Canadian

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?

Ralrton-Purina Company, maker of Chex cereals, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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?

Unknown, uploaded by Nhl4hamilton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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?

Detroit Red Wings / NHL, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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:

Does Ralph Cooney Weiland Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

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:

Does Ralph Busher Jackson Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

“Whitby Archives”, Whitby Online Historic Photographs Collection

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:

Does Reginald Hooley Smith Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

The Montreal Gazette, p. 17, accessed via Google, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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:

Does Harry “Hap” Holmes Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Angus Carroll’s Blog, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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.

Does Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion 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:

Hall of Fame Class of 1972 Part 1: Bernie Geoffrion, Hap Holmes, Hooley Smith

Bernie Geoffrion’s Career:

NHL: 1950-64, 1966-68; 16 seasons, 14 quality
Totals:
- 393G (3rd All Time at his first retirement – Howe, Richard),
- 429A (12th All Time at his first retirement) for
- 822P (5th All Time at his first retirement – Howe, Richard, Lindsay, Beliveau),
- +39* in
- 883 Games;
- 97.5 Point Shares (12th All Time at his first retirement);
- At his 1st retirement, Geoffrion was
  - 12th All time in Offensive Point Shares
  - 21st Forward All Time in Defensive Point Shares
Per Game: At his first retirement, Geoffrion was
- T-8th All Time in GPG
- 9th All Time in APG
- T-5th All Time in PPG (Beliveau, Howe, Bathgate, Cowley)
Era: Of the 19 skaters to play in at least 738 games between 1950 and 1964, Geoffrion is
- 2nd in Goals (behind Howe by 125)
- 2nd in GPG (6 qualifying players)
- 6th in Assists
- T-2nd in APG (7 qualifying players)
- 2nd in Points (behind by Howe by 355)
- 2nd in PPG (5 qualifying players)
- 6th in Plus/Minus
- 14th in Games
- 2nd in Offensive Point Shares (behind Howe by 44.9)
- 3rd Forward in Defensive Point Shares
- 4th in Point Shares
- 14th in Games
82-game average: 37G, 40A for 76P, +4*
3-year peak (1958-61): 70-game average of 39G, 50A for 89P, +5*
Playoffs:
- 58G (3rd All Time at his first retirement – Richard, Howe),
- 60A (3rd All Time at his first retirement – Howe, Harvey) for
- 118P (3rd All Time at his first retirement – Howe, Richard),
- +3* (t-21st All Time at his 1st retirement) in
- 132 Games (5th All Time at his 1st retirement – Kelly, Richard, Howe, Harvey)
- Per Game: At his first retirement, Geoffrion was
  - T-6th All Time in playoff GPG
  - 13th All Time in playoff APG
  - 5th All Time in playoff PPG (Beliveau, Blake, Howe, Richard)
- Era: Of the 13 skaters to play in at least 82 playoff games between 1950 and 1964, Geoffrion is
  - 1st in playoff Goals
  - 4th in playoff GPG
  - 2nd in playoff Assists
  - 6th (3rd last among qualifying players) in playoff APG
  - 2nd in playoff Points
  - 3rd in playoff PPG
  - T-4th in playoff Plus/Minus
  - 1st in playoff Games
Adjustment for era:
- Hockey-Reference:
  - 464G
  - 518A for
  - 982P
  - Adjusted 82-game average: 43G, 48A for 91P (+15P per 82 games)
  - Per Game: Geoffrion is
    - T-22nd All Time in Adjusted GPG;
    - If the qualifier is set to 820 games, Geoffrion is
      - T-6th All Time in Adjusted GPG
      - 14th All Time in Adjusted PPG
- VsX:
  - 595G
  - 696A
  - 1093
  - Per Game: Geoffrion is
    - 19th All Time in VsX Adjusted GPG;
    - If the qualifier is set to 820 games, Geoffrion is
      - 3rd All Time in VsX Adjusted GPG (Richard, Bobby Hull)
      - 17th All Time in VsX Adjusted APG
      - 9th All time in VsX Adjusted PPG
Waived at 34 so he could unretire

Bernie Geoffrion’s Accomplishments:

Hart (‘61)
Art Ross (‘55, ‘61)
Richard* (‘55, ‘61)
Calder (‘52)
Back Check MVP and Best Player (‘61)
All Star:
- 1st Team All Star once
- 2nd Team All Star twice
- 11 All Star Game appearances
Top Player:
- Top 5 Player (by PS) twice (‘55, ‘61)
- Top 10 four times (‘52, ‘60)
- Best Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘61)
- Top 5 six times (‘52, ‘54, ‘55, ‘56, ‘60)
- Top 10 eight times (‘58, ‘59)
Goals:
- Leader-boards:
  - Led the league in Goals twice
  - Top 5 six times
  - Top 10 eight times
- GPG leader-boards:
  - Led the league in GPG three times (t-8th most all time)
  - Top 5 eight times (t-8th most all time)
  - Top 10 eleven times (t-7th most all time)
- Single-season totals:
  - 50 goals once (2nd player ever, 1 of only 3 at his first retirement – Richard, Hull)
  - 35 goals twice (1 of only 10 players ever at his first retirement)
  - 30 goals four times (1 of only 7 players ever at his first retirement)
  - 25 goals seven times (1 of only 6 players ever at his first retirement)
  - 20 goals twelve times (1 of only 3 players ever at his first retirement – Howe, Richard)
Assists:
- Leader-boards:
  - Top 10 five times
- APG leader-boards:
  - Top 5 three times
  - Top 10 six times
- Single-season totals:
  - 40 assists three times (1 of only 11 players ever at his first retirement)
Points:
- Leader-boards:
  - Led the league in Points twice (t-10th most all time)
  - Top 5 three times
  - Top 10 seven times
- PPG leader-boards:
  - Led the league in PPG once
  - Top 5 seven times
  - Top 10 nine times (t-8th most all time)
- Single-season totals:
  - 90 points once (1 of only 4 players ever at his first retirement – Beliveau, Moore, Howe)
  - 70 points three times (1 of only 10 players ever at his first retirement)
  - 60 points five times (1 of only 6 players ever at his first retirement)
  - 50 points nine times (1 of only 6 players ever at his first retirement)
VsX Peak:
- Best 7 Seasons:
  - Goals: 14th All Time
  - Assists: 67th All Time
  - Points: 39th All Time
- Best 10 Seasons:
  - Goals: 14th All Time
  - Assists: 84th All Time
  - Points: 42nd All Time
Playoffs:
- Led 6 playoff series in Points (t-16th All Time)

Bernie Geoffrion’s Great Teams:

Best Player (led playoffs in goals and points) on one Champion (‘57 Canadiens)
Best Player on one Champion (‘53 Canadiens)
Best Skater? On one Runner Up (‘55 Canadiens)
Top 3 Forward (led playoffs in goals) on one Runner Up (‘54 Canadiens)
Top 3 Forward (led playoffs in assists, co-led playoffs in points) on one Champion (‘60 Canadiens)
Top 3 Forward (by points) on three Champions (‘56,’58, ‘59 Canadiens) and one Final Four (‘67 Rangers)
Top 6 Forward (by points) on one Runner Up (‘52 Canadiens) on two Final Four (‘63, ‘64 Canadiens)
Top 9 Player (by points) on one Runner Up (‘51 Canadiens) and one Final Four (‘61 Canadiens)
Role Player? (by points) on one Final Four (‘62 Canadiens)

Does Chuck Rayner Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

National Hockey League / New York Rangers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Chuck Rayner was one of the better goalies of his era.

But…he wasn’t the best. And given lack of accomplishments, and the relative brevity of his career compared to some other, bigger names, as well as how high the Hall of Fame’s standards on goalies have grown stricter, it’s really hard to understand why Rayner is in the Hall of Fame when some other goalies aren’t.

Listen to us talk about Chuck Rayner’s Hall of Fame case here: