Wow! I'm shocked that Shanahan is not included in this class. I will have more later tonight once I am near a computer
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Like I said before, I'm surprised by this selection. The lack of Brendan Shanahan and no builder for the 2nd year in a row will have some people grumbling. With that said, I will not say the guys that have been selected do not deserve to be in because that's just not true.
Joe Sakic is one of the rare members of the Quadruple Gold Club with 2 Stanley Cups, an Olympic Gold, a World Championship, and a World Cup. He also won a Hart Trophy, Conn Smythe, and Lester Pearson trophy. There wasn't anything left for him to do in hockey as a player and the Hall of Fame was the only thing left.
Mats Sundin, while not achieving the ultimate success by winning the Stanley Cup, is one of the most renowned international players ever. He captained the 2006 Swedish team to an Olympic Gold while leading the likes of Lidstrom, Forsberg, Alfredsson, and the Sedin twins. Also is known to have one of the best backhands of all time. He was the first ever European to be picked number 1 overall. He becomes the 2nd Swedish player to be Inducted into the Hall of Fame behind Borje Salming.
Adam Oates is 16th all time with 1420 points and is known to be one of the best pure passers to skate on NHL ice. He is also 6th all time in career assists with 1079. Like Sundin, he sadly never got a chance to lift hockey's holy grail but the stats alone makes him a Hall of Famer.... Oh and what a day for him. He was named coach of the Washington Captials just hours before being named to the Hockey Hall of Fame. This will be one of those days he'll never forget.
Pavel Bure: One of the most explosive and exciting players in the modern era. He became the first winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy for the most goals in a season in 2000 and 2001. He also has a World Championship in 1990 and was named best player in the tournament in the 1998 Winter Olympics. The knock on Pavel was his longevity and lack of team success. His time with the Florida Panthers essentially ruined his knees as he was trying to carry that team on his back. For most of his later years in the NHL he could not play a full season.
If it were me there are other guys I may have put in ahead of Oates and Bure (as I mentioned in this morning's blog). However the people who were in charge of this decision have forgotten more than I'll ever know about hockey. I will not criticize the decision because it was clearly a group decision. I'm a little surprised that they didn't induct one of their own, in Brendan Shanahan though. His reputation among each of the members of the committee has commanded a lot of respect over the years that I thought they would help his cause.
The logical reason there was no builder inducted the past two years is because as a group, the committee could not gain a consensus on one particular builder. There has been a lot of grumbling about Pat Burns, but there are other builders who deserve to be enshrined. Fred Shero has been mentioned many times and I will continue to push Don Cherry in that mix because he has had probably more influence on hockey than any whether people like it or not.
This is one of the toughest jobs to judge which career was the cream of the crop and I do envy those have get to make that decision.
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From Earlier Today:
Today (Tuesday), the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee will announce the 2012 Inductees into the storied club. For those who don’t know, the selection committee consists of people from the IIHF, NHL, CHL, the media, different National Sport Organizations, and other people inducted into the Hall of Fame. This group have met yesterday and will meet today to decide who will get into the HHOF this November.
The Selection Committee comprises of:
Pat Quinn (Co-Chairman)
Jim Gregory (Co-Chairman)
Scotty Bowman
David Branch
Brian Burke
Colin Campbell
John Davidson
Eric Duhatschek
Mike Emrick
Michael Farber
Marc de Foy
Mike Gartner
Anders Hedberg
Igor Larionov
Lanny McDonald
Serge Savard
Peter Stastny
Bill Torrey
For More Info Click Here:
“Selection Committee”
Keep in mind for those who get upset at the Hockey Hall of Fame for not inducting a certain player or builder… No one on the committee is employed by the Hockey Hall of Fame. This is a volunteer group per part of the by-laws as a not-for-profit organization.
So I asked two team bloggers in Michael Augello and Travis Yost, two of our resident hockey history bloggers in Scoop Cooper and myself (well I didn’t really ask myself…) and Eklund to put their thoughts into who should be inducted this year.
Eklund
Joe Sakic
Brendan Shanahan
Pavel Bure
Pat Burns
Michael Augello
Joe Sakic
Brendan Shanahan
Mats Sundin
Dave Andreychuk
(No Builder)
He also believes that Roenick, Jeremy Curtis Joseph, and Gary Roberts may join the list in next year’s induction class.
Scoop Cooper
Builder:
Fred Shero. After a 16 year playing career incuding two seasons with the New Yrok Rangers (1948-50), coached for two decades in six different leagues winning a half dozen playoff titles (two in the IHL, one AHL, one CHL, and two Stanley Cups). During his decade coaching in the NHL during the 1970's Shero proved to be one of the most innovative coaches in the game introducing, among other things, full time assistant coaches, the extensive use of film/video tape, and traveling to Russia to study the techniques of Tarasov and others.
On Ice official:
Kerry Fraser (when eligible which I think it next year) otherwise none.
Blogger’s Note: I believe Fraser is eligible for the 2013 Induction class, not this year
Players:
Joe Sakic: (1st year eligible) 1,378 games, 625 goals, 1,016 assists, 1,641 points,
2 Stanley Cups, 2 World/Canada. Cups Conn Smythe Trophy (1996), NHL First All-Star Team (2001, 2002, 2004), Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2001), Lester B. Pearson Award (2001), Hart Memorial Trophy (2001)
Brendan Shanahan: (1st year eligible) 1,524 games, 656 goals, 698 assists, 1,354 points, 3 Stanley Cups, 2 world/Canada Cups. NHL First All-Star Team (1994, 2000), King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2003)
Dave Andreychuk: 1,639 games, 640 goals, 698 assists, 1,338 points. Played in NHL from 1982 to 2006. Led Tampa to Stanley Cup as a 40-year old
Pavel Bure: 702 games, 437 goals, 342 assists, 779 points in injury shortened career. WJC-A All-Star Team (1989), Named Best Forward at WJC-A Award (1989), Soviet National League Rookie of the Year Award (1989), Calder Memorial Trophy (1992), NHL First All-Star Team (1994), Best Forward at Olympic Games (1998), NHL Second All-Star Team (2000, 2001), Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (2000, 2001), Played in NHL All-Star Game (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001)
Travis Yost
Sakic/Shanahan/Bure/Housley – Burns
Largely, I think two first-year candidates --
Joe Sakic and
Brendan Shanahan -- have a fantastic shot at drawing into the Hall of Fame. Sakic and Shanahan's potential induction as a tandem would only be fitting, considering how much of their career was spent linked together as bitter rivals, cornerstones of the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings during their primes, respectively.
Gun to my head, Joe Sakic's the most obvious submission into the Hall of Fame on the first go-around. Sakic bested the hundred point mark six times in his career, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a pair of Stanley Cups in the process. In the trophy case? The Hart and Pearson. Oh, and a flair for the dramatics -- something that's quite endearing to the general voter base.
Shanahan, though, should be heading into the Hall of Fame right along with his old rival in Joe Sakic. Shanahan's known these days as the new Dean of Discipline, taking over for the once-beleagured Colin Campbell. However, in his playing days, Shanahan was absolutely sensational -- the dynamic two-way talent almost every hockey team needs in order to succeed. Shanahan doesn't possess the lofty point numbers in his career, but he did score 30+ goals in twelve seasons -- hardly a number to wince at. And, most importantly, Shanahan was one of the main features of the Detroit Red Wings run that saw seven Stanley Cups brought to Hockeytown in a seven-year span.
Three names -- Curtis Joseph, Mats Sundin and Jeremy Roenick -- may just miss the cut the first time around. While Joseph's play was sensational, he was never part of a championship team. Personally, I think championships should aid in the resume of a Hall of Fame candidate, but the lack of one shouldn't hinder it. Regardless, I don't see CuJo getting the nod.
As for Roenick, his point production drop-off after the mid'90s lockout is well-documented, and considering the strength of other candidates, enough to keep him out.
I'd like to reach out to two candidates who I feel are deserving Hall of Fame members, even if prior votes left them short of the required number.
