Does Joe Simpson Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bullet Joe Simpson was considered by none other than Newsy Lalonde as the best hockey player in the world. How good was he? How can we tell?

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Bullet Simpson’s Career:

• NHL: 1925-31; 6 seasons, 5 quality by DPS
• Totals:
  • 21G,
  • 19A for
  • 40P in
  • 228 games;
  • 20.7 PS
• Era: Of the 15 defensemen over 30 to play in at least 82 games between 1925 and 1931, Simpson is
  • 5th in Goals
  • 9th in GPG, APG and PPG
  • 4th in Assists, Points and Point Shares
  • 7th in Offensive Point Shares
  • 3rd in Defensive Point Shares
• 82-game average: 7G, 7A for 15P
• 3-year peak (1928-31): 44-game average of 4G, 5A for 10P, 4.8 PS
• Playoffs:
  • 0P in 2 games
• Adjusted:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 39G,
    • 83A for
    • 122P
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 14G, 30A for 44P (+34 per 82 Games)
  • VsX: doesn’t qualify
• Traded at 32 with Ron Rickey and John Morrison (30) into the NHL to the Americans for cash
• WCHL:
  • 1921-25; 4 seasons, all quality
  • 57G (as high as 9th All Time), 42A (as high as 6th) for 99P (as high as 8th) in 113 games (as high as 12th)
  • If the qualifier is set to 82 games played, Simpson is as high as 9th All Time in GPG, 4th in APG and 6th in PPG
  • 30-game average: 15G, 11A for 26P
  • Playoffs: 1G for 1P in 4 games
  • Traded out of the league when it folded

Bullet Simpson’s Accomplishments

• Top Player:
  • Top 5 Defensive Player (by DPS) once (‘31),
  • Top 10 twice (‘29)
• WCHL:
  • Goals:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Goals once,
      • Top 10 three times
    • GPG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in GPG probably once,
      • Top 10 at best three times (but maybe not)
  • Assists:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Assists three times (though at least once he had only half the league leader)
    • APG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in APG probably three times (though, again, at least once he only had half the league leader)
  • Points:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in Points once,
      • Top 10 three times
    • PPG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in PPG once,
      • Top 10 probably three times
  • All Star:
    • First Team All Star once
  • VsX Peak: doesn’t qualify

Bullet Simpson’s Great Teams

• WCHL:
  • Best D? On one WCHL Champion Stanley Cup Runner Up (‘23 Eskimos)
• Amateur:
  • Best Player? On one Allan Cup Champion (‘16 61st Battalion), which successfully defended three additional challenges