HOH Top 60 Goaltenders of All Time (2024 Edition) - Round 2, Vote 6

Michael Farkas

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Jun 28, 2006
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I don't find Quick playing in L.A. to be a helpful point...not sure if you're American or not, but the Kings goalie is not a marketable thing even to the NHL itself haha

I think people were actually a little slow to notice Quick because he played in the West, perhaps.

Can I just stream of consciousness thoughts about Quick at you?

The Kings were a grimy and very good defensive team in Quck's prime. But Quick wasn't really the type to take full advantage of it. Quick was a weird goalie. In some ways, he's like a precursor to Andrei Vasilevskiy...the hips, the way that he immediately seals the ice, the shuffle ability, the miracle lateral saves, supreme glove-lyness, etc.

Obviously, Quick is much smaller and much more impatient. In other ways (these ways), he's like a bad version of Fleury or Bobrovsky in that he's antsy, his feet get all goofy and un-set and it throws him off his angle, forcing him into a deficit. He sort of plays like a coiled spring, but then applies it to the vertical angles. I dislike most of that.

I don't know the numbers on this...but it just felt like Quick was better on breakaways, but you could probably shoot one past him...especially with a fake shot and some movement. But Quick didn't throw himself in the trash after a shot fake, he's like a weapons-grade spider monkey...he could move with you about as well as any goalie from this era (any era?). He can go paddle down, he has the flexibility and the tracking to get the glove up to save the day.

The GMs rated him quite highly in the mid-2010s in the polls. He was 1st (or tied for 1st with Price) in one of them IIRC.

I think towards the end when his hips and back started to go and he was just sliding around, doing splits for the hell of it. Honestly, I don't know how he's even still in the game...and watched him for a little bit last night after my game, he shutout Seattle...but I don't even understand how he competes with these low angle shots these days and all that.

Now, unlike Bobrovsky and Fleury, Quick has a really strong mental game. The Kings had a lot of ways they could have gone besides Quick...he battled through the Cheese and worked his way into it. Then you watch his work in the playoffs, the guy is pretty much stainless steel. He also competes his bag off. 9 out of 9 compete. He comes back with his process, he keeps playing his way...

I think there's a bit of an adaptability aspect (possibly lacking) to him that needs to be considered. But he also gave a very long run of surprisingly reliable play. We didn't get a lot of him in the postseason over the course of his career in terms of runs, so that's also a little tricky.

All in all, it's a guy I can go either way on really...I'd understand if people like him, I'd understand if people hate him...
 
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rmartin65

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Apr 7, 2011
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As I mentioned earlier, I think LeSueur (side note- his name gets absolutely butchered in the papers. I think I have seen at least five different spellings) is worthy of consideration this round, even if I suspect that he was not as great as Paddy Moran. Simply put, I think Moran gets more praise in the game summaries, while it looks like LeSueur was remembered more fondly following their careers (I suspect due the Silver Seven’s Stanley Cup exploits and popularity).

I’d like to back up a bit before I get into LeSueur’s career; for the early goalies, it is important to note that the goalkeeper position was played differently than goalies today, largely due to the lack of substantive equipment, the illegality of dropping to the ice to stop the puck, and the absence of the foreign pass. While goalkeepers were expected to stop the puck, they were also expected to go out and check opposing forwards, as well as clear the puck themselves. They occasionally rushed the puck, some even scoring goals. This is an important point to understand, because it brings much-needed context to the next paragraph-

Percy LeSueur, as his detractors would note, started his Senior career as a forward, later switching to goalie when the regular goaltender was sick. As alluded to above, this is not at all like if a forward would switch back to goal today- the positions were not that specialized yet. Based on how I understand how hockey was played back then, this would be more akin to a forward switching back to defense. Still a rare occurrence, to be sure, but it is not nearly so dramatic a change.

I only picked up LeSueur’s career in 1904, when Smith’s Falls was in the Ontario Hockey Association (O.H.A.) Senior division, and - outside of a couple quotes here and there- I stopped in 1909, when LeSueur was in the middle of his time with Ottawa HC. I intend to come back and get to the 1910-1916 seasons later (unless someone beats me to it), but we are nearing the end of the semester and, unfortunately, I’m going to have to spend some time making sure I am squared away for an upcoming exam.

Lastly, I’d like to note that this (or any of the posts I make on the old-time guys) are not meant to contain only praise for these goalkeepers. You’ll note that I’ll include quotes and context that both make cases for these guys and detract from them. I’m looking to put information out there and trying to explain what it means, I’m not trying to provide a one-sided argument.

1904 Season: Smith’s Falls, OHA Senior Division
Context: The OHA at this time was… interesting. I only started going through it a couple weeks ago, so I still need time to digest what I’ve been reading. But I feel comfortable stating that the 1904 OHA was a league worth noting. For starters, the champions of the league- the Toronto Marlboros (led by Tommy Phillips)- challenged the Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. It wasn’t a particularly close series, with Ottawa winning the two-game series 17-5 (6-3 and 11-2), but this is not out of line with the Winnipeg Rowing Club’s (the MHA’s 1903 and 1904 champion) 1904 challenge against Ottawa, where Ottawa won the three-game series 14-7 (9-1 Ottawa, 6-2 Winnipeg, and 2-0 Ottawa). In the CAHL that year, Ottawa won games 10-6, 8-3, 4-1, and 10-5, so again, the Marlboros look like they’d have fit in there. Now, this isn’t me saying the OHA was necessarily on par with the MHA, and certainly not with the CAHL- the Marlboros were the class of the OHA and went undefeated in league play that year- but I think it was probably better than we give it credit for.

But I digress. LeSueur and Smith’s Falls went 2-4 that year in Group 2 (consisting of Perth, who went 5-1 and won the group and ultimately lost to the Marlboros in the OHA finals, Brockville, who went 4-2 and would jump to the FAHL the next season, and the Ottawa Aberdeens, who went 1-5). LeSueur ended up playing one of the games at forward, scoring a goal.

Selected quotes (source: Toronto Star)

“On the victorious team Lesuer, in goal, was a capital tender, and many times he saved probably scores when the wearers of orange and black were within a few feet of his nets”

“Lesueur in goal was a tower of strength to his team”

“Merrow replaced Lesuer in goal and performed fully as well as the usual puck stopper if not better. Leseur was placed on the forward line but unfortunately marred his effectiveness by continually breaking the rules of the game”

“Rutherford in goal [comment: for Perth] is without the shadow of a doubt the very best goal tender in the league”

1905 Season: Smith’s Falls, OHA Senior Division
Context: Smith’s Falls was again placed in Group 2 for the OHA Senior Division, but won it this time, going 3-1. The Kingston Frontenacs would also go 3-1, but Smith’s Falls would win the two-game playoff 8-3 (games going 3-1 Kingston and 7-0 Smith’s Falls). Brockville was in the group as well, but were not competitive at all, likely due to their OHA team largely consisting of the leftovers from those not selected for Brockville’s FAHL team. By virtue of winning Group 2, Smith’s Falls would advance to the playoffs, where they defeated Morrisburg 14-3. Their run would end, however, in the Finals against the Toronto Marlboros. The Marlboros won the first game 8-3, Smith’s Falls was winning the second 6-4 when it was called due to injuries suffered by the Marlboro team (reportedly caused by excessive roughness on the part of Smith’s Falls), and the Marlboros won the third 9-3. The Marlboros did not challenge for the Cup this season, which is probably a good thing- they appear noticeably weaker than in the previous season.

Selected quotes (source: Toronto Star)
“For the visitors, Lesueur in goal used his body effectively in stopping many deady shots from Clarke and Potter.”

“For Frontenacs Vanhorn and Clarke were the most effective, and for Smith’s Falls their goal-keeper, Lesueur, and Smith in centre, saved their team from what looked like sure scores”

“The real star of the team, however, was Captain LeSueur in goal. He played a phenomenal game. Time and again he averted a score by some clever play, and the crowd cheered him continually for his fine work. On several occasions he skated out from his goal and spoiled what looked like sure goals”

“‘What’s his name?’ asked a stranger

‘LeSueur’

‘Sure, eh? I should say is is the best I ever saw’”

“LeSueur was 56 per cent of the Smith’s Falls team. He is said to be just as good a forward as he is a goal-tender, but they need him more on the defence, so he plays in the nets. The puck got by him eight times, but with anybody else in his place it would probably to add a cipher after the 8”

“LeSueur stopped 100 difficult shots on goal if he stopped one. He got the puck everywhere, even catching a wrist shot waist high on the blade of his stick. The crowd on both sides of the rink cheered him to the echo for his brilliant work. He was easily 75 per cent of the Smith’s Falls team. He not only made marvelous stops, but frequently went out and checked the attacking forwards, invariably getting the puck”

1906 Season: with Smith’s Falls in the FAHL, then 1 SC game with Ottawa HC of the ECAHA
Context: Smith’s Falls made their way to the FAHL this season, winning the league with a 7-0 record and challenging for the Cup. The FAHL was weak- the Ottawa Victorias were the second best team in the league with a 4-4 record, followed by Brockville (4-4), Cornwall (3-4), and the Montreal Montagnards (0-5). The Cup challenge did not go well, with Ottawa HC winning the two-game series 14-7 (games going 6-5 Ottawa and 8-2 Ottawa). The FAHL, while still a legitimate Senior league, was probably no better than the 4th best league in the world at this point.

LeSueur then, by some miraculous turn of fate, moved to Ottawa and played in the second game of the Wanderer-Ottawa series. The Wanderers had won the first game 9-1. With LeSueur in net Ottawa would win the second game 9-3, but the Wanderers would still take control of the Cup on goals.

Selected Quotes (Sources: Ottawa CItizen, Ottawa Journal, Montreal Gazette, Montreal Star)

“Lesueur stopped in crack style but Bannerman was superior to the Falls man, some of his stops being of the phenomenal variety”

“Lesueur is one of the cleverest goal keepers ever seen before a net here. He shared honors with Frank McGee as the most brilliant of the players”

“LeSueur in the flags stamped himself as the peer of any goal tend playing the game and his blocking at times was phenomenal”

“Their defence put up a sensational game at times, and the truly marvellous work of Lesueur before the net earned for him unstinted applause from the great crowd and stamped the Smith’s Falls’ goal defender as undoubtedly the cleverest man in the position who has appeared in Ottawa in the memory of the present generation of hockey goers”

“The hero of their team proved to be Lesueur in goal. He had his vis-a-vis Hague over shadowed completely, and the rafters repeatedly rang with applause as he stopped shot after shot when a save seemed impossible. His exhibition of goalkeeping was by far the best senior this season or probably for several seasons. An enterprising mathematician took note of his saves and at the end of the match had counted 48, a wonderful record for an evening. There is this to be said about the work cut out for him, that, compared with the Ottawa, he had no defence in front to help him out, while Hague was saved time and again by the men in front of him”

“Nothing more brilliant in the way of goalkeeping could be possible. He [LeSueur] seemed to have a charm about him and quick as lightning got in the way of every shot”

“Goal-tend LeSueur, however, was at his best and he again proved himself one of the best blocks in the business. At times his stops were nothing short of phenomenal and while luck is always a factor in a goal tend’s play, his consistent work throughout the match showed that his stops were the result of quick thinking”

“On the other hand the Ottawas have to thank Lesueur also for much brilliant work”

1907 Season: with Ottawa HC in the ECAHA
Context: Ottawa HC goes 7-3, good for second in the league behind the powerhouse Wanderers. Ottawa HC was very likely weaker this year due to Harry Smith replacing Frank McGee. In any case, the ECAHA is likely the best or second-best league in the world top to bottom this year.

