1st Team All Star

Is Doug Harvey the Greatest Defenceman of All Time?

There’s_no_action_like_hockey_action_by_Louis_Jaques.jpg:Photographer: Louis Jaques (Weekend Magazine)Credit: Weekend Magazine / Louis Jaques / Library and Archives Canada / e002505707 Copyright: Copyright assigned to Library and Archives Canada by copyright owner Weekend Magazine.derivative work: Leech44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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:

Does Henri Richard Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Maurice’s less famous brother is the winningest player in NHL history in terms of Stanley Cups. But, does he have more of a case than just his 11 Stanley Cups?

Listen to us discuss Henri Richard’s Hall of Fame case here:

Is Dickie Moore one of the Greatest Left Wings 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:

Is Glenn Hall one of the Greatest Goalies of All Time?

Though he only won one Stanley Cup, and the Vezinas he won were before it was a “Best Goalie” or “Most Valuable Goalie” award, Glenn Hall was one of the greatest goalies in NHL history. Just look at all the black ink on his Hockey Reference page. There’s one name on more goalie leader-boards than just about any other, and it’s Glenn Hall’s.

So the question isn’t, “Does Glenn Hall belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?” The question is, “where does Glenn Hall rank among the greatest goalies of all time?”

Listen to us talk about Glenn Hall:

Is Pierre Pilote one of the Greatest Defencmen of All Time?

Pierre Pilote is, by some metrics, one of the greatest NHL D of All Time. He has more Norris Trophies (3) than all but four other D. And only 6 D have appeared on more end-of-season All Star Teams.

So obviously Pierre Pilote belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But where does he rank among the best D ever?

Listen to us talk about Pierre Pilote here:

Does Gordie Drillon Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Hockey publicity photo c 1940(Life time: pre-1949, copyright expired), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Did you know that Gordie Drillon was one of the greatest goal scorers in early NHL history?

He was indeed. And we think he has a pretty slam dunk Hall of Fame case. Listen to us talk about him here:

Does Bill Quackenbush Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bill Quackenbush played D for the Red Wings and Bruins for 14 years. He never won a Cup and he was not much of a scorer. (D didn’t score much before Red Kelly and Doug Harvey.)

But his career mostly predates the Norris. And he made three 1st All Star Teams and five total. That puts him in elite company.

So, does Bill Quackenbush belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen here:

Is Johnny Bower one of the Greatest Goalies of All Time?

Johnny Bower had one of the weird careers of a star NHL goalie: he didn’t find a permanent job in the NHL until he was 33. And then, he won. A lot. He won four Cups, and arguably could have won the Conn Smythe at least twice had it existed.

He also has one of the best career regular season save percentages in history.

So the question is, where does he rank among the greatest goalies of all time?

Listen to us discuss Bower here:

Does Tim Horton Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Tim Horton is now famous for Tim Horton’s than he is for hockey. But, while he was alive, he was reputed to be the strongest player in the league. He won four Stanley Cups (leading the Leafs in points one layoff) and is one of the greatest D in Leafs history.

But is also a bit of a proto Brad Park: he was a runner up in Norris trophy voting twice, with four other Top 4 finishes, but never won the award. He was also a minus on a couple of the Cup winning teams he played for.

So, does Tim Horton belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen here:

Does Marcel Pronovost Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Marcel Pronovost played a long time, had some Norris nominations and won multiple Stanley Cups.

But was he ever the #1 D on his team? We don’t have ice time so we don’t know. On some of the Cup winners he was on, there are 8 Hall of Famers. Should we be inducting middle 6 and 2nd pair players of Cup winners?

In this episode, we discuss Marcel Provnost’s complicated case for the Hall of Fame: