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So, this is it; the last edition of the Hall of Pretty Good. I mean, at least until the next induction class. It’s been a fun little project, going through all the different years and learning about specific players. While I have kicked out a fair number of players, I feel like I need to reiterate again that those players are still great players with accomplished careers; they just don’t belong in MY Hall of Fame.

There will be a Veteran’s Committee (you guys) vote at the end of all this, but I’ll get to that the final three years.

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
2001-2002
2003-2005
2006-2008

Here we go…

2009
Brett Hull
Brian Leetch
Luc Robitaille
Steve Yzerman

Brett Hull has to be considered one of the best pure goal scorers in the history of the NHL, right? I mean, the guy was born to shoot the puck. Over 1269 games, he netted 741 goals, placing him 3rd all-time. He enjoyed thirteen seasons of 30+ goals, eight 40+ seasons, five 50+ seasons, three 70+ seasons, and one season of 86 goals (!); eight times he finished in the top-10 in goals, leading three straight years. Assists weren’t really his game; his 650 career helpers are only good for 59th all-time. For his career, his 1391 total points are good enough for 21st overall. He has some hardware, collecting a Hart Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award. He was named to three NHL All-Star 1st Teams and also won two Stanley Cups, one with the Dallas Stars and one with the Detroit Red Wings. His numbers back up his HOF resume as does his reputation as a sniper who was deadly from just about anywhere. Hull is in.

Brian Leetch should have played his entire career in NY, but things happen, I suppose. He was considered one of the elite blueliners during his career and his numbers back that up. Over the course of 1205 NHL games, Leetch scored 247 goals and helped on 781 others. He is one of five defencemen to top 100 points and played in an era with some top-shelf d-men (Bourque, MacInnis, Stevens, etc). His rookie season saw him take home the Calder Trophy. A couple of seasons after that, he won his first of two Norris Trophies. I thought he had won more, but when you have those other guys I just mentioned, two is pretty impressive. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his amazing performance during the Rangers’ Stanley Cup winning run (11 goals/23 assists/34 points). He was selected to the NHL All-Star 1st Team three times and the 2nd Team three times. Leetch is definitely a Hall of Famer. In.

Why do I get the feeling that Luc Robitaille is underrated? Like, he doesn’t get a ton of respect because he had some dude named Gretzky on his team. Here are the facts: nineteen seasons, 668 goals (10th all-time), 726 assists, and 1394 points (20th all-time). He scored 30+ goals twelve times, 40+ eight times, 50+ three times, and 60+ once. During his first eight seasons, he scored 392 goals in just 640 games. He finished in the top-10 in goals nine times and points four times. His Calder Trophy is the only individual hardware we took home, but he does have one Stanley Cup to his name. The most telling stat or accolade is this, though: he was selected to the NHL All-Star 1st Team five times and the 2nd Team three times, so he was well respected among the various hockey circles. Robitaille was probably never considered the best at his position or even the best on his team, but he quietly had a pretty stellar career; one that sort of has flown under the radar. He is in.

Last up is Steve Yzerman. Whereas Robitaille is slightly underrated, I think Yzerman is slightly (very slightly) overrated, and maybe that is the wrong word. Scoring 692 goals (8th all-time) is not overrated. Dishing out 1063 assists (7th all-time) is not overrated. Accumulating 1755 points (6th all-time) is not overrated. In fact, those are all amazing accomplishments and put him as one of the best all-time. But let me ask you this: did you ever fear Steve Yzerman? Not in the “Oh crap, he is going to kill me” way, but more in the “we have to shut this guy down” sort of way? Consider this, over his 22 year career, he was named to the NHL All-Star 1st Team once and never to the 2nd Team. Why is that? He does have a Conn Smythe and Selke Trophy to go along with a Ted Lindsay Award, so he was at least somewhat highly regarded. And I can’t discount him being the captain on a great Red Wings team that took home three Cups. Yzerman is definitely in, but I just want to know why he is more highly thought of than a guy like Robitaille?

Inducted: Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille, and Steve Yzerman
Kicked out: No one

2010
Dino Ciccarelli

Nope.

Inducted: No one
Kicked out: Dino Ciccarelli

2011
Ed Belfour
Doug Gilmour
Mark Howe
Joe Nieuwendyk

I think Eddie Belfour is a slam dunk choice for the Hall of Fame. Over the course of seventeen seasons, he finished with a sub .500 record only three times. Compare that to the fact that he won more than 30 games nine times and 40 twice. He finished in the top-3 in wins eight times (led once), GAA five times (led twice) and shutouts seven times (led four straight seasons). This isn’t the top-10, but the top-3. Impressive. He won the Calder Trophy, was twice awarded the Vezina Trophy, and won a Stanley Cup. He was also named to the NHL All-Star 1st Team twice and the 2nd Team once. Finally, he sits third all time in wins with 484 and ninth in shutouts with 76. The Eagle is in.

