Vezina Trophy

Does Frank Brimsek Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Nicknamed “Mr. Zero,” was the first great American goaltender and the first American NHLer inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He won three awards and made the end-of-season All Star Team in 80% of his (very few) seasons in the NHL.

But he was rarely the best goaltender in a small NHL and a lot of his reputation seems to rest on his rookie season, in which he won the Calder and the Vezina (when it was the Jennings) and led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup.

So, does Frank Brimsek actually belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame for his NHL accomplishments?

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Is Turk Broda a GOAT Goalie?

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Walter “Turk” Broda was a workhorse with some decent regular season goalie stats. But, when it came to the post-season, especially after Broda returned from World War 2, there was no better goalie in the NHL. Broda’s post-war run is among the greatest playoff performances of any NHL goalie, winning four Stanley Cups in five years, and leading the playoffs in shutouts every year, including the year the Leafs didn’t win the Cup. Broda’s playoff record from when he returned from WWII to his retirement is 32-12. He led the playoffs in GAA four years in a row. There aren’t many other goalies to have dominated in the playoffs like he did.

Listen to us talk about Broda’s GOAT case and Hall of Fame case here:

Does Roy Worters Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Roy Worters had the unfortunate luck of playing for the Pirates and the Americans for the vast majority of his career. He never advanced out the semi finals in the NHL playoffs.

But he won a Hart and a Vezina (when it was the Jennings) and was nominated for the Hart three more times. He was also a star goalie in Junior and in an amateur league before his amateur went pro. It’s possible he was a great goalie on bad teams.

Listen to us discuss Roy Worters’ Hall of Fame case here:

Is Terry Sawchuk one of the Greatest Goalies of All Time?

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From 1962 until 2000, nearly 40 years, Terry Sawchuk was the All Time leader in Wins. From 1964 until 2007, Sawchuk was the All Time leader in Shutouts, a record many thought was unbreakable. From 1961 until 2001, a half century, no other goalie had more Point Shares.

These metrics make it seem like Terry Sawchuk was one of the greatest goalies of all time. But the bloom is off the rose and now a lot of people think that’s not true; that, aside from a stretch at the beginning of his career when he was truly great, he was more of a compiler.

Listen to us talk about Sawchuk’s case for goalie GOAT status here:

Is Glenn Hall one of the Greatest Goalies of All Time?

Though he only won one Stanley Cup, and the Vezinas he won were before it was a “Best Goalie” or “Most Valuable Goalie” award, Glenn Hall was one of the greatest goalies in NHL history. Just look at all the black ink on his Hockey Reference page. There’s one name on more goalie leader-boards than just about any other, and it’s Glenn Hall’s.

So the question isn’t, “Does Glenn Hall belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?” The question is, “where does Glenn Hall rank among the greatest goalies of all time?”

Listen to us talk about Glenn Hall:

Is Johnny Bower one of the Greatest Goalies of All Time?

Johnny Bower had one of the weird careers of a star NHL goalie: he didn’t find a permanent job in the NHL until he was 33. And then, he won. A lot. He won four Cups, and arguably could have won the Conn Smythe at least twice had it existed.

He also has one of the best career regular season save percentages in history.

So the question is, where does he rank among the greatest goalies of all time?

Listen to us discuss Bower here:

Is Jacques Plante the Greatest Goalie of All Time?

Jacques Plante is one of the best regular season goalies in NHL history. However, unlike someone like Tony Esposito, he is also one of the greatest playoff goalies in NHL history.

This is a far rarer combination than we might think.

So, we ask, is Jacques Plante one of the greatest goalies of all time? Is he, perhaps, the GOAT?

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Does Lorne “Gump” Worsley Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

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Gump Worsley spent half his career playing for bad teams.

But then he got traded to the Habs, won some Vezinas, and could have won at least one Conn Smythe if the votes had gone differently.

The big question about Worsley is which part of his career should we take seriously: the regular season goalie without a winning record or the goalie who was among the best in the world for a time?

Listen to us talk about Gump Worsley’s Hall of Fame case here:

Does Harry Lumley Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Harry Lumley belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame because he was the All Time Wins Leader at his retirement. But, was he really that good?

Most of his career, the league didn’t track shots. Once, they did, Lumley’s numbers started not looking so good (though he was getting old).

We discuss his career here:

Is Ken Dryden the Greatest Goalie of All Time?

Ken Dryden played for only 8 seasons.

But in those 8 seasons, he won six Stanley Cups as a starter (playing in nearly every game when they won those cups), five Vezina trophies, the Conn Smythe and the Calder. He was a 1st Team All Star six times and only missed the end-of-season All Star teams his first season, when he played in six games.

To play devil’s advocate, he played for the Greatest Hockey Team of All Time. And he might not have deserved his Conn Smythe.

So, is Ken Dryden the Greatest Goalie of All Time?

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