Adam Kirshenblatt: HHOF Class of 2015 to be Announced Tomorrow

Scotty Bowman, Lidstrom, Lindros, Andreychuk, Housley

No to Lindros

It's not the "Hall of Could Have Been"

My top 4 for this year are:
Pat Quinn
Paul Henderson
Don Cherry
Nicklas Lidstrom


(frank) Chris Pronger & Eric Lindros. Neither of those pieces of poop should even be allowed to visit the Hall of Fame let alone be inducted. There should be an automatic rule that when you've left a poop stain on the league and/or it's teams, you should automatically be disqualified from the Hall of Fame.

Let's hope current Arizona Coyotes defenseman Chris Pronger isn't one of the inductees otherwise it might be weird.

Come on, Cujo!

Long shot, but get that man in the Hall!

Scotty Bowman, Lidstrom, Lindros, Andreychuk, Housley
- Iloveeveryone

Scotty's already in, his name is up there cause he's one of the members of the Selection Committee

Let's hope current Arizona Coyotes defenseman Chris Pronger isn't one of the inductees otherwise it might be weird.
- jfkst1

A rule has been changed for this year to ensure that players like Pronger don't get screwed by the salary cup.

Instead of being retired for 3 years it's not 3 years since you've played your last game

My top 4 for this year are:
Pat Quinn
Paul Henderson
Don Cherry
Nicklas Lidstrom


(frank) Chris Pronger & Eric Lindros. Neither of those pieces of poop should even be allowed to visit the Hall of Fame let alone be inducted. There should be an automatic rule that when you've left a poop stain on the league and/or it's teams, you should automatically be disqualified from the Hall of Fame.
- Sammy Van Hagar

Oilers fans talking about "poop" stains.

Ironic, isn't it?

Adam Kirshenblatt: HHOF Class of 2015 to be Announced Tomorrow
- MasWE

Pronger. Lost all respect for that guy after he tried to amputate a leg by stomping on it.

If I had a vote ...

Lidstrom and Pronger are no-brainers. I don't like how the league has decided to handle the Pronger situation ("Is he active or retired? Both! Neither!") and think he probably ought to be forced to wait, but he obviously belongs.

After that there are maybe 5-6 other eligible players I would consider hall-worthy, but picking the top 2 out of those is more subjective.

I think one of my other two votes would go to Cujo, if only because I think he's very deserving and has been overlooked for a number of years now. In my mind, he's very comparable to Ed Belfour in terms of talent and peak performance, he just never was fortunate enough to play on good teams during his prime. I think Cujo will get in eventually, since I think the general consensus on evaluating goalies is slowly shifting away from wins, losses, and championships and toward more individual analysis, but I understand why people still resist his induction.

The last spot I think is between Recchi and Fedorov. In terms of offense, Recchi was slightly more productive in his prime and had much more longevity, with 3-4 more seasons of all-star-level scoring than Fedorov. But Fedorov was the more complete player, as good defensively as he was offensively. (Recchi was not necessarily a defensive slouch -- he did recieve a handful of Selke votes throughout his career -- but I think it's fair to say he was no Fedorov in his own end.)

I'd lean Fedorov for the last spot, though you could convince me the other way. I also think you can make a good case for Lindros, Fleury, Roenick, or Mogilny. Not sure anyone else on the list would make my cut.

My top 4 for this year are:
Pat Quinn
Paul Henderson
Don Cherry
Nicklas Lidstrom


(frank) Chris Pronger & Eric Lindros. Neither of those pieces of poop should even be allowed to visit the Hall of Fame let alone be inducted. There should be an automatic rule that when you've left a poop stain on the league and/or it's teams, you should automatically be disqualified from the Hall of Fame.
- Sammy Van Hagar

Sounds like someone's butthurt about Pronger leaving his city. He's one of the best defenceman to ever play the game. What was the poop stain he left on the league?

Pronger should be eligible after 3 years his contract is up.

