Montreal

Does Guy Carbonneau Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Guy Carbonneau was inducted in 2019. His induction is virtually unprecedented as Carbonneau has probably the worst offensive stats of any forward inducted to the HOF to have played since the league expanded in 1968. (Bob Gainey would be the only other forward in the Hall with comparable offensive numbers.)

Of course, Carbonneau is not in because of his offense. He’s in because of his three Selke trophies and numerous Top 5 Selke voting finishes.

So, does he belong? And what kind of precedent does he set for the Hall of Fame going forward? Listen to us talk about him here:

Does Tommy Smith Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Tommy Smith is a player we really had never heard of.

Why? Because he played 10 games in the NHL. He scored 1 point.

But Tommy Smith is one of the best players in the history of the NHA.

Additionally, he dominated every amateur and semi-pro and early pro league he was in.

He probably belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Listen to us talk about Tommy Smith:

Does Lester Patrick Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Player?

To say Lester Patrick played in the NHL is a bit of an exaggeration – he played two games over two seasons in his mid 40s while he was the coach of the Rangers. His career as a player was mostly spent in the PCHA (which he co-founded).

Lester Patrick is one of the major figures in the early history of hockey. His role as a builder is so important you could argue there were few others as important.

But how about his career as a player? Was he a Hall of Famer?

We discuss that in our latest episode:

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Lester Patrick’s stats:

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 Gilmour Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

A friend of ours used to claim that Doug Gilmour didn’t belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame because he had “one good year.” This friend used to compare Gilmour’s stats to Kirk Muller’s, apparently because he didn’t know he could look them up on the internet.

by Newsker93 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Gilmour was only rarely a star offensively but was one of the elite defensive forwards of his era, receiving numerous Selke nominations. In this episode, we discuss whether he should have been inducted and where he ranks among the great players of his era.

Listen here:

James Odie Cleghorn

Odie Cleghorn’s brother is a famous Hall of Fame hockey player. Was Odie also deserving?

In this episode, we discuss whether or not Odie Cleghorn has a comparable case to some other NHA/1920s players who were questionably inducted.

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Odie’s stats are as follows:

Does Edward Reg Noble Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Reg Noble’s biggest claim to fame is that he set the NHL career record in games played and, when he retired he was way ahead of the next player.

Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? We talk about him here:

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Does Georges Buck Boucher Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Georges Boucher aka Buck Boucher was among the very best defencemen of the NHL’s first decade and a half. Where does he rank all time?

Listen here:

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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 Harold Punch Broadbent Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

According to some, Punch Broadbent was the original power forward, the first (NHL?) hockey player to combine skill and physicality in a dominant way.

If that’s true, then even without going through is stats he likely has a pretty good case for the Hockey Hall of Fame. But we’ll look at his career anyway.