Active players who are locks for the Hall of Fame

[2014nyr]

kravtsov

 

[rogking65]

If there are more than 100 players in the HHOF, Toews has to go in, since he’s a top-100 player of all-time!

true,i forgot that very important point

 

[TropicOfNoReturn]

very underwhelming resume. Take out team accomplishments and not much left. 2nd team allstar and 1000 games ..WOW..... Only scored over 70 points twice in 14 yrs. If someone looked at his career without knowing who the player is they would say no to HOF. Only 852 career points and a lot of undeserved hype

It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Stats.

 

[TropicOfNoReturn]

Along with Corey Perry and Jose Theodore.

I didn't think of Perry in my initial reply - but I do actually think the case could be made for him.
He's won every championship he could've:
Stanley Cup
Olympic Gold x2
Memorial Cup
World Juniors Gold
World Championship

Add on the Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy..

He's got a much better case than Hall, who someone tried to argue for in this thread.

I'd put Perry ahead of Pavelski and Burns from the OP's list.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

He said active players...

When did he retire?

He's very good, but I don't think he's HHOF type.

Ok u will found out you’re wrong in a few years

 

[rogking65]

It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Stats.

so it is not a shrine for the best of the best? John Scott getting in ? He had his moment of fame

 

[Bleedred]

Here's my list of active players whose career numbers and accomplishments during their careers so far make them locks for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

My main criteria is if they retired today, they would make the hall after the 3 year waiting period.

Patrice Bergeron
Patrick Kane
Connor McDavid
Drew Doughty
Jonathan Quick
Marc-Andre Fleury
Sidney Crosby
Evgeni Malkin
Kris Letang
Steven Stamkos
Victor Hedman
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Joe Pavelski
Brent Burns
Alex Pietrangelo
Alex Ovechkin
Nicklas Backstrom

Some others are close and very probable, like Mackinnon, Matthews, Draisaitl, but don't yet have enough years of sustained high level performance to be in the lock category.

Who would you add or subtract as locks from this list?

I like your list, but there's two I kind of just don't see.

Now let me start with Jonathan Quick. I said back in 2015 or 2016 (this was when it was VERY CONTROVERSIAL to say Quick was an HOF player on here) that Quick is nicely set up (at that time) for an HOF induction, because he's going to SMASH the wins record for American born goalies. He has not yet, but probably will pass Ryan Miller, unless he just doesn't play after this year or doesn't stay healthy enough to play much from here on out. He was going to have the most shutouts among American born goalies (he already has that), he had 2 cups, 1 Conn Smythe.

But since about 2018, the Kings have gotten worse and he's also gotten worse. He's not really racking up wins the way he did or the way he was pacing for. The Kings had a good season last year and so did he, but that was the first good year he's had since 2017-2018 and with how old he is (he's turning 37 in the middle of the year), I wouldn't bet a whole lot on him repeating last year's performance.

So I honestly think a lot of mediocre years late in his career might have cost him the HOF. I think the same thing happened to Tom Barrasso, another American goalie who had a pretty good start to his career. I think he's the only teenager to ever win the Vezina and he won the Vezina as a rookie. 2 cups in the earlier part of his career. He even owns the record for most points scored by a goalie. He got hurt a bunch and the last half of his career had some poor years and it cost him a spot in the HOF. I think that might be what happens with Quick. And we all know the HOF doesn't elect a lot of goalies to begin with. If Quick came out and won the Vezina next year, I think at that point it gets hard to leave him out of out the HOF. One other thing about Quick that he has going against him though, how many goalies that won fewer than 400 games are in the HOF? There's one really big one and that's Hasek. Rogie Vachon is another, but he went in decades and decades later. Quick can still get to 400 wins, but he almost definitely has to play in 2023-2024. He's a UFA after this coming year. Does he play another year? Maybe, but I can't see him playing two more years after this, unless last year was the beginning of a resurgence in his career and he plays well again.

The only other one I don't agree with is Pietrangelo. I'm not saying he has no shot at the hall of fame, but I don't think he would be if he never played again.

 

[TropicOfNoReturn]

so it is not a shrine for the best of the best? John Scott getting in ? He had his moment of fame

I think there needs to be a balance.
You can't say "1000 pts is required" or something like that. But no, just a moment of fame like John Scott most certainly should not qualify either.

Kucherov is a good example right now. In my mind he is a lock should he retire today (as I'm sure most agree). And he hasn't even reached 700 pts...but his career points per game (particularly in the playoffs) is superb. Couple that with championships - stats and fame. but no statistical qualifiers.

Other examples I'll use to show the balance I think there should be are Patrick Marleau and Justin Williams. I'm not necessarily saying Marleau should get in the Hall...but the fact that he's played the most games of anyone in NHL is quote the accomplishment. That's technically a stat. And he was not a player to scoff at either. So I can see the argument being made in his favour.
Williams, I do think should be in. Sure, his total career numbers don't scream Hall of Fame when you first look at them. However, he has the most points in game 7's in NHL history. Sure someone is likely to surpass at some point in the future, but he currently holds that distinction, and when also taking into account his Conn Smythe (which I believe hold the greatest weight and value of all individual awards, by far), he should get in. But I know he most likely won't.

 

[Section 104]

No Tavares or Benn?

I tend to think Taveras needs to be an important part of Toronto winning a Stanley Cup.

Different sport but Bill James wrote recently that there are 30-40 players in baseball hall of fame who didn’t look like Hall of Famers at age 33 but made it. 85% of career value happens before 33 but the finishing kick is important.
Then again how a player does in the writers (first group) ballot is published and many volunteer how they voted but hockey doesn’t say.

 

[norrisnick]

If there are more than 100 players in the HHOF, Toews has to go in, since he’s a top-100 player of all-time!

Wait, what?

 

[Voight]

I didn't think of Perry in my initial reply - but I do actually think the case could be made for him.
He's won every championship he could've:
Stanley Cup
Olympic Gold x2
Memorial Cup
World Juniors Gold
World Championship

Add on the Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy..

He's got a much better case than