The Worst 25 Skaters in the Hockey Hall of Fame

Every NHL fan knows there are some NHL players who shouldn’t be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Over the years, some Hall of Famers have been announced and fans have been, like, “What?” incredulous that the player could be inducted, especially ahead of their favourite.

On the other hand, there are players who fans clamour for their induction and they never seem to make it.

We’ll get to the egregious oversights in another list. In this list we count down the absolute worst skaters. (We’ll do a separate list of goalies.)

Please note that we’re only talking about NHL Hall of Famers, here. It’s harder to figure out if any international or pre-NHL Hall of Famers didn’t deserve it and certainly there are too few international hockey players in the Hockey Hall of Fame anyway. Some players in the Hockey HOF should have been on this list but had international or pre-NHL cases so aren’t included here. Red Dutton is a good example of such a player; he wouldn’t make it by our method but he played long enough and well enough in the WCHL that it feels unfair to put him on this list.

Also, we are exempting multiple Selkie-award winning players from this list because Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau would not be inducted without those accomplishments and nobody else is in the Hockey Hall of Fame with a similar resume. (If you don’t believe either player should be in the HOF that’s fine, but they have extremely unique resumes compared to everyone on this list.)

In order to figure out who were the most egregious inductions we looked at the following:

Hockey Reference Similarity Scores

Using Point Shares, this score tries to estimate how similar a player’s overall career was by quality, not by style of play. There are two sets of scores: one for the player’s best 10 seasons, and one for their whole career. We take both into account. Read the explanation for hockey similarity scores here. A few things are worth noting:

• Point Shares are determined as contributions to wins so players on bad teams have lower scores
• The calculation of Point Shares changes over time (it is different for the era before Plus/Minus and it is different for the era with ice time)
• Goals are worth more than assists
• Defensemen are given higher point shares relative to how much they scored than forwards.

All Star

We take into account how many All Star Games the player made but, far more importantly, whether he made 1st Team or 2nd Team at the end of the season (meaning a Top 2 or Top 4 player in the league based upon voting).

The All Star Game was introduced in the late 1940s, the end of season All Star teams at the beginning of the 1930s.

Scoring Leaderboards

Did the player lead the league in goals, GPG, assists, APG, points or PPG? Did the player finish Top 3 or Top 5 or Top 10. We assigned ratings for anyone who did so.

Obviously this metric really hurts defensemen so we’re wary that D will have lower overall scores. Despite this, a surprising number of the 25 players on this list are forwards even without taking position into account.

Hart/Norris Voting

Did the player win the Hart and/or the Norris? Did they finish Top 3 or Top 5 in Hart or Norris voting?

We didn’t include Top 10 votes for this category because some of the candidates are really weird.

Obviously the Norris has existed for 30 fewer years than the Hart so, once again, this could hurt D. However, D did win the Hart routinely before the Norris was introduced.

Pearson/Lindsay Wins

We’re also giving credit for winning the Ted Lindsay Trophy to those who were eligible. Because voting records are harder to find, we’re not including Top 3 or Top 5 votes. The trophy has existed since the beginning of the 1970s

Playoff Leaders

Did the player lead the playoffs in goals, GPG, assists, APG, points or PPG? If so, they get credit.

Because the information is harder to find, we are not including Top 3, Top 5 or Top 10 playoff scorers. We could have done this but it would be a few more months before we published.

Stanley Cups by Opportunity

How many Cups did the player win versus the number of playoff seasons?

This does favour lucky players who barely made the playoffs but won a Cup when they did and it favours Original Six players. The former players are pretty rare and were not otherwise great players.

Conn Smythe Winner

Bonus points to anyone who has won a Conn Smythe for obvious reasons.

NHL’s 100 Greatest Players

Though you can quibble with the list created by the NHL, bonus points were awarded for any player on the list. There are players who were saved from being in this article by being on this Top 100 list. Both Dave Keon and Joe Nieuwendyk would be in this article if they hadn’t been named to the Top 100, for example. (Of course, Keon likely would have won a Selke or two had it existed when he played, which would make his case different.)

No Counting Stats and All Time Lists

We did not credit anyone for career totals because the closer we get to the present, the more likely a player will have gaudy totals.

We also omitted players who are in the Top X All Time in terms of per game stats as this favours the very beginning of the NHL and the 1980s over other eras.

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The Best Hall of Famers

According to our silly, not very authoratative calculation, the best Hall of Famers by our scores are:

1. Wayne Gretzky, with a score of 7.52
2. Gordie Howe, with a score of 6.66 (not including WHA achievements)
3. Mario Lemieux, with a score of 4.47
4. Phil Esposito, with a score of 3.82
5. Bobby Hull, with a score of 3.74 (not including WHA achievements)

Bobby Orr finished 6th because this scoring system favours forwards.

Every player on this list has a scored of 0.3 or lower, or basically 4% of Gretzky’s score or 8% of Hull’s.

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The Average NHL Hall of Famer:

By our crude scoring system the average NHLers in the Hockey Hall of Fame are Marty Barry, a centre who played for the Bruins, the Red Wings and briefly the Americans and the Canadiens from 1927 to 1940 and Ralph “Cooney” Weiland, a centre who played for the Bruins, the Senators and, briefly, the Red Wings from 1928 to 1939. Yes, coincidentally they were teammates from 1929 to 1932 on the Bruins. Both players scored 1.01, or over 3 times better than the players on this list.

	Marty Barry	Ralph “Cooney” Weiland
Similar Hall of Famers	4.5	3.5
All Star Games	N/A	N/A
All NHL	1st Team: 1937 2nd Team: No	1st Team: No 2nd Team: 1935
League Leader	No	Goals: 1930 GPG: 1930 Points: 1930 (set single season record) PPG: 1930 OPS: 1930 PS: 1930
Top Offensive Player	Goals: Top 3: 3x, Top 10: 6x GPG: Top 3: 3x, Top 10: 6x Assists: Top 3: 1x, Top 5: 2x, Top 10: 3x APG: Top 3: 1x, Top 5: 2x, Top 10: 3x Points: Top 3: 2x, Top 5: 4x, Top 10: 6x PPG: Top 3: 1x, Top 5: 4x, Top 10: 6x OPS: Top 3: 2x, Top 5: 4x, Top 10: 7x PS: Top 10: 2x	Goals: Top 5: 2x GPG: Top 10: 2x Assists: Top 3: 1x, Top 10: 3x APG: Top 3: 1x, Top 10: 3x Points: Top 10: 2x PPG: Top 10: 2x OPS: Top 10: 2x
Hart	No	No
Hart voting	1937: 5th	1930: 3rd
Playoff Leader	Goals: 1936 Assists: 1936 Points: 1930, 1936	Goals: 1931 Assists: 1930 Points: 1930, 1931
Stanley Cups	1936: t-4th in goals, t-1st in assists, t-2nd in points 1937: Led playoffs in goals, assists, points	1939: Didn’t score
NHL 100 Greatest	No	No

The Median Hall of Famer:

The median is the middle value in a series of numbers. So there are equal numbers of Hall of Famers with better scores than this player and worse scores. That median Hall of Famer is Bill Gadsby. Barry and Weiland rank 63rd of 176 skaters whereas Gadsby is 88th. Gadsby’s score of 0.64 is still over double the best players on this list.

Bill Gadsby‘s Resume:

• Hall of Fame comparables are Marcel Pronovost and Allan Stanley
• 8 All Star Games in a 6 team league
• No awards
• 3x 1st Team, 4x 2nd Team
• Never led the league
• Top 3 in Assists twice, Top 10 three times
• Top 5 in APG twice, Top 10 three times
• Top 10 in Points and PPG once
• 2nd in Norris voting three times, 3rd once, 4th once
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Stanley Cup
• Not on the Top 100 list.

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One commonality you’ll notice among these players is how long it took most of them to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That suggests that they weren’t viewed as Hall of Famers when they retired but only in retrospect.

t-22. Allan Stanley, D – 5 teams, 1948-1969 (0.3)

Stanley was inducted 12 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Marcel Pronovost and Bill Gadsby are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 7 All Star Games in a 6-12 team league
• No awards
• 2nd Team All Star three times
• Never led the league
• Top 2 in Defensive Point Shares once, Top 5 twice, Top 10 five times
• Top 10 in Point Shares
• Top 2 in Norris voting once, Top 3 twice
• Never led the playoffs
• Won four Stanley Cups, appeared in 7 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Stanley is in the Hall of Fame for his Cups and his longevity. Let’s look at his 2nd Team All Star appearances and Norris nominations. All of these took place in a 6 team league.

1960:

Keep in mind the voters didn’t have Plus/Minus data.

1. Doug Harvey (1st Team): 6G, 21A for 27P, +37; 6.4 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, best defensive team)
2. Allan Stanley (2nd Team): 10G, 23A for 33P, -1; 6.9 PS on the 3rd best team (3rd in GF, 3rd in GA)
3. Marcel Pronovost (1st Team): 7G, 14A for 21P, +3; 5.8 PS on the 4th best team (worst offensive team, 4th in GA)
4. Pierre Pilote (2nd Team): 7G, 38A for 45P, +20; 8.3 PS on the 2nd best team (4th in GF, 2nd in GA)
5. Tom Johnson: 4G, 245A for 29P, +24; 6.3 PS on the best team (best offensive team, best defensive team)

With Plus/Minus information this looks bad for Stanley.

1961:

1. Doug Harvey (1st Team): 6G, 33A for 39P, +16; 7 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, 3rd in GA)
2. Marcel Pronovost (1st Team): 6G, 11A for 17P, -15; 4.7 PS on the 4th best team (5th in GF, 4th in GA)
3. Allan Stanley (2nd Team): 9G, 25A for 34P, +24; 8.1 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, best defensive team)
4. Pierre Pilote (2nd Team): 6G, 29A for 35P, +29; 7.5 PS on the 3rd best team (4th in GF, 2nd in GA)
5. Leo Boivin:6G, 17A for 23P, -18; 3.7 PS on the worst team (worst offensive team, worst defensive team)

We think Stanley really has a case here. Certainly he looks to be more deserving of the 1st Team spot than Pronovost.

1966:

• 1st Team:
  • Jacques Laperrière (Norris): 6G, 25A for 41P, +14; 6.5 PS on the best team in the league (2nd in GF, best defensive team)
  • Pierre Pilote (2nd in Norris voting): 2G, 34A for 36P, +23; 6.1 PS on the 2nd best team (best offensive team, 2nd in GA)
• 2nd Team:
  • Allan Stanley (no Norris votes): 4G, 14A for 18P, +30; 5 PS on the 4th best team (4th in GF, 2nd in GA)
  • Pat Stapleton (3rd in Norris voting): 4G, 30A for 34P, +16; 6.4 PS on the 2nd best team (best offensive team, 2nd in GA)

The other Norris finalists were J.C. Tremblay (35P, 7 PS on the best team) and Doug Barkley (20P, 4.2 PS on the 3rd best team).

So Stanley very much deserved at least one of these 2nd Teams.

Now the playoffs. Take a deep breath:

• In 1950, the Rangers lost in 7 to the Red Wings; Stanley tied for 7th in total playoff goals on the Rangers and finished 5th in team scoring (7 in 12)
• In 1958, the Bruins lost in 6 to the Canadiens; Stanley tied for 9th in total playoff goals on the Bruins and tied for 8th in team scoring (4 in 12)
• In 1959, the Leafs lost in 5 to the Habs; Stanley had 3 assists tying him for 10th in team scoring (3 in 12)
• In 1960, the Leafs were swept by the Canadiens; Stanley tied for 6th in total playoff goals on the Leafs tied for 5th in team scoring (5 in 10)
• In 1962, the Leafs won the Cup; Stanley had 3 assists tying him for 10th in team scoring (3 in 12)
• In 1963, the Leafs won their second Cup in a row; Stanley tied for 9th in total playoff goals on the Leafs and tied for 4th in team scoring, most by any Leafs D (7 in 10)
• In 1964, the Leafs won their third Cup in a row; Stanley tied for 9th in total playoff goals on the Leafs and finished 8th in team scoring, most by any Leafs D (7 in 14)
• In 1967, the Leafs won the Cup; Stanley had 2 assists putting him 13th in team scoring (2 in 12)

Stanley looks like a Hall of Famer to us. But we can see how you could argue otherwise.

But what about the rest of these bums?

t-22. Doug Wilson, D – Black Hawks/Blackhawks/Sharks, 1977-1993 (0.3)

Inducted 27 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Doug Harvey and Rob Blake are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 7 All Star Games in a 21-22 team league
• Norris (’82)
• 1st Team All Star once
• 2nd Team All Star twice
• Never led the league
• Top 10 in Point Shares once
• Top 3 in Norris voting an additional time
• Top 4 in Norris voting an additional two times
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Cup and never made the SCF
• Not on the Top 100 list.

So Doug Wilson is in the Hall of Fame for two reasons: he won the Norris and he once scored 39 goals in a single season, the most of any NHL D not named Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey and the 4th most ever. So let’s look at his Norris-winning and -nominated seasons. All of these took place in a 21 team league

1982:

1. Doug Wilson: 39G, 46A for 85P, +1; 10.3 PS on the 15th best team in the league (7th in GF, 19th in GA)
2. Ray Bourque: 17G, 49A for 66P, +21; 9.2 PS on the 4th best team (4th in GF, 9th in GA)
3. Paul Coffey: 29G, 60A for 89P, 35+; 11.2 PS on the 3rd best team (best offensive team, 7th in GA)
4. Craig Hartsburg: 17G, 60A for 77P, +11; 9.8 PS on the 5th best team (5th in GF, 6th in GA)
5. Larry Robinson: 12G, 47A for 59P, +56; 9.9 PS on the best team (3rd in GF, best defensive team)

I’d say Robinson split the vote with his teammate Brian Engblom, who finished +78 but Wilson somehow had 29 first place votes. The voters love when D score a lot of goals.

1983:

1. Rod Langway: 3G, 29A for 32P, -2; 5.2 PS on the 9th best team in the league (12th in GF, 5th in GA)
2. Mark Howe: 20G, 47A for 67P, +47; 10.8 PS on the 3rd best team (6th in GF, 3rd in GA)
3. Ray Bourque: 22G, 51A for 73P, +49; 11.6 PS on the 2nd best team (5th in GF, 2nd in GA)
4. Doug Wison: 18G, 51A for 69P, +20; 9.4 PS on the 6th best team (4th in GF, 4th in GA)
5. Paul Coffey: 29G, 67A for 96, +52; 12 PS on the best team (best offensive team, 11th in GA)

Denis Potvin, the #1 D on the best defensive team in the league, didn’t receive a single vote which goes to show how weird the voting can be sometimes. If you’re wondering about Langway, there was a strong narrative argument here about how he took the Capitals from a bottom-feeder to a Top 5 defensive team.

1985:

1. Paul Coffey: 37G, 84A for 121P, +57; 14.8 PS on the best team in the league (1st in GF, 8th in GA)
2. Ray Bourque: 20G, 66A for 86P, +30P; 11.6 PS on the 10th best team (12th in GF, 6th in GA)
3. Rod Langway: 4G, 22A for 26P, +36; 6.9 PS on the 3rd best team (8th in GF, 2nd in GA)
4. Doug Wilson: 22G, 54A for 76P, +24; 10.1 PS on the 13th best team (10th in GF, 9th in GA)
5. Scott Stevens: 21G, 44A for 65P, +19; 10 PS on the 3rd best team (8th in GF, 2nd in GA)

Phil Housley, the #1 D on the best defensive team in the league, didn’t receive a single vote.

1990:

1. Ray Bourque: 19G, 65A for 84P, +31; 12.5 PS on the 2nd best team in the league (11th in GF, best defensive team)
2. Al MacInnis: 28G, 62A for 90P, +20; 12.1 PS on the best team (best offensive team, 4th in GF)
3. Doug Wilson: 23G, 50A for 73P, +13; 9.7 PS on the 6th best team (5th in GF, 14th in GA)
4. Paul Coffey: 29G, 74A for 103P, -25; 9.3 PS on the 19th best team (4th in GF, 20th – 2nd last – in GA)
5. Phil Housley: 21G, 60A for 81P, +11; 11.2 PS on the 4th best team (14th in GF, 3rd in GA)

Wilson likely never deserved a Norris. If you take the Norris away, he is higher up on this list.

t-22. Woody Dumart, LW – Bruins, 1935-54 (0.3)

Inducted 48 years after he retired.

Resume:

• No comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 2 All Star Games in a 6 team leagues
• No awards
• 2nd Team All Star three times
• Never led the league
• Top 2 in Goals once, Top 10 three times
• Top 5 in GPG, Top 10 three times
• Top 10 in Assists, APG and PS twice
• Top 2 in Points once, Top 10 twice
• Top 5 in PPG once, Top 10 twice
• Top 2 in OPS once, Top 10 twice
• Somehow Top 10 in Defensive Point Shares once
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Won two Cups and appeared in 4 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

The least of the famous Kraut Line, Dumart had one really great year, when, famously, he and his line-mates finished 1-2-3 in scoring.

But that was basically it as his other appearances on leaderboards are mostly 8th or lower in a 7 or 6 team league.

Let’s look at his three 2nd Team selections at Left Wing, the weakest position historically:

• 1940: t-2nd in Goals (1st in Even Strength), t-6th in Assists, t-2nd in Points, 2nd in Offensive Point Shares (his line-mates Schmidt and Bauer finished t-2nd and and t-8th in Goals, 1st and 4th in Assists, 1st and t-2nd in Points, and 1st and 4th in OPS respectively)
• 1941: t-8th in Goals, t-29th in Assists, t-16th in Points, 11th in Offensive Point Shares
• 1947: t-12th in Goals, 9th in Assists, t-9th in Points, 12th in Offensive Point Shares.

For 1940 it seems pretty clear and he probably should have been 1st Team. But the other two?

Now, let’s look at his playoff performances:

• In 1939, the Bruins won the Cup; Dumart tied for 6th in total playoff goals on the team and tied for 4th in points (4 in 12)
• In 1941, the Bruins won the Cup; Dumart tied for8th in total playoff goals on the team and tied for 8th in points as well (4 in 11)
• In 1946, the Bruins lost in 5 in the SCF to the Canadiens; Dumart tied for 2nd in goals on the Bruins and tied for 2nd in points as well (7 in 10)

So in Dumart’s best post season, the Bruins won one game in the SCF.

t-22. Herbie Lewis, LW – Cougars/Falcons/Red Wings, 1928-1929 (0.3)

Inducted in 1989, 50 years after his retirement.

Resume:

• Bernie Federko and Sweeney Schriner are comparable Hall of Famers
• Played before the All Star Game
• No awards
• No 1st or 2nd Team All Stars
• Top 10 in Goals, GPG and Offensive Point Shares once
• Top 5 in Assists and APG twice
• Top 10 in Points twice
• Top 5 in PPG once, Top 10 twice
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Led the playoffs in Goals twice
• Won two Cups and appeared in 3 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Inducted 50 years after he retired, it’s kind of inexplicable unless it’s the fog of memory. It’s his playoff resume that is the only case he really has.

• In 1934, the Red Wings lost the SCF in 4 games to the Black Hawks; Lewis led the playoffs in goals with 6 in 9 games (3 on the PP), and finished second on the Wings in points
• In 1936, the Red Wings won the Cup; Lewis tied for 4th in total playoff goals on his team and tied for 4th in points (5 in 7)
• In 1937, the Red Wings won their second Cup in a row; Lewis tied for the playoff lead in goals with his teammate Marty Barry (4 in 7) but finished 2nd on the team in points. Barry, as we noted above, has a much better resume.

Is this the resume of a Hall of Famer?

Though the scores are the same, Lewis seems the weakest of the players to have 0.3 in our scoring system.

t-20. Ivan “Ching” Johnson, D – Rangers/Americans, 1926-1938 (0.29)

Inducted in 1958, 20 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Red Dutton is the only comparable Hall of Famer by Point Shares (and he has a case with from his pre-NHL career)
• Played before the All Star Game
• No awards (but played before the Norris)
• 1st Team All Star twice, 2nd Team All Star twice (introduced a few seasons into his career)
• Top 10 in Defensive Point Shares three times
• Top 2 in Hart voting once, To 5 twice
• Never led the playoffs
• Won two Cups and appeared in 6 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

First, let’s look at the Hart voting:

1928 (10 team league):

1. Howie Morenz: 33G, 18A for 55P; 15.9 PS on the best team in the league (1st in GF, 1st in GA)
2. Roy Worters: 19-17; 1.66 GAA; 4th in Shutouts; 8.5 PS on the 8th best team (9th in GF, 4th in GA)
3. Eddie Shore: 11G, 6A for 17P; 9.4 PS on the 6th best team (7th in GF, 3rd in GA)
4. George Hay: 22G, 13A for 35P; 9.8 PS on the 5th best team (5th in GF, 6th in GA)
5. Ching Johnson: 10G, 6A for 16P; 8PS on the 4th best team (3rd in GF, 6th in GA)

Notably missing from this list are:

• The second and third leading goal scorers
• 3 of the Top 5 scorers
• Anyone from the Senators or the Maroons or the Rangers, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th best teams in a 10 team league.

Now, the Rangers won the Cup that year, but this is a regular season award. (Also, Johnson barely scored in the playoffs, as D rarely scored in the playoffs back then.)

The 20s were a different time in terms of Hart voting.

1932 (8 team league):

1. Howie Morenz: 24G, 25A for 49P; 8.2 PS on the 3rd best team in the league (4th in GF, 3rd in GA)
2. Ching Johnson: 3G, 10A for 13P; 4.8 PS on the 2nd best team (3rd in GF, 4th in GA)

Let’s summarize what we said in our Hart Trophy podcast about this:

“1932 – Howie Morenz (3rd), C, Canadiens (1st by points, 3rd by SRS)

• Best Player by PPG: Busher Jackson (1.1 PPG, 53P, 8.7 PS)
• Art Ross: Busher Jackson
• MVS by PS: Bill Cook (9.2 PS, 47P)
  • MVS by PS factoring in playoffs:
    • (by division) Doug Young (6.4 PS, 12P)
    • (league-wide) Cy Wentworth (4.8P, 13P)
  • MVF by OPS: Charlie Conacher (8.9 PS, 48P)
  • MVD by PS: George Owen (6.9 PS, 22P)
  • MVD by DPS: Alex Smith (6.2 PS, 14P)
• MVG: Charlie Gardiner (10.9 PS, 18-18-11, 1.85 GAA, 4 SO)
• Best Player on Best Team (Canadiens)
  • by Points: Howie Morenz (49P, 8.2 PS)
  • by MVS by PS: Howie Morenz
• Best Player on Best Offensive Team (Maple Leafs)
  • by Points: Busher Jackson
  • by OPS: Charlie Conacher
• Best Player on Best Defensive Team (Blackhawks)
  • by PS: Cy Wentworth (4.8 PS, 13P)
  • by DPS:
    • Clarence Abel (3.9 PS, 7P)
    • Ted Graham (3.2 PS, 3P)
    • Cy Wentworth
  • by GPS: Charlie Gardiner
• Vezina: Charlie Gardiner

By the “Best Player on the Best Team” interpretation, this is Morenz’s, at least if we ignore SRS (which was obviously not a thing in 1932). Given that it’s not clear there is a best overall forward in the league – is it Conacher, Jackson or Cook? – I guess we can give it to Morenz.”

Notably, the Leafs were the best team by SRS and won the Stanley Cup.

So we’re pretty sure Johnson didn’t deserve the Hart trophy either of these seasons.

Now, let’s talk about playoffs:

• In 1928, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup; Johnson had 1 goal, tying him for 5th on the Rangers in total playoff goals, while finishing 5th on the team in points (Frank Boucher doubled the points of any of his teammates over three playoff rounds, something that basically never happens)
• In 1929, the Rangers were swept in the SCF; Johnson had zero points
• In 1932, the Rangers were swept in the SCF; Johnson tied for 5th in team playoff goals and tied 8th in points
• In 1933, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup; Johnson had 1 assist
• In 1939, the Rangers lost in 5 to the Red Wings; Johnson had 1 assist.

Johnson is in the HOF due to his Hart trophy votes, which are quite questionable. Without them, he is higher up on this list.

t-20. Fern Flaman, D – Bruins/Leafs, 1944-1961 (0.29)

Inducted 29 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Harry Howell (see below) and Leo Boivin (see below) are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 6 All Star Games in a 6 team league
• No awards (but played 2/3rd of his career before the Norris)
• 2nd All All Star Team three times
• Top 10 in Defensive Point Shares four times
• Top 3 in Norris voting three times, Top 5 five times total
• Never led the playoffs
• Won one Cup and appeared in three SCFs total
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Based on Flaman’s Norris voting record, it sure seems like Flaman might have won a Norris if the award had been introduced a decade earlier. However, all his 2nd Team All Star appearances happened after the Norris was introduced and so we can assume that the idea Flaman was a Top 4 D in the NHL didn’t come along until he was in his late 20s.

First let’s look at the Norris voting for Flaman and then let’s look at how he did in the playoffs. These Norris voting results are for a 6 team league.

1955:

1. Doug Harvey: 6G, 43A for 49P; 9.7 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, 3rd in GA); 1st Team All Star
2. Red Kelly: 15G, 30A for 45P; 11.1 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, best defensive team); 1st Team All Star
3. Fern Flaman: 4G, 14A for 18P; 4.5 PS on the 4th best team (3rd in GF, 4th in GA); 2nd Team All Star
4. Bob Goldham: 1G, 16A for 17P; 6.3 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, best defensive team); 2nd Team All Star
5. Hugh Bolton: 2G, 19A for 21P; 6.9 PS on the 3rd best team (6th in GF, 2nd in GA)

Crucially, Flaman led the league in PIM this season by 13, a stat we absolutely reject as a proxy for playing defence well. It was the 1950s, however.

1956:

1. Doug Harvey: 5G, 39A for 44P; 9.6 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, best defensive team); 1st Team All Star
2. Bill Gadsby: 9G, 42A for 51P; 8.2 PS on the 3rd best team (2nd in GF, 5th in GA); 1st Team All Star
3. Red Kelly: 16G, 34A for 50P; 11.2 PS on the 2nd best team (3rd in GF, 2nd in GA); 2nd Team All Star
4. Tom Johnson: 3G, 10A for 13P; 6.1 PS on the best team (best offensive team, best defensive team); 2nd Team All Star
5. Fern Flaman: 4G, 17A for 21P; 5 PS on on the 5th (i.e. 2nd last) best team (worst offensive team, 4th defensive team)

Flaman might not have even been the best D on his own team this season and certainly he wasn’t one of the Top 5 in the league. (Also Red Kelly should have been second!)

