Who really belongs in the Hall of Fame?
Every NHL player's case analyzed
Harry Oliver was a WCHL star who mostly didn’t have the same kind of success in the NHL, except during the 1927 playoffs when he led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup.
When we discuss Harry Oliver’s Hall of Fame case, the big thing we struggle with is, was he a big enough star in the WCHL?
Listen to us talk about it here:
Continue reading “Does Harry Oliver Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Frederick “Bun” Cook, Bill Cook’s younger brother, does not have his brother’s stats or achievements.
But he does has some periodic individual success. And he may have had a hand in inventing both the slap-shot and the drop-pass.
So, does Bun Cook belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?
Listen to us talk about his case here:
Continue reading “Does Frederick Bun Cook Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Whether or not you think George Hay belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame depends a lot on how much weight you put on a player scoring at a point-per-game pace in the Western Canada Hockey League. It’s worth noting that Hay lost the scoring race to both Duke Keats and Bill Cook in different WCHL seasons – i.e. he was never clearly the best offensive player in the WCHL/WHL. Nor was he ever a true star in the NHL: His brief NHL career isn’t particularly distinguished compared to the careers of his contemporaries, given the size of the NHL at the time.
Listen to us talk about George Hay:
Continue reading “Does George Hay Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Fredrickson entered the NHL in his 30s but, before that, he was an absolute star of the PCHA, perhaps the 3rd best player in its history.
Is that good enough for him to be in the Hall of Fame?
Listen to us talk about him in our latest episode:
Continue reading “Does Frank Fredrickson Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Duke Keats was, by many measures, the best player in the history of the WCHL. Does that mean he belongs in a Hockey Hall of Fame containing mostly NHL players?
In our latest episode, we discuss Keats’ case. Listen here:
Keats’ stats:
Continue reading “Does Gordon Duke Keats Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Mickey MacKay was one of the PCHA’s great hockey players. When the PCHA merged with the WCHL, he was a star in the WCHL as well. With his mediocre NHL numbers, does he belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?
We talk about MacKay’s case for the Hall of Fame on our latest episode. Listen here:
Mickey Mackay’s stats:
Continue reading “Does Duncan “Mickey” MacKay Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Unlike his brother Cy, Charles “Corb” Corbett Denneny is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, despite having a pretty decent career.
In this episode, we talk about Corb and how he compares to some of his contemporaries who are in the Hall already. Does he deserve to be inducted now?
Listen here:
Corb Denneny’s stats:
Continue reading “Does Corb Denneny Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”Dick Irvin Sr. is arguably not as famous as his son to anyone who isn’t a Habs fan or who isn’t a really old Leafs fan.
But before he was a great coach, he was a player. In this episode of The Back Check we try to decide whether he was a player who was good enough to be inducted just as a player, and not due to his coach record, because that’s a conversation we can have.
Listen here:
Continue reading “Does Dick Irvin Sr. Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Player?”Frank Foyston was a star in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) but never really reached the same level in the NHA, WCHL or NHL, all of which he played in for at least 39 games.
Do players like Foyston, who only excelled in one of the early pro leagues, truly belong in the Hall of Fame?
Listen to us talk about Frank Foyston here:
Continue reading “Does Frank Foyston Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”The question with Newsy isn’t whether or not he belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame but rather, is Newsy Lalonde one of the Greatest of All Time?
Newsy’s dominance of the early NHL is unrivaled but where does he rank all time?
Listen here:
Continue reading “Does Newsy Lalonde Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”