If I had a vote ...

Lidstrom and Pronger are no-brainers. I don't like how the league has decided to handle the Pronger situation ("Is he active or retired? Both! Neither!") and think he probably ought to be forced to wait, but he obviously belongs.

After that there are maybe 5-6 other eligible players I would consider hall-worthy, but picking the top 2 out of those is more subjective.

I think one of my other two votes would go to Cujo, if only because I think he's very deserving and has been overlooked for a number of years now. In my mind, he's very comparable to Ed Belfour in terms of talent and peak performance, he just never was fortunate enough to play on good teams during his prime. I think Cujo will get in eventually, since I think the general consensus on evaluating goalies is slowly shifting away from wins, losses, and championships and toward more individual analysis, but I understand why people still resist his induction.

The last spot I think is between Recchi and Fedorov. In terms of offense, Recchi was slightly more productive in his prime and had much more longevity, with 3-4 more seasons of all-star-level scoring than Fedorov. But Fedorov was the more complete player, as good defensively as he was offensively. (Recchi was not necessarily a defensive slouch -- he did recieve a handful of Selke votes throughout his career -- but I think it's fair to say he was no Fedorov in his own end.)

I'd lean Fedorov for the last spot, though you could convince me the other way. I also think you can make a good case for Lindros, Fleury, Roenick, or Mogilny. Not sure anyone else on the list would make my cut.
- Sven22

But doesn't the fact that he belongs in the hall of fame despite being forced out of action for so long speak volumes? Put em in there now... Wait a few years... Doesn't matter he's going in.

Pronger should be eligible after 3 years his contract is up.
- BarbarianSavage

Here's the article I wrote on Pronger and Fedorov's situation a couple of months ago

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=67042

Basically the rules were changed to ensure that the salary cap doesn't hinder someone's eligibility to the HHOF and that common sense prevails

Guy I didn't see on your list who has been passed over for a long time and who should definitely be in...Sergei Makarov

The most decorated Soviet forward of all time, likely overlooked because he came to the NHL post-prime, but he actually put up very good numbers for a player his age. Here's some of the highlights on his resume:

Soviet League MVP: 3x (also runner-up twice to Fetisov and several more top 5 finishes)
Soviet League Point Scoring Leader: 9x
Soviet League 1st Team All Star: 10x
World Championships Best Forward: 2x
World Championships All Star Team: 8x
World Championships Point Scoring Leader: 3x
Canada Cup All Star Team: 1984
Calder Trophy: 1989-90


Canada Cup Stats: 22 GP – 16 G – 15 A – 31 Pts (2nd All Time behind Gretzky)

NHL-USSR Super Series: 18 GP – 9 G – 10 A – 19 Pts

World Championships: 101 GP – 56 G – 67 A – 123 Pts

Olympics: 22 GP – 11 G – 17 A – 28 Pts

World Championships: Gold-8, Silver-1, Bronze-2
Olympics: Gold-2, Silver-1
Soviet League Championship: 11


Top scorers in the NHL 1989-90 to 1993-94 (age 30+)
1. Wayne Gretzky 278 GP 126-353-479 (first season of the time frame omitted as he was 29)
2. Mike Gartner 399 GP 213-155-368 (1 year younger than Makarov)
3. Sergei Makorov 377 GP 124-236-360

Here's the article I wrote on Pronger and Fedorov's situation a couple of months ago

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=67042

Basically the rules were changed to ensure that the salary cap doesn't hinder someone's eligibility to the HHOF and that common sense prevails
- MasWE

The salary cap is only hindering his ability to retire either because the flyers don't want him to or because he still wants to collect a check. Its bullpoop that the devils got the book thrown at them for "violating the spirit of the CBA" when all these types of contracts were doing that and then the league bends over backwards to help the flyers out.

