I’m sitting here listening to some Frijid Pink and thinking to myself that I really want to finish up the Hockey Hall of Pretty Good series so that I can a) move onto the Veteran’s Committee vote, b) move onto the Tough Guy Hall of Fame, and c) just move on.

Last we left, The Great One got in while Denis Savard, Joe Mullen, Michel Goulet, and Peter Stastny got the big boot. I sort of regret Stastny but I can’t go back; that is what the Veteran’s Committee is for.

1961-1966
1967-1970
1971-1973
1974-1976
1977-1978
1979-1980
1981
1982-1984
1985-1986
1987-1988
1989-1990
1991-1992
1993-1995
1996-1997
1998-2000

The end is in sight! Onwards and upwards!

2001
Viacheslav Fetisov
Mike Gartner
Dale Hawerchuk
Jari Kurri

Oh man, this is going to be TOUGH!

First there is Fetisov. Russians from this era are tough because a lot of them didn’t break into the NHL until their 30s. Fetisov is no exception, entering the league at the age of 31. While his best years may have been behind him, he was still a pretty good NHLer. In 546 games he tallied 228 total points and a +114; not bad for a defenceman. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Red Wings to close out his career. His NHL stats, however, would not be enough to induct him. Looking at this international numbers and reputation is where he shines. In 478 games for the USSR, he put up 374 points, while putting up 33 points in 22 Olympic games. Those are all great numbers for a defenceman. The greatest accolade, though, is his selection to the International Centennial All-Star Team. This team was voted on by 56 “experts” from all over the world with Fetisov receiving the most votes (54), beating out some dude named Gretzky. That is some honor! Welcome to the HOF, comrade Fetisov.

Next is a guy who, unlike Fetisov, has all the numbers in the world and, also unlike Fetisov, not much of the reputation/respect. The player is Mike Gartner, a 700 goal scorer who, in my opinion, doesn’t make the cut.

Over 18 NHL seasons (only years of 40+ count as seasons in my book), Gartner scored 30+ goals 17 times, 40+ nine times, and 50+ once. Yet, he never finished higher than 9th in the top-10. Point being that EVERYONE scored goals in the 80s. He never finished in the top-10 for assists and only once for total points (also the only time he cracked 100+ points). It is remarkable to me that a guy with 700+ goals only cracked the 100+ point plateau once! He has zero individual hardware, never won a Cup, and was never named to the NHL All-Star 1st or 2nd Team. This leads me to believe that he was rarely thought of as one of the best in the game. Don’t get me wrong, though, Mike Gartner was very good for a long period of time, but he was never great, not even for a year. Gartner is out.

Dale Hawerchuk is a tough one for me. He has the numbers, but does he have that little extra? Let’s see. Over 15 seasons, he tallied 513 goals and 1393 points in 1165 games. He had ten 30+ goal seasons, seven with 40+ goals, and one with 50+; however he never finished higher than 7th overall in a season. He was a great assist man with five seasons of 60+ assists, four with 70+, and one with 80+. None of those, however, were good enough for the lead league; the highest he finished was 4th. Six seasons of 100+ points is nice, but again, he never led the league. Overall, though, he is 18th all-time in total points. Additionally, he won the Calder Trophy and was named to the NHL All-Star 2nd Team once. And that is about it. On there own, his numbers are good enough to get in, but compared to others of his generation, I think they look merely very good, not great. I hate to do it, but Hawerchuk is out. Poor Winnipeg.

Last up is Jari Kurri. In many ways, he is similar to Hawerchuk in that they have just about the same amount of points. Over 16 seasons, Kurri amassed 591 goals (601 if I count his 38 game season). In 1213 games he put up 1369 points. He enjoyed eleven seasons of 30+ goals, seven with 40+, four with 50+, two with 60+, and one with 70+; these were good enough for lead the league once while finishing in the top-5 three other times. His assist numbers were good, averaging 60+ during his prime, but only good enough to finish as high as 9th in a season.  Total points, however, tell a different story. Six different times Kurri ended a season with 100+ total points and finished in the top-10 six different times. He won the Lady Byng once and was named to two NHL All-Star 1st Teams and two 2nd Teams. He also was part of the great Oilers dynasty that won five Stanley Cups. I am leaning towards saying no to Kurri but then I looked at his playoff numbers: 233 points in 200 games! That includes leading the entire playoffs in goals four different times. Is that enough to put him in? Hawerchuk put up similar numbers without the benefit of Gretzky, Messier, Coffey, etc. Switch the two players and I bet Hawerchuk has the Cups, the goals, and maybe some All-Star Team selections. Kurri is out.

Inducted: Viacheslav Fetisov

Kicked out: Mike Gartner, Dale Hawerchuk, and Jari Kurri

2002
Bernie Federko
Clark Gillies
Rod Langway

Ugh, why is Bernie Federko in the Hall of Fame? He is pretty much the reason for this entire series. He didn’t play particularly long (13 seasons), score a ton of goals (355), dish out an extraordinary amount of assists (752), or tally a ton of points (1107). He never finished in the top-10 in goals but managed to finish in the top-10 in assists seven times (4th overall being the highest) and top-10 in total points five times (8th being his highest). No individual awards, no Cups, no NHL All-Star Team selections. Heck, he only played in two All Star games. He is the definition of very good, not great. Federko is out!

Ugh squared! Friggin’ Clark Gillies. Read my thoughts here. Summed up, if Clark Gillies is in, Wayne Cashman should be in. And do I think Wayne Cashman is a Hall of Famer? Absolutely not. Gillies, you’re out!

Last up is Rod Langway. Defencemen are my achilles heel. As far as I can tell, Langway was a very good blueliner. Not the sort of guy to put up a ton of points like Orr, Bourque, Lindstrom, but the sort of defenceman who stayed at home and held the fort. His back-to-back Norris Trophy seasons are impressive as well as the fact that he finished 2nd behind Gretzky for the Hart Trophy for the 82-83 season. He does have one Cup with the Canadiens and was named to two NHL All-Star 1st Teams and one 2nd Team. Also, did you know he was born in Taiwan? Since I am light on defencemen and because the two Norris’ speak to his reputation and ability, Langway is in.

Inducted: Rod Langway
Kicked out: Bernie Federko and Clark Gillies

That is enough HOF debating for one day. let’s move onto an actual card that came in the mail yesterday:

2010-11 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection US-GL Guy Lafleur

Check out that bleu, blanc, and rouge beauty! Now one closer to my on-card HOF autograph goal.

Lastly, I’ve been quietly beefing up my PJ Axelsson collection. I have taken to browsing the Swedish eBay called Tradera.  Recently I found a couple of Axelsson jersey cards that I didn’t have, including a patch one. While paying, I asked the seller if he had other PJ cards, especially Swedish releases. Not only did he have those, but he had a ton os low numbered and parallel cards of PJ that I didn’t have. The best part, though, is that he knew and checked out my blog. What a crazy world! So now I have a guy who can get me things. Some have a guy who can get them firearms, babies, truffles, whatever. I have a Axelsson guy. Jealous? I thought so. So that is a story I wanted to pass on.

I leave you with this:

I forgot to mention/ask something in yesterday’s post, so here is a little bonus action for ya.

Has anyone been reading Ken Dryden’s pieces on ESPN’s/Bill Simmons’ great website Grantland? So far he has written three different columns:

Time for the NHL to Get Head Smart

Concussions in the NHL: Waiting for Science

Where Does the Fight in Us Come From?

Dryden is quite possibly one of the smartest players to ever play the game. In fact, it could be argued that he is one of the most intelligent athletes of all time. These columns are well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking. Check them out if you haven’t already.

I know a couple of you have written to Dryden and have had success; could you email me the address you used for him? I would really like to write him. Same goes for Dr. Brian Price.

Also on Grantland, be sure to read Katie Baker’s hockey columns, especially her weekly one.