1957:

1. Doug Harvey: 6G, 44A for 50P; 9.8 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, best defensive team); 1st Team All Star
2. Red Kelly: 10G, 25A for 35P; 8.7 PS on the second best team (2nd in GF, 2nd in GA); 1st Team All Star
3. Fern Flaman: 6G, 25A for 31P; 7.3 PS on the third best team (3rd in GF, 3rd in GA); 2nd Team All Star
4. Bill Gadsby: 4G, 37A for 41P; 6 PS on the 5th best team (4th in GF, worst defensive team); 2nd Team All Star
5. Doug Mohns: 6G, 34A for 40P; 2.7 PS* on the third best team (3rd in GF, 3rd in GA)

(*Mohns Point Shares are so low presumably because the calculation was done treating him as a forward, which he wasn’t until he moved to Chicago.)

This one it looks like Flaman might have actually deserved however Allan Stanley, his teammate, might have deserved the 3rd place more.

1958:

1. Doug Harvey: 9G, 32A for 41P; 9 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, best defensive team); 1st Team All Star
2. Bill Gadsby: 14G, 32A for 46P; 8.8 PS on the second best team (3rd in GF, 2nd in GA); 1st Team All Star
3. Fern Flaman: 0G, 15A for 15P; 4.2 PS on the 3rd best team (2nd in GF, 3rd in GA); 2nd Team All Star
4. Ron Stewart*: 15G, 24 for 39P; 3 PS on the 5th best (i.e. 2nd last) team (4th in GF, worst defensive team)
5. Marcel Pronovost: 2G, 18A for 20P; 4.2 PS on the 4th best team (5th in GF, 5th in GA); 2nd Team All Star

(*Apparently Ron Stewart played some time at D in the first half of the season. The way the award voting worked back then, there were two votes, first half and second half. Stewart got his votes in the first half.)

Once again, it’s very likely than Allan Stanley was the best D on the Bruins this season.

1959:

1. Tom Johnson: 10G, 29A for 39P; 8.8 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, best defensive team); 1st Team All Star
2. Bill Gadsby: 5G, 46A for 51P; 7.7 PS on the 5th best (i.e. 2nd worst) team (3rd in GF, 5th in GA); 1st Team All Star
3. Marcel Pronovost: 11G, 21A for 32P; 6.3 PS on the worst team (worst offensive team, worst defensive team); 2nd Team All Star
4. Doug Harvey: 4G, 16A for 20P; 5.9 PS on the best team (best offensive team, best defensive team); 2nd Team All Star
5. Fern Flaman: 0G, 21A for 21P; 4.3 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, 4th in GA)

It’s super weird that Pierre Pilote wasn’t on this list, or even Tim Horton or Carl Brewer. Also, it’s not clear without watching film that Flaman was the best D on his own team yet again.

Okay, so let’s talk playoffs:

• In 1951, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup; Flaman missed 2 of 11 games and had 1 assist
• In 1957, the Bruins lost to the Canadiens in 5 games in the SCF; Flaman had 3 assists tying him with 5 other players for 6th on the Bruins in total playoff points (he did lead the playoffs in PIM, though, so, um…)
• In 1958, the Bruins lost to the Habs in 6 games in the SCF; Flaman scored two goals (he scored goals!) which puts him 8th in total playoff goals on the Bruins and scored a total of 4 points, tying him for 8th in playoff points on the team and tied for 1st among D.

Is this the resume of a Hall of Fame defenseman? Only if you buy those Norris votes is it maybe.

t-18. Phil Housley, D – 8 teams, 1982-2003 (0.28)

Inducted 12 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Chris Chelios, Larry Murphy, Larry Robinson, Sergei Zubov, Scott Niedermayer, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Brian Leetch and King Clancy are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 7 All Star Games in a 21-28 team league
• No awards
• 2nd Team All Star once
• Top 10 in Assists and PS three times
• Top 10 in APG and Offensive Point Shares (!!!) twice
• Finished Top 3 in Norris voting once, Top 5 four times
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Cup
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Housley is in the Hall due to his totals and the fact the he is American: he is currently 21st All Time in Assists and was even higher at his retirement. He is also 23rd All Time in Games Played. But he’s a minus player despite playing forever – he was only ever an overall positive player for the Flames and only had seven seasons where he wasn’t a minus player.

Let’s look at his Norris finishes chronologically:

1990 (21 team league):

1. Ray Bourque: 19G, 65A for 84P, +31; 12.5 PS on the second best team in the league (11th in GF, best defensive team)
2. Al MacInnis: 28G, 62A for 90, +20; 12.1 PS on the best team (best offensive team, 4th in GA)
3. Doug Wilson: 23G, 50A for 73P, +13; 9.7 PS on the 6th best team (5th in GF, 14th in GA)
4. Paul Coffey: 29G, 74A for 103P, -25; 9.3 PS on the 19th best team (4th in GF, 20th in GA)
5. Phil Housley: 21G, 60A for 81P, +11; 11.2 PS on the 4th best team (14th in GF, 3rd in GA)

Actually we kind think Housley was robbed a tiny bit here. He certainly has a better case than Wilson or Coffey if you are going by stats alone and ignore Housley’s reputation for being bad in his own end.

1992 (22 team league):

1. Brian Leetch: 22G, 80A for 102P, +25; 13.2 PS on the best team in the league (3rd in GF, 4th in GA)
2. Ray Bourque: 21G, 60A for 81P, +11; 11.2 PS on the 12th best team in the league (13th in GF, 10th in GA)
3. Phil Housley: 23G, 63A for 86P, -5; 11.3 PS on the 11th best team in the league (18th in GF, 3rd in GA)
4. Scott Stevens: 17G, 42A for 59P, +24; 9.2 PS on the 6th best team in the league (8th in GF, 7th in GA)
5. Larry Murphy: 21G, 56A for 77P, +33; 10.5 PS on the 5th best team in the league (1st in GF, 20th in GA)
6. Chris Chelios: 9G, 47A for 56P, +18; 9.8 PS on the 8th best team in the league (15th in GF, 2nd in GA)

The minus looks bad. You’re the #1 D on the the 3rd best defensive team in the league and you’re a minus?

1993 (24 team league):

1. Chris Chelios: 15G, 58A for 73P, +14; 11.1 PS on the 5th best team in the league (19th in GF, best defensive team)
2. Ray Bourque: 19G, 63A for 82P, +38; 12.2 PS on the 3rd best team (8th in GF, 3rd in GA)
3. Larry Murphy: 22G, 63A for 85P, +45; 12.4 PS on the best team (2nd in GF, 3rd in GA)
4. Kevin Hatcher: 34G, 45A for 79P, -7; 10.6 PS on the 6th best team (10th in GF, 10th in GA)
5. Phil Housley: 18G, 79A for 97P, -14; 9.8 PS on the 18th best team (11th in GF, 18th in GA)

Imagine scoring 97 points and being -14. Imagine the writers thinking 97 points means you’re a good defenseman. Notably no D from the Leafs and Blues received any votes, the 2nd and 5th best defensive teams in the league respectively.

t-18. Billy Burch, F – 4 teams, 1922-1933 (0.28)

Inducted 41 years after he retired.

Resume:

• No comparable Hall of Famers by Point shares
• Played before the All Star Game
• Won the Hart
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections but he played most of his career before they existed
• Top 3 in Goals once, Top 5 in Goals twice, Top 10 four times
• Top 5 in GPG twice, Top 10 five times
• Top 10 in Assists twice
• Top 3 in Points, Top 10 four times
• Top 5 in PPG, Top 10 twice
• Never led the playoffs
• Never made it out of the first round
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Burch is in the Hall of Fame because he won the Hart. Burch is on our list primarily because his career was short enough and early enough that he doesn’t have any comparable Hall of Famers. It’s possible we’re being unkind but let’s look at that Hart trophy vote. The NHL was a 6 team league in 1925.

1. Billy Burch: 20G, 6A for 26P; 5.9 PS on the 2nd best team in the league (2nd in GF, 2nd in GA)
2. Howie Morenz: 27G, 12A for 39P; 8.9 PS on the best team (best offensive team, best defensive team)
3. Clint Benedict: 9-19-2; 2.12 GAA; 6.2 PS the 5th best team (worst offensive team, 3rd in GA)
4. Babe Dye: 38G, 8A for 46P; 11.6 PS on the 4th best team (2nd in GF, 5th in GA)
5. Aurele Joliat: 30G, 12A for 42P; 9.7 PS on the best team (best offensive team, best defensive team)

Here’s what we said during our Hart Trophy podcast about this:

“If you interpret the Hart as meaning “the best player on the best team,” then Joliat absolutely deserved it because, despite the points results, the Habs were the best team overall. (Though nobody knew that at the time.)

But Dye was arguably “more valuable” overall. But why did neither of them win it? What’s Burch’s case?

Burch was

• 1st in Goals
• 4th in Assists and PS
• and 3rd in Points,
• 2nd in OPS

all on his own team, the best or second best team (depending upon your feelings about “advanced stats” like SRS) in a six team league.

Where was he league wide?

• 6th in Goals and GPG
• tied for 16th in Assists
• not on the leaderboard for APG
• 10th in Points and PPG
• 7th in OPS
• Not on the leaderboard (Top 10) for PS.”

Our theory when we recorded our episode about his Hart trophy that the voters were rewarding him for being involved in the players strike which is certainly noble but not necessarily what the Hart is for.

17. Harry Howell, D – 5 teams, 1952-1976 (0.27)

Inducted only 6 years after he retired!

Resume:

• Fern Flaman (see above), Kevin Lowe (see below) and Leo Boivin (see below) are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 7 All Star Game appearances in a 6-12 team league
• Won the Norris
• 1st All Star Team once
• Top 5 in Defensive Point Shares once, Top 10 twice
• Top 10 in PS once
• Finished Top 5 in Hart voting once
• Finished Top 5 in Norris voting one other time
• Never led the playoffs
• Never made it out of the first round
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Howell is in the Hall of Fame because he won a Norris. So let’s look at his Norris-winning season and the season he finished Top 5. Keep in mind, nobody knew the Plus/Minus stats at the time. This was a 6 team league:

Here’s 1963:

1. Pierre Pilote: 7G, 46A for 53P, +31; 9.6 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, 2nd in GA)
2. Tim Horton: 9G, 20A for 29P, +10; 7.4 PS on the 3rd best team (3rd in GF, 3rd in GA)
3. Moose Vasko: 2G, 18A for 20P, +19; 5.8 on the best team (best offensive team, 2nd in GA)
4. Jacques Laperriere: 2G, 28A for 30P, +25; 6.7 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, best defensive team)
5. Terry Harper: 2G, 15A for 17P, +24; 5.6 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, best defensive team)
6. (tie) Harry Howell: 5G, 31A for 36P, -9; 5 PS on the 5th best team (5th in GF, worst defensive team)

Does Howell look like the fifth best defensemen in the league that year? They didn’t have Plus/Minus, sure, but they knew the Rangers were bad defensively, right?

And here’s 1967. First the Hart:

1. Stan Mikita: 35G, 62A for 97P, +40; 10.2 PS on the best team in the league (best offensive team, best defensive team)
2. Ed Giacomin: 30-27-11; 2.61 GAA, .917 SV%; 13.2 PS on the 3rd best team (5th in GF, 3rd in GA)
3. Bobby Hull: 52G, 28A for 80P, +28; 10.3 PS on the best team (best offensive team, best defensive team)
4. Henri Richard: 21G, 34A for 55P, +2; 5.1 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, 2nd in GA)
5. Harry Howell: 12G, 28A for 40P, +4; 8.2 PS on the 3rd best team (5th in GF, 3rd in GA)

Now the Norris:

1. Harry Howell: 12G, 28A for 40P, +4; 8.2 PS on the 3rd best team (5th in GF, 3rd in GA)
2. Pierre Pilote: 6G, 46A for 52P, +54; 9.1 PS on the best team (best offensive team, best defensive team)
3. Bobby Orr: 13G, 28A for 41P, +1; PS on the worst team (worst offensive team, worst defensive team)
4. Tim Horton: 8G, 17A for 25P, -2; 5.5 PS on the 4th best team (3rd in GF, 4th in GA)
5. J.C. Tremblay: 8G, 2A for 34P, -10; 6.4 PS on the 2nd best team (2nd in GF, 2nd in GA)

This look like’s Pilote’s trophy to us.

16. Pierre Turgeon, C – 6 teams, 1987-2007 (0.26)

Inducted 16 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Luc Robitaille, Stan Mikita, Mark Messier, Mark Recchi, Mats Sundin, Marian Hossa, Brendan Shanahan, Mike Modano and Daniel Alfredsson are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 4 All Star Game appearances in a 21-26 team league
• Won the Lady Byng (which we didn’t award points for)
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Top 10 in Goals once
• Top 10 in GPG twice
• Top 10 in Assists three times
• Top 3 in Assists once, Top 5 twice
• Top 5 in Points once, Top 10 twice
• Top 5 in PPG twice, Top 10 five times
• Finished Top 5 in Hart voting once
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Cup and never made a SCF
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Turgeon’s case rest on his totals (something we chose not to award points for), his appearance on regular season Top 10 leader-boards, his comparable Hall of Famers, and his 1993 season. So let’s look at the Hart voting that season:

1. Mario Lemieux: 69G, 91A for 160P, +55; 16.8 PS on the best team in the league (2nd in GF, 3rd in GA)
2. Doug Gilmour: 32G, 95A for 127P, +32; 11 PS on the 10th best team in the league (16th in GF, 2nd in GA)
3. Pat LaFontaine: 53G, 95A for 148P, +11; 13.2 PS on the 11th best team in the league (6th in GF, 12th in GA)
4. Adam Oates: 45G, 97A for 142P, +15; 12.2 PS on the 3rd best team (8th in GF, 3rd in GA)
5. Pierre Turgeon: 58G, 74A for 132P, -1; 12 PS on the 7th best team (6th in GF, 12th in GA)
6. Teemu Selanne: 76G, 56A for 132P, +8; 13.4 PS on the 18th best team (11th in GF, 18th in GA)
7. Chris Chelios: 15G, 58A for 73P, +14; 11.1 PS on the 5th best team (19th in GF, 1st in GA)
8. Steve Yzerman: 58G, 79A for 137P, +33; 13 PS on the 2nd best team (1st in GF, 7th in GA)

We think it’s safe to say that his award is Lemieux’s and that Yzerman got pretty badly robbed in the voting. We’d probably have it: Lemieux 1, then a toss up between Oates and Yzerman, and then a fight between Chelios, Gilmour, LaFontaine, Turgeon and maybe the best player on the 4th team best team, Pavel Bure.

Turgeon had a great year this year, though, and, had he not gotten hurt in the playoffs, maybe his case would look better. He is one of those Hall of Very Good guys.

15. Bernie Federko, C – Blues/Red Wings, 1976-1990 (0.25)

Inducted 22 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Hooley Smith is a comparable Hall of Famer by Point Shares
• 2 All Star Game appearances in a 21 team league
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 5 in Assists in twice, Top 10 seven times
• Top 5 in APG once, Top 10 eight times
• Top 10 in Points five times
• Top 10 in PPG twice
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Led the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Points once
• Never won a Cup and never made a SCF
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Federko’s claim is through his total assists when he retired, his regular appearances in the Top 10, and leading the playoffs in points one year, when he didn’t even make the SCF.

In the 1986, the Blues played three series that went the distance, with Federko and the Blues playing in the maximum number of games they could play without making the SCF, 19. Federko scored 7 goals and tallied 14 assists for 21 points. However, his teammate Doug Gilmour also scored 21 points and he scored 9 goals. If this was the Art Ross, Gilmour would win the tie breaker. The highest scorers on the Canadiens and Flames all had 19 points, which is how Federko and Gilmour managed to lead the playoffs in scoring one year without making the Stanley Cup Finals.

The question is, was Federko dominant enough that year to make the Hall of Fame? Because the rest of his case is putting up gaudy assist totals at a time that everyone did that.

14. Mike Gartner, RW – 6 teams, 1979-1998 +1 season in the WHA (0.23)

Inducted 3 years (the minimum!) after he retired.

Resume:

• Norm Ullman, Dino Ciccarelli (see below), Dave Andreychuk (see below), Ron Francis, Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour, Johnny Bucyk and Alex Delvecchio are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 7 All Star Games in a 21-26 team league
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 5 in Goals once, Top 10 five times
• Top 10 in GPG twice
• Top 10 in Points and OPS once
• Finished Top 5 in Hart voting once
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Cup and never made a SCF
• NHL 100th Anniversary Team member.

Mike Gartner scored 708 goals, so there are going to be some who think his inclusion on this list is ridiculous. But it’s the way he scored 700 goals that makes his case for the Hall of Fame unclear.

In 1985, Gartner was, by Offensive Point Shares, the 9th best forward in the league, the only time he ranked that high. He scored 50 goals (9th), tallied 52 assists (not in the Top 20) and scored 102 points (t-10th). He was the best forward on the Capitals who were the 3rd best team that season but because they were the second best defensive team in the league not because of their offense. That team lost in the first round.

In 1991, Gartner was 5th in goals with 49, though Hull had 86. However, he only had 20 assists and was a minus 9 on a good Rangers team.

Gartner played forever. He played 19 seasons. He missed more than half a season once. He missed 20 games or more twice and played in at least 70 games 16 out of 19 seasons. Yes, he scored 25 goals in 17 seasons. Yes, he scored 30 goals in 16 seasons. But he only scored 50 once and he played in the 1980s. That’s why he has 700 goals. He is what they call “a compiler” and without the 100th Anniversary Team appearance he’d be up with Harry Watson (see below)

13. Jeremy Roenick, C – 5 teams, 1988-2009

Roenick will be inducted this year, 16 years after he retired, and immediately makes this list of bad Hall of Famers.

