John Tonelli for HOF if Kessel makes it.



John Tonelli for HOF

I mean, the HOF doesnt have a meme section, and it could definitely use one. Who better to start it off than the king of hockey memes.

This one has to be the entrance to his own wing of the HHOF:



- dothedougie

Dear god....it's beautiful!

Dear god....it's beautiful!
- glove_was_stuck

I mean, the HOF doesnt have a meme section, and it could definitely use one. Who better to start it off than the king of hockey memes.

This one has to be the entrance to his own wing of the HHOF:



- dothedougie

Olli Jokinen would have to be the first GIF HOFer.

Right after Theo Fleury goes in.

Right after Theo Fleury AND Alexander Mogilny go in.
- tincup

^^THIS (slight edit)

No, he really isn't. At his peak, he was scoring a point per game, and one of the best defensive forwards in the game. that's a lethal combination. He was absolutely a top 5 NHLer for a time. He signed that contract, his play fell off a bit, and he became fans favourite whipping boy.

As far as the HOF goes, he was the captain of one of the NHLs most successful teams, 3 STanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, a Selke.

Regardless of you may think of him, his RESUME easily puts him in the HOF. Its really not close either.

But to say Kessel deserves it more is just plain dumb. Toews, as a 2 way centres, has only 40 goals less than Kessel, a sniping winger. So, the one, just one, single dimension that Kessel is better than Toews at, he really isn't that much better.
- prock

At his peak he was never better than Crosby, Kopitar, Bergeron, or Malkin. So maybe 5th best center of his generation. And his longevity is by far the worst of those five and utterly pathetic by HOF standards. He belongs in the Tavares or Stamkos category. Hossa, Keith, Kane were all superior players at their respective positions. Arguably Crawford too at his peak.

Hard no.

Looking strictly at offense, in terms of his era-adjusted production at both peak and longevity, Kessel's numbers are at best borderline for the Hall. He's in that zone where some guys get in (Alfresson, Hossa) and some guys don't (Roenick, Tkachuk, Theo Fleury).

If Phil were an elite defensive player, or even just a really good one, he'd have an argument. Except the opposite is true. He's one of the weakest defensive forwards in the NHL and has been for years, giving a lot of that offensive value right back to the other team. That's why guys like Datsyuk, Toews, and Bergeron are strong bets to get in and Phil is not.

Borderline-Hall-at-best offense plus atrocious, far-below-replacement-level defense should leave Phil well short of the Hall.
- Sven22

Kessel and Marleau live in the house of great, not the HOF. Similar careers outside of the team awards. Guys who could skate and play beyond their expiration date while being classy doing so.

At his peak he was never better than Crosby, Kopitar, Bergeron, or Malkin. So maybe 5th best center of his generation. And his longevity is by far the worst of those five and utterly pathetic by HOF standards. He belongs in the Tavares or Stamkos category. Hossa, Keith, Kane were all superior players at their respective positions. Arguably Crawford too at his peak.
- jfkst1

Stamkos is going to be a 2 Cup winning Rocket winning 600 goal scorer at this rate so why the add here?

Stamkos is going to be a 2 Cup winning Rocket winning 600 goal scorer at this rate so why the add here?
- AdamFrench

Stamkos keeps producing and he should be fine based on production. Getzlaf gets in based on his excellent longevity. Toews has neither good numbers nor longevity. But he played on great teams so he'll get in.

10 hotdogs 🌭 a day! Keeps the doctor away.

Right after Ray Ferraro goes in.
- tincup

🤙

I think Toews was overrated in his prime and underrated since.

Lots of people considered him the second-best player on the planet at his peak, and that always seemed absurd to me. Even at his best (like 2009ish through 2014ish), Toews was still for sure behind Crosby, probably Datsyuk, and in the mix with the likes of Malkin, Stamkos, Bergeron, Kopitar, and Sedin for top 5 centers in the league. Toews was always the weakest offensively of those guys (besides Bergeron) but at least partially made up for it with elite defense. Defense is slippery to quantify but I'd argue that at the very least it wouldn't have been good enough to elevate him above Datsyuk (who was better both offensively and defensively) or Crosby (who was so much better offensively that the gap was uncrossable).

Later in his career there was this narrative that Toews completely fell off a cliff and a lot of Hawks fans seemed to turn on him. Whereas to me it seemed like a fairly normal (albeit slightly earlier and steeper than usual) aging curve for a guy who maxed out at arguably the third or fourth best center in the NHL and was now just an average to above-average 1C.

Idk where you been Ek but Kessel has been a hall of famer

Idk where you been Ek but Kessel has been a hall of famer
- Zak MacMillan

Huh?

