Dead Puck Era

Does Grant Fuhr Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Does Grant Fuhr belong in the Hall of Fame?

Sure, he has Cups and a Vezina. And he has the record for most goalie games played in a single season.

But he also has extremely mediocre stats compared to his contemporaries, most of whom are not in the Hall of Fame like he is.

Then, there’s this other thing: he’s arguably the first ever African Canadian (or African American) hockey star in history. A true trail-blazer.

So does he belong?

Listen to us debate his case here:

Is Pat LaFontaine the Greatest American Hockey Player of All Time?

Håkan Dahlström, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Some people believe Pat LaFontaine is the Greatest American Hockey Player of All Time. (The A-GOAT? The GAOAT?) This is despite an injury-shortened career and no Stanley Cups.

Does this claim hold up to scrutiny?

Listen to us talk about LaFontaine here:

Is Ray Bourque the Greatest D of All Time?

Ravenswing, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ray bourque is the career leader in goals, assists and points for a D, he has 5 Norris Trophies and he has more end-of-season All Star team appearances than anyone other than Gordie Howe.

So where does he rank all time among the greatest defencemen ever? Is he #2? Is he not even in the Top 5 as one of us used to believe?

Listen to us talk about Bourque here:

Is Paul Coffey the Greatest Offensive Defenceman of All Time?

Paul Coffey’s offensive stats are just staggering. He owns the single season goals record for a defender and almost topped Orr’s points record. He had both an extremely high offensive peak and also did things consistently through his career that few have ever done before. If he was healthier at the end, he probably would be the highest scoring D in NHL history.

But, especially in the ’80s, there were huge concerns about his defense. And some people still believe he should have played forward.

So where does he rank all time? Does such a player belong in the Hall of Fame?

Listen to us talk about Paul Coffey here:

Does Larry Murphy Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Larry Murphy played forever and won a bunch of Cups. But he never won a Norris and never made a 1st All Starm Team.

Does Larry Murphy Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen to us discuss his case here:

Does Cam Neely Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Meowwcat, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cam Neely is one of only 8 players to unofficially score “50 Goals in 50 Games”. (He did it in the Bruins’ 66th game of the season, so it doesn’t count in the NHL’s eyes.) And, when healthy, he was one of the most dominant goal-scorers of his era. On the Bruins…

But his career numbers are not as good as you think they are and, beyond some 2nd All Star Teams, he didn’t really get much acknowledgement as an elite player during his career.

So, does Cam Neely belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen to us discuss his case here:

Does Peter Bondra Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Peter Brondra is one of the best Slovak players of all time and scored 500 goals at a time it was pretty hard to do so. Had the Rocket Richard Trophy existed he would have won it twice.

So, does he belong in the Hall of Fame? Listen to us talk about his case here:

Does Matt Cullen Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Why are we even writing about Matt Cullen? Obviously he doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame, right?

Well, he’s 20th All Time in NHL Games Played. And he has 3 Stanley Cups at a time when that’s pretty rare.

So, the question is, are the standards so low now that he might make it in?

Listen to us talk about Matt Cullen’s (lack of a) Hall of Fame case here:

Does Ed Belfour Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Ed Belfour was one of the better goalies of the era, but does that mean he belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen to us discuss Belfour’s case here:

Is Dominik Hasek the GOAT?

The Dominator had a nearly unrivaled stretch of goalie dominance during the Dead Puck Era.

Dominik_Hasek_face.jpg: Dan4th Nicholasderivative work: Lvivske, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

But it was only 6 years. Is that enough for Dominik Hasek to be considered the Greatest Goalie of All Time?

Listen to us talk about Hasek here: