 82 games, Cameron is
      • 2nd All Time in Adjusted Points Per Game
  • VsX: Doesn’t qualify
• Trades:
  • Loaned at 28 to Ottawa to complete a transaction for Rusty Crawford (33)
  • Traded at 29 to Montreal for Goldie Prodgers (28)
  • Traded at 30 to Toronto for Goldie Prodgers (29) and Joe Matter (27)
  • Waived out of the NHL at 33
• NHA:
  • 1912-17; 6 seasons, 5 quality
  • Totals:
    • 53G (as high as 16th All Time),
    • 20A (as high as 11th) for
    • 73P (as high as 15th) in
    • 100 games (maybe 10th)
  • Per Game: Assuming a minimum 82 games played, when the NHA became the NHL, Cameron might have been
    • 10th All Time in GPG,
    • 5th in APG and
    • 11th in PPG
  • 24-game average: 13G, 5A for 18P
  • Re-assigned in a dispersal draft
• WCHL (as a forward):
  • 1923-26; 9 game comeback in 1932-33; 3 seasons, 2 quality (not including comeback)
  • Totals:
    • 32G (as high as 19th All Time, but unlikely),
    • 20A (as high as 13th All Time),
    • 52P (as high as 16th) in
    • 96 games
  • Per Game: Assuming a games played qualifier, Cameron may be as high as
    • 13th All Time in GPG,
    • 10th in APG and
    • 14th in PPG
  • 30-game average:10G, 6A for 16P
  • Never traded.

Harry Cameron’s Accomplishments:

• NHL:
  • Top Player:
    • Top 5 Player (by Point Shares) twice (’18, ’22),
    • Top 10 five times (’19, ’20, ’21)
    • Top 5 Offensive Player (by OPS) four times (’18, ’19, ’21, ’22)
    • Top 5 Defensive Player (by DPS) three times (’18, ’20, ’21),
    • Top 10 six times (’19, ’22, ’23)
• Goals:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 10 in Goals four times
  • GPG leader-boards:
    • Top 10 in GPG once
  • Single-season totals:
    • 15 goals four times (only D to do so when he left the NHL),
    • 10 goals five times (only D to do so when he left the NHL)
• Assists:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Set the single season assist record in the first NHL season (along with 3 other players) but then he re-set the record, which lasted until the 1926-27 season
    • Led the league in Assists twice,
    • Top 5 three times
  • APG leader-boards:
    • Set the single-season record for APG, which held up until 1929-30, at which point the NHL was counting the secondary assists at least some of the time
    • Led the league in APG once,
    • Top 5 twice,
    • Top 10 three times
• Top 5 in Points once, Top 10 thrice
• Top 5 in PPG once, Top 10 thrice.

Harry Cameron’s Great Teams

• NHL:
  • Best Skater? (set the NHL playoff assist record) on one Stanley Cup Champion (’18 Arenas)
  • Best Skater? (led NHL playoffs in assists) on one Stanley Cup Champion (’22 St. Patricks),
  • Best Skater? (by points) on one NHL Runner Up (’19 Senators),
  • Unknown Role (because his team didn’t score any goals) on one NHL Runner Up (’21 St. Patricks)
• NHA:
  • Top 4? Defenceman (by points) on one National Hockey Association Stanley Cup Champion (’14 Blueshirts)