Well... Phil Housley is in.
That said, I think Flash Hollett did occasionally play forward?
You're correct on that
TheDevilMadeMe. Hollett was used as a forward from time-to time.
He was a right wing for a while in 1939/40 on a line with Herb Cain and Art Jackson.
Ross thought Cain was weak defensively and liked to balance up that deficiency with Hollett on the wing. Ross also used Hollett on the right side with Terry Reardon and Roy Conacher in the 1940 playoffs (just for one game though).
In 1941/42 Hollett was used as a center and did pretty well at that position. Hollett was also versatile enough to tend goal during practices when a netminder got hurt. He in fact was rated as the most versatile player in the NHL during WW II. (and yes, he could play on the left wing as well).
But was he Hall of Fame material?
In my book Flash Hollett is a borderline case. He had the wheels and could score on spectacular end-to-end rushes. The Garden crowd howled enthusiastically every time Hollett dashed down the ice.
He was noted for having a really heavy shot. Hollett could really rifle it, but had rather poor control of his shots early on. After a few years in the league he handled it much better.
I would also say that Hollett is somewhat underrated when it comes to toughness. He was a fair player, but didn’t back down from anyone. For example, in 1939 Hollett fought Nels Stewart in what newspapers back then called “
the fight of the year”, and stood his ground. Stewart was a legitimate badass when riled up. Hollett took relatively few penalties, but was no softie. A year or two after the Stewart fight, Hollett beat up Phil Watson to such an extent that Watson’s teammates had to save him from further punishment.
Few people know that Flash Hollett’s 4-year old son died in 1939. That tragedy not only changed him as a person, but as a player too. Yes, WW II came along, and many say that the league was weaker, which it was, but you still have to respect what Hollett did in his playing career.
Montreal Canadiens manager Tommy Gorman made a bid for Hollett in 1941, but was turned down.
Less than three months later, Hollett won his second cup with Boston.
Hollett by the way was one of the reasons there was a long standing feud (dating back to the 1920s) between Art Ross and Conn Smythe. Ross was always proud of the fact that he snatched a future all-star in Hollett from Toronto for a bargain (some cash). That deal irked Smythe for a long time.
Sorry for going a bit off-topic, but Ross also stole the entire Kraut line away from Smythe.
Bobby Bauer was signed by Smythe and stashed away at the Maple Leafs farm team at Syracuse (IHL). Ross then shrewdly called for a league meeting while Smythe was in England. At the meeting Ross drafted the unprotected Bauer off the Syracuse list. Smythe was not a happy camper.
Ross also signed Woody Dumart who had been on the Maple Leafs radar since 1933 (held their training camp in Kitchener).
Milt Schmidt was the third Kraut that Smythe lost to Ross. Frank Selke wanted to sign Schmidt, but Smythe thought he was too small at the time. Ross who scouted promising players for the Bruins farm system liked what he saw and inked a deal with Schmidt. All three appeared at the Bruins training camp in 1935, but didn’t play on the Bruins roster until almost two years later.
Roy Conacher was another player that Ross managed to get before Smythe had a chance to sign him. Everybody thought Roy would sign with Toronto, as he was from the city, played there as a junior and his brother Charlie played for the Maple Leafs. Ross had already invited Conacher to the Bruins training camp in 1935 where the youngster made a good impression. Ross was able to ink Roy Conacher much thanks to the good relationship the two built up that training camp.
Even if Ross and Smythe were bitter rivals, they had mutual respect for each other.
Best illustrated by the telegram Smythe sent to the Bruins after Ross passed away in 1964.