August 2020 Archives

Does Bobby Smith Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bobby Smith was a star for the North Stars and then the Habs. But he has pretty mediocre offensive numbers given when he played. But then he has remarkably high playoff point totals.

So does he belong or not?

Listen to us talk about Bobby Smith here:

The Top 21 Trades in Vancouver Canucks History

When Riley first proposed the idea of a Best and Worst Trades in Canucks history to his co-host Bill thought one list would be clearly longer than the latter.

But, unlike our list of Leafs trades, the Canucks actually do better by our metric. (See the bottom of this page for the methodology.) The Canucks are a net plus in Point Shares for all trades in franchise history through the 2020 pandemic, and not just by a little bit: they are plus 717.5 total Point Shares across just over 300 transactions. That’s a pretty good +2 ish Point Shares per trade.

Here are the best of those trades. See our list of the Top 25 Best Trades in Toronto Maple Leafs History for a little bit more of an explanation as to the ranking. And don’t forget to check out our list of the Worst Canucks Trades of All Time.

Stats are as of the pandemic closure.

Does Cully Wilson Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Cully Wilson was a notorious goon of a hockey player. He is also one of the rare early pros to have success in all four major pro leagues. Does he belong in the Hall of Fame?

Listen to us talk about Cully Wilson:

Is Mark Messier the Greatest Leader in Hockey History?

The narrative is that Mark Messier is the Greatest Leader/Captain in NHL history, probably hockey history and (depending upon who you talk to) maybe even in pro sports history.

So the question isn’t whether or not he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but how good he was. And do his “intangibles” make up for never being a top offensive player ever during the course of his career?

Listen to us talk bout Mark Messier:

Does Dale Hunter Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

No, Dale Hunter does not belong in the Hall of Fame.

So why did we talk about him? Well, he’s 2nd All Time in Penalties in Minutes, for one thing. And there was a time when that, um, meant something.

Listen to us talk about Dale Hunter:

Does Bernie Morris Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bernie Morris had one of the greatest Stanley Cup Finals performances in hockey history, scoring 14 of his team’s 23 goals (in 4 games!) in 1917. But he is not in the Hall of Fame.

In this episode, we discuss his career and his case. Listen here:

Does Igor Larionov Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

One of the Russian Five, Larionov has had team success wherever he’s gone. But his individual success only ever occurred outside of the NHL. Does he belong?

Listen here:

Does Anders Hedberg Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Anders Hedberg’s Hall of Fame case is very similar to that of his countryman’s, Ulf Nilsson. Both came to North America at the same time. Both dominated the WHA and won Avo Cups. And then they left the Jets together for the Rangers, where they had some team success and less individual success. (And lots of injury problems.)

Are his WHA numbers enough?

Find out: