3/31/2008 Submitted by DARRYL BIECH, B.C., Canada  

Frantisek Pospisil with his play in the 1970's and especially during an exciting 1-0 win over Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup (the only game they did not score in that tournament), makes him one of the Greatest Defensemen ever in my books.

Certainly Dzurilla played a great game in goal but he also needed great back-checking and a great defensive performance in addition to his own great play in order to shut out the 1976 Canada Cup Team.

This was Bobby Orr's only Major International appearance. Bobby Hull and Guy Lafleur were also on that team.

Winning the Golden Hockey Stick 2 years in a row as the best player in Czechoslovakia in 1971 and 1972 plus the 3-3 Tie against the 1972 - TEAM CANADA and playing a leading role on their World 1976 and 1977 Gold Medal Championship teams made him
the best ever Czech player.

So even though I wanted Canada to not only win, but win in style and hopefully win all the games, you must respect the Czechs as much as the Russians of that era because with Dzurilla, Holocek, Pospisil, Machac, Bubla and Novy and the Stastny's
they were a Great Team.

The only European Team that played something like a Canadian style.

8/28/2007 Submitted by HO, Canada  

'Only four players ever scored more NHL goals - a feat Delvecchio could not state when he retired.'

This is a misleading statement, because Delvecchio had an even greater accomplishment. When he retired, he ranked 2nd all-time in both assists and points.

Gordie Howe - 1814
Alex Delvecchio - 1281
Jean Beliveau - 1219
Norm Ullman - 1194
Stan Mikita - 1154
Bobby Hull - 1153
John Bucyk - 1144
Frank Mahovlich - 1103
Phil Esposito - 1043
Henri Richard - 1033

8/25/2007 Submitted by murray, MA, USA  

Morey

I can't believe you are using a Alex Delvecchio comparison to justify your vote for Gartner. I saw both in their prime & Fats was by far the greater player. He didn't score at Gartners rate because he was primarily a playmaker & scoring generally was much lower in those days. Of course the years he played with Howe helped him but he didn't always play with Howe. Plus he had a great defensive game. Fats is an easy HOF selection. Gartner isn't.

8/23/2007 Submitted by KEITH LENN, NY, USA  www.vintageicehockey.com

Warren,

I was one of a few on the committee that did not vote for Gartner, not necessarily because I didn't think he was worthy, but because there were other players on the ballot that I thought were more deserving.

Gartner's consistency over the long haul qualifies him to be in our WWHHoF, but I am one of those who feels that Gartner let down a little bit in the playoffs. He just seemed to be invisible at times. Morey does point out that he has a decent playoff scoring record, and you can't argue against lighting the lamp over 700 times.

However, I will not be voting for Dino Ciccarelli.

--Keith Lenn

8/21/2007 Submitted by Morey Holzman, CA, USA  

Warren,

By way of explanation, sometimes you measure excellence in short spurts; sometimes you measure it over a career. No one has ever uttered a peep over the inclusion of Alex Delvecchio, who made his only all-star appearances riding the coattails of Gordie Howe (Alex didn't even score 20 goals in either season he made the end of season all-star team.)

Gartner, however, did not have such coattails to ride. And it's hard to ignore his consistency. 735 goals (including his 27 in Cinci).

Only four players ever scored more NHL goals - a feat Delvecchio could not state when he retired.

Gartner seems to be a whipping boy because the Washington Capitals had a great defense but no playoff goaltending, and he did have four playoffs where he had more than 10 points, so I would hardly say he choked in every playoff series he played.

Gartner was not a franchise player. Teams that expected him to be were in for a disappointment.

His opposite would be Guy Lafleur, who had six outstanding years in a diluted NHL, but was an average player or a disappointment the rest of the way.

But Gartner certainly belongs in any Hall of Fame one can create in hockey, when his career is measured in whole.

8/21/2007 Submitted by Morey Holzman, CA, USA  

Thank you for your comments Lorne. We will add Mr. Skinner to the executives category for the next election.

8/18/2007 Submitted by Warren, Ontario, Canada  

I'm stunned that Mike Gartner made the cut. There's far better players on the outside looking in.

He was never at any point in his career even close to being one of the best players in the game, and I'm sure you would all agree on that. This is a guy who was nothing but a goal scorer, and yet he scored 50 only once while playing his prime in an era where everyone and thier sister was getting 50 (other legends of the 1980's 50 goal club include Gary Leeman, Jacques Richard, Wayne Babych, and Blaine Stoughton twice).

Longevity should certainly count for something, but dominant play should be the main factor. Every player in the Hall should have at some point been among the best in the league. Otherwise, it's losing sight of what the hall is really all about. It should be a celebration of the players, not of their stats.

So I ask you: If Mike Gartner was never a Hall Of Fame calibre player at any point, then why should his accumulation of good-but-not-great seasons make him a Hall of Famer?

Anyways, you'd better clear room for Larry Murphy, because he was better than Mike Garter.

6/30/2007 Submitted by PETER YOUNG, CA, U.S.A.  

The official Hall of Fame's standards are ludicrously compromised, I agree. Even as a Montreal Canadiens fan for more than 50 years, I was hugely surprised at Dicky Duff's selection. He had character, he gave full effort, yet he was no more than a good, solid player.

Still, I wonder at the exclusion from your hall of superb defensive forwards like Claude Provost and Guy Carbonneau. It will not do merely to say that you are biased in favor of offensive capabilities. The game consists of both offense and defense, and it is a pity that you, like the official hall of fame, fail to give proper appreciation to defensive excellence.

Provost was on nine Stanley Cup winners, and the Canadiens kept him around for good reason for a decade and a half at a time when they consistently dominated the NHL. Not only was he the era's supreme defensive forward, but he could, when called upon, turn on the offense, too. He was amazingly consistent over that 15 years.

Carbonneau was heart and soul of a great team as it began its decline. In addition to his remarkable defensive skills, he had that rare capacity to play beyond the sum of his talents, as exceptional as they were, to hoist the entire team by example, to rally his comrades when all seemed lost.

Surely the value of a player to his team over 10 years or more must count a great deal in assessing his qualifications for a hall of fame. And by that measure, both Provost and Carbonneau deserve admission. It is disappointing that even your selectors seem to be bound by statistically measurable criteria (goals or points scored, number of all-star team selections and the like) in their judging.

6/28/2007 Submitted by Lorne Abbot, N/A, Canada  

Jim Skinner of Selkirk Mb should be in the Hall. His background: player, captain, coach, Director Player Personnel, Chief Scout, Mgr. Stanley Cup winner, Memorial Cup Winner. These & others. He certainly should be in the Builder category. He has been overlooked for years. He's 90 years old now & believe he is the oldest surviving Stanley Cup Coach. He has done more for hockey as an ambassador than anyone. He has turned many young players pro & continues to offer ongoing advice to more young players in the game. What's wrong with this picture?

5/27/2007 Submitted by ANTHONY, MI, United States  www.redwingscentral.com

You made a slight error on the 1987 election page in your commentary. You state that Bill Hunter was selected as a Builder when he was selected as an Exec/Off-Ice Personnel.