Guy I didn't see on your list who has been passed over for a long time and who should definitely be in...Sergei Makarov

The most decorated Soviet forward of all time, likely overlooked because he came to the NHL post-prime, but he actually put up very good numbers for a player his age. Here's some of the highlights on his resume:

Soviet League MVP: 3x (also runner-up twice to Fetisov and several more top 5 finishes)
Soviet League Point Scoring Leader: 9x
Soviet League 1st Team All Star: 10x
World Championships Best Forward: 2x
World Championships All Star Team: 8x
World Championships Point Scoring Leader: 3x
Canada Cup All Star Team: 1984
Calder Trophy: 1989-90


Canada Cup Stats: 22 GP – 16 G – 15 A – 31 Pts (2nd All Time behind Gretzky)

NHL-USSR Super Series: 18 GP – 9 G – 10 A – 19 Pts

World Championships: 101 GP – 56 G – 67 A – 123 Pts

Olympics: 22 GP – 11 G – 17 A – 28 Pts

World Championships: Gold-8, Silver-1, Bronze-2
Olympics: Gold-2, Silver-1
Soviet League Championship: 11


Top scorers in the NHL 1989-90 to 1993-94 (age 30+)
1. Wayne Gretzky 278 GP 126-353-479 (first season of the time frame omitted as he was 29)
2. Mike Gartner 399 GP 213-155-368 (1 year younger than Makarov)
3. Sergei Makorov 377 GP 124-236-360
- CHI-HAWKS7

Good call; forgetting Makarov was an oversight on my part.

He deserves to go in based on his accomplishments in Russia and international hockey alone, but you are correct that his NHL career also provides pretty good evidence of his worthiness, if only indirectly.

Makarov played 6 full seasons in the NHL, at ages 31-36, and put up .91 points per game. That's 34th all time among 31-36 year olds who played at least 300 games in that age bracket, and a better rate than current/future hall of famers such as Shanahan, Gilmour, Modano, Gilmour, Iginla, Fedorov, Robataille, and Nieuwendyk. And Makarov did it while have to make a dramatic adjustment from the European ice / Soviet style to the North American / NHL game.

I think that's pretty good evidence that, had Makarov played a full career in the NHL, he would have very likely put up HOF-level numbers. Again, he doesn't need that to be a HOFer since it's the HOCKEY hall of fame and not the NHL hall of fame, but there's no question he was an elite player in his age bracket when he did come to North America.

Guy I didn't see on your list who has been passed over for a long time and who should definitely be in...Sergei Makarov

The most decorated Soviet forward of all time, likely overlooked because he came to the NHL post-prime, but he actually put up very good numbers for a player his age. Here's some of the highlights on his resume:

Soviet League MVP: 3x (also runner-up twice to Fetisov and several more top 5 finishes)
Soviet League Point Scoring Leader: 9x
Soviet League 1st Team All Star: 10x
World Championships Best Forward: 2x
World Championships All Star Team: 8x
World Championships Point Scoring Leader: 3x
Canada Cup All Star Team: 1984
Calder Trophy: 1989-90


Canada Cup Stats: 22 GP – 16 G – 15 A – 31 Pts (2nd All Time behind Gretzky)

NHL-USSR Super Series: 18 GP – 9 G – 10 A – 19 Pts

World Championships: 101 GP – 56 G – 67 A – 123 Pts

Olympics: 22 GP – 11 G – 17 A – 28 Pts

World Championships: Gold-8, Silver-1, Bronze-2
Olympics: Gold-2, Silver-1
Soviet League Championship: 11


Top scorers in the NHL 1989-90 to 1993-94 (age 30+)
1. Wayne Gretzky 278 GP 126-353-479 (first season of the time frame omitted as he was 29)
2. Mike Gartner 399 GP 213-155-368 (1 year younger than Makarov)g
3. Sergei Makorov 377 GP 124-236-360
- CHI-HAWKS7

He's definitely on my list, I plan on doing a full blog on his case provided he doesn't get in this year