"never the best player on his own team".

uhh, okay, leading his team in points as a two way centre, to their 1st cup, and winning the conn smythe, says he was likely better in those playoffs. Rather conclusively, in fact. Even if the guy wants to argue that was the only time, I would say it's impossible to argue otherwise (and that's a rather key period I think).
- prock

I'm the guy agreeing with you, say that to the Pinguino fan

At his peak he was never better than Crosby, Kopitar, Bergeron, or Malkin. So maybe 5th best center of his generation. And his longevity is by far the worst of those five and utterly pathetic by HOF standards. He belongs in the Tavares or Stamkos category. Hossa, Keith, Kane were all superior players at their respective positions. Arguably Crawford too at his peak.
- jfkst1

Crawford

thanks for the good laugh

Remember the post about how teams seem reluctant to sign Kessel because his streak would be a huge distraction. Something, something Keith Yandle.

Then I pointed out that:

1) He is still a serviceable NHL player, unlike Yandle.
2) He only needs to play 8 hockey games. This story will be over in 3 weeks.
3) Then I predicted he'd play 11 more to get to an even 1,000. At that point, if he's contributing then keep playing. If he looks really looks terrible they can sit him out with a phantom injury.

Nailed it so far.

P.S. Not even close to a Hall of Famer. Even he would admit that. Good blog.

At his peak he was never better than Crosby, Kopitar, Bergeron, or Malkin. So maybe 5th best center of his generation. And his longevity is by far the worst of those five and utterly pathetic by HOF standards. He belongs in the Tavares or Stamkos category. Hossa, Keith, Kane were all superior players at their respective positions. Arguably Crawford too at his peak.
- jfkst1

you said he was never the best player on his team. wrong. he was. no doubt, Kane became better, and had the better career. but, there was a period where Toews was better. same with Keith, and certainly Hossa. All great players, and the fact that he was THE guy on a team with all of them, for a while, proves my point. So, thanks for that.

But I mean, more than 5 centres get in the HOF per generation. the ones you mention are pure locks. And quite frankly, so are Tavares and Stamkos. It's near certain they get in.

Stamkos is going to be a 2 Cup winning Rocket winning 600 goal scorer at this rate so why the add here?
- AdamFrench

its funny -

- "OMGZZZZ HE'S NOT A HALL OF FAME PLAYER"

- states resume

- "OMG HE'S NOWHERE NEAR SIDNEY CROSBY, HE'S MORE LIKE THESE OTHER ELITE HOF LOCKS"

- uhhh, okay?

I'm the guy agreeing with you, say that to the Pinguino fan
- Xizord

didn't mean to post that in disagreement, more elaborating.

Kessel and Marleau live in the house of great, not the HOF. Similar careers outside of the team awards. Guys who could skate and play beyond their expiration date while being classy doing so.
- AdamFrench

I thought HOF meant "Hot Only Fans" and was very confused as to why people didn't want to see Phil Kessel's

overated ? Maybe a bit.

but to call a guy with 3 Stanley cups and 119 career playoff point most overated of alltime is pretty far fetch
- Xizord

But, uhh, KESSEL IS BETTERZZZZZ

goodness, I think he might be overrating someone other than Toews here.
It's quite clear he's got an irrationable, pretty much insane, hate-on for Toews though.

Hard no.

Looking strictly at offense, in terms of his era-adjusted production at both peak and longevity, Kessel's numbers are at best borderline for the Hall. He's in that zone where some guys get in (Alfresson, Hossa) and some guys don't (Roenick, Tkachuk, Theo Fleury).

If Phil were an elite defensive player, or even just a really good one, he'd have an argument. Except the opposite is true. He's one of the weakest defensive forwards in the NHL and has been for years, giving a lot of that offensive value right back to the other team. That's why guys like Datsyuk, Toews, and Bergeron are strong bets to get in and Phil is not.

Borderline-Hall-at-best offense plus atrocious, far-below-replacement-level defense should leave Phil well short of the Hall.
- Sven22

Not to disagree with you, I don't think Kessel gets in, but people should realize that getting in the HOF is not all about caliber, it's about resume. Breaking a record, being on a cup winning team, those things give someone "fame" and more of a spot in hockey history than a great (better) player, that never really "makes his mark" on the game of hockey.

Not that I think Kevin Lowe deserved to get in, he didn't. But he was a key player in the greatest hockey teams ever assembled, that won a lot of cups. That entire group of players will always get extra consideration, because they were a part of THAT group.

I'd put him in the same tier as Brind'Amour and Damphousse. I think both of them are pretty good benchmarks for the Hall. If you had a better career than they did, you should be in, but no one's all that upset that they're not.

The streak is kind of a big deal. If he can keep it going for 2-3 more years and get at least 1,100 points, he should be in.