Resume:

• Frank Mahovlich, Daniel Alfredsson, Stan Mikita, Mark Recchi and Adam Oates are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 9 All Star Games in a 21-30 team league
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 3 in Goals once, Top 10 twice
• Top 10 in GPG once
• Top 5 in Points and OPS once, Top 10 twice
• Top 10 in PPG twice
• Finished Top 5 in Hart voting once
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Cup
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Roenick had two years during which he was a Top 10 offensive player, only two. In one of those years, 1991-92, he finished Top 5 in Hart voting. Let’s look how he compares to the competition. There were 22 teams in the league.

1. Mark Messier: 35G, 72A for 107P, +31; 9.9 PS on the best team in the league (3rd in GF, 4th in GA)
2. Patrick Roy: 36-22-8; 2.36 GAA, .914 SV%; 13.5 PS on the 4th best team in the league (14th in GF, best defensive team)
3. Brett Hull: 70G, 39A for 109P, -2; 11.9 PS on the 9th best team (12th in GF, 8th in GA)
4. Kirk McLean: 38-17-9, 2.74 GAA, .901 SV%; 11.4 PS on 7th best team (7th in GF, 5th in GA)
5. (t-5) Mario Lemieux: 44G, 87A for 131P, +27; 12.4 PS on the 5th best team (best offensive team, 20th in GA)
6. (t-5) Roenick: 53G, 50A for 103P, +23; 11.1 PS on the 8th best team (15th in GF, 2nd in GA).

In our Hart series, we mostly agreed with Messier winning, though Leetch would have been a good choice as well. If it’s a “Best Player” award it’s obviously Lemieux. Roenick doesn’t have much of a case as the best offensive player on a mediocre offensive team but great defensive team unless you think Roenick was a great defensive forward. (Roenick finished 9th in Selke voting that year, his best finish ever.)

That team is the only time Roenick made the SCF. Let’s look at his performance on that team: The Blackhawks were swept by the Penguins. Throughout the playoffs, Roenick led the Blackhawks in goals and points, but he only scored one more point than Chelios. In terms of goals, he was only outscored by Lemieux and Kevin Stevens. He tied for 13th in playoff assists and he finished 6th in points, outscored by four Penguins and one Oiler.

Is “Best player on a team to get swept in the SCF” enough to get in the Hall of Fame? (And, very arguably, it’s Chelios who was the best player on the 1992 Blackhawks.)

12. Clark Gillies, LW – Islanders/Sabres, 1974-1988 (0.19)

Inducted 14 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Reg Noble, Doug Bentley and Frank Nighbor are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 1 All Star Game in an 18 team league
• No awards
• 1st Team All Star twice
• Never led the league
• Top 10 in APG, Points and PPG once
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Won four Stanley Cups
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Gillies two 1st Teams are the result of the position he played. We could interrogate those but, throughout the history of the 1st and 2nd Team awards, there are players who were clearly not Top 10 in the NHL who were selected to these teams because they played LW.

The true reason Gillies is in the Hall because he was on the early ’80s Islanders. But, obviously, he was not one of their three (or even four?) best players. Lets look at Gillies’ role on each of the five teams he was on that made the SCF:

• In 1980, the Islanders won the Cup; Gillies tied for 7th on the Islanders in total playoff goals and 7th in points as well (16 in 21)
• In 1981, the Islanders won their second Cup in a row; Gillies tied for 5th on the team in total playoff goals and finished 6th in points (15 in 18)
• In 1982, the Islanders won their third Cup in a row; Gillies was 3rd in goals on the Islanders for the playoffs and 7th in points (14 in 19)
• In 1983, the Islanders won their fourth straight Cup; Gillies missed 12 of 20 games and finished with only 2 assists
• In 1984, the Islanders lost in five to the Oilers in the SCF; Gillies led the Islanders in playoff goals and points (19 in 21). (For Comparison, Gretzky had 38 in 16 and four Oilers had at least 20 points this playoff.)

So, when the Islanders were winning, Gillies scored as if he was a Top 6 forward on the team, except the year he was injured. He only excelled the year they lost to the Oilers. Notably, the Islanders’ stars didn’t score like they used to in 1984. Did Gillies pick up the slack? Is that enough?

Does the Islanders dynasty deserve 5 Hall of Famers? And, if so, is Gillies really the 5th guy after Bossy, Potvin, Trottier and Smith?

t-10. Dino Ciccarelli, RW – 5 teams, 1980-1999 (0.17)

Inducted 11 years after he retired, infamously all by himself.

Resume:

• Dave Andreychuk, Doug Gilmour, Norm Ullman, Mike Gartner, Gilbert Perreault, Joe Mullen and Johnny Bucyk are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 4 All Star Games in a 21-26 team league
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 5 in Goals twice
• Top 5 in GPG once, Top 10 twice
• Top 10 in Points and PPG twice
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Stanley Cup
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Ciccarelli’s claim to the Hall of Fame is that he is 19th All Time in Goals and 52nd in Points and those numbers were higher when he retired.

• In 1982, Ciccarelli finished with 55 goals, good for 4th in the league, and he was 4th in GPG as well. Gretzky had 92. Gretzky scored at a 1.15 GPG clip to Ciccarelli’s 0.72.
• In 1987, Ciccarelli finished with 52 goals, good for 5th in league. This time Gretzky only had 62.

In both seasons, Ciccarelli had over 100 points but was only good for 9th and 6th respectively.

He was on two teams that made the finals, even though he never won a Cup.

• In 1981, the North Stars lost to the Islands 4-1 in the SCF; Ciccarelli finished 2nd on the Stars in total playoff goals and third in points (21 in 19)
• In 1995, the Red Wings got swept by the Devils in the SCF; Ciccarelli tied for the team lead in playoff goals even though he missed two games but finished 7th in points (11 in 16).

If we’re willing to induct skaters into the Hall of Fame for playing forever and having a few Top 10 seasons and a few decent playoff runs, sure Ciccarelli belongs. But should that be the standard for the Hockey Hall of Fame?

t-10. Glenn Anderson, W – four teams, 1980-1996 (0.18)

Inducted 12 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Yvon Cournoyer is a similar Hall of Famer by Point Shares
• 4 All Star Games in a 21-team league
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 3 in Goals once, Top 5 twice, Top 10 three times
• Top 5 in GPG and PPG once
• Top 10 in GPG and OPS three times
• Top 10 in Assists, APG and Points once
• Top 10 in PPG twice
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Won six Cups and appeared in 7 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

So, the main reason Anderson is in the Hall of Fame are the Cups but let’s first deal with his Top 5 finishes on the regular season leaderboards:

• In 1984, Anderson finished 3rd overall in Goals with 54 and 7th in GPG while his teammate, Wayne Gretzky, led the league with 87 goals, scoring at a 1.18 GPG pace compared to Anderson’s 0.68 GPG (and Gretzky had over double Anderson’s points); Anderson finished 5th on his own team in points
• In 1986, Anderson finished 4th overall in Goals (with 54) and GPG, and 9th in PPG while his teammate, Jari Kurri, led the league with 68 goals, scoring at a 0.87 GPG clip compared to Anderson’s 0.75 GPG); Anderson was 4th on his own team in points.

Okay, so now let’s look at Anderson’s playoff success:

• In 1983, the Oilers got swept in the SCF by the Islanders; Anderson was 3rd on the Oilers in total playoff goals and finished 4th on the team in points (20 in 16) with just over half of Gretzky’s total
• In 1984, the Oilers won the Cup; Anderson was 6th on the Oilers in total playoff goals and finished 5th on the team in points (17 in 19) with less than half of Gretzky’s total
• In 1985, the Oilers won their second Cup in a row; Anderson was 5th on the Oilers in total playoff goals and finished 4th on the team in points (26 in 18), 21 behind Gretzky
• In 1987, the Oilers won the Cup, their 3rd in 4 years; Anderson was 2nd on the Oilers in total playoff goals and finished 3rd on the team in points (27 in 21), this time only 7 behind Gretzky
• In 1988, the Oilers won their second Cup in a row and 4th in 5 years; Anderson was 6th on the Oilers in total playoff goals and finished 5th on the team in points (25 in 19), 18 behind Gretzky
• In 1990, the Oilers won the Cup, their 5th in 7 years; Anderson tied for 3rd on the Oilers in total playoff goals and finished 5th on the team in points (22 in 22), 9 off the two team leaders
• In 1994, the Rangers won the Cup; Anderson was 10th on the Rangers in total playoff goals and tied 11th in team points (6 in 23).

So, by points, Anderson was a Top 3 Forward (by points) in 1985, no other year he was in the SCF. He only finished within 10 points of the team leader twice. Was Anderson so good at other aspects of the game that he is deserving of being in the HOF anyway? Do the 1980s Oilers deserve 7 Hall of Famers? Because they have that many.

Glenn Anderson is in the Hockey Hall of Fame because, in 1979, the Canucks (and, really, every other team in the league) didn’t draft him.

9. Harry Watson, LW – four teams, 1941-1957 (0.17)

Inducted 37 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Dick Duff and Bob Pulford are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares (see below)
• 7 All Star Games in a 6 team league
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 2 in Goals once, Top 10 twice in a 6 team league
• Top 5 in GPG once, Top 10 twice in a 6 team league
• Top 10 in Points and PPG once in a 6 team league
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Won five Cups
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Watson is a classic “one good year” guy who almost led the league in goals once but never came close again. (It’s worth noting he was in a 4 way tied for 2nd that season.) He’s in the Hall of Fame because he won 5 Cups. So let’s look at his performance on those teams:

• In 1943, the Red Wings swept the Bruins to win the Cup; Watson played in 7 of Detroit’s 10 playoff games, scoring zero points
• In 1947, the Leafs won the Cup; Watson tied for 5th on the Leafs in total playoff goals and tied for 6th in team points (5 in 11 games)
• In 1948, the Leafs won their second Cup in a row; Watson was second on the Leafs in goals but tied for 4th in points (7 in 9 games)
• In 1949, the Leafs won their third Cup in a row; Watson tied for second on the Leafs in total playoff goals but tied for 5th in points (6 in 9 games)
• In 1951, the Leafs won the Cup; Watson only played in 5 of 11 playoff games, scoring 3 points.

Is this the resume of a Hall of Fame winger?

t-7. Bob Pulford, LW – Leafs/Kings, 1956-1972 (0.16)

Inducted 19 years after he retired.

Resume:

• Dick Duff (see below) and Harry Watson (see above) are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 5 All Star Games in a 6-12 team league
• No awards (though he might have won a Selke had it existed)
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league in any offensive category
• Top 10 in Goals twice in a six team league
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Led the playoffs in Assists once
• Won four Cups and made 6 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Pulford has been acclaimed by some as one of the great defensive forwards of his era, along with his teammate Dave Keon. Offensively he once finished 10th twice in Goals and never made the Top 10 in any other category. His main offensive accomplishment is leading the playoffs in assists once. Let’s look at his playoff success:

• In 1959, the Leafs lost the SCF in 5 games to the Canadiens; Pulford tied for 2nd on the Leafs in total playoff goals and finished 4th in points (8 in 12 games)
• In 1960, the Leafs were swept by the Canadiens; Pulford led the Leafs in total playoff goals (4 in 10 games) but tied for 5th in points as he had only 1 assist (5P in 10 games)
• In 1962, the Leafs won the Cup; Pulford again led the Leafs in total playoff goals, though he tied for the lead with George Armstrong (see below), again he only had one assist so he tied for 6th in points (8 in 12 games)
• In 1963, the Leafs won their second Cup in a row; Pulford tied for 6th in total playoff goals on the Leafs but tied for 4th in points (7 in 10 games)
• In 1964, the Leafs won their third Cup in a row; Pulford tied for 2nd on the Leafs in total playoff goals but finished 8th in points (8 in 14 games)
• In 1967 the Leafs won their last ever Stanley Cup; Pulford led the playoffs in assists but was third on the team in playoff scoring (11P in 12 games).

The question is, is Pulford’s defensive reputation and his relatively strong playoff performances make up for him being just a good regular season performer offensively? I mean, it’s very clear he was not an offensive star. Would we induct a player with this little in the way of offensive output now?

t-7. Clarence “Hap” Day, D – Leafs/Americans, 1924-38 (0.16)

Inducted 23 years after he retired, likely due to his combined coaching and playing careers.

Resume:

• No comparable players in the Hall of Fame by Point Shares
• Played before the All Star Game existed
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections (though he was in his late 20s when the award was introduced)
• Led the league in Assists and APG once
• Top 10 Points and PPG once
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Won a Stanley Cup, appeared in four SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

As a player it’s not clear Day belongs, though he did have an excellent playoff in terms of scoring when the Leafs won the Cup in 1932. (He scored over half his total playoff points in that one playoff, despite making the SCF four times)

Day was the franchise’s Captain for 10 years. He was inducted in 1961 before there were individual categories. Day won 5 Stanley Cups as a coach and so would be in as a builder, justly.

6. Dave Andreychuk, LW – 6 teams, 1982-2006 (0.13)

Inducted 11 years after he refired.

Resume:

• Johnny Bucyk, Norm Ullman, Dino Ciccarelli, Doug Gilmour, Gilbert Perreault and Denis Savard are comparable Hall of Famers by Point Shares
• 2 All Star Games in a 21-26 team league
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league in any offensive category
• Top 5 in Goals once, Top 10 twice
• Top 10 in GPG and Points once
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Captain of a Stanley Cup Champion
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Those comparable Hall of Famers look pretty good but it’s worth noting that how the Hockey Reference comparison is done. It is based on seasons with similar total point shares and goals count for more. Because Andreychuk has lots of goals, he is similar to Bucyk and Ullman, who scored when it was harder to score, and Ciccarelli, who scored tons of goals at the same time as Andreychuk. But the other players are “similar” because they have more assists than goals, meaning they have fewer overall point shares to players with similar point totals but close to even splits like Andreychuk.

Yes, Andreychuk captained the Lightning to a Cup. He had 1 goal in 23 games but 14 points, tied for 5th on the team. He was 9th among skaters in ATOI, i.e. on the 3rd line.

Dave Andreychuk is in the Hockey Hall of Fame because he scored over 600 goals (currently 15th All Time) and played in over 1600 games (currently 10th All Time). But if you discount compiler stats, Andreychuk’s Hall of Fame resume isn’t very good.

5. Dick Duff, LW – 5 teams, 1954-72 (0.12)

Inducted 34 years after he retired and, somehow, a half a decade before he was inducted the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, which should have a much lower bar for entry, right?

Resume:

• The only comparable players in the Hall of Fame are Harry Watson and Bob Pulford by Point Shares (see above)
• 7 All Star Game appearances in a league with 6 teams
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 10 in Goals and GPG twice in a 6 team league
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Won 6 Cups and appeared in 9 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

The reason Dick Duff is in the Hall of Fame is because he won 6 Stanley Cups and was in 9 SCFs. He’s certainly not in the Hall due to his regular season accomplishments. So the question is, what role did he have on these teams?

• In 1959, the Leafs lost the SCF in 5 games to the Canadiens; Duff tied for 3rd on the Leafs in total playoff goals while being 5th in points (7 in 12 games)
• In 1960, the Leafs were swept by the Canadiens; Duff tied for 2nd on the Leafs in total playoff goals while being tied 3rd in points (6 in 10 games)
• In 1962, the Leafs won the Cup; Duff tied for 6th on the Leafs in total playoff goals but led all Leafs forwards with 13 points in 12 games
• In 1963, the Leafs won their second Cup in a row; Duff tied for 2nd in total playoff goals on the Leafs but finished 6th in points (5 in 10)
• In 1965, the Habs won the Cup; Duff tied for 4th on the Canadiens in goals and finished 5th in points (9 in 13 games)
• In 1966, the Canadiens won their second Cup in a row; Duff tied for 5th on the Canadiens in goals with six other players and tied for 5th in points (7 in 10 games)
• In 1967, the Habs lost the SCF in 6 games to the Leafs; Duff tied for 5th on the Habs in total playoff goals and tied for 8th in points (5 in 10 games)
• In 1968, the Canadiens won the Cup; Duff tied for 6th on the Habs in total playoff goals and tied for 8th in points (7 in 13 games)
• In 1969, the Canadiens won their second Cup in a row; Duff led the Habs in total playoff goals and finished 2nd in points (14 in 14 games).

In 9 Stanley Cup Finals, Duff was the arguably the best forward on one team – the 1962 Leafs (where he was out-scored by a D) – and the second best forward (by points, anyway) on one other team (the 1969 Canadiens). The rest of the time, he was a second to third line player.

Duff entered a 6 team league as Leafs property – by Cup wins, when Duff joined the team, the greatest NHL team ever. In 1964 he was traded to the Rangers, who hadn’t won in a decade. But then, 10 months later, in a stroke of luck, he was traded to the Canadiens, who had taken over the mantle of best NHL franchise while Duff was in the league.

Is Duff a Hall of Famer or is he lucky?

t-2. Leo Boivin, D – 5 teams, 1951-70 (0.08)

Inducted 16 years after his retirement.

Resume:

• The only comparable players in the Hall of Fame are Fern Flaman, Harry Howell (see above) and Kevin Lowe (see below) by Point Shares
• 3 All Star Game appearances in a league with 6 teams
• No awards
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 10 in Defensive Point Shares once (in a 6 team league)
• Finished Top 5 in Norris voting once
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Cup but appeared in 3 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

Boivin was 10th overall in regular season Games Played at his retirement so maybe that’s why he was inducted. (Nobody knew it at his retirement but he was also -212!)

Let’s look at Boivin’s playoff success and whether or not that is the career of a Hall of Famer:

• In 1957, the Bruins lost in 5 games to the Canadiens in the SCF; Boivin scored 2 goals and 5 points in 10 games, tied for 3rd in scoring on the Bruins and the most by any Bruins D in the playoffs that year
• In 1958, the Bruins lost in 6 games to the Habs in the SCF; Boivin only had 3 points in 12 games but led the playoffs in PIM which might have counted for something in 1986
• In 1966, the Red wings lost in 6 games to the Canadiesn; Boivin 1 point in 12 games.

