Does Buddy O’Connor Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Buddy O’Connor was the first ever Hall of Fame inductee of the old Veteran’s Committee. He is one of only 4 Rangers to ever win the Hart Trophy.

But we’re not sure O’Connor deserved his Hart. And, if he didn’t deserve the trophy, his case isn’t so good. He had some good seasons but he was arguably never the best player in the league.

So, does Buddy O’Connor belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen to us discuss it here:

Buddy O’Connor’s Career:

• NHL: 1941-51; 10 seasons, 9 quality
• Totals:
  • 140G,
  • 257A (9th All Time at his retirement) for
  • 397P (24th All Time at his retirement) in
  • 509 Games;
  • 33.3 PS;
• Per Game: O’Connor doesn’t quality for the leader-boards, but if the qualifiers are lowered to half of what they normally are,at his retirement  O’Connor was
  • 7th All Time in APG
• Era: Of the 17 skaters to play in at least 410 games (5 modern seasons), O’Connor is
  • 10th in Goals
  • 11th in GPG (doesn’t actually qualify)
  • 3rd in Assists
  • 5th in APG (doesn’t actually qualify)
  • 4th in Points
  • 8th in PPG (doesn’t actually qualify)
  • 9th in Offensive Point Shares
  • 9th in Defensive Point Shares (4th Forward)
  • 13th in Point Shares
  • 1st in Games
• 82-game average: 23G, 41A for 64P
• 3-year peak (1942-45): 50-game average of 17G, 38A for 55P
• No possession stats
• Playoffs:
  • 15G (t-21st All Time at his retirement),
  • 21A (13th All Time at his retirement) for
  • 36P (t-16th All Time at his retirement) in
  • 53 Games
  • Per Game: O’Connor doesn’t meet the requirements but if they are halved, at his retirement, O’Connor was
    • 13th All Time in playoff APG
    • 13th All Time in playoff PPG
  • Era: Of the 27 players to play in at least 41 playoff games between 1941 and 1951, O’Connor is
    • 9th in playoff Goals
    • 9th in playoff GPG
    • 7th in playoff Assists
    • 5th in playoff APG
    • 8th in playoff Points
    • 7th in playoff PPG
    • 8th in playoff Games
• Adjusted:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 163G,
    • 351A for
    • 514P
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 26G, 57A for 83P
    • Per Game: doesn’t qualify
  • VsX:
    • Goals: doesn’t qualify
    • 508A
    • Points: doesn’t qualify
    • Per Game:
      • 19th All time in VsX Adjusted APG
• Trades:
  • Traded at 20 to the Maroons for Sammy McManus (24)
  • Traded at 22 to the Canadiens for cash
  • Traded at 31 with Frank Eddols (26) to the Rangers for Joe Bell (23)l, Hal Laycoe (25), Georger Robertson (19)

Buddy O’Connor’s Accomplishments:

• Hart (‘48)
• Top 5 in Calder voting
• Byng (‘48)
• All Star:
  • 2nd Team All Star once
  • 1 All Star Game appearance
• Top Player:
  • Top 5 Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘48)
• Goals:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 10 in Goals once
  • GPG leader-boards:
    • Top in GPG once
  • Totals:
    • 20 goals twice
• Assists:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Assists three times
    • Top 10 four times
  • APG leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in APG four times
  • Totals:
    • 40 assists twice (1 of only 6 players ever at his retirement)
• Points:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Points once
    • Top 10 twice
  • PPG leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in PPG once
  • Totals:
    • 60 points once
    • 50 points three times (1 of only 17 players ever at his retirement)
• VsX Peak:
  • Best 7 Seasons:
    • Goals: doesn’t qualify
    • Assists: 89th All Time
    • Points: 243rd All Time
  • Best 10 Seasons:
    • Goals: doesn’t qualify
    • Assists: 106th All Time
    • Points: 231st All time

Buddy O’Connor’s Great Team:

• NHL:
  • Best Player (by points) on one Final Four (‘43 Canadiens)
  • Top 3? Forward (tied with 4 other players for the team lead in points) on one Final Four (‘48 Rangers)
  • Top 6 Forward (by points) on two Runners Up (‘47 Canadiens, ‘50 Rangers) and one Final Four (‘42 Canadiens)
  • Top 9 Forward (by points) on two Champions (‘44, ‘46 Canadiens)
  • Injured? (didn’t score and missed 4 games) on one Final Four (‘45 Canadiens)