Posts Tagged ‘Hart Trophy’

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!

There have been quite a few things I’ve wanted to write about recently, but have not really had the time for many reasons. However, today was a snow day (hooray for working in public education) so now I have plenty of time to write, write, and write.

Let’s start with Part 15 of the Hockey Hall of Pretty Good series. Wait, 15?!?! Holy smokes, I’ve really drawn this out, haven’t it? Well, it’s only going to get more drawn out, so bear with me.

I last looked at the classes of 1996 and 1997, inducting Salming, Trottier and some guy named Lemieux while kicking out no one. All three were fairly easy choices, although Salming gave me a little pause.

A look at the past:

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

We now pick up with the class of 1998…

1998
Michel Goulet
Peter Stastny

We’re getting into an era of hockey when tons of guys scored tons of goals, so it is going to be hard for me to properly evaluate these players. Goulet is a great example. Over 16 seasons, Goulet racked up 548 goals and 604 assists for a total of 1152 points in 1089 games. Averaging over a point a game for a career is certainly impressive. Also impressive is that he scored over 40 goals seven times and over 50 goals four times. But what does that mean exactly, especially in the context of the era and the rest of the league? Six times he finished in the top-10 in goals, four of those being in the top-5. Okay, that is still pretty impressive, but scoring 50+ while guys like John Ogrodnick, Tim Kerr, Bobby Carpenter, and Mike Bullard were nettings 50+ themselves doesn’t make it stand out so much. I equate this era to the steroid-era in baseball. Obviously not for the steroids, but just for the obscene numbers EVERYONE was putting up. Or better yet, what about the pass happy modern era of the NFL when QB records fall each season?

Back to Goulet. He never won any individual hardware and never won the Cup. He did, however, get named to three NHL All Star 1st Teams and two 2nd Teams. He is 27th overall in career goals and 49th overall in career points, but I just don’t see him as one of the top players of all time. Sorry Michel, you are out despite having one of the most French names of all time.

Next is Goulet’s teammate, Peter Stastny. He is sort of the yin to Goulet’s yang. Where Goulet scored lots of goals, Stastny set him up on most of them. In thirteen seasons, he netted 450 goals (respectable) and helped out on 789 others for a total of 1239 points in 977 games. Stastny was one of the premier assist guys during his era, routinely finishing in the top-10 (7 times), but never leading the category. He was no slouch in the goal scoring department either, tossing in 40+ on five different occasions. What makes him more impressive than Goulet is that he had seven 100+ point seasons, including six in a row to start his career. While he never won the Cup, he did take home the Calder Trophy. His overall ranks in assists (32nd) and points (36th) give me pause, but if I don’t take Goulet, then I can’t take Stastny. Out.

Inducted: No one
Kicked out: Michel Goulet and Peter Stastny

1999
Wayne Gretzky

Seriously?

Inducted: Wayne Gretzky
Kicked out: No one

2000
Denis Savard
Joe Mullen

Denis Savard is like the French Canadien version of Peter Stastny. They both could score some goals, they both dished out A LOT of assists, but neither ever led the league in either category, which hurts their cause. Savard’s career rank in assists (23rd) and points (28) statistically make him better to Stastny; the Stanley Cup doesn’t hurt either. Those things, though, just don’t add up to greatness in my eyes. Very goodness, yes, but greatness, no. Denis Savard, you are out.

Whaddya know, Joe? There is no way in hell that I am putting Joe Mullen in the Hall of Fame. Sure, he was a very good player and one of the best American born players to lace ‘em up in the NHL, but I can’t be handing out inductions for caveats like that. Oh, so-and-so -was the best player to ever come out of Italy or so-and-so was the best player ever at 168 pounds. C’mon! To be fair, though, I will look at his career.

Over fifteen years, Mullen scored 502 goals and assisted on 561 others for a total of 1063 points in…1062 games. He is a point-per player in an era when EVERYONE scored points. Hell, my man Craig Janney was nearly a point-per player for his career (751/760). He netted 40+ goals seven times and reached the 50+ mark once. He was named to one NHL All Star 1st Team and took home the Lady Byng twice. AMAZING! His three Stanley Cups are nice but that’s a team accolade.

Joe Mullen, you are out.

Inducted: No one
Kicked out: Denis Savard and Joe Mullen

Man that was tough. Gretzky is the only one to make it in this go around. I feel bad for the other guys, because when you are inducted the year before and the year after Wayne, your career is just going to look…small.

Next up, 2011-12 Upper Deck Black Diamond hockey.

I don’t know why I ever buy this stuff. The card design never appeals to me, the packs are somewhat expensive for what you get, and the cards NEVER SCAN PROPERLY! I guess I buy them for you, my loyal readers. I feel some sort of obligation/duty to put some packs, scan them, and then bitch out the cards. W
ell, this year it’s different. Or is it? I don’t even know. Let’s look at some cards…

I will say this about Black Diamond: you will NEVER be surprised by the design. Has there ever been a product that looks essentially the same year-to-year? I’d say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but I can’t say that it isn’t broke. It’s Black Diamond and it’s boring.

I choose the Vermette card because I really like those Blue Jacket unis; they remind me of a WHA logo (more on that soon). The Hall card I chose because, well, it’s Taylor Hall. The empty stat space looks clumsy and poorly executed. Couldn’t they just write a little more text or something? BUT IT IS A TRIPLE DIAMOND! Zzzz.

I pulled some other cards I wanted to share…

Did I get a retro hot pack or something?! Look, I appreciate new cards of retired players as much as the next guy, but can we just give it a rest for a bit? Or at least mix it up with older stars that never get their due? How about cards of Richard, Schmidt, Plante, etc? Maybe open up a young collector’s eyes to a bit of hockey history.

I pulled a ruby (# /100) parallel…

I was SO close to tearing this card in half but figured one of you Canuck/goalie fans would want it. For some reason I find the fact that he is pictured in his All Star West jersey hilarious. I wish I knew why.

I also pulled one rookie, but lucky me, it was a gold (# /10) one…

Hey wait, you’re not Ryan Nugent-Hopkins! Pulling a rookie numbered to 10 of a defenceman is the worst!

So there you have it.

2011-12 Upper Deck Black Diamond: Same (not so) great look, same buyer’s remorse. Anyone want these things?

Moving on, the WHA.

So, I mentioned before that I’m reading this book The Rebel League by Ed Willes about the history of the WHA. Let me just say that it is fantastic. I am about half way through and all I want to do is talk about the crazy stories about players, teams, and owners. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Seriously. I am a hockey fanatic and a librarian, so I feel like I am uniquely qualified to make this suggestion. Plus, after reading it, you’ll want to do what I’m going to do, which is build all of the WHA sets from the 70s. I just bought a stack of commons from the 76-77 set and will be posting them soon. Also, you’ll probably want to snag a Minnesota Fighting Saints jersey.

Lastly, the Canucks and Bruins game from this past weekend. I’m sure everyone who isn’t a fan of either team is already sick and tired of everything that has been said, so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

-Marchand deserves his 5-games. It was a low hit and not his first offense. If he were on any other team, I’d loathe him, but he is on my team, so I love him. Admit it; you’d want a guy like him buzzing around the ice.

-I was shocked to see Lapierre actually drop the mitts. While I still can’t stand him, I currently have no beef with him. He manned up. Wish I could say the same for the rest of the Canucks.

-Apparently Weise wanted a piece of McQuaid but Thornton dropped them instead. If that is the case, Weise should have been happy to go with Thornton as McQuaid would have destroyed him. Thornton is a better technical fighter, but McQuaid just effs dudes up. Don’t believe me? Go ask Raffi Torres or Brian Sutherby.

-Speaking of McQuaid, Jannick Hansen better hope he never gets traded to the Eastern Division. I had forgotten about his little spearing incident in Game 7 but McQuaid hasn’t. He wanted a piece of him on Saturday, but the refs saved Hansen’s bacon.

-As far as I’m concerned, Burrows still has something coming to him.

-WHAT A GAME! It had it all, didn’t it? The Bruins lost, but the league won, in my eyes.