Belfour was never the elite goaltender in his time. Of course, playing in the same era with the likes of Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, and Martin Brodeur have something to do with it. However, Belfour put up similar numbers and won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999. He has also won the Vezina Trophy twice, been a Calder Trophy recipient, and is third in wins all time. All of that means he gets into the Hall on the first ballot.
Having fallen short on his first ballot last year, Nieuwendyk is quite possibly the quietest player to have reached 500 goals in his career. By quiet, I mean he never got the recognition that the likes of Theo Fleury, Mike Modano, or Brett Hull got in their careers. Despite all that, he managed to win the Calder Trophy and was a part of three Stanley Cup teams (Calgary in '89, Dallas in '99, and New Jersey in '03). In short, he was a winner.
"Killer" has been on the ballot since 2006, and should have been in the Hall last year. Gilmour was a Stanley Cup winner in '89, and has won the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward. The most well-rounded player of the four going into the Hall this year and the face of the Maple Leafs in the 90's.
The man with the longest wait of the four was Mark Howe. On the ballot since 1998, Mark Howe didn't do so badly for being the son of Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe. 405 goals in his career while playing in the WHA and NHL isn't a bad number, until you realize that he was a defenseman. While not on the same level as Mr. Hockey, Mark Howe carved out his own legacy and can say that he played on the same line as Mr. Hockey, having done so with the Hartford Whalers in the WHA.
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