The Write Stuff: HHOF Inductions

One of the best things about Hockey Hall of Fame weekend is the countless high quality writing put out on each inductee. Here's some of the best:

Mark Howe

Mark Howe: His Own Man - Lance Hornby/Toronto Sun
Tears of joy for Gordie Howe as son joins him in HHOF - Globe and Mail
Remembering Howe Hockey Was Played - TORO Magazine
Mark Howe At Last In HHOF - Jeff Klein/New York Times
Howe likely WHA star in HHOF - Bruce McCurdy

Ed Belfour

Unmatched Competitive Fire Key to Belfour's Success - Toronto Star
Ed Belfour's Manic Dedication - ESPN
Desire For Perfection Led To Unique Habits - Montreal Gazette
He Was Demanding, But Belfour Always Delivered - National Post
Belfour's Road to HHOF Inspired by Tretiak - Globe and Mail

Joe Nieuwendyk

The Winning Touch - Toronto Sun
Nieuwendyk Ensured Everyone Knew His Name - NHL
Lacrosse Skills Helped Nieuwendyk - NHL
Nieuwendyk Truly Deserving of HHOF Induction: Dallas Stars

Doug Gilmour

Gilmour Led With Killer Intensity - CBC
Gilmour's Path To HHOF Paved With Grit - Calgary Herald
Gilmour's Rise To The Top Wasn't Easy - National Post
Gilmour Always Played Big - Standard Freeholder
Gilmour: In His Own Words: London Free Press

Hockey Hall of Fame 2011

Mark Howe

Make no mistake: Mark Howe was not Gordie Howe, his legendary father. But Mark too was a great player.

Gordie Howe was a fearsome physical presence and a goal scoring machine. Mark Howe was one of the steadiest, cleanest and most accomplished players of the 1970s and 1980s.


Full Mark Howe Biography

Joe Nieuwendyk

Joe Nieuwendyk was a winner. He won three Stanley Cup championships with three different teams - Calgary, Dallas and New Jersey. Plus he won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2002.

In 1999 he was so important to Dallas' Stanley Cup championship that he was named as the Conn Smythe trophy winner - about as prestigious of an individual award a hockey player can earn.

Full Joe Nieuwendyk biography

Ed Belfour

Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour has a tremendous resume with a Stanley Cup championship (1999), a Canada Cup title (1991), Olympic Gold Medal (2002), 2 Vezina trophies, 4 Jennings trophies, 484 career wins (3rd best all time), 76 shutouts (9th all time).

Known for his explosive personality Belfour is generally considered to be on par with his contemporaries Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. And it is now proven with his Hall of Fame inclusion. 


Full Ed Belfour Biography

Doug Gilmour

Doug Gilmour has reputation as a hockey warrior. He was an imperative piece of the 1989 Stanley Cup championship in Calgary. He willed Toronto to two consecutive final four appearances in the 1990s, not to mention two more in St. Louis a few years before that. He is seventh all time in Stanley Cup playoffs scoring, 5th in terms of assists. His points per game production actually increased in the playoffs. The only other of the NHL's top 50 all time to also be able to make that claim is Mark Messier.

Full Doug Gilmour biography

Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour

There is a modern generation of fans who probably think Doug Gilmour is the greatest player to ever wear the blue and white jersey of the Toronto Maple Leafs. While his tenure in comparison to other Leafs greats was short, those fans might just be right.

Gilmour was a spectacular player. He played with a contagious enthusiasm and passion that so few players can match. He is one of the most intelligent superstars in league history. Although never a top goal scorer he was as good a playmaker in his era other than Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Yet unlike those two the brilliance of Gilmour’s game was his status as a defensive player with few peers. He also was a great leader, always leading by example. Though he was tiny by NHL standards, he played with a level of fearlessness that instantly won over the hearts of NHL fans everywhere.

Full Doug Gilmour Profile

Gilmour Gave His All

Doug reminds me of Dave Keon. He is a tireless skater who gives it his all and never gets weary 

- Scotty Bowman

Here's more on Doug Gilmour

Hall of Fame Worthy? Doug Gilmour

I'm actually a little bit surprised Doug Gilmour was not inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame earlier than 2011. If only because the Hall is so Toronto-centric and there is no bigger legend in Toronto's recent history than Dougie Gilmour. Doug Gilmour is good for business, or maybe that is the cynic in me thinking out loud again.

