Category: Early NHL

Sprague Cleghorn

Sprague Cleghorn has one of the all time great hockey names. But was he good enough to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

In this episode, we talk about Sprague and where he ranks among the old timer D of his era. Listen here:

Continue reading “Sprague Cleghorn”

Does Eddie Gerard Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Eddie Gerard won a bunch of Stanley Cups. And by one metric he might have been the best defenceman in the early NHL.

Was he? Does he deserve to the be in the Hockey Hall of Fame? We discuss his case on our latest episode.

Listen here:

Continue reading “Does Eddie Gerard Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”

Does Jack Walker Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Of all the players to be featured on The Back Check so far, Jack Walker has, by far, the least impressive stats we’ve seen. So why the hell is in the Hall of Fame?

Listen here to hear if we can figure it out:

Continue reading “Does Jack Walker Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”

Does Newsy Lalonde Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

The question with Newsy isn’t whether or not he belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame but rather, is Newsy Lalonde one of the Greatest of All Time?

Newsy’s dominance of the early NHL is unrivaled but where does he rank all time?

Listen here:

Continue reading “Does Newsy Lalonde Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”

Does Joseph Didier Pitre Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

In this episode we discuss Didier Pitre, a star of the National Hockey Association (NHA) who played in the NHL only in last mid-late 30s. Does he belong?

Listen here:

Continue reading “Does Joseph Didier Pitre Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”

Does Joe Hall Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

In this episode, we discuss whether or not Joe Hall belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame, or is he just there because we contracted the Spanish Flu during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Listen here:

Continue reading “Does Joe Hall Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”

Aubrey Dit Clapper

Dit Clapper’s Career

  • NHL: 1927-47; 20 seasons, 8 out of 10 quality as a forward (by modern standards of PPG) and at least 8 out of 10 quality as a D (by Defensive Point Shares)
  • Totals:
    • 228G (8th All Time at his retirement),
    • 246A (6th) for
    • 474P (6th) in
    • 833 games (1st) – Clapper held the record for games played until the 1956-57 season
    • 94.3 PS (5th)
  • At his retirement, Clapper was 18th All Time in GPG and PPG, and 20th in APG (minimum 500 games, since Clapper doesn’t meet the qualifiers for APG or PPG)
  • At his retirement, Clapper was 6th All Time in Offensive Point Shares and 11th All time in Defensive Point Shares
  • Era: Of the 7 players to play in at least 600 games between 1927 and 1947, Clapper is
    • 3rd in Goals, GPG, Points and DPS,
    • 2nd in Assists,
    • 4th in APG and PPG,
    • 1st in OPS, PS and Games
  • 82-game average: 22G, 25A for 47P; 9.2 PS
  • 3-year peak (1929-32): 44-game average of 26G, 16A for 43P (as a forward)
  • Playoffs: 13G, 17A for 30 points in 82 games
  • Adjusted: 382G, 508A for 890P
  • Adjusted 82-game average: 38G, 50A for 88P
  • Never Traded.
Continue reading “Aubrey Dit Clapper”

Lawrence Baldy Northcott

Career

  • NHL: 1928-39; 11 seasons, 6 quality[1. By modern standards of PPG]
  • 133G, 112A for 245P in 446 points
  • At his retirement, Northcott was 22nd in GPG
  • For players to play during the decade he played in, Northcott is 15th in Goals, 23rd in Assists, 19th in Points and 22nd in Games Played[2. Minimum 400 games]
  • Era: Northcott is 15th Goals, 12th in GPG, 23rd in Assists, 21 in APG and PS, 19th in Points, 17th in PPG and OPS, and 22nd in Games[3. Of the 37 players to play in at least 400 games between 1928 and 1939]
  • 82-game average: 25G, 21A for 45P
  • 3-year peak (1931-34): 48-game average of 21G, 14A for 34P
  • Playoffs: 8G, 5A for 13P in 31 games
  • Adjusted: 229G, 256A for 485P
  • Adjusted 82-game average: 42G, 47P for 89P
  • Traded once at the end of his career.

Continue reading “Lawrence Baldy Northcott”

Louis Berlinguette

Career

  • NHL: 1917-26; 8 seasons, 3 quality[1. By modern standards of PPG]
  • 45G, 33A (19th All Time at his retirement) for 78P (25th) in 193 games (8th)
  • 82-game average: 19G, 14A for 33P
  • 3-year peak (1919-22): 82-game average of 36G, 27A for 63P
  • Playoffs: 5A for 5P in 11 games
  • Adjusted: 60G, 150A for 210P
  • Adjusted 82-game average: 25G, 64A for 89P
  • Traded out of the NHL once.[2. but traded back in less than a month later]

Continue reading “Louis Berlinguette”

Hector Kilrea

Career

  • NHL: 1925-40; 15 seasons, 5 quality[1. By modern standards of PPG]
  • 167G (15th All Time at his retirement), 129A for 296P (18th) in 633 games (4th); 44.9 PS
  • At his retirement, Kilrea was 14th All Time in GPG, 20th in APG and 16th in PPG[2. Minimum 500 games, 25 qualifying players]
  • Era: Kilrea is 5th in Goals and GPG, 8th in Assists and OPS, APG and PPG, 6th in Points, 7th in PS and 3rd in Games[3. Of the 10 players to play in at least 550 games between 1925 and 1940, because only 3 players managed to play in 600 games over that span]
  • 82-game average: 21G, 16A for 39P
  • 3-year peak (1929-32): 44-game average of 23G, 12A for 35P
  • Playoffs: 8G, 7A for 15P in 48 games
  • Adjusted: 296G, 395A for 691P
  • Adjusted 82-game average: 38G, 51A for 90P
  • Traded twice in his prime.

Continue reading “Hector Kilrea”