December 2023 Archives

Does Walter “Babe” Pratt Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Babe Pratt had a reasonably strong career as an offensive D in the NHL with the Rangers, at least in terms of total points. (The early NHL had some D score a lot in 20-ish-game seasons.) Then he was traded to the Leafs, he broke D single-season scoring records and won the Hart.

Pratt’s Hall of Fame case rides almost entirely on his Hart season (and the season after). Does he belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen here:

Does Frank Brimsek Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Nicknamed “Mr. Zero,” was the first great American goaltender and the first American NHLer inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He won three awards and made the end-of-season All Star Team in 80% of his (very few) seasons in the NHL.

But he was rarely the best goaltender in a small NHL and a lot of his reputation seems to rest on his rookie season, in which he won the Calder and the Vezina (when it was the Jennings) and led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup.

So, does Frank Brimsek actually belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame for his NHL accomplishments?

Listen here:

Does Joseph Toe Blake Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Ralrton-Purina Company, maker of Chex cereals, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Before Toe Blake was one of the greatest coaches in NHL history, he was a pretty good player and one of the all time great playoff performers.

Listen to us talk about Toe Blake here:

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:

Keith Tkachuk, Eric Lindros, Harry Cameron