Does Reginald Hooley Smith 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:

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Is Vladislav Tretiak the Greatest Goalie of All Time?

The induction of Vladislav Tretiak into the Hockey Hall of Fame officially made the Hockey Hall of Fame an international hall of fame, not just an NHL-focused North American hockey hall of fame.

So that’s an area of controversy for some, but if the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto wants to be the Hockey Hall of Fame of the World, it’s a step that needed to be taken.

So where does Tretiak rank? How do we compare him to NHL goalies when Soviet League goalie stats are even worse than Soviet League skater stats?

What do we do with the very notable fact that Tretiak’s GAA (not save percentage) increased drastically every time he played against NHL competition in international tournaments?

Listen to us attempt to talk about Vladislav Tretiak’s Hall of Fame case here:

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Is Mario Lemieux the Greatest of All Time?

Through a career riddled by injuries – including one induced retirement – Lemieux was one of the most dominant forwards the game has ever seen. He temporarily led the NHL in both career Goals Per Game and Points Per Game, despite debuting after Gretzky and despite playing more of his career in the Dead Puck Era.

But Lemieux never reached Gretzky’s accomplishments either in terms of his peak or his longevity. He has fewer scoring titles and Cups than Gretzky, and Gretzky achieved Lemieux’s offensive feats many times over.

Listen to us discuss whether or not Lemieux is the Greatest Hockey Player of All Time, the Greatest Centre of All Time, or something else, here:

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Does Viacheslav Fetisov Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Festisov is perhaps the greatest Russian defender of all time. (The GRDOAT?) But his NHL career was past his prime.

Does he belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen to us discuss his case here:

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Does Valeri Kharlamov Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Valeri Kharlamoov never played in the NHL.

This website is about players who have played in the NHL, or players who played in the forerunners of the NHL.

But Kharlamov was inducted, in great part due scaring Canada at the ’72 Summit Series. (Kharlamov also died very young.)

So, does he belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen to us try to talk about this case here:

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Does Ed Belfour Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Egon Eagle, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

Ed Belfour was one of the better goalies of the era, but does that mean he belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen to us discuss Belfour’s case here:

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Is Dominik Hasek the GOAT?

The Dominator had a nearly unrivaled stretch of goalie dominance during the Dead Puck Era.

But it was only 6 years. Is that enough for Dominik Hasek to be considered the Greatest Goalie of All Time?

Listen to us talk about Hasek here:

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Does Curtis Joseph Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Cujo is 7th All Time in Wins and was, by Goalie Point Shares, the Most Valuable Goalie in the league for three straight seasons and yet is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

So, does he belong?

Listen to us talk about him here:

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Is Martin Brodeur the Greatest Goalie of All Time?

Martin Brodeur has more wins and more Shut-Outs than any other NHL goalie ever. And his puck-handling transformed hockey to the point the NHL had to change the rules.

Does this make him the GOAT?

Listen to us discuss his case:

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Does Al Macinnis Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Al Macinnis’ spot in the Hall is not in dispute. What’s at issue is where MacInnis belongs among the greatest D of All Time.

Listen to us talk about Al MacInnis here:

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