I gotta say, I’m a little disappointed in my Bruins. Not because they are 1-2 (it’s still early and they have a 5 year grace period by winning the Cup), but because no one has yet to drop the gloves! C’mon Thornton! C’mon Campbell! C’mon McQuaid! I have a winner to announce and y’all are making me look bad!

Moving on…

I bought a few packs of 2011-12 O-Pee-Chee the other day even though I wasn’t too keen on the release (read Canuck’s great review). Mostly, I was just hoping to pull a McQuaid of any kind but struck out. Check these out though…

HATE the Legends set this year. HATE HATE HATE! Soooo boring. Bring back the full body shots!

On the other hand, I like the retro set. When I saw these cards online, I thought the stars on the top and bottom were punched out. Sadly, they are not. Also, as much as I hate the Legends set, the retro Legends are TIGHT AS HELL! They feature different photography and are full body shots. I may try and build that set.

The Krejci is going to Shane and the Palushaj is going to Capt’n Canuck.

Ooooh, tough guy rookie. I can’t complain.

But I can complain about this! I bought a pack of 2011-12 OPC, not 2010-11 OPC. If I wanted to pull a no-name rookie from last year, I’d buy Panini stuff.

Okay, no more OPC. Done and done.

Let us move onto the Hockey Hall of Pretty Good. Last go around, I looked at the class of  1991 and 1992. Bossy, Potvin, Dionne, and Gainey made it in, while Pulford, Dumart, and McDonald got the big boot.

1961-1966
1967-1970
1971-1973
1974-1976
1977-1978
1979-1980
1981
1982-1984
1985-1986
1987-1988
1989-1990
1991-1992

Onwards…

1993
Guy Lapointe
Edgar Laprade
Steve Shutt
Billy Smith

Guy Lapointe played 14 seasons (according to my 40 game min. rule) mostly with the Canadiens. In 884 games, he accumulated 622 points which is pretty good for a defenceman not named Bobby Orr. He has six Stanley Cups to his name and four selections to the NHL All-Star Team (one 1st Team selection and three 2nd Team selections). By all accounts he was a team leader, good hitter, and had a heavy shot. It is always difficult to properly evaluate defencemen based solely on stats. I am going to err on the side of caution and vote him in.

In 500 career games, Edgar Laprade racked up an impressive 42 PIMs, so it was only natural that he won the Lady Byng Trophy. During those 500 games, he also tallied 282 points which is solid for that era, but not earth shattering. I have a hard time inducting a player who only played around eight seasons. Even a Calder Trophy can’t save poor Edgar. At 93 years of age, I feel bad about giving him the boot but I MUST BE FAIR! Laprade, out.

Steve Shutt, I feel bad. See, being a Hab is going to work against you; I have a real tough time inducting two Canadiens in one year, but I’ll look over your numbers. Over thirteen seasons, Shutt scored 424 goals and helped on 393 others. Not terrible, not terrible. You once scored 60 goals in a season and had two other seasons of 40+. Again, not terrible. You finished in the top-10 in goals four times (leading once) and points once. Ehhhh, solid. Five Stanley Cups is impressive but every Canadien during the 70′s won 3-5 Cups. 98 points in 99 career playoff games is certainly excellent, but that alone won’t get you in. Mr. Shutt, I’ve looked over your resume and, while it is very good, it is not what we are looking for. Sorry Steve, you are out!

Billy Smith, on the other hand, has a lot going for him from the outset. A surly, bearded goalie who dropped the blocker and glove on occasion? My kind of player! Awesomeness aside, does his actual career merit induction into the Hall of Fame? First off, looking at his games played, Smith primarily split time between the pipes. He averaged around 41 games a year, so that gives me some pause. He only won 30+ games once and finished in the top-10 in wins six times (leading once). He finished with 305 wins which puts him 22nd all-time. He did win a Vezina Trophy and a Conn Smythe, so that is something to consider. Smith’s legacy, though, was his playoff performance. Four straight Cups for a goalie is impressive. Add in the fact that during that run he was an amazing 57-13 and you have something special there. Does an epic playoff career trump a good, but not great, regular season career? I am torn. UGH! Billy Smith is out!

Inducted: Guy Lapointe
Kicked out: Edgar Laprade, Steve Shutt, and Billy Smith

1994
Harry Watson

According to Wikipedia, Watson was inducted after support from Don Cherry and Brian Williams who argued that players from the 40′s and 50′s were being ignored. Do they have a case? In 809 games, Watson racked up 443 points which, as I stated with Laprade, was pretty good for that time. He finished in the top-10 in goals twice and points once. His brightest accomplishment is winning five Stanley Cups. That is impressive for guys who didn’t play for the Oilers, Islanders, or Canadiens in the 70′s and 80′s. I want to trust Cherry’s judgment and induct him but if I kicked out Milt Schmidt, than I can’t in good conscience induct Watson. Perhaps the Veteran’s Committee will see to it that he gets in. Watson is out!

Inducted: No one
Kicked out: Harry Watson

1995
Larry Robinson

Big Bird was the real deal. Over nineteen seasons, Robinson was one of the best defencemen in the NHL. In 1384 games, he totaled 958 points. He was named to three NHL All Star 1st Teams and three 2nd Teams. He won two Norris Trophies and one Conn Smythe. He also has six Cups to his credit. Oh, did you know he is the all-time leader in +/- with a +730 and that the next closest player is Orr with a +597 (even though Orr played like half the games. Sorry, that was my obligatory “Orr is the greatest” comment). Robinson is IN!

Inducted: Larry Robinson
Kicked out: No one

That is all for now, folks. I’ll catch you on the flippity floppity.

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