With
Now, there are only two genuine contenders among next year's newly eligible class (sorry, Barnaby).
Now, there are plenty of other issues -- including but not limited to his refusal to play for the teams that drafted him (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and then the Quebec Nordiques) and the internal disputes that turned public and ugly, particularly with Flyers GM
So given that the Hall of Fame welcomes at most four players into the club each year, this could open the door for some who haven't yet made it into Toronto. Names like
Venerable GMs like Hall of Famer
Eligible since 2006, the Russian Rocket is now the only player with five 50-goal seasons not enshrined in Toronto. Though his career was interrupted and ultimately derailed by injury, he was the most exciting and fearsome scorer in the league during his peak years (1992-2001). For those that would call him a one-dimensional player, perhaps it's better to think of him as a multi-dimensional scorer. And while he never did win a Cup, he got close; lifting an otherwise middling Vancouver Canucks team to a finals Game 7 against the Rangers in 1994. His career was short (12 seasons), but for sure, very sweet.
With 608 career goals and 1,200 points, Ciccarelli is probably the best hockey player you've barely or maybe even never heard of. At 5' 10" and 185 pounds, he never backed down from players twice his size, and he took the abuse that came with standing tall around the crease. Despite his physical game, he was remarkably durable and always a consistent scoring threat, capitalizing on so-called garbage goals. As gritty off the ice as he was on it (he went to jail for a day in 1988 for assaulting
Best known as half of a duo with
GMs instinctively look at playoff numbers to see what a player can do when it matters most. Gilmour was one who came through when everything was on the line. Nicknamed "Killer" for his intensity, he ranked 13th all-time in game-winning postseason goals and averaged more points per game in the playoffs (1.03) than he did during the regular season (.96). That's not to say he was unproductive as an undersized pivot for seven NHL clubs. Over 20 seasons, Gilmour amassed 1,414 points, 17th all-time, and won a Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989. He set a Maple Leafs franchise record with 127 points in 1992-93 -- the same same season that won the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward. Now