He was first eligible for discussion in 2006. Patrick Roy and surprisingly old timer Dick Duff were inducted that year. The Hall decided to make Gilmour wait, which is fine, and 2007 like 2009 featured a stacked induction class with no room for many players. They could have included him 2008 alongside Glenn Anderson and Igor Larionov, though, but chose not to.

Gilmour has reputation as a hockey warrior. He was an imperative piece of the 1989 Stanley Cup championship in Calgary. He willed Toronto to two consecutive final four appearances in the 1990s, not to mention two more in St. Louis a few years before that. He is seventh all time in Stanley Cup playoffs scoring, 5th in terms of assists. His points per game production actually increased in the playoffs. The only other of the NHL's top 50 all time to also be able to make that claim is Mark Messier. So there can be no doubting Gilmour's big game presence.

He played 20 NHL seasons, so the longevity is there. 450 goals is okay by Hall of Fame standards, while his near 1000 assists and over 1400 points are down right impressive. That places him 17th all time, and usually that means the Hall of Fame question is more about when than if.

Did he have a long enough peak to be considered one of the true greats of his era? You could probably argue he had three truly dominant seasons, the first three in Toronto. Before that he was quietly one of the league's best two-way performers in St. Louis and Calgary. Even when he was challenging for the scoring race he remained a dedicated defensive player, finally winning the Selke trophy in 1993.

Is he a borderline selection for the Hockey Hall of Fame, or are they punishing him for his off-ice issues in St. Louis by delaying or denying him his Hall of Fame induction? The answer is probably a little bit of yes to both of those questions.

Is Doug Gilmour worth of inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame? It's a tougher call than I thought it would be. Maybe that's why it took him longer than many expected for him to make the grade. But the Hockey Hall of Fame made the right call by inducting him in 2011.

Gilmour: All Time Maple Leaf

Because of Hockeyville events here in Terrace, BC, I was not able to comment on Doug Gilmour, who became the 17th player to have his number honored by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I wanted to point out an excellent article by George Johnson of the Calgary Herald. He interviewed Rick Wamsley, a self-confessed hockey history nut who had the best view of Gilmour's career progression, playing with Gilmour in St. Louis, Calgary and Toronto.

"In Calgary, he was a very good player in a team full of very good players -- the best player among the very good players, in my mind. But still just one of a group. In Toronto, be became the focal point. The go-to guy," said Wamsley.

Wamsley offers a lot of insight, and Johnson provides great writing. Check it out.

Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour To Be Honoured

From TSN.ca:

The Toronto Maple Leafs will honour former captains Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour by raising their numbers to the rafters of the Air Canada Centre this season.

Clark will be saluted in pregame ceremonies prior to the Maple Leafs' Nov. 22 game against the Chicago Blackhawks, while Gilmour will be recognized on Jan. 31 prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Clark's trademark No. 17 and Gilmour's No. 93 will join those of Syl Apps, Ted Kennedy, Walter 'Turk' Broda, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, George Armstrong, Charlie Conacher, Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Clarence 'Hap' Day, Leonard 'Red' Kelly and Borje Salming.

In Defense Of Killer

There is a modern generation of Toronto fans who probably think Doug Gilmour is the greatest player to ever wear the blue and white jersey of the Toronto Maple Leafs. While his tenure in comparison to other Leafs greats was relatively short, those fans might just be right.

Gilmour was a spectacular player. He played with a contagious enthusiasm and passion that so few players can match. He is one of the most intelligent superstars in league history. Although never a top goal scorer he was as good a playmaker in his era other than Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Yet unlike those two the brilliance of Gilmour’s game was his status as a defensive player with few peers. He also was a great leader, always leading by example. Though he was tiny by NHL standards, he played with a level of fearlessness that instantly won over the hearts of NHL fans everywhere.

So it surprised me when I got a fair bit of backlash email sent my way when I suggest Gilmour would be a likely candidate for Hall of Fame induction. With HHOF decisions and announcements coming this Tuesday, I thought I better put forward a better case for the man nicknamed "Killer."

See Doug Gilmour biography