Best NHL Players Not in the HHOF & Top 5 Kansas City Scouts
Also, some "Today in Hockey History", a look back at Glenn Hall's career, the 2012 Draft, and more.
Welcome to the THW Hockey History Substack newsletter, with all the best from our extensive archives.
In today’s edition, we have a few “Today in Hockey History” posts, the best NHL players not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, the top 5 Kansas City Scouts, a look back at Glenn Hall’s career, the 2012 NHL Draft, and more.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Today in Hockey History: Jan. 29
One of the greatest goaltenders the National Hockey League had ever seen officially ended his playing career on this date. Jan. 29 has also seen a plethora of personal milestones, including the No. 1,000 reappearing in different forms. Let’s buckle into THW’s time machine for our daily trip throughout the decades.
Best NHL Players Not in the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey fans love to argue, especially when it comes to their favorite players. Each year, the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) inducts several new members, sparking debates across the hockey world about the merits of certain players throughout their careers.
This article is going to dive into the very best NHL players who are not in the Hockey Hall of Fame (only among eligible players of course), with a few bonus non-NHLers who the selection committee should absolutely include for their careers and contributions to the Women’s game as well.
Top 5 Kansas City Scouts of All-Time
The Kansas City Scouts existed for all of two seasons in the National Hockey League. 160 games played, but a mere 27 wins. The team scored a total of 374 goals in that time – just a little bit more than two goals per game. Meanwhile, the Scouts allowed a whopping 679 goals against, or an average of more than four a game. Such a lopsided goal differential, and the losses understandably piled up.
The Scouts finished second to last in both 1974-75 and 1975-76. Not exactly thrillsville. That does not mean though that there were not some diamonds in the rough.
Today in Hockey History: Jan. 28
Jan. 28 has been a good day for continuing streaks, however, one of the most impressive streaks in National Hockey League history came to an end on this date. Also, there were some big moments from some of the early stars of the league and a handful of the all-time great goaltenders. Let’s take our daily trip through the years on the THW time machine.
The Best of ‘Mr. Goalie’ Glenn Hall
It seems like every season, a new hockey trivia book hits the shelves. Hockey fans love hockey trivia. “Puck-Saving Trivia”, “Super, Unbelievable, Twine-Bulging Trivia” – we can’t get enough. I prefer to call some of it all “hockey history.” To me, great and interesting accomplishments of the past are not merely trivial. Although, some of the stuff you get is marginally significant. Like how many times Glenn Hall vomited in his career.
Estimates range from once in a while, to once before every one of his 1,000+ NHL games. Some even say once for every time he stopped the puck. They kept a vomit pail on the bench. The lore seems to be getting greater with each passing year. Someday, we’ll be reading about how opposing forwards had to swim through waves of goalie puke before they gained the attacking zone. C’mon guys, Hall was a great enough goalie without the exaggerated fish stories. That’s a fact.
Today in Hockey History: Jan. 27
The top two scorers in National Hockey League history both had memorable nights on this date. Jan. 27 was a very busy date in Montreal, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. Some of the biggest names in the history of the game left their mark on this date through the years. So, let’s fire up the THW time machine and relive all the best moments from this date.
2012 NHL Draft Top 10: Where Are They Now?
Despite how often people try to evaluate a draft class as players are selected, it can take years for new draftees to grow into their roles with the teams that selected them. As time rolls on, you can begin to see who struck gold with their first-round selections, and who would love to take a mulligan on their pick.
With the 2012 NHL Draft now a distant memory, it is a good time to look back at the first 10 players selected in order to see who developed into their projected talent, and who ended up as a draft-day bust. The 2012 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22 & 23 at the Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.