Ranking the top 5 Hockey Hall of Fame classes of all-time

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Ranking the top 5 Hockey Hall of Fame classes of all-time originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Sporting News, established in 1886, is celebrating its 140th birthday with a year-long series honoring the greatest moments, teams and players from the last 140 years. We’ve also released SN’s entire archive for free, empowering hockey fans to download iconic print covers of Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe or explore endless rabbit holes to read how your favorite teams were covered in the moment.

The hockey portion of our 140 celebration continues with our picks for the top-five Hockey Hall of Fame classes.

1. 1972: Jean Beliveau, Boom-Boom Geoffrion, Hap Holmes, Gordie Howe​

The ‘72 induction saw two players inducted who are still the greatest players in their Original Six team’s history – Montreal Canadiens icon Beliveau and Detroit Red Wings legend Howe. But the other two players – Habs winger Geoffrion, who won six Stanley Cups and one Hart Trophy as league MVP, and Holmes, a 1920s-era goalie who won four Cups with four different teams – make this class of inductees extra special.

In The Hockey News’ ground-breaking list of the top 100 NHL players of all-time, Howe was ranked third, while Beliveau was ranked seventh. So having both of them in the same HHOF class sets it apart from the rest. They’re an incredible group of stupendous talents whose legends live on to this very day.

MORE: SN 140 Moments: No. 111 - Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record

2. 1999: Wayne Gretzky​

When you’re talking about the greatest player in hockey history – someone who had the three-year waiting period waived for HHOF induction – you’re talking about Edmonton Oilers superstar Gretzky. In our opinion, he is far and away the greatest of all time, holding a slew of offensive records that will never be broken. So it’s no exaggeration to say Gretzky should be right near the top of the list of HHOF inductees.

Gretzky’s dominance – and his four Cups, nine Hart Trophies, 10 Art Ross Trophies as the league’s top point-producer, and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP – make him the most impressive player to ever do it. And he deserves to be celebrated as the most deserving Hall of Famer in history.

MORE: SN 140 Moments: No. 38 - Wayne Gretzky passes Gordie Howe to become NHL's all-time leading scorer

3. 2014: Rob Blake, Peter Forsberg, Dominik Hasek, Mike Modano​

Sometimes, one player in a draft class is up for debate as a worthy Hall of Famer, and that drags that draft class down any ranking of the best Hall of Fame classes of all-time. But that isn’t the case with the 2014 class, which has arguably the greatest goalie in the history of the game in Buffalo Sabres superstar Hasek, one of the greatest European and Swedish players in Colorado Avalanche center Forsberg, and the greatest-ever American player in Dallas Stars legend Modano. That’s about as good as it gets.

Hasek, Modano and Forsberg all have Cups to their credit, as well as numerous individual awards, including Hart Trophies for Hasek and Forsberg, a Norris Trophy for Blake, an Art Ross Trophy for Forsberg, and six Vezina Trophies for Hasek as the league’s best netminder. That’s a stunning amount of honors for any draft class, and their combined achievements make the 2014 class one of the very best.

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4. 2015: Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger​

There was a real golden era for all-time great players earlier this century, and the 2015 class has three legends who helped this group rise to the top five on the all-time list.

First, you have the greatest defenseman not named Bobby Orr in Red Wings legend Lidstrom. Then, you’ve got one of the greatest Russian players (and European players) of all-time in Red Wings star center Fedorov. And finally, there’s another top-10 defenseman in league history in St. Louis Blues D-man Pronger.

Lidstrom in particular has been described as the ‘perfect human’, and he was certainly a nearly-flawless competitor who earned a stunning seven Norris Trophies and four Stanley Cups. Lidstrom was also the first European captain of a Cup-winner, and he was the first European-winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. He’s also an Olympic gold medalist and a member of the Triple Gold Club.

Pronger and Fedorov were deserving Hall-of-Famers, but this list ranks where it does because Lidstrom elevated it – the same way he elevated all those Red Wings teams.

MORE: SN 140 Moments: No. 25 - Bobby Orr's flying goal wins Stanley Cup for Bruins

5. 1961: Syl Apps, Charlie Conacher, Maurice Richard, Milt Schmidt​

You might need to be of a certain vintage to appreciate these four players properly, but they are all Hall-of-Fame-worthy in their own way. Many consider Conacher to be the greatest Toronto Maple Leaf in that team’s history. And Maurice Richard – better known as ‘Rocket’ Richard – is one of the greatest Canadiens players and one of the best pure scorers of all-time, having an NHL award named after him because of his goal-scoring prowess.

MORE: SN 140 Moments: No. 91 - Maurice 'Rocket' Richard scores 50th goal in 50th game for Canadiens

Meanwhile, Apps won three Cups with the Leafs, as well as the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. Schmidt was a two-time Cup winner with the Boston Bruins, and he also won a Hart Trophy. You don’t need to have been born in the previous century to understand the impact these four icons had on the sport. And in concert, this quartet makes the 1961 HHOF class one of the greatest ever.

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