Who really belongs in the Hall of Fame?

Is Red Kelly one of the Greatest NHL Players of All Time?

Red Kelly was one of the best D of the 1950s and possibly the greatest offensive D to yet play in the NHL. And then he was traded to the Leafs and famously switched to centre. Throughout his career he won more Stanley Cups than any other non-Canadien player. He is one of only 10 players to ever have the three-year Hall of Fame waiting requirement waived.

So where does Red Kelly rank all time?

Listen to us talk about Red Kelly’s Hall of Fame and GOAT case here:

Does Bryan Hextall Belong in the Hockey

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Grandfather of Ron, Bryan Hextall was one of the offensive stars of his era. And he was pretty good. If you fiddle with the VsX adjustment and do look at his per game numbers – something it’s not designed for – it paints Hextall as the best offensive player in NHL history in terms of adjusted PPG. That’s obviously not true and just exposes flaws in adjusted stats. But he must have been pretty good, right?

Listen to us talk about Bryan Hextall’s Hall of Fame case here:

Does Sid Abel Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

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Sid Abel won the Hart and made a number of end-of-season All Star teams. But he was often not the best player on his team – especially in the playoffs – and a lot of his regular season success came centering Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay.

Did Sid Abel deserve his Hart trophy? And does he belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen to us discuss his case here:

Does Tom Johnson Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Tom Johnson won 6 Stanley Cups and he was the only D to break up Dough Harvey’s Norris streak.

But he has few Norris nominations outside of his win and only two end-of-season All Star Team appearances in a sixteen season career. There’s a chicken-or-egg question here: Did Johnson win all these Cups because he played for one of the greatest teams of all time or did the Canadiens win all these Cups in part due to a player like Tom Johnson?

So, we wonder, does Tom Johnson belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen here:

Does Bill Gadsby Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

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Bill Gadsby was one of the great pre-Orr offensive D, scoring more points than any other pure defender at his retirement. (Only Red Kelly had more and he’d bee playing centre for years when Gadsby retired.) He also has plenty of end-of-season All Star Team appearances and a number of Norris nominations.

But his teams never won and the Plus/Minus stats we have for the end of his career are flat out bad.

Does Bill Gadsby belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen to us talk about his case here:

Does Babe Dye Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

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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:

Is Terry Sawchuk one of the Greatest Goalies of All Time?

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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: