The Hockey Hall of Fame, founded in 1943, has recognized 430 individuals, including players, coaches, and executives, for their significant contributions to the sport.

While they have all left their mark, some have stood out more than others. However, the Hall of Fame committee has sometimes included players that have generated controversy, leading many to question whether they truly belong in the Hall of Fame or rather in the 'Hall of Very Good'.

In analyzing these questionable choices, three trends stand out: role players on dynastic teams, forwards from the 1980s and 1990s with high scores, and an excessive emphasis on physicality.

Dick Duff, a member of the Maple Leafs and Canadiens dynasties in the 1960s, won six Stanley Cup championships during his career. Part of his candidacy comes from scoring clutch goals in the playoffs, but he only led his team (not the playoffs) in goals, assists, or points in the playoffs once in his career.

Duff was known as a hard-working two-way player, but never finished in the top 10 in points, received no significant awards, and had a maximum VsX of only 70.7. Mike Ribeiro had five seasons with higher scores. He was never the best player on his team, but rather had the fortune of playing on incredible teams.

If he had spent his entire career on mediocre teams, he would have had no chance of entering the Hall of Fame.

Gerry Cheevers, the goalie for the Big Bad Bruins of the 1970s, played on exceptional teams and behind the best defenseman in history. Although he led the team to two Cups, he was far from the driving force behind the wins.

Despite playing on one of the best teams ever, he never finished in the top five in GAA in any season when there were only ~15 teams (and 15 starters) in the league. His best position in terms of postseason All-Star voting was fifth, when he received only six out of 486 votes.

He won some awards in the WHA, but his competition paled in comparison to the NHL, where he was merely an above-average goalie. If he had played for the California Golden Seals, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Clark Gillies, the left wing on the famous 'Trio Grande' line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, did the dirty work for the line. He was a big, physical power forward who was also a willing fighter. Physicality is a valuable skill and helps his case, but when the rest of the picture isn't there, it shouldn't get him into the Hall.

Gillies had a great two-year peak when he finished ninth and thirteenth in points, but he finished in the top 60 in points just two more times in his career (30th and 48th). And he was on a line with two of the top 25 players of all time!

He never broke a VsX score of 80 and, at best, was the fifth-best player on those Islanders teams. Compared to the regular season, his points-per-game average goes down from .73 to .57 in the playoffs. Being a power forward is great, but his offensive numbers are not HHoF caliber, despite playing alongside two legends.

Leo Boivin, a stay-at-home defenseman, claimed fame for his bone-crunching hits. Boivin was not large, at 5-foot-8 and 183 pounds, but he could deliver thunderous body checks. Boivin played almost exclusively in an NHL that had six teams, but Boivin's teams made the playoffs in only 6 of those 15 seasons.

Boivin also did not have great individual success, with his highest finish in postseason All-Star voting being seventh. Then consider that there were only 24 regular defensemen in the NHL, and you'll understand the skepticism. With a career high of 26 points, Boivin's accomplishments simply are not HHoF-worthy.

In Glenn Anderson, the list acquires its fourth role player from a dynasty. Anderson was a goal-scoring wing who had talent, but whose point totals were inflated by playing on the highest-scoring team of all time in the highest-scoring era of all time.

He finished in the top three in All-Star voting only once, received no Hart Trophy votes, and at best was the sixth-best player on the Oilers behind Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, and Grant Fuhr. He broke a VsX score of 80 once and had one top 10 point finish in his career. Despite being known for his playoff heroics, his Points per Game (PPG) actually goes down slightly from the regular season to playoffs.

Joe Nieuwendyk, the only center on the list, was a very good player for a long time, but never reached a peak high enough to deserve HHoF honors. He was a 'compiler' who scored a good amount each season for a long time, but was never actually an elite player. His highest VsX score was 75.8 (Doug Weight beat that five times), and his highest finish in All-Star voting was fifth. In his career, he received only three total votes for the Hart Trophy over 20 seasons.

He gets a lot of mileage out of winning one Conn Smythe and three Cups, but his PPG in the playoffs is .17 lower than in the regular season. Harry Watson, a longtime Leaf, is yet another example of a role player being recognized mostly because of his great teammates. Watson won five Cups over his career, but was not the driving force for the victories.

He never received any significant All-Star votes and got two votes for the Hart Trophy in his entire career. He had one career year in which he had a VsX score of 83 but never broke 70 again. Remember, Mike Ribeiro has done that five times. Watson was a physical two-way player, which is definitely part of the picture, but his offensive abilities are too far behind for his intangibles to make up the ground. In the playoffs, he has a PPG that dips to .40 from .55 in the regular season.