Upcoming Hall of Fame announcement

andreydali19

They're relentless
Jun 19, 2006
1,933
0
Liv. of Mich.
In a couple of days, the HoF will be announcing its choices for induction this year. Was just wondering who it is that any of you most anticipate of getting in, who you're irate over not getting named year after year, and who you're irate over being inducted.
 

God Bless Canada

Registered User
Jul 11, 2004
11,793
17
Bentley reunion
I think Kurri and Fetisov will finally get in the World Wide Hockey Hall of Fame this year. Bourque's a mortal lock, and Coffey might get in, too. Oh wait, we're talking about the Hockey Hall of Fame? I digress...

In all seriousness, though, I'm thinking you wanted the Hockey Hall of Fame. Patrick Roy is a mortal lock. A unanimous, first ballot selection. I don't think we need to debate his credentials or worthiness. So let's move on.

Doug Gilmour, IMO, will get in. He has 1,400 points, and while I don't think that point plateau makes you a lock (especially when you played for as long as Gilmour) the way he reached 1,400 will make him a lock. There are few members of the 1,400-point club who displayed Gilmour's ferocity, tenacity and relentlessness. He was also strong defensively, an excellent leader, and when he needed to be, a physical player who wasn't afraid to be dirty. Strong in the faceoff circle. To cap it off, he's top 10 all-time in playoff scoring. One of the best clutch players of the last quarter century. Fans in St. Louis, Calgary and Toronto can attest to his playoff brilliance. The first and truest hallmark of greatness is how you played when the games mattered most. Few were better than Gilmour.

I don't think Pavel Bure will get in this year, and if I had my druthers, he'd never get in. Those who use the Cam Neely argument forget that Neely got in on his seventh attempt. Neely was also a much better all-round player than Bure. Bure had five excellent regular seasons and two strong playoffs. But first ballot? No. Not with Roy and Gilmour on the ballot, and others who have been waiting a while. (To be looked at soon). What will kill Bure's chances is his lack of longevity, his one-dimensional play and his temperment. With the exception of a couple abbreviated stretches in his career, if the puck wasn't on his stick, he was a total liability to his team. He was not a good teammate. He was often a puckhog. And frankly, a lot of people have accused him of not being a very good human being. The most explosive goal scorer in the game since Hull's last 50/50 season? Yes. But there's a lot against his case.

Three other players are on the ballot for the first time this year:

*Tom Barasso is the one I think deserves it the most. A Vezina Trophy in his rookie year, several Vezina nominations, three-time all-star, two Stanley Cups, and Mario even said Barasso deserved the Conn Smythe in 1992. His downside? A moody temperment. He was rarely a pleasant person to be around.
*Mike Richter will be forever remembered as the goalie who led the Rangers to the Cup in 1994. Would have been a worthy Conn Smythe selection. The downside? No Vezinas, no all-star team selections, and a paltry third place in Vezina voting in 1992. Never put two excellent seasons together. The HHOF has become very NHL-centric in the last 30 years when judging North American-born players, so Richter's international portfolio likely won't enter the equation.
*Phil Housley should never get a sniff of the HHOF. Yes, he was a wonderfully skilled offensive machine. Yes he's the all-time leading scorer among American-born players. But he was an out-and-out liability defensively, which is inexcusible for a defenceman. (At least Coffey was average defensively). Never a Norris finalist. One second-team all-star selection in the playoffs. A pretty mediocre playoff record. He was so good for Washington in 1998 that they waived him after the season. (He did respond with a couple pretty good seasons in Calgary). If he gets in, it'll be the same way that Pierre Turgeon gets in: 30-40 years from now, voters will have forgotten how he played the game, and will only look at the stats.

The HHOF can elect up to four players. I think this is the year Glenn Anderson gets in. There was a considerable outcry when Anderson was snubbed last year. And why not? He may have fallen two goals short of 500, but he was a pretty good two-way player, not afraid to get involved physically, and a pest too. He's fourth all-time in playoff scoring, and he was money in the clutch. This is his year.

I don't think it's coincidental that the HHOF inducted Kharlamov last year shortly after opening an expanded international wing. (For those who think international play is a major factor to HHOF voters, it took more than 20 tries for Kharlamov to be inducted). Three eligible players who thrived on the international stage stand out as potential candidates: Sergei Makarov (IMO, the best eligible player not in the HHOF), Boris Mikhailov (likely the best player in World Championship history) and Vaclav Nedomansky (one of the best Czech players of all time).

Among the defencemen, expect to see Mark Howe and J.C. Tremblay - likely the two best blue-liners not in the HHOF - continue to be snubbed for their affiliation with the WHA. Among the forwards, Dino Ciccarrelli will be the best who continues to be snubbed. Rogie Vachon has company among the goalies not in the HHOF. Mike Vernon’s first chance was last year, and he likely won’t get another shot until 2008.

And, from the "It's about time" file, Herb Brooks will be inducted in the builder's wing. There's a big push for him to be inducted this year.
 

XploD

Registered User
Jun 2, 2006
3,243
1
Stockholm, Sweden
Nice post 'God Bless Canada'.

I'm a big Bure fan and want him to get inducted but I agree with most of what you said that works against him. I think calling him a bad human being is a bit excessive though. He had an interesting personality and there are many secrets in his personal life but what he did on the ice was something we don't see very often, I don't think anyone scored as many highlight-reel goals as he did in his career.
 

God Bless Canada

Registered User
Jul 11, 2004
11,793
17
Bentley reunion
XploD said:
Nice post 'God Bless Canada'.

I'm a big Bure fan and want him to get inducted but I agree with most of what you said that works against him. I think calling him a bad human being is a bit excessive though. He had an interesting personality and there are many secrets in his personal life but what he did on the ice was something we don't see very often, I don't think anyone scored as many highlight-reel goals as he did in his career.
Affiliating himself with the Russian mafia is deplorable. For a Soviet/Russian-born hockey player to even associate himself with a Russian mobster is a terrible thing to do, when you consider the antics of the Russian mafia in the early 1990s and the way they extorted from the Soviet/Russian players in the NHL, especially the veterans like Fetisov (the best Soviet/Russian player ever) and the ultra-classy Igor Larionov.
 

XploD

Registered User
Jun 2, 2006
3,243
1
Stockholm, Sweden
God Bless Canada said:
Affiliating himself with the Russian mafia is deplorable. For a Soviet/Russian-born hockey player to even associate himself with a Russian mobster is a terrible thing to do, when you consider the antics of the Russian mafia in the early 1990s and the way they extorted from the Soviet/Russian players in the NHL, especially the veterans like Fetisov (the best Soviet/Russian player ever) and the ultra-classy Igor Larionov.
It isn't confirmed that Anzor is/was a Russian mobster and Bure said himself that he would end their friendship as soon as someone showed him proof. The Canucks organisation called him and asked him to end their friendship and Bure told them to call back when they had proof and they never did.

Anyways, I do believe that Anzor was or is a Russian mobster. But what you have to understand is that a lot of Russian players in the 90's had to affiliate themselves with the mafia because they were being extorted. They had to have a 'krysha' (protection from a higher ranked crime group) otherwise their families back in Russia would be hurt. Bure probably had that too and I would guess that's where Anzor comes in.

I don't think you can blame Bure for that, most Russians had that problem in the 90's. Fetisov has had the same rumored relationship as Bure has with the mafia, even worse as he's been rumored to help laundering money. I guess non of these players wanted to get involved but they had no choice.
 
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kmad

riot survivor
Jun 16, 2003
34,133
60
Vancouver
Nalyd Psycho said:
Who I'd vote for:
Patrick Roy
Boris Mikhailov
Jiri Holik

Sadly the HHoF is slanted towards North American talent.. it took Kharlamov entirely too long to be selected.

I'm gonna go with the easy picks. Bure, Roy and Gilmour.
 

God Bless Canada

Registered User
Jul 11, 2004
11,793
17
Bentley reunion
WeSt_CoAsT_eXpReSs said:
Do they still have the three year waiting period for retired players or did they get rid of that in the new cba?
That has nothing to do with the CBA. The HHOF establishes their own rules for eligibility.

It's no longer three years since retirement. It's three years since your last game. That's why Bure is eligible, and that's why Messier, MacInnis, Stevens and Francis are eligible next year. It used to be three years after retirement, that's why Bossy was inducted in 1991, even though he played his last game in 1987.
 

God Bless Canada

Registered User
Jul 11, 2004
11,793
17
Bentley reunion
Leaf Lander said:
is he eligble;)

imo roy should had the 3 yr wait waived

some players are automatic

You shoudlnt even have to vote for the great greats
Three-year waiting period was abolished after Gretzky's induction in 1999. So this is Roy's first chance.
 

19nazzy

Registered User
Jul 14, 2003
17,217
31
Leaf Lander said:
is he eligble;)

imo roy should had the 3 yr wait waived

some players are automatic

You shoudlnt even have to vote for the great greats
Thanks to Lemieux un-retiring that can't happen anymore. :shakehead
Gretzky > Lemieux :handclap:
 

raleh

Registered User
Oct 17, 2005
1,764
9
Dartmouth, NS
I know it's already been touched on, but I would like to see Yakushev inducted as well. I would vote for Roy, Gilmour, Yakushev. If big Yak is out (which he will be) I'd definately preffer Housley to Bure (I agree completely with GBC and don't think he deserves to be inducted). I would love to see captain crunch in as well, since he was the heart and soul of Toronto for so long and it would be awesome for A) Gilmour and Clarke to be inducted in the same year and B) the induction class to comprise of all former leafs and habs! :yo: Barasso just doesn't do it for me. Sucks for the guys who don't get in this year, as they don't have much of a shot for next year either.
 

Horse

Go Canucks!
Feb 14, 2005
1,508
0
Cariboo, BC
I hope it's:
Bure
Anderson :handclap:
Roy
We shall see though, I love Glennie and it's his last realistic chance so I'll cross my fingers for him.
 

God Bless Canada

Registered User
Jul 11, 2004
11,793
17
Bentley reunion
RyanKeslerRocks said:
I hope it's:
Bure
Anderson :handclap:
Roy
We shall see though, I love Glennie and it's his last realistic chance so I'll cross my fingers for him.
Actually, 2008 represents a great chance for the snubbed players. Four of Messier, Francis, Oates, Stevens and MacInnis will likely be inducted next year. (Oates is the consensus to be left out. There's a small chance that Oates and Francis will split the vote, and neither will get the required 14 of 18 votes).

Igor Larionov was to be eligible in 2007, too, but he played a couple games in a low level Swedish league this year and will have to wait to 2009. Claude Lemieux is also on the ballot for the first time next year, and while he will generate plenty of debate for 2008, I don't think he'll get in. (Only one 40-goal season).

Therefore, there is a good window for some of the more recent snubs - Anderson, Ciccarelli, Makarov, Vernon - to be inducted in 2008.
 

Sens Rule

Registered User
Sep 22, 2005
21,251
73
Roy, Gilmour, Bure and Anderson will get in this year IMO. Maybe Bure shouldn't get in on the first ballot but I think he will and I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
 

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