Posts Tagged ‘Bill Masterton Trophy’

I’m thinking that I should wrap this up in a few more parts, so let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?

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
Grant Fuhr
Pat Lafontaine

Grant Fuhr is not a Hall of Famer. He played 30+ games for 15 of his 19 seasons and during that span, I’d estimate that he had one really good year, four pretty good years, and a bunch of average-to-below average years. His best season was 87-88 when he posted a 40-24-9 mark with four shutouts and a GAA of 3.43. The shutouts and wins led the league, but the GAA was only 15th best. That is like a picture going 20-6 with a 3.76 ERA and winning the Cy Young Award. Would that ever happen? Probably not. I think the reason he won the Vezina was that he led the league in wins for a powerhouse team (Oilers) who won the Cup. During his other pretty good years, he went 113-31-25 with two shutouts and a GAA around 3.76. GUH! It should be worth mentioning that those seasons were with those great Oiler teams, which accounts for the wins. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the high GAA game in an era that experienced a huge scoring boom. Overall, Fuhr is 9th all time in wins, 15th in losses, 69th(!) in shutouts, and 1st in goals allowed. As I said earlier, he has that one Vezina Trophy to go along with four Cups. Is it enough? Nope. Fuhr, in my opinion, is in the Hall because he played on a great team; a team, mind you, that would have probably won those Cups with me in goal. Fuhr is out!

For some reason, I really liked Pat Lafontaine growing up. Like most of the players I followed and deemed “favorite” I have no idea why. During his eleven seasons (of 40+ games), Lafontaine netted 30+ goals nine times, 40+ seven times, and 50+ twice; pretty impressive. On the other hand, he only reached the 100+ point mark twice; not too impressive. He only finished in the top-1o in goals twice, assists once, and points twice. He won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy once and was named to the NHL All-Star 2nd Team once, but never captured a Cup. He is 52nd all-time in goals scored, 97th in assists, and 75th in points. I think he is currently in more for his potential if he could have stayed healthy. Even when healthy, though, he was on the bubble of being one of the truly greats. Sorry Pat, but you are out.

Inducted: No one
Kicked out: Grant Fuhr and Pat Lafontaine

2004
Raymond Bourque
Paul Coffey
Larry Murphy

Three defencemen in one year?!

Let’s start with the best of the lot, Ray Bourque. Twenty-two years in the league, 410 goals, 1169 assists, and 1579 points. Not bad for a defenceman. Bourque finished in the top-10 for assists seven times and in +/- (which is a big stat for blueliners) nine times. For his career, he is 4th all-time in assists, 11th in points, and 3rd in +/-. Now lets look at the individual awards: Calder Trophy, five time Norris Trophy winner, and one Stanley Cup. He was named to the NHL All-Star 1st Team thirteen times and the 2nd team six times. Oh, and he was an ace at the accuracy competition during the All-Star break. No brainer here, Bourque is in.

When Bourque wasn’t winning the Norris, Paul Coffey was. Over 1409 games, he tallied a total of 1531 points which is really good for a defenceman. He finished in the top-10 in assists nine times and  points six times; for his career he is 4th and 13th respectively. Three Norris Trophies and four Stanley Cups only add to his legacy. Finally, he was named to four NHL All-Star 1st Teams and four 2nd Teams. Coffey is in.

Lastly, there is Murphy, who is the weakest of the three. In 1615 games, Murphy put up 1216 points. While definitely a good number for a d-man, not quite as good as Bourque and Coffey. He only finished in the top-10 in assists once and +/- three times. For his career, he is 16th in assists, 40th in points, and 60th in +/-. Ehhhh. He never took home a Norris Trophy but did win the Cup four times. He was named to the NHL All-Star 2nd Team three times. I think in any other induction year, Murphy looks very good, but when you put him in the same class as Bourque and Coffey, he is the odd man out. Sorry, but Murphy is out.

Inducted: Raymond Bourque and Paul Coffey
Kicked out: Larry Murphy

2005
Valeri Kharlamov
Cam Neely

I didn’t want to evaluate Kharlamov because he never played in the NHL, but since I inducted Tretiak, I felt like I had to include him. I’m just going to assume he was great and induct him.

Neely is going to hurt me. Like, emotionally hurt and also, if he reads this, he is going to come to my home and mess me up. Over eleven seasons (of 40+ games), Neely was a force. He finished with 30+ goals seven times, 40+ four times, and 50+ three times including the rare 50 goals in 50 games feat. His career numbers aren’t amazing because injuries shorten his NHL playing days (thanks Ulfie). I think Neely is in the HOF now because he was a prototype at the time. He was big and agile, could score and fight, and was just overall a menacing SOB. Up until that point, there weren’t any real players like him in the league, but that changed shortly after his arrival. His career numbers don’t warrant his inclusion here, but I have to look a little beyond the numbers. Few players were more feared than Neely in the league and he was considered nearly, if not truly, elite during his career. Had he stayed healthy, I have to think he would have been a 500 goal scorer. I can’t, however, include him based on potential (see Pat Lafontaine). I have to be objective and pray that the Veteran’s Committee rights my wrong here. Neely is out.

Inducted: Valeri Kharlamov
Kicked out: Cam Neely

And there you have it. Let’s get to some cards, shall we?

People send me things and it rules. First was Sal at Puck Junk, who sent me an autographed card of Ken Hodge Jr. Unfortunately, I forgot to scan it and I’m too lazy to do it now. It is sweet, though, and much appreciated.

Then there was Captain Canuck over at Just a Bit Offside and Waxaholic. I had sent him some OPC and UD cards he needed for sets and included a Brad Marchand card along with it, since he is a HUGE B’s and Marchand fan. Much to my shock, he hates both the reigning Stanley Cup champs and the feisty winger. Not only did he return my Marchand card, but he included these to keep it company:

So, the Marchand card was the ‘return to sender’ and I checked it for graffiti and was surprised to find none. I LOVE the Horton canvas card, but hate the Kaberle card. Not the actual card, but the player. What a worthless bum and yet, he is front and center in the White House photos. The guy did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and he is smiling like a dope behind Obama. Ugh. Hey Canuck, how’re you like Mr. Kaberle this season?

Anyways, thanks guy for all the goodies.

Next we have some eBay purchases. There is this:

2001-02 Topps Autographs #A-RF Ron Francis

I will have more to say about Ron Francis in my next Hockey Hall of Pretty Good post, so stay tuned. Ideally, I would have preferred a card of him in his Whalers uniform but I like having a signed card of a HOF player that was autographed during his playing days. Why, I can’t say, but I do.

Next is a card I wasn’t really looking for but I saw it on eBay, the bidding was low, and I figured, “Hey, why not?”

2010-11 Upper Deck The Cup Autographed Rookie Masterpieces #CUP-97 Adam McQuaid

Never did I think I’d actually own a 1/1 (because they don’t really appeal to me). Nor did I ever think I’d own a printing plate card (same reason). And never did I think I’d own either of one of my favorite players. But then eBay happened and it was just too cheap to pass up. So now I have a 1/1 printing plate autographed rookie of Adam McQuaid. Huzzah!

And lastly, I think I’m going to start a Derek Sanderson collection. I have nearly all of his vintage cards, but now he has quite a few new cards put out by Panini as well as some other random Upper Deck cards from the past years. If anyone has any, please hit me up.

So, I’ve been a bit busy lately. I am in my last semester of graduate school, I’ve been sending my resume out to tons of potential employers, I work full-time, and I organize and run (high school) student directed one-act plays, so yeah, time has been tight. But right now, I am caught up and want to post. I’ve missed a lot over the last couple weeks including a Bruins-Habs game that bested the Bruins-Stars tilt for game of the year. Of course there was also the Penguins-Islanders brouhaha, which I have thoughts on but won’t get into right now. We all know I love fights, but at some point, a line has to be drawn. That is all I am saying for right now.

Okay, this blog is about to go America all over everybody’s ass.

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #13 Ken Morrow

Did you know he was teammates with Mike Liut in college? I didn’t.

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #70 Mike Ramsey

Nice ‘stache, Ramsey.

