Who really belongs in the Hall of Fame?
Every NHL player's case analyzed
Cecil “Babe” Dye quickly became one of the NHL’s early stars and, to this day, if the qualifier is low enough, he remains the all time leader in adjusted GPG.
But he also played relatively few games, his career was basically over by age 29 and he only ever won one Cup.
Listen to us talk about Babe Dye’s Hall of Fame case here:
Continue reading “Does Babe Dye Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”From 1962 until 2000, nearly 40 years, Terry Sawchuk was the All Time leader in Wins. From 1964 until 2007, Sawchuk was the All Time leader in Shutouts, a record many thought was unbreakable. From 1961 until 2001, a half century, no other goalie had more Point Shares.
These metrics make it seem like Terry Sawchuk was one of the greatest goalies of all time. But the bloom is off the rose and now a lot of people think that’s not true; that, aside from a stretch at the beginning of his career when he was truly great, he was more of a compiler.
Listen to us talk about Sawchuk’s case for goalie GOAT status here:
Continue reading “Is Terry Sawchuk one of the Greatest Goalies of All Time?”No, not longtime Minnesota North Stars D Gordie Roberts. This Gordon Roberts was a star Left Winger in the NHA and PCHA. In fact, we have him as the PCHA MVP in 1917. He was also a doctor.
So, does Gordon Roberts belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen here to find out:
Continue reading “Does Gordon Roberts Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Prior to Bobby Orr‘s arrival, there was a consensus hockey GOAT (Greatest of All Time), Gordie Howe. That was due both to Howe’s dominance but, more importantly, his unprecedented longevity. Howe may have only been the best player in the NHL for six or so seasons, but he was one of the 10 best players in the NHL for over two decades.
Since then, there are a few other contenders for the throne. And the biggest knock against Howe is his Stanley Cups. Gordie Howe made the playoffs in 20 of his 26 NHL seasons. And he made the Stanley Cup Finals a remarkable 11 times. But he only won four Stanley Cups. One can make the LeBron James argument here: If Gordie Howe really is the GOAT, how come his finals record is 4-7?
Listen to us talk about Gordie Howe here:
Jean Beliveau is one of the rare NHL stars to combine regular season dominance with playoff dominance. Many of the centres who have scored more regular season points than Beliveau both haven’t done so relative to the league – Beliveau would have been the best offensive player of his era had it not been for Gordie Howe – and very few of them have Beliveau’s long history of success in the playoffs.
So where does he rank all time? Is he a Top 5 Centre? Is he a top 5 Player?
Listen to us discuss Jean Beliveau’s career here:
Continue reading “Is Jean Beliveau one of the Top 3 Greatest Centres of All Time?”Hooley Smith was one of those skaters who played multiple positions, because back then skaters did that a lot more. We think he was primarily a Centre or a RW, though he supposed to have played D at times.
Smith doesn’t have a lot of accomplishments, though he was among the best passers of his era. But he was an amateur star – winning an Allan Cup and just dominating on his way to an Olympic Gold – and won a few Cups.
He has a fairly mixed case and we’re not quite sure what to do. So listen to us talk about Hooley Smith’s Hall of Fame case here:
Continue reading “Does Reginald Hooley Smith Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Hap Holmes appears to have some pretty mediocre regular season numbers – pedestrian GAAs and losing records in two of the four professional leagues he played in.
However, Holmes won a Stanley Cup in four professional leagues he played in. He is the only player in Stanley Cup history to win a Cup with four different teams. (Which makes him the only one to do it in four different leagues.) He was the starter on all four of those teams. Between 1917 and 1920 he was in the Stanley Cup final every single year, regardless of what team he was on.
Was he just lucky? Listen to us talk about Hap Holmes’ Hall of Fame case here.
Continue reading “Does Harry “Hap” Holmes Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion is one of the underrated great RWs in NHL history. Is he one of the greatest RWs of all time? Would he be better known had he not played for the Canadiens?
Listen to us talk about Geoffrion’s Hall of Fame case here:
Until Bobby Orr, nobody had more Norris trophies than Doug Harvey. And, arguably, only other NHL defenceman could claim similar acclaim, Eddie Shore.
But things have changed. There have been numerous D who have eclipsed Harvey’s offensive accomplishments and Lidstrom tied him for the second most Norris trophies ever.
So where does Harvey rank now? Is he Top 3? Top 5? Top 10?
Listen to us talk about his Hall of Fame case here:
Continue reading “Is Doug Harvey the Greatest Defenceman of All Time?”Is Dickie Moore the least discussed Habs great of his era? He is famous in Montreal but not so much in the rest of North America.
He’s arguably one of the best Left Wings of all time. For one thing, he has the second most Art Ross trophies among Left Wings after Bobby Hull.
Listen to us discuss Dickie Moore’s Hall of Fame case here:
Continue reading “Is Dickie Moore one of the Greatest Left Wings of All Time?”
