Defensemen worthy of Hall of Fame review

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers every Wednesday.
Stan returns to his popular "Lists" category this week, looking at five defensemen he believes deserve consideration for the Hockey Hall of Fame (they're listed in alphabetical order).

Carl Brewer

The Toronto Maple Leafs' dynasty in the 1960s included three straight Stanley Cup championships (1962-64). Among Toronto's defensemen in that era, Brewer was the most talented, the most offense-minded -- and the most controversial.
"Carl was a great skater and stickhandler with a gritty, agitating style," wrote Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. "Plus he had multiple All-Star selections and holds an esteemed position in the history of the game."
Brewer was an NHL First-Team All-Star in 1962-63 and a Second-Team All-Star in 1961-62 and 1964-65, so it's easy to conclude he was as competent a defenseman as teammates
Allan Stanley
and
Tim Horton
, who are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Brewer's battles with his boss, coach-general manager Punch Imlach, may have worked against him -- he left the Maple Leafs after the 1964-65 season and didn't return to the NHL until 1969-70, when he was a Second-Team All-Star with the Detroit Red Wings.

Gus Mortson

When Toronto's first dynasty dominated the NHL with three consecutive Stanley Cup championships and four in five seasons (1947-51), the peripatetic Mortson galvanized the Maple Leafs' defenseman more than anyone else.
"Gus was flashy and offensive-minded and excelled at both ends of the ice," Kris Kullas wrote in his book, "Access Denied: Forgotten & Future Heroes of Hockey's Hall of Fame." "He earned the nickname 'Hard Rock' because of his aggressive and hard-hitting play."
Mortson's credentials are Hall of Fame-worthy. He played 797 regular-season games and 54 more in the playoffs during 13 NHL seasons (the first six with Toronto). He was an NHL First-Team All-Star in 1949-50 and skated in eight NHL All-Star Games. None of the defenseman on Toronto's four Cup-winning teams from that era has been inducted into the Hall; Mortson is the one who belongs.

Jean-Guy Talbot

It's not hard to argue that a defenseman who played a key role in helping his team win seven Stanley Cup championships, was an NHL First-Team All-Star (in 1961-62) and played 17 seasons in the League at a solid level would merit induction to the Hall of Fame.
But Talbot is still on the outside looking in, although coaches such as Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman could make a case for him.
After Talbot had proven a catalyst for Montreal's championship teams, Bowman brought him to the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1967-68. Talbot helped the Blues reach the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three seasons.
"The Blues were looking for someone to show them how to be a winner," noted Ken Campbell of The Hockey News, "and Talbot was a good place to start."
Bottom Line: Talbot was a winner wherever he went.

J.C. Tremblay

The fact that Tremblay left the Canadiens to sign with the Quebec Nordiques when the World Hockey Association came along in 1972 shouldn't be factored into whether he's worthy of induction. His accomplishments during 11 seasons with Montreal were enough.
Tremblay was a five-time Stanley Cup-winner. He led all players in the 1965 Stanley Cup Playoffs with nine assists, helping the Canadiens win their first of four championships in a span of five seasons. In 1970-71 he surpassed Hall of Famer
Doug Harvey
's team single-season record for points by a defenseman with 63, earning NHL First-Team All-Star honors.
He was also arguably the best defenseman in WHA history, making the league's First All-Star Team three times, scoring 89 points twice and averaging 0.93 points per game (424 points in 454 games). He was the only player in the WHA's seven-year history to win the league's award for best defenseman twice.
His skill level ranked among the best, and his passing skills were elite. In 13 NHL seasons, Tremblay averaged 0.46 points per game, the same as Hall of Fame defenseman
Bill Gadsby
, who never won the Stanley Cup during his 20 NHL seasons.

Jimmy Thomson

If a Maple Leafs defenseman such as
Borje Salming
could play 17 seasons in the NHL and earn induction to the Hall of Fame without playing on even one Stanley Cup-winning team, he is to be commended for his good work.
Thomson didn't have Salming's offensive numbers. But in 11 full seasons with the Maple Leafs, Thomson was part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams, was an NHL Second-Team All-Star twice (1950-51 and 1951-52) and played in seven NHL All-Star Games. He played 717 games with Toronto before finishing his career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1957-58.
"It's a little mysterious why Thomson doesn't get more of his due," one writer said, "considering all he did was defend his zone, punish opponents and win championships."