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #140 Mark Johnson

What is better than a Whaler’s sweater? How about Whaler hockey pants?

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #169 Steve Christoff

There is so much to love about this card. First, the terrible airbrushing job. Secondly, the last minute team text. Next, the killer unibrow. But above everything else is the mullet/rattail that is creeping over his right shoulder. Steve Christoff, I salute you!

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #251 Rob McClanahan

Missing front tooth, FTW!

1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #253 Mark Pavelich

Mark came up one goal shy of having back-to-back-to-back 30 goal seasons. Another thing I did not know.

There you have it; a little Miracle on Ice/America pride. Suck it, Russia.

Now it’s time for my ongoing revamping of the Hockey Hall of Fame. My last group included the classes of  1977 and 1978. I ended up inducting Alex Delvecchio, Tim Horton, and Jacques Plante and kicking out Andy Bathgate and Marcel Pronovost.

If you’d like to look at the previous postings, here ya go:

1961-1966
1967-1970
1971-1973
1974-1976
1977-1978

Remember, only seasons of 40+ games count as a complete season in my breakdown. Let’s get to it, shall we?

1979
Harry Howell
Bobby Orr
Henri Richard

First up, Harry Howell. Played 21 seasons, 17 of them with the Rangers. He was decent early on, had a run of about seven really good seasons including his best in ’66-’67 when he won the Norris Trophy. He was named to the NHL All-Star 1st Team that same season and it would be the only time he’d receive the honor. Never won a Cup and only played in 38 playoff games, scoring 6 points total. When he retired, he had logged the most games for a defenseman ever. That’s cool, I suppose, but not Hall worthy. I have been unable to dig up any anecdotal information on him being an amazing blueliner, so I just have his statistical resume to look at. Unfortunately, it is not enough, especially when compared to the next potential inductee. Howell is out.

Next up is Orr. Yeah, I’m not even going to bother recapping his career. Best. Player. Ever. Orr is on the Mt. Rushmore of Hockey. IN!

I might lose a few readers with Henri Richard. The man played 19 seasons, all with the Habs. He won an amazing eleven Stanley Cups and recorded 129 points in 180 career playoff games. Now here is where it gets interesting. Richard only finished in the top-10 in goals twice, assists seven times (leading twice) and points seven times. He was named to one NHL All-Star 1st Team and three 2nd Teams. He also won the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy once. Looking at those numbers, I’m not blown away. The Hockey News listed him as the 29th greatest player of all time, but I must be missing something. Was he ever considered the best center of his era? Heck, was he even the best center on his team? He does have a great nickname (Pocket Rocket) and is a Leap Year baby which is cool. I am going to say that until someone tells me some epically awesome story about Richard that he is out.

NO HE DIDN’T?!

YES, HE DID!

PSYCHE, he’s in; Richard is one of the greats.

Inducted: Bobby Orr and Henri Richard
Kicked out: Harry Howell

1980
Harry Lumley
Gump Worsley

Apple Cheeks Lumley is up first with his twelve full seasons and career record of 330-329. Lumley had three really good seasons (’45-’48, ’48-’49, ’49-’50) followed by three terrible seasons (’50-’51, ’51-’52, ’52-’53) followed by some so-so seasons. He won the Vezina Trophy once and was named to two NHL All-Star 1st Teams. He finished in the top-3 in wins eight times (leading twice), GAA eight times (leading twice), and shutouts eight times (leading three times). He won one Cup but was 29-47 in the playoffs. When I look at his numbers, I see a better than average goalie, but not great. Lumley is out.

The Gumper! I am putting him in just because he was an awesome dude and I feel like if I really look at his numbers, I may not give him the nod. Gump, your no-masking wearing, heavily pomade’d, sideburn’d self is IN!

Inducted: Gump Worsley
Kicked out: Harry Lumely

That is it for now. I was going to do 1981 but I started looking at Bucyk’s career stats and I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Stupid Bruins-tinted glasses!

I will leave you with this recent pickup:

1974-75 Topps #64 Bill Flett

“Cowboy” Bill Flett looks like what would happen if Will Ferrell’s character Gene Frenkle was the lead in 40 Year Old Virgin.