David said:
Yeah, I agree with you. If Neely's in then so should Kariya...and I would argue hard and often about Neely being in since it opens the door for many undeserving individuals like Lindros to name just one.
You guys fail to see the big picture. There are two main reasons Neely's below a point-per-game for his career: he started in the league at age 18, and he was robbed of his prime years by injury. The guy never had a prime, yet he was still a four-time second team all-star.
Reality is that Mark Messier is the only player in the last 30 years who has combined goal scoring and physical play like Cam Neely. Neely's one of the defining players of his generation. Scouts will spend the next two decades looking for "the next Cam Neely." Sadly, they'll never find one.
Neely was a dominant force in the playoffs. Fourth all-time in post-season goals per game. A winner through and through, he elevated his play when it mattered most, the playoffs. Watch him play in the 1991 playoffs, and you'll see what I mean.
And the Neely we saw in the 1991 playoffs? That was what the hockey world would have seen for the next three to five years: an unstoppable force who could obliterate an opponent with his size, physical play and goal scoring ability. 70 goals per season would have been the norm. (And if you don't believe me, remember, he scored 50 goals in 49 games in 1993-94, playing on one leg).
As for Kariya, he's definitely not getting in at this point in his career. MS is right when he says that the Suter hit didn't have the impact that some think it did. Kariya scored over 100 points the following year. He was a second team all-star in 2002-03 (the year the Ducks advanced to the Stanley Cup final) and I believe he was also an all-star team selection in 1999-2000. (Although he didn't really play that well that year, despite his impressive numbers). He's never had that career-defining, legacy-building playoff.
He needs several seasons of top-end play to get in. Another all-star selection or two, a big playoff. He wasn't all that impressive for Anaheim in the 2003 playoffs.
This year was a wonderful bounce back year for Kariya. It's great to see, because he's one of the most tantalizingly talented players in the game, and a treat to watch. He needs to sustain it, though.
International play doesn't mean anything to the HHOF voters. They've proven that time after time in recent decades. If it did, Sergei Makarov would have gotten in on the first ballot.