Detroit

Does Brian Rafalski Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

By certain metrics – Defensive Point Shares, Point Shares, Plus/Minus – Brian Rafalski was the second best defenceman to play at least 750 games between 1999 and 2011. But if you watched him play, or you look up his Average Time on Ice (ATOI), you know he was never a #1 defenceman.

So, what gives? Was Rafalski so incredible he should have had his own team? Or did he luck out with his defence partners?

Listen to us discuss Rafalski’s case:

Does Chris Chelios Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Chris Chelios has one of the most impressive resumes of any American defenseman. He might have the most impressive resume.

So the question isn’t so much whether or not he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but where does he rank among the greatest NHL defenders ever.

Listen here:

Does Brendan Shanahan Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Does Brendan Shanahan belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

It’s a silly question about one of the greatest power forwards ever. We still ask it and talk about his case.

You can listen here:

Does Mike Modano Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Mike Modano never scored more than 93 points in a single season and yet some people regard him as one of the greatest American-born hockey players ever, if not the absolute greatest.

Others look at his offensive output and think he’s horribly overrated.

Which is it? Does he belong or has he been horribly overrated?

Listen here:

Does Frank Foyston Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Frank Foyston was a star in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) but never really reached the same level in the NHA, WCHL or NHL, all of which he played in for at least 39 games.

Do players like Foyston, who only excelled in one of the early pro leagues, truly belong in the Hall of Fame?

Listen to us talk about Frank Foyston here:

Is Nicklas Lidstrom the 2nd Best Defenseman of All Time?

If you judge strictly on the basis of Norris Trophy wins, Nicklas Lidstrom is the second best NHL defenseman of all time.

Obviously Norris wins are not the only criteria we should use when evaluating NHL D, so in this episode we look at his entire career and try to figure out where he ranks all time.

Listen to us talk about Nick Lidstrom here:

Does Pavel Datsyuk Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Pavel Datsyuk was arguably the best two-way forward of his era, able to dominate other teams defensively without taking many penalties, while scoring enough to sometimes rank in the Top 10 in league scoring. He was the NHL’s first “Corsi God,” a player who drove possession so well that, once the NHL started tracking possession numbers, Datsyuk was simply the best player in the league by those metrics.

However, Datsyuk does not have the gaudy offensive numbers of other NHL Hall of Famers, and he was often played as the second best forward on his own team.

So where does Datsyuk rank all time? Listen to us talk about Pavel Datsyuk here:

Does Sergei Fedorov Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Sergei Fedorov had a couple great seasons and a very long career. Yet he was inducted very quickly, as if he was a no-doubter. Did Fedorov deserve that treatment?

Listen to us discuss Fedorov’s case here:

Does Marian Hossa Belong the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Marian Hossa combined long-term offensive productivity with defensive dominance on the wing, does he belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

He has the career numbers given when he played but he never dominated offensively and he was never awarded the Selke.

Listen to us discuss Hossa’s case here:

Does Jack Walker Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Of all the players to be featured on The Back Check so far, Jack Walker has, by far, the least impressive stats we’ve seen. So why the hell is in the Hall of Fame?

Listen here to hear if we can figure it out: