When you enter the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, it’s photographs that quickly grab your attention.

There’s Bobby Orr flying through the air to score the clinching goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup final.

There’s 10-year-old Wayne Gretzky, standing with a hockey stick around his neck from Gordie Howe.

There’s an image of Toronto Maple Leafs legendary goalie Johnny Bower.

Walk around the Hall of Fame and these iconic images tell the story of the game. They illustrate its greatest moments, the Hall’s accomplished members, and even the game’s most challenging times.

However, hockey photographers — the men and women who for many decades have chronicled the game and captured these moments — are not honored at the Hall.

Why? The Hall of Fame does recognize journalists, but in conjunction with organized membership groups such as the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association and the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. There is no similar guild for hockey photographers.

“The Hall of Fame would not be the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for the documentary that was made by photographers back in the day when these guys probably weren’t being paid anything,” said Steve Babineau, the Bruins’ team photographer for the past 42 years.

The Hall of Fame inducts members through three groups: players, referees/linemen and builders. Officially, the Hall says that photographers could be considered through the builders category — through which recently elected members include Boston College coach Jerry York, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs — but no photographer ever has been. (No photographer has ever been inducted to the Halls of Fame in basketball, football or baseball either.)

There are several photographers who already deserve a plaque in Toronto:

Harold “Hal” Barkley, whose career spanned over 40 years, is credited with the design of the strobe-lighting system, which revolutionized action shots.

Longtime Canadiens photographer David Bier, who was known for his keen eye of capturing a game at the Montreal Forum. His photos told a story about the building, the team and its fans like no other.

The Turofsky brothers, Nat and Lou, who shot the Toronto Maple Leafs and were known for their action shots.

Denis Brodeur, the father of Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur, who was the team photographer for the Canadiens. However, one of his most famous photos came on Sept. 28, 1972, during the Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union in Moscow when Brodeur captured Paul Henderson’s series-winning goal for Canada.

Ray Lussier, who captured that shot of Orr — which became hockey’s most iconic image — while shooting for the Boston Record-American in 1970.

Babineau and Bruce Bennett, the director of hockey imagery at Getty Images, are two of the most highly regarded shooters around the league today. With more than four decades of experience each, they know how valuable their work is to the league.

“You can go through the 44 years of images,” Bennett said of his career portfolio, “and see the progression of the sport from no helmets, to helmets, to no advertising on the boards; it’s interesting when you put it together from beginning to end and you realize how much better the game is now than it was in the early days.”

That’s the story that’s told in the corridors of the Hall of Fame.

“If you go through the Hall of Fame, it’s picture-driven,” Babineau said.

The NHL thought so highly of Babineau’s work that is bought his archive in 2007.

“When they acquired my archive they used it as a major selling point, saying, ‘We just acquired Denis Brodeur’s archive and if we put your archive with Denis Brodeur’s we’ll have 50 years of the game,’” Babineau said.

Still, the real honor would be not just buying the archive, but also memorializing photographers in the Hall of Fame in recognition of how their work helped hockey grow. Their images became the lifeblood of the league.

Babineau, who has been shooting the NHL and Bruins for 46 years, said he recently spoke with people at the Hall of Fame about inducting photographers, but described it as a delicate conversation.

“They induct builders. They induct writers, but not the people documenting the game back in the day,” Babineau said.

Bennett, known as the Wayne Gretzky of hockey photography, started shooting the game for The Hockey News in 1974.

“There wouldn’t be any greater honor than being acknowledged for the amount of work we’ve done through the years,” Bennett said. “Nothing better than being in the Hockey Hall of Fame – no greater honor.”

These photographs tell the history of the game. They are plastered all over the Hall of Fame. The likenesses of the men and women who captured these shots deserve to be, too.

(Photo of Bruce Bennett: Len Redkoles / Getty Images)