Who really belongs in the Hall of Fame?
Every NHL player's case analyzed
Harry Oliver was a WCHL star who mostly didn’t have the same kind of success in the NHL, except during the 1927 playoffs when he led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup.
When we discuss Harry Oliver’s Hall of Fame case, the big thing we struggle with is, was he a big enough star in the WCHL?
Listen to us talk about it here:
Continue reading “Does Harry Oliver Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”It’s easy to look at Bill Cowley’s numbers and think he might be one of the greatest offensive NHL players ever, and certainly one of the league’s greatest passers.
But his best years came during World War II when a number of NHL players were in the military and so competition wasn’t as good. Also, Cowley sometimes wasn’t even the first line centre on his own team.
The question isn’t just, does Bill Cowley belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? It’s how do we evaluate his gaudy numbers given when he played and his role when Milt Schmidt was on the team? And why did it take the Hall 20+ years to induct him?
Listen here:
Continue reading “Is Bill Cowley one of the GOAT?”
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:
Continue reading “Does Tom Johnson 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?”
Cooney Weiland set the single-season points record in 1930, but it was a banner year for the league and multiple other players could have broken the record if he didn’t. He led the playoffs in points twice, too. Seems like maybe a slam dunk.
However, these were the only great years of Weiland’s career and his career was pretty middling otherwise. Does someone like this belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen to us talk about Cooney Weiland’s Hall of Fame case here:
Continue reading “Does Ralph Cooney Weiland Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”
Though seemingly forgotten by many Leafs fans, Busher Jackson was one of the greatest Left Wings in Maple Leafs history, leading both the league and the playoffs in scoring once and making four All Star 1st Teams.
The question is, does he belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen to us talk about Busher Jackson’s Hall of Fame case here:
Continue reading “Does Ralph Busher Jackson Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”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?”Billy Burch won the Hart in a year when he was the 3rd best offensive player on his own team and the 6th best overall. That’s basically his only case for Hall of Fame inclusion.
But what if he did something else?
Listen to us talk about Billy Burch’s Hall of Fame case here:
Continue reading “Does Billy Burch 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:
Continue reading “Does Bill Quackenbush Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Djcz, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
There is a never-ending debate among hockey fans as to which player of Gretzky, Lemieux and Orr was the greatest. There are certain areas where each stands supreme.
Our vote is for Orr because we think he played the more difficult and more important position and because he revolutionized the position as well. (Also, the skating.) But at least one of us thinks there’s room for debate.
Listen to us talk about Bobby Orr:
Continue reading “Is Bobby Orr the Greatest Hockey Player of All Time?”
