Islanders

Is Potvin One of the Greatest Defencemen of All Time?

Charny, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Denis Potvin was the greatest offensive D between Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. He might have been the best all around defender too, as when was the last time you heard someone complain about his defence?

So obviously Denis Potvin belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But where does he rank all time?

Listen to us try to figure it out:

Is Mike Bossy the Greatest Goal Scorer of All Time?

New York Islanders/NHL, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Mike Bossy is 1st All Time in Goals Per Game, was Top 5 in GPG in all but one season of his NHL career and is the only player other than Gretzky to score 50 goals 9 straight times.

But nobody is hurt by Hockey Reference’s adjustment for era more than Mike Bossy. So arguably nobody benefited from playing when they did more than Bossy.

So, is Mike Bossy the greatest goal scorer in NHL history?

Listen to us talk about Mike Bossy’s Hall of Fame case here:

Does Bryan Trottier Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bryan Trottier won six Cups, a Hart, an Art Ross, a Conn Smythe (and should have won a second) and was among the all time leading scorers in NHL history when he retired.

Really the only blemish on his career is that adjustments for era hurt him a little bit.

So it’s obvious he belongs in the Hall of Fame and the question really is, where does he rank all time among NHL centres?

Listen to us talk about Trottier here:

Does Butch Goring Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Magickallwiz at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Butch Goring won four Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe trophy. And he’s got more awards than Clark Gillies. But he’s not in the Hall of Fame.

That could be because he probably didn’t deserve that Conn Smythe. And his regular season and playoff numbers are hardly elite.

Listen to us discuss Goring’s case here:

Does Clark Gillies Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Clark Gillies has four Stanley Cups and two 1st All Star Team selections.

But he has a career PPG of .73 despite playing in the ’80s and his best offensive season was exceeded by that of 3 teammates. He only led the Islanders in playoff scoring once.

Does he really have enough of a resume to be in the Hall of Fame?

Listen to us discuss his case here:

Is Pat LaFontaine the Greatest American Hockey Player of All Time?

Håkan Dahlström, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Some people believe Pat LaFontaine is the Greatest American Hockey Player of All Time. (The A-GOAT? The GAOAT?) This is despite an injury-shortened career and no Stanley Cups.

Does this claim hold up to scrutiny?

Listen to us talk about LaFontaine here:

Does Mathieu Schneider Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

In journeyman career that saw him play for way too many teams, Mathieu Schneider amassed enough points to make him one of the top 25 offensive defensmen in NHL history (if you go by totals, not per game). That surprised us.

by James Teterenko / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

But Schneider has few individual accolades and not a lot of team success.

So does he belong in the Hall of Fame?

We discuss it on our latest episode. Listen here:

Does Doug Weight Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Until very recently, Doug Weight was one of the Top 5 American passers in the history of the NHL, and he did so while playing his prime in the Dead Puck (Clutch and Grab) era, at one point scoring over 100 points in a season.

We both fondly remember Weight from those classic Oilers-Stars series of the late ’90s and early ’00s. But does he really deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame?

Listen to our discussion here:

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Weight’s stats:

Does Craig Janney Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Craig Janney is 14th All Time in Assists Per Game, one of only two players in the Top 15 who are not in the Hall of Fame or still active.

The big knocks against Janney are his minus, the length of his career and his lack of a truly dominant season.

We talk about Janney’s Hockey Hall of Fame case here:

Does Ziggy Palffy Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

A lot of people probably think Ziggy Palffy doesn’t have a case in hell for Hall of Fame. Well, we beg top differ.

In our latest episode, hear us make a case for Palffy’s induction, based upon the standards set by previous inductees.

Listen here: