Does George Armstrong Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

George Armstrong was the Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and won some Cups. (4, to be precise.) But he was never an offensive star.

Was he a good enough defensive forward that he belongs in the Hall of Fame? We don’t know, we weren’t there. But people say that about his teammates Dave Keon and Bob Pulford. Armstrong wasn’t the offensive player they were. And how many “All Time Great” defensive forwards are we willing to put on the 1960s Leafts?

Listen to us discuss George Armstrong’s Hall of Fame case here:

George Armstrong’s Career:

• NHL: 1949-71; 21 seasons, 15 quality
• Totals:
  • 296G (16th All Time at his retirement),
  • 417A (20th All Time at his retirement) for
  • 713P (16th All Time at his retirement),
  • +101 in
  • 1188 Games (11th All Time at his retirement);
  • 66 Point Shares;
  • Among Forwards, Armstrong was 12th/10th All Time in Defensive Point Shares at his retirement
• Per Game: Not in the Top 25 at his retirement
• Era: Of the 12 skaters to play in at least 1148 games (14 modern seasons) between 1949 and 1971, Armstrong is
  • 4th (3rd last forward) in Goals
  • 4th in GPG
  • 5th (2nd last forward) in Assists
  • 4th in APG (3rd last forward)
  • 5th (3rd last forward) in Points
  • 5th in PPG (3rd last forward)
  • 4th in Plus/Minus
  • 5th (3rd last forward) in Offensive Point Shares
  • 10th (3rd last) in Defensive Point Shares (4th/5th Forward)
  • 9th in Point Shares
• 82-game average: 21G, 29A for 49P, +7*
• 3-year peak (1955-1958): 70-game average of 20G, 32A for 52P
• Playoffs:
  • 26G (t-20th All Time at his retirement),
  • 34A for
  • 60P (t-24th All Time at his retirement),
  • +16* (t-18th All Time at his retirement) in
  • 110 Games (21st All Time at his retirement)
  • Per Game: At his retirement, Armstrong was not in the Top 25
  • Era: Of the 40 skaters to play in 82 playoff games between 1949 and 1971, Armstrong is
    • 15th in playoff Goals
    • 17th in playoff GPG (21 qualifying skaters)
    • 22nd in playoff Assists
    • 22nd (2nd last among qualifying skaters) in playoff APG
    • 19th in playoff Points
    • 21st (3rd last among qualifying skaters) in playoff PPG
    • 8th in playoff Plus/Minus
    • 18th in playoff Games
• Adjustment for era:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 334G
    • 479A for
    • 813P
    • Per Game: Obviously not in the Top 25
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 23G, 33A for 56P (+4P per 82 games)
  • VsX:
    • 434G
    • 649A
    • 914P
    • Per Game: Not remotely in the Top 25
• Trades: Never traded

George Armstrong’s Accomplishments:

• All Star:
  • 7 All Star Game appearances
• Top Player: never a top player by Point Shares
• Goals:
  • 20 Goals four times
• Points:
  • PPG lead-boards:
    • Top 10 once
  • Single-season totals:
    • 50 points three times
• Plus Minus:
  • Top 5 in Plus/Minus once
• VsX Peak:
  • Top 7 Seasons: Doesn’t qualify
  • Top 10 Seasons:
    • Goals: 218th All Time
    • Assists: 248th All Time
    • Points: doesn’t qualify

George Armstrong’s Great teams:

• NHL:
  • Best Skater (by points) on one Final Four (‘56 Leafs)
  • Top 3 Forward (by points, led playoffs in plus/minus) on two Champions (‘63, ‘64 Leafs)
  • Top 3 Forward (by points) on one Champion (‘62 Leafs) and one Final Four (‘61 Leafs)
  • Top 6 Forward (by points) on one Runner Up (‘60 Leafs), and four Final Fours (‘52, ‘54, ‘55, ‘66 Leafs)
  • Top 9 Forward on one Champion (‘67 Leafs), one Runner Up (‘59 Leafs) and one Final Four (‘65 Leafs)