Doug Gilmour is a tough one to figure out. He was a very good player and a great teammate. A guy full of heart and soul that you wanted on your team in the dying seconds of a game that you either needed a goal to win or were protecting a one goal lead. He was a decent scorer (450 goals) and an above-average/great playmaker (964 assists). He finished in the top-10 in goals just once, assists five times, and points three times. He was a pretty good defensive forward and even took home a Selke Trophy to prove it. He was never named to an NHL All-Star 1st or 2nd Team but did win a Cup with the Flames. I really want to induct Gilmour but he just doesn’t have the resume. He would be a first ballot HOFer in the Teammate Hall of Fame, but not in my Hall of Fame. If I am wrong here, the Veteran’s Committee will take care of Dougie. Out.

I’m going to ignore Mark Howe’s WHA career for the time being and just focus on his NHL career. In fourteen seasons (40+ min.), Howe put up some pretty good numbers for a defenceman not named Bourque or Coffey. In his heyday, you could count on about 18 goals and 45 assists. He was named to three NHL All-Star 1st Teams but failed to win any individual awards (although he was a three time Norris Trophy runner-up) or Stanley Cups. Based on those numbers, he is not really a HOFer, but then we have to look at his WHA career because it was a legitimate rival league to the NHL. Sure, the WHA was plagued with financial problems and didn’t have perhaps the same caliber of players as the NHL, but it did have some major talent and many of the good players from the WHA had successful NHL careers, so it’s not like they were bums. In six seasons in the WHA, Howe had 208 goals and 296 assists (504 points) in 426 games. He was initially a left winger but converted over to defence halfway through (which makes his career all that much more remarkable). He won the Lou Kaplan Trophy as Rookie of the Year and won two Avco World Cups (Stanley Cup equivalent). In the WHA, he is tenth all time in goals and assists while sitting eighth in total points. All this said, I still don’t think I can put him in the Hall of Fame. He is like the next level down from the sort of player I am looking at. Sorry, Mark.

Last up is Joe Nieuwendyk. Not the way I wanted to end this series, but perhaps fitting. In 1257 games, Joe scored 564 goals while dishing out 562 assists for a total of 1126 points. His back-to-back 50+ goal seasons are nice, but those never put him above 5th in goals during either season, the highest he would ever finish. He never cracked 100+ points and was never named to an NHL All-Star 1st or 2nd Team. He did win the Calder Trophy and a Conn Smythe to go along with this three Stanley Cups, but those things are just not enough. A very good player, but not Hall worthy. Joe is out.

Inducted: Ed Belfour
Kicked out: Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe, and Joe Nieuwendyk

And so, there we have it. The new (and improved?) Hockey Hall of Fame. Let’s recap who got in:

Do any of those names look out of place at first glance? I have to admit a couple do, but I must have my reasons for their inclusion. From here, I want to determine the different classes (the first class on through), but we’ll get to that soon enough. In my next post I’ll talk more about the players who got the boot and Veteran’s Committee.

Stay tuned.

Chugging along…

Last post saw the induction of Bourque, Coffey, and Kharlamov while Fuhr, Lafontaine, Murphy, and Neely go the heave-ho. Sorry fellas, but that is how the cookie crumbles.

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
2001-2002
2003-2005

2006
Dick Duff
Patrick Roy

Dick Duff?! Seriously? 1030 games, 283 goals, and 289 assists does not a Hall of Fame career make. Twice he finished in the top-10 for goals in a season and that is it. No individual hardware and no NHL All-Star 1st or 2nd Team selections. Six Stanley Cups is nice, but it’s a team achievement unless you put up UNGODLY numbers, which Duff did not. Very good, yes, but not amazing. Maybe he was a great defensive forward, but I can’t really find much anecdotal information on that. Duff is out.

Patrick Roy, on the other hand, is a no-brainer into the Hall of Fame.  18 seasons with a career record of 551-315-131. He finished in the top-1o in wins 16 times (leading twice), GAA 14 times(leading three times), and shutouts 11 times (leading twice). He is second on the all-time career win list. He has three Vezina Trophies, three Conn Smythe Trophies, and four Stanley Cups. He was also named to five NHL All-Star 1st Teams and two 2nd Teams. Roy is in.

Inducted: Patrick Roy
Kicked out: Dick Duff

2007
Ron Francis
Al MacInnis
Mark Messier
Scott Stevens

2007 is a strong HOF year. Let’s start with Ron Francis.