Selected Quotes (Sources: Ottawa CItizen, Ottawa Journal, Montreal Gazette, Montreal Star)

“ Lesueur in goal put up a beautiful game, being called upon to stop many hard drives which looked like sure scores. He is one of the finest in the game, and adds much strength to the team. He is fast in his movements and lifts beautifully. Ottawa certainly made a find when they landed him”

“ Lesueur in Ottawa’s goal completes a defence upon which it will undoubtedly be difficult to improve. He is easily the cleverest man before the net of the many who have worn the red, black, and white”

“LeSueur, the famous goal tender of the Ottawas, was in the nets, and his work was really magnificent. In fact, he alone, with the giant Pulford, kept the Quebec boys from breaking into the score sheet early in the game”

“Ottawa may thank Leseur for the manner in which they escaped being scored against”

“Lesueur and Hern divided honors, both doing sensational work in the nets. Lesueur save the Ottawa twenty times or more, using his shins, stick and head as usual, and sometimes skating out to intercept a pass. In the second half when Ottawa were three or four men shy, Lesueur’s work brought down the house. He stopped the puck with his hands, stick and body, turning it aside in a marvelous manner”

“Percy Lesueur, pf the Ottawas, the greatest goal-keeper that ever wore the pads”

1908: with Ottawa HC in the ECAHA
Context: Ottawa HC again finishes second in the ECAHA, though they were strengthened by the additions of Cyclone Taylor at point, Tommy Phillips at LW, and Marty Walsh at center. The ECAHA is, for my money, the undisputed best league in the world.

Selected Quotes (Sources: Ottawa CItizen, Ottawa Journal, Montreal Gazette, Montreal Star)
“Lesueur was a wonder, and Nicholson, although he did not have half the work and anxiety which Lesueur had, played an excellent game”

“No one, for instance, could expect Finnie to be in the same grade of hockey as Lesueur,”

“had Lesueur not had his eagle eye with him their score would have been much larger”

“Lesueur played a great game in the flags, making some wonderful stops, and rushing out and saving on a number of occasions””

1909: with Ottawa HC in the ECHA
Context: Ottawa HC, while weakened by the departure of Tommy Phillips, was strengthened by the additions of Bruce Stuart (the man just won championships) at rover, Dubbie Kerr at LW, and Billy Gilmour at RW. They would win the (shrunken down, following the departure of the VIctorias and Montreal HC teams due to their desire to compete against amateurs) ECHA this year with a 10-2 record. Again, the ECHA was pretty clearly (IMO) the best league in the world at this time.

Selected Quotes (Sources: Ottawa CItizen, Ottawa Journal, Montreal Gazette, Montreal Star)
“Lesueur in the Ottawa nets covered himself with glory, making stops that he did not seem to have the slightest possibility of blocking. He was back in his 1906 form, being repeatedly cheered to the echo for his stellar work”

“Perhaps in this case Lesueur deserves more credit, for the fusilade on his net in the first half was the greatest, although in the second the attack was evenly divided, but Riley Hern no doubt would have done just as well had he been in Lesuer’s place”

“Lesueur had a great deal more work than Hern and did it in his usual good style”

““Had Lesueur been off form, Quebec would have had a dozen more. Lesueur is playing better hockey than ever and the crowd rewarded his work by prolonged applause on several occasions”

“Lesueur’s work was on par with that of Paddy Moran the previous Saturday, the Ottawa man standing a fusilade of shots from Marshall, McNamara, and Hyland”

“Taylor was under a handicap and Lesueur, although very good in the first half, when he had lots to do allowed at least three easy ones to get by him towards the close. Lesueur again proved that he is without superior when the team is tight pressed, but at the finish the Irishmen were fooling him from all angles”

“Lesueur was at his best on Saturday and stopped all kinds of hard drives. Only for his work the Shamrocks would have piled up a much larger score in the first half”

“Lesueur did valuable work in the nets. Due to the great offensive work of Taylor and Lake, Lesueur was not called upon to block as many shots as Moran, but he was always on the job when needed. Lesueur is a former Quebec player and tonight he had it on Moran in every way”

“Percy Lesueur, Ottawas’ goal keeper, hero of Saturday’s match”

“Lesueur in goal gave the greatest performance ever seen in Montreal”

“If there is one man to whom the Ottawas owe their victory that is Percy Lesueur. Lesueur saved the game for Ottawa time after time, his work calling forth cheer after cheer. Lesueuer stopped the puck with his hands, pads and skates, skating out on a number of occasions and intercepting passes or shots”

“Hern did splendid work in the Wanderer nets, but Lesueur had it on him in every way”

“Leseur, the Ottawa goal-keep, electrified the populace with some stops that only Mr. P. Moran, of Quebec, can make when in his best form”

“Lesueur probably carried off the honors of the Ottawa team because it was his cool and clever saving at critical stages in the match that neutralized every rally by the Wanderer team. He had at least twice as many stops to make as Hern and some of them were of the phenomenal order.”

“Lesueur gave a remarkable exhibition in goals and his work was little short of the display put up by Paddy Moran”

All Star Teams and Notes from Contemporaries
I don’t claim to have all the all-star teams, but here are the relevant teams from the seasons that LeSueur was playing and eligible for:

1904: I don’t know how true of an all-star team this actually was, but there was an East vs West Ontario all-star series played. Eddie Geroux was the goaltender for the East, Pete Maltman for the West.

1905: The only teams I have for this season are CAHL/FAHL focused, so it is not surprising to see LeSueur not mentioned, given he was playing in the OHA.

1906: The only team I think LeSueur would have been eligible for was the Winnipeg Free Press editor’s “selection of a world’s champion hockey team… showing no favoritism to either East or West”. Dutchy Morrison was the pick at goal.

1907: A “well-known Montreal newspaper man” selected LeSueur for his all star team, and an All-Canadian Hockey Team originally published by the Ottawa Free Press selected LeSueur as well.

1908: A fan-selected First and Second team all star list was selected at the half-time of one of the games. Paddy Moran was on the first team, Billy Nicholson on the second. The Ottawa Free Press published an ECAHA all-star team, Paddy Moran getting the nod. Billy Nicholson was said to have been “the nearest approach to Moran”.

1909: Harvey Pulford (an ex-teammate of LeSueur) selected LeSueur for his all-star team. I should note that 4 of the 7 players named were Ottawa players. The others were 2 Wanderers and Lester Patrick. I don’t know how much to weigh this one.

1912: An article titled “Hugh Lehman One of the Greatest in Nets” from the Vancouver Daily World, 1 February 1912, published discussion about goalies from a fanning bee in Vancouver. As the title would suggest, Lehamn was mentioned, as was Paddy Moran ("Paddy Moran is perhaps the one best bet of the four and his wonderful record with the old Quebec team stamps him as the cleverest goal custodian of the East"), Percy LeSueur ("Percy Leseur is one of the greatest students of hockey. He is always trying to learn some new wrinkles and also always trying to teach others what he knows of the game"), Dutchy Morrison ("'Dutchy' Morrison made a great name for himself in O.H.A. hockey...He then game west and put Portage la Prairie on the hockey map. He was the most finished player that ever performed in that section"), and Whitey Merritt ("'Whitey' Merritt was the old Victoria goal tender... His work is still talked about by the old timers, who claim that the present generation has not seen his equal"). Riley Hern and Jack Winchester were noted as well ("Riley Hern and the late Jack Winchester must also be mentioned as great men between the nets").

1912: An article from the Victoria Daily Times (3 April) claims “"Paddy" Moran, the famous goaltender of the Stanley cup holders, and "Hughie" Lehman of the Westminster champions, are considered the best net-custodians in the game to-day, with the possible exception of "Percy" Leseur of the Ottawas”

1922: Frank Patrick, according to the 4 March edition of the Province, rejected the idea that then-present goalies were superior to the older goalies- "I regard our present goalies as wonderful players. Their work boarders on the sensational, but at the same time, in Percy Leseuer, old Ottawa goalie, Paddy Moran, of QUebec, and "Bouse" Hutton, of Ottawa, we had three of the greatest men in the nets, players every bit as good as the present-day performers. There we no greater players, past or present, than those men"

1923: Lester Patrick picked an all time All-Star team from retired players and chose Paddy Moran and Percy LeSueur.

