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The town of Toronto sure looks good in snow. The Hall of Fame building epically stands a few feet from me with giant banners hanging representing not only the inductees, but four of the best game changing players the game has ever known. Each defines what it is to be a Hall of Famer, and when we ask in the future, and debate players' merits, those going in today will be standards that we look to.
Mike Modano may be the smoothest and most skilled player ever to be born in the United States of America. If you define Hall of Fame by "am I waiting on the edge of my seat for this guy's next shift?" Modano is an early entry Hall of Famer. There have been other great American players, but perhaps only Jeremy Roenick and today Patrick Kane are at the level of skill that Mike brought to the ice.
Dom Hasek may not have been the greatest goalie of all time, but I can't tell you how many players have told me he was the hardest goalie they ever had to play against. Hasek was the hardest goalie to score against all-time, because there really was no book, not written in an earthly language at least, to define his game. In an era when goalies were turning more into cookie-cutter systems and defined by butterfly nuances, Hasek was anarchy. Pure and simple anarchy. He would practice making ridiculous saves while others adjusted their glove hand up or down a few inches. He was pure entertainment.
Rob Blake defined the LA Kings through some crazy up-and-down times. Perhaps the best indication of his impact on the game was to hear how much time was spent in opposing team's pregame meetings trying to game plan to play against Rob Blake. Blake was a monster with speed. Probably more like a transformer than a hockey player. Blake could beat you in so many ways it was scary.
And then there's Foppa.
Peter Forsberg is probably the best hockey player ever to come out of Sweden, and some would argue the best hockey player ever to come out of earth. He wasn't Gretzky like in scoring, but if you were to define "Hockey player" there is no better to study than Peter Forsberg. It's hard to put into words what Forsberg meant to his country. But it was even harder to play against him. The single play that stands as an metaphor for Forsberg's career was whenever someone tried to hit him that player ended up on his butt and Peter ended up with the puck skating away. He was a player so strong he would take on anyone and if he had to he could probably bite through a hockey stick to win a game. Seriously his jaw looks like he could bite a hockey stick. Peter was smooth as could be, and I never remember seeing a player in this game where the other players were more afraid he would beat them and make them look silly. Peter Forsberg created all sorts of space for himself and the opposition would often be standing there motionless not knowing what to do.
And there's another man being honored at the Hall today. Another man who is the standard by which we will judge for years when it comes to defining what is a Hall of Fame writer.
Are they as good as Kevin Allen?
Kevin Allen had an interesting path, an inspirational path, and a path that very few people really know about.
Kevin is my friend. I am both honored and humbled to be able to say that. You have all seen him on the podcast. But more than that you have read him for years both in the USA Today and in several books. But as good as he is at writing about hockey he is a better person and that is why I wanted to do this interview today... so that you can get a chance to know the Kevin that many of us writers know about. The man who by definition never makes himself the story, is the story today.
He never knew his father, and grew up on welfare and food stamps in Michigan with his mom...
See the webcast below for the rest of the story...
Watch today's Hockeybuzzcast with Ty Anderson, Ryan Garner and Mike Augello:
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