NOTE: As a result of picking the two below-referenced names, Eric Lindros remains on the outside looking in. I'd like to consider him for a future ballot, should that opportunity arise.
Pavel Bure's career was cut short with a bevy of knee injuries, but in his prime, few -- if any -- possessed the high-end scoring prowess that the Moscow native maintained.
The Russian Rocket's 0.62 GPG average(!) speaks volumes as to where his game was during Bure's apex. With two seasons above the sixty-goal mark alone, Bure's largely considered one of the purest scorers of all-time -- a sensational blend of snipe and speed.
On talent alone, I give Bure the look.
One other name? Famous American blue liner
Phil Housley, who should already be enshrined in the NHL's Hall of Fame -- although, admittedly, there's going to be serious resistance as to his future in the Hall for a long, long time.
In a time where offensive defensemen were few and far between, Housley grew into a revolutionary of sorts, changing the face of the position by emphasizing scoring and puck possession from the back-end. Housley's offense certainly translated well to his team's overall success -- most important of all.
Housley missed his first shot because of legitimate questions about his defensive play, but ignoring the pure creative, playmaking ability he possessed is a bit foolish. With 1,232 total points in his career -- good for fourth amongst NHL defensemen, and thirty-seventh overall, all-time -- Housley looks down on the likes of Jean Beliveau, Bobby Clarke, Dino Ciccarelli, Bobby Hull, and Nicklas Lidstrom.
Lastly, my submission for builder is
Pat Burns. An unbelievably successful coach who watched a completely uncontrollable variable -- his health, or the diminishing of such -- sidetrack an absolutely superb coaching career. Fourteen seasons(501-353-151-14), eleven playoff appearances, two championship appearances, and one Stanley Cup victory in 2003. Get it done.
Adam Kirshenblatt
Joe Sakic: This induction will be known as the Sakic Induction just as 2009 was the Yzerman Induction, 2007 was the Messier Induction and 1999 was the Gretzky Induction. The man has won pretty much everything there is to win both in the NHL and internationally. He captained two Stanley Cup victories with the Colorado Avalanche, winning a Conn Smythe trophy in one of those victories. He has an Olympic gold in 2002, and was the captain of the 2006 Olympic team which shows how high regarded he is in a dream team type setting. Also, he completing the membership to the Quadruple Gold Club, he has a World Championship in 1994 AND a World Cup in 2004. He is 9th in all-time in NHL history with 1641 points and 15th all-time with 625 goals. He is also known as to have one of the best wrist shots of all time and winning both the Hart as MVP (votetd by the writers) and the Pearson as best player (voted by the players)in 2001 doesn’t hurt his cause. This is a no-brainer pick!
Brendan Shanahan: For me Shanahan is very close to being a no-brainer pick as Joe is. We all know he has the stats to be considered a Hall of Famer. He has three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, won a World Championship in 1994, a Canada Cup in 1991, and an Olympic Gold in 2002. He is also the only player in NHL history to have over 600 goals and 2000 penalty minutes. What makes Shanny especially special as a player was his impact on the game after the 2005 lockout. He spearheaded the competition committee to improve the game and to continually make changes for the betterment of the game that they use to this day. This impact has led him to be one of the most respected men in the NHL, prior to becoming head of disciplinary decisions. His impact on the game will be felt for years to come.
Mats Sundin: Mats is very close to being in the same class as both Shanahan and Sakic. He is missing a Stanley Cup which is what many people dwells on. During his 18 year career, Sundin is 27th all-time with 1349 points, just behind Shanahan, and is also tied for 21st all-time with 564 goals with Joe Nieuwendyk (just Inducted into the HHOF last year). His reputation internationally is what pushes Sundin over the edge. He captained multiple Swedish Olympic teams which included the likes of Nik Lidstrom, Peter Forsberg, Daniel Alfreddson, and the Sedin twins. All of those players are captains in their own right, while two of those guys are considered to be two of the best players ever to come out of that country. Sundin is also known to have one of the best backhand shots of all time; some have said that it was even greater than Mario Lemeuix’s.