1925 McLean Magazine Team: LeSueur was selected as the second team goalie. Vezina first, Benedict or Lehman second. A quote I believe from this project as found in the All Time Best Players- Lists by their Contemporaries thread- “Percy LeSueur came second. He was as good as Vezina but didn’t wear as well and was only eight or nine years in the big time, and slipped badly as a netminder towards the finish of his career.” As good as Vezina but with poor longevity. Interesting.

Cyclone Taylor named LeSueur the greatest goalie he played with or against after his retirement.
 

rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
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I started looking into Hall of Fame inductees, their birth years, and their induction years to see if there is anything useful we can glean from that kind of information.

Here is what the male HoF goalies look like by birth year-

NameHoF YearBirth Year
Charlie Gardiner19451904
Georges Vezina19451887
Alec Connell19581902
Hugh Lehman19581885
Paddy Moran19581877
Tiny Thompson19591903
George Hainsworth19611893
Percy LeSueur19611881
Riley Hern19631878
Bouse Hutton19631877
Bill Durnan19641916
Clint Benedict19651892
Frank Brimsek19661913
Turk Broda19671914
Roy Worters19691900
Terry Sawchuk19711929
Hap Holmes19721888
Chuck Rayner19731920
Glenn Hall19751931
Johnny Bower19761924
Jacques Plante19781929
Harry Lumley19801926
Gump Worsley19801929
Ken Dryden19831947
Bernie Parent19841945
Gerry Cheevers19851940
Eddie Giacomin19871939
Tony Esposito19881943
Vladislav Tretiak19891952
Billy Smith19931950
Grant Fuhr20031962
Patrick Roy20061965
Ed Belfour20111965
Dominik Hasek20141965
Rogie Vachon20161945
Martin Brodeur20181972
Roberto Luongo20221979
Tom Barrasso20231965
Henrik Lundqvist20231982
Mike Vernon20231963

Let's use birth year plus/minus 5 years to define a player's age cohort.

Tom Barrasso. As a 1965 birth year, we are looking at 1960-1970. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Grant Fuhr (2003 induction), Patrick Roy (2006 induction), Ed Belfour (2011 induction), Dominik Hasek (2014 induction), Tom Barrasso (2023 induction), and Mike Vernon (2023 induction). Remarkably, all of Roy, Hasek Belfour, and Barrasso were born in 1965. 6 players inducted, and we are also discussing CuJo and Beezer this round. We have already voted in 3 of these players and are discussing 4 of the other 5.

Tony Esposito. As a 1943 birth year, we are looking at 1938-1948. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Ken Dryden (1983 induction), Bernie Parent (1984 induction), Gerry Cheevers (1985 induction), Eddie Giacomin (1987 induction), Tony Esposito (1988 induction), and Rogie Vachon (1945 induction). 6 players inducted, 2 of which we have already voted in and 1 we are discussing this round.

Grant Fuhr. As a 1962 birth year, we are looking at 1957-1967. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Grant Fuhr (2003 induction), Patrick Roy (2006 induction), Ed Belfour (2011 induction), Dominik Hasek (2014 induction), Tom Barrasso (2023 induction), and Mike Vernon (2023 induction). Unless I missed something, it is the same grouping as Barrasso, so 6 players inducted and another 2 being discussed this round. Like with Barrasso, I think the count is 3 already voted in to our list, with 4 more being discussed.

George Hainsworth. As an 1893 birth year, we are looking at 1888-1898. That leaves us with (in chronological order) George Hainsworth (1961 induction), Clint Benedict (1965 induction), and Hap Holmes (1972 induction). 3 players inducted. We have already voted in 1 and are discussing the other 2 this round.

Hap Holmes. As an 1888 birth year, we are looking at 1883-1893. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Georges Vezina (1945 induction), Hugh Lehman (1958 induction), George Hainsworth (1961 induction), Clint Benedict (1965 induction), and Hap Holmes (1972 induction). 5 players inducted. We have voted in 3 and are currently discussing the other 2.

Curtis Joseph. As a 1967 birth year, we are looking at 1962-1972. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Grant Fuhr (2003 induction), Patrick Roy (2006 induction), Ed Belfour (2011 induction), Dominik Hasek (2014 induction), Martin Brodeur (2018 induction), Tom Barrasso (2023 induction), and Mike Vernon (2023 induction). 7 players inducted, with Cujo and Beezer being discussed. We have already voted in 4 of these players, and are currently discussing 4 of the remaining 5.

Miika Kiprusoff. As a 1976 birth year, we are looking at 1971-1981. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Martin Brodeur (2018 induction) and Roberto Luongo (2022 induction). 2 players inducted, with Kiprusoff being discussed. Two have been already voted on to our list, and, obviously, Kiprusoff is eligible this round.

Percy LeSueur. As an 1881 birth year, we are looking at 1876-1886. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Hugh Lehman (1958 induction), Paddy Moran (1958 induction), Percy LeSueur (1961 induction), Riley Hern (1963 induction), Bouse Hutton (1963 induction). 5 players inducted, only one of which has been voted in, only another 1 (LeSueur) being discussed this round.

Harry Lumley. As a 1926 birth year, we are looking at 1921-1931. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Terry Sawchuk (1971 induction), Glenn Hall (1931 induction), Johnny Bower (1976 induction), Jacques Plante (1978 induction), Harry Lumley (1980 induction), and Gump Worsely (1980 induction). 6 players inducted. We have already voted in 4, and are discussing the other 2.

Chuck Rayner. As a 1920 birth year, we are looking at 1915-1925. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Bill Durnan (1964 induction), Chuck Rayner (1973 induction), and Johnny Bower (1976 induction). 3 players inducted, 2 of whom we have already voted in. We are discussing the third (Rayner).

Jonathan Quick. As a 1986 birth year, we are looking at 1981-1991. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Henrik Lundqvist (2023 induction). 1 player inducted, but this is sure to climb as his contemporaries become eligible. And, of course, 1 player being discussed (Quick).

Rogie Vachon. As a 1945 birth year, we are looking at 1940-1950. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Ken Dryden (1983 induction), Bernie Parent (1984 induction), Gerry Cheevers (1940 induction), Tony Esposito (1988 induction), Billy Smith (1993 induction), and Rogie Vachon (2016 induction). 6 players inducted, 4 of whom have been inducted . We are discussing one of the other two (Vachon).

John Vanbiesbrouck. As a 1963 birth year, we are looking at 1958-1968. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Grant Fuhr (2003 induction), Patrick Roy (2006 induction), Ed Belfour (2011 induction), Dominik Hasek (2014 induction), Tom Barrasso (2023 induction), and Mike Vernon (2023 induction). 6 players inducted, and we are also discussing Vanbiesbrouck and Cujo. We have voted in 3 and are discussing 2 of the remaining 3.

Gump Worsley. As a 1929 birth year, we are looking at 1924-1934. That leaves us with (in chronological order) Terry Sawchuk (1971 induction), Glenn Hall (1975 induction), Johnny Bower (1924 induction), Jacques Plant (1978 induction), Harry Lumley (1980 induction), and Gump Worsley (1980 induction). 6 players inducted, 4 of whom we have already voted in. We are currently discussing the remaining 2.

Take from this what you will. A couple of comments-

I am hesitant to put too much stock into the induction years without looking at when these players began and ended their careers; for example, Hasek wasn't inducted 8 years after Roy because the voters thought Roy was better- Hasek's career just went on longer.

This isn't going to be at all useful for players who are either still playing or recently retired.

There are a couple birth years/ranges that look really crowded. 1965 as a year and the years surrounding it have a ton of people inducted. Is this an example of random happenstance, or is the HoF over-representing that era? The mid-late 1920s, the early-mid 1940s.

I am pleasantly surprised by how well LeSueur's age cohort is represented by the HoF...but then disappointed again when I look at how we are ignoring them.

The biggest shock for me? The lack of recognition around Kiprusof's birth year, both by the HoF and by us. Is this the result of a particularly strong 1960s goalies keeping the next generation from showing up, or is there something else at play?
 

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