Dude played 23 seasons for starters! During his career, Francis appeared in the top-10 in assists twelve times, leading the league twice. For his career, he is 2nd all time. While he wasn’t known as a prolific goal scorer, he did tally 549 goals which is pretty darn good. Five times he finished in the top-1o in total points and is fourth all-time. He has some hardware to go along with his stats: a Selke Trophy, two Lady Byngs, and two Stanley Cups. Now I have to ask myself, was Ron Francis ever a dominant player? Would you get nervous when he was playing against your team? Was he a game changer? Yes and no. I don’t think he was ever dominant, but he was an elite playmaker who made his teammates better than they probably were. He was a headsy player  who was rarely out of position. It’s hard to argue against a guy who is 2nd in assists and 4th in points. So while he was never regarded as the best of his era, he performed at a high level for a LONG time. Plus, I gotta have a Whaler in the Hall. Francis is in.

In 19 seasons (40+ games) in the NHL, Al MacInnis tallied a total of 340 goals , 934 assists, and 1274 points, all of which are good enough for third all-time among defencemen. He won a Norris Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Stanley Cup while being named to the NHL All-Star 1st Team four times and the 2nd Team three times. He is also one of only five blueliners to score more than 100 points in a season. MacInnis was one of the premier defencemen of his time and certainly deserves to be in the Hall.

I’ll be upfront and honest about this: I have never liked Mark Messier. Ask me why and I can’t even tell you. It’s just one of those totally irrational dislikes that we sometimes get a humans. I think it’s something about the way he looks. Anyways, I am going to be very objective and let his numbers speak for his career. 25 years in the league (plus one in the WHA). Wait, that can’t be right…sweet Jesus it is! Wow, okay. During that time, he would score 30+ goals eleven times, 40+ four times, and 50+ once; six times he would finish with 100+ points. He finished in the top-1o in goals four times, assists six times, and points six times, but would never lead in any of those categories. His playoff numbers are absurd: 295 points (109 goals/186 assists) in 236 games. He won the Hart Trophy twice, the Ted Lindsay Award twice, and took home on Conn Smythe Trophy. Oh yeah, he has six Stanley Cups. And if that is not enough, he is 7th all-time in goals, 3rd in assists, and 2nd in points. Messier is in.

Scott Stevens was one tough hombre who was known to play on that fine line between tough as nails and dirty. I don’t think he was really known as an offensive d-man, but over the course of 1635 games, he did put up 196 goals and 712 assists. Not bad, not bad. He never won a Norris but he did take home a Conn Smythe Trophy and was the captain of three Stanley Cup winning teams. He wouldn’t get in on numbers alone, but Stevens was more than numbers. He was a hard hitter who made opponents change their style of play on more than one occasion. Ask Slava Koslov, Paul Kariya or Ron Francis about going across the middle with their head down. Despite being labeled as a sometimes dirty player, he only ever received four elbowing penalties in his career. Lastly, over his 22 seasons in the NHL, never never finished as a minus player. I want a hard-nosed, physical defencemen in my hall. Stevens is in!

Inducted: Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Mark Messier, and Scott Stevens
Kicked out: No one

2008
Glenn Anderson
Igor Larionov

First Dick Duff and now Glenn Anderson? No way. Six Cups is nice, but 43rd all time in goals, 75th in assists, and 56 is points. Never the best player on his team, let alone the league. GET OUT!

Igor Larionov has to be in because of his pre-NHL USSR career. He didn’t enter the NHL until he was 29, where he proceeded to put up solid but not spectacular numbers. His USSR numbers are about the same, good but not great. I don’t really know what to say here. I almost feel like I have to give the Russian players a pass here, but I don’t know. My gut says he shouldn’t be in, so he’s not. Make an argument for his inclusion and I’ll be all ears. Out. What a weak class!

Inducted: No one
Kicked out: Glenn Anderson and Igor Larionov

One more part to go and we’ll be all caught up. SO EXCITING! Maybe.

Now onto something that, to me, is beyond exciting.

A while ago I asked Brett over at My Hockey Card Obsession if he would create a custom cut autograph card of Reggie Lewis for me. If you are not familiar with his work, it is out of this world. I mean, check out his stuff! I’m not sure why card companies haven’t come knocking at his door offering him jobs and obscene amounts of money but I figure it has something to do with the fact that card companies are run by morons with no artistic eye (Panini, I’m looking at you in particular). Anyways, I asked Brett if, when he had time, he could come up with something that would feature my little piece of paper with Reggie Lewis’ autograph on it. You can see it here. Being the nice guy that he is, he agreed and sent me his idea. Of course it looked amazing and so he went ahead with it.

Smash cut to yesterday and me at the post office checking my box. What do I find in there but this thing:

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?!?!

No exaggeration here: I lost my breath. Yeah, I knew what it would look like but actually seeing it in person BLEW. ME. AWAY! I am not sure if Brett knows exactly how much this means to me and how much I will cherish this card. Reggie Lewis was my favorite player at the  impressionable age of 13, when we still believed in heroes. His death affected me big time and this scrap piece of paper was my one tangible link to Reggie. Thank you, Brett, SO SO SO MUCH for this card.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, he goes and sends this along too:

C’MON!

The hockey blogosphere never ceases to amaze me!