Carl Brewer: I’ve spoken about Carl Brewer before and his case is a different one. Brewer was a major part of the Maple Leafs’ blueline during their 1960s dynasty. This was a blue line that also included Allan Stanley, Tim Horton, and Bobby Baun. Brewer during that time was a 2nd team all-star three times and a 1st team all-star in 1963. However, Brewer abruptly left the Maple Leafs in 1965 because he couldn’t get along with Leaf coach/GM Punch Imlach. From reading both Susan Foster’s book
The Power of Two and Bobby Baun’s book
Lowering the Boom, it sounded like he suffered from depression at the time, which is something that we understand a lot more about recently in the hockey world. Anyways, during his time with the Maple Leafs he won 3 Stanley Cups in 1962, 1963, and 1964. When he left Toronto, he moved to Finland where he is considered to be the “Father of Finnish Hockey”. He started up their hockey program which eventually became the powerhouse that it is today, as it is ranked 2nd in the world behind Russia.
Now it’s after he retired is where he becomes really special as a player. Brewer was the one who really pushed to go after Alan Eagleson, who was head of the NHLPA. Eagleson had been stealing money from the NHLPA over the years, while not doing his job to negotiate in good faith during collective bargaining with the NHL. Through his efforts Brewer not only got Eagleson fired, but he was put in jail in the United States for racketeering. Also, Brewer led a group of seven players, which included Gordie Howe, in a successful lawsuit against the NHL for stealing from the NHLPA pension fund. Every player in the NHL now, those who have retired, and most players that are already in the Hall of Fame owes Brewer a debt of gratitude for his impact on the NHLPA. To me it is a travesty that he is not honoured at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Fred Shero: This is another person who should have been inducted long ago. Mr. Shero is one of the architects of the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in the Philadelphia Flyers. He won two Stanley Cups with the Flyers while building what is known as the “Broad Street Bullies”. That team changed the way hockey is played with their physical and intimidating style of play. Also Shero was the first coach to use an assistant in the NHL, which is now common practice. He was also the first to use Soviet style practices in the NHL to give his team an edge. He had won at every level before hand as well, as he is a proven winner (which it seems he has passed to his son Ray).
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There are no wrong choices here as many of the players we’ve talked about will likely get in at some point. Other guys that came up (at least for me) were, Phil Housley, Alexander Mogilny, Eric Lindros, Adam Oates, Pat Burns, Don Cherry, Jeremy Roenick, and Curtis Joseph. My picks are more based upon what the lasting impact of those individual’s time in hockey has been rather than the stats or championships they put up. Someone like Pat Burns I believe should be in the Hall of Fame, however I believe that Fred Shero and Don Cherry’s impact as builders on the game has been much greater than Burns as a coach.
In Lindros’ case I believe that he should be in the Hall of Fame before a player like Pavel Bure because when he was in his prime, he was the best hockey player in the world. That was during at time that the league had Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, etc. Not very many people IN the Hall of Fame can say that. Bure was a dominant player when he was healthy, however due to his health he did not play long enough to make a lasting impact, and sadly he did not win a Stanley Cup. Also, unlike Sundin, he did not win an Olympic Gold medal either.
Both Phil Housley and Alexander Mogilny should both be on the verge of entrance into the Hall due to the impact they have made for their respective home countries. Mogilny won a Stanley Cup with the Devis in 2000 and is 2nd all-time in points by a Russian born player, behind Sergei Fedorov. He would have been 1st if not due to a hip injury near the end of his career. He also has an Olympic gold with the USSR and a World Championship so he is in the Triple Gold Club. Phil Housley is 2nd all-time in points by an American born player due to Mike Modano recently surpassing him. Housley was also the first American to be drafted into the NHL directly from high school.
Anyways, what do you guys think? Who do you think should get in and who do you think will get in? (those are two separate things)
For a list of first time eligible people you can click here:
“First Time Eligible Players”
For the 2013 Induction Ceremony, we will have players such as Scott Niedermayer, Rob Blake, Chris Chelios, Rod Brind-Amour, Keith Tkachuk, Paul Karyia, and Owen Nolan… but we have a year to ponder that
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Twitter: @Kirshenblatt
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