So that isn’t really a Hall of Fame resume, is it?

What about that Top 5 Norris finish? Here are the only 5 players to officially received Norris votes in 1960-61. Keep in mind that Plus/Minus was not publicly available at the time so nobody knew that two of these players were minus as much as they were.

1. Doug Harvey: 6G, 33A for 39P, +16, 7 PS on the 3rd best defensive team in the league
2. Marcel Pronovost: 6G, 11A for 17P, -15, 4.7 PS on the 4th best defensive team in the league
3. Allan Stanley: 9G, 23A for 34P, +24, 8.1 PS on the best defensive team in the league
4. Pierre Pilote: 6G, 29A for 35P, +29, 7.5 PS on the 2nd best defensive team in the league
5. Leo Boivin: 6G, 17A for 23P, -18, 3.7 PS on the worst defensive team in the league.

With the exception of a strong playoff run in 1957, Leo Boivin had a decent career that sure doesn’t look like a Hall of Fame one.

He never won an individual award or the Stanley Cup and he only ever finished Top 5 in Norris voting once. (And he played most of his career during the Norris-trophy era.) This guy does not belong in the Hall of Fame.

t-2. Edgar Laprade, C – New York Rangers, 1945-55 (0.08)

Inducted 38 years after he retired.

Resume:

• No comparable players in the Hall of Fame
• 4 All Star Game appearances in a league with 6 teams
• Only ever won the Calder and Lady Byng, two awards we did not consider in these rankings
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 3 in Assists and APG once 6 team league
• Top 10 in GPG once in a 6 team league
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Never led the playoffs
• Never won a Cup
• Not on the Top 100 list.

When we reviewed Laprade’s case back in 2021, we were mystified why he was in. The best anybody could muster was “two way player.”

So the Hall of Fame case for Laprade is one of two options:

• You believe players who had “one good year” (in this case, 1947-1948 when Laprade finished with 34 assists in 60 games on the 21-26-13 Rangers) OR
• You believe Laprade was so good defensively as to make up for his offensive shortcomings, i.e. he would have won multiple Selkies.

Otherwise, it’s really hard to see why Laprade is in the Hall of Fame.

So why is he in the Hall of Fame? Well, he’s a good player who played his entire career for an Original Six franchise. We guess that’s enough.

t-2. Kevin Lowe, D – Oilers/Rangers, 1979-98 (0.08)

Inducted 12 years after he retired.

Resume:

• No comparable players in the Hall of Fame by Point Shares
• 7 All Star Game appearances in a league with 21-24 teams
• Only ever won the King Clancy which we didn’t consider for these rankings
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 10 in Defensive Point Shares once
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Finished Top 5 in Norris voting once
• Never led the playoffs
• Won 6 Cups but was obviously never the best player on any of those teams
• Not on the Top 100 list.

So first, let’s talk about the Stanley Cups. We do not have ice time information for any of the Stanley Cup-winning teams that Kevin Lowe was on, so we have to use points as a proxy for his role on each team:

• On the 1984 Oilers, the best offensive team in NHL history, Lowe scored 10 points in 19 games, tying him for 2nd among Oilers D and 8th overall in team scoring (tied with six other players)
• On the 1985 Oilers, the 5th best offensive team in NHL history, Lowe scored 5 points in 16 games (he missed 2), tying him for 4th among Oilers D and 12th on the team overall
• On the 1987 Oilers, the 12th best offensive team in NHL history, Lowe scored 6 points in 21 games, good for 6th among Oilers D and tied for 14th overall in team playoff scoring
• On the 1988 Oilers, the 15th best offensive team in NHL history, Lowe scored 2 points in 19 games, good for 6th among Oilers D and tied for 16th overall in Oilers playoff scoring
• On the 1990 Oilers, the 6th best offensive team in the league, Lowe scored 2 points in 20 games (he missed 2), good for 6th among Oilers D and tied for 18th in team scoring
• On the 1994 Rangers, the 4th best offensive team in the league, Lowe scored 1 point in 22 games (he missed 1), good for 6th among Rangers D and more points than only 5 Rangers to get minutes in the playoffs including both goalies.

Was Kevin Lowe’s defense so good that any of these six teams would have lost without him? How many other D could have been drafted by the Oilers in 1979 and had similar success?

Let’s now move on to his Top 5 Norris finish in 1987-88, a 21 team league. Once again, we don’t have ice time so we have to use other metrics as a proxy. Here is the Norris voting for that year:

1. Raymond Bourque: 17G, 64A for 81P, +34, 11.7 Point Shares for the 3rd best defensive team in the NHL
2. Scott Stevens: 12G, 60A for 72P, +14, 10.3 PS for the 2nd best defensive team
3. Gary Suter: 21G, 70A for 91P, +39, 11.1 PS for the 12th best defensive team
4. Brad McCrimmon: 7G, 35A for 42P, +48, 7 PS for the 12th best defensive team
5. Kevin Lowe: 9G, 15A for 24P, +18, 4.4 PS for the 8th best defensive team
6. Chris Chelios: 20G, 41A for 61P, +14, 9 PS for the best defensive team
7. Paul Coffey: 15G, 52A for 67P, -1, 6.9 PS for the 16th best defensive team
8. James Patrick: 17G, 45A for 62P, +16, 9 PS for the 7th best defensive team
9. Mark Howe: 19G, 43A for 62P, +23, 9.3 PS for the 9th best defensive team
10. Denis Potvin: 19G, 32A for 51P, +26, 8.5 PS for the 4th best defensive team.

Lowe received 2 first place votes, more than Chelios, Howe or Potvin. Lowe was 11th in Plus Minus, 5th in Defensive Point Shares and t-11th in Point Shares on his own team. Was he the 5th best defenseman during this season or did he just play for the Oilers?

Lowe’s induction was not a popular one and many people mused that he was inducted because he had a lot of friends on the committed. There’s a reason why he was an unpopular selection. Honestly, how is he in the Hall of Fame?

1. George Armstrong, RW – Toronto Maple Leafs, 1949-71

Inducted 4 years after he retired.

Resume:

• No comparable players in the Hall of Fame by Point Shares
• 7 All Star Game appearances in a league with 6 teams (12 teams in his final All Star season)
• Never won an individual award
• Zero 1st Team or 2nd Team selections
• Never led the league
• Top 10 in PPG once in a 6 team league
• Never finished Top 5 in Hart voting
• Won 4 Cups and appeared in 6 SCFs
• Not on the Top 100 list.

When we looked at Armstrong’s case in 2023, we asked

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 Leafs?

Armstrong’s Hall of Fame case rests of a few things:

• He won four Stanley Cups, including three in a row
• He was the Captain of all four of those Stanley Cup winning teams
• At his retirement, he was 11th All Time in regular season Games Played and Top 20 in total Goals, Assists and Points despite never once finishing in the Top 10 in a regular season in any of those categories.

So he played for a long time, he was the Captain of an Original Six franchise, and he led that team to six SCFs and four Cups in six seasons. Additionally, some people claim he was an excellent defensive forward though keep in mind that he was playing on the same team as Dave Keon and Bob Pulford, who are acclaimed as two of the best defensive forwards of their era.

Hockey culture is obsessed with leadership, certainly way more than other major team sports. The question is, does a player belong in the Hall of Fame just for being a Captain?

• In 1959, the Leafs lost the SCF in 5 games to the Canadiens; Armstrong finished with 0 goals and 4 points in 12 games, good for 9th on the team in scoring
• In 1960 the Leafs got swept in the SCF by the Habs; Armstrong had 1 goal and 5 points in 10 games, tied with three other players (including two D) for 5th on the team in scoring
• In 1962, the Leafs won their first of three Cups in a row; Armstrong finished with 7 goals and 12 points in 12 games, tied for 3rd on the team in scoring and leading the playoffs in even strength playoff goals
• In 1963, the Leafs won their second Cup in a row; Armstrong finished with 3 goals and 9 points in 10 games, good for 2nd on the team in scoring and leading the playoffs in Plus Minus
• In 1964, the Leafs won their third Cup in a row; Armstrong had had 5 goals and 13 points in 14 games, tied for 2nd on the team in scoring and leading the playoffs in Plus Minus
• In 1967 the Leafs won their last ever Stanley Cup; Armstrong missed 3 of 12 games and scored 3 points, tied for 10th on the team in playoff scoring.

Our question is: is this the resume of a Hall of Fame right wing? If this was the resume of a player who played now, would we induct him? If we accept that Plus Minus is random, the only time Armstrong ever led the playoffs was in 1962 in even strength goals, not overall goals

Are Armstrong’s apparent defensive abilities enough to make up for the overall lack of scoring? How many skaters should be in the Hall of Fame for not leading their teams in scoring when they won Cups?

We’re pretty convinced that anyone who would agree with Armstrong’s Hall of Fame case would not apply that same standard to modern players.