Why are they HHOFers?
Edgar Laprade
Clint Smith
There were less teams, and thus less players to compete with to get into the HHOF. There were less games. Careers were shorter. And overall, point production by an individual (outside of the truly amazing players) was generally lower. But all of that said, compare them to other players
in their time period, and this will make more sense.
Clint Smith had the second most total points of any Center in the years that he played and was a part of a Stanley Cup winning Rangers team. Of those centers who played during his time period but had less total points, eight of them had higher PPGs. All of those 8 except for 1 is in the HHOF.
Edgar Laprade is a little tougher nut to crack when you compare him to his contemporaries... He had the 9th most total points of any Center in the years that he played. There are three centers ahead of him in points AND PPG who did not make the HHOF. An argument could be made that he led a Rangers team to the finals (they lost), and did very well in the playoffs (he was 3rd on the team in playoff points) -- whereas the players ahead of him in points and ppg weren't big contributors to SC finals contenders. That could help explain why he got into the HHOF over a guy like Paul Ronty (eligible on our list), who had more points and a higher ppg playing for the Rangers during the same time period, but never was on a team that made it to the finals. But it wouldn't explain why a guy on the same finals team as Laprade, Don Raleigh (also eligible on our list), who also had a higher career point total, ppg,
and scored more in that year's playoffs
didn't make the HHOF.
On second look, it seems like there was a pretty heavy emphasis on playoff/SC performance when considering HHOF'ers from that time period (not necessarily unlike today). One of the guys in front of Laprade in points and ppg, Cal Gardner, who didn't make it into the HHOF was on two SC winners, but performed pretty poorly in the playoffs. All HHOF centers that I've seen with my searches in this time period were on SC winning teams
and performed very well in the playoffs. The guys who weren't on SC winning teams or didn't perform well in the playoffs, but put up similar regular season numbers to these guys didn't get into the HHOF.
HHOF has also always valued hardware and records. Laprade won the calder, lady byng. Clint Smith won the byng twice, and set multiple records at the time he played (4 goals in a period, most assists in a season, and played on a line that recorded the most points in a season).
EDIT: They were both also selected as a part of the "Veterans" category - which explains why they were inducted so late.
http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_pinnaclep199002.shtml
"In 1988, the Hockey Hall of Fame added a 'veteran player category' in order to provide a vehicle for players "who may have been overlooked and whose chances for election would be limited when placed on the same ballot with contemporary players." Eleven players were inducted into the Veterans' category, which was eliminated by the HHOF Board of Directors in 2000. Those inductees are now considered to be in the player category."
Laprade's HHOF link:
http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_pinnaclep199302.shtml
Smith's HHOF link:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p199104&page=bio&list=
