Stanley Cup Champion

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:

Is Ron Francis One of the Great Centres in NHL History?

Ron Francis undoubtedly belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Skaters who played as long as he did and were as consistently good as he was always get in.

by akulawolf / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

But the real question is, how good was he? He was never really a top offensive star and his best years came as the second line centre on a team with two of the best forwards in history (and one of the two candidates for best centre ever).

Listen to us debate Francis’ career here:

Does Bobby Smith Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bobby Smith was a star for the North Stars and then the Habs. But he has pretty mediocre offensive numbers given when he played. But then he has remarkably high playoff point totals.

So does he belong or not?

Listen to us talk about Bobby Smith here:

Is Mark Messier the Greatest Leader in Hockey History?

The narrative is that Mark Messier is the Greatest Leader/Captain in NHL history, probably hockey history and (depending upon who you talk to) maybe even in pro sports history.

So the question isn’t whether or not he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but how good he was. And do his “intangibles” make up for never being a top offensive player ever during the course of his career?

Listen to us talk bout Mark Messier:

Does Igor Larionov Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

One of the Russian Five, Larionov has had team success wherever he’s gone. But his individual success only ever occurred outside of the NHL. Does he belong?

Listen here:

Why is Glenn Anderson in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Glenn Anderson was the 5th best player on a dynastic hockey team. He then lucked out and got traded to a team which won him a sixth Stanley Cup. He was never the star of any of those 6 teams and he was only ever briefly a top offensive player in the NHL (when he was playing with 4 Hall of Fame skaters).

Yet he’s been in the Hall of Fame for a while.

In our latest episode, we talk about Anderson’s case, and how it centres on two things: his 6 Cups and his ridiculous playoff totals.

Listen here:

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 Jere Lehtinen Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

It might seem like a silly question. However, as if this writing, Jere Lehtinen is the only eligible player with at least three Selke trophies not in the Hall of Fame. (If Datsyuk doesn’t get in once he’s eligible, there will be two.)

In this episode we discuss Lehtinen’s case in light of Guy Carbonneau’s induction in 2019.

Listen to us talk about Jere Lehtinen here:

Does Steve Yzerman Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Of course Steve Yzerman belongs in the HOF. But what we really want to know is, how good was he? Where does he rank all time?

In our latest episode, we discuss just how good he was, and his remarkable transition from elite offensive player to Selke winner.

You can listen here:

Does Henrik Zetterberg Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

by JamesTeterenko assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]

Before we recorded this episode, one of us was pretty convince he did belong and the other was skeptical. Somehow, talking about his case, we both changed our minds!

Zetterberg was undoubtedly one of the best two-way forwards of his era; overshadowed in awards voting by his teammate, he actually performed better in the playoffs than Datsyuk.

So does he belong?

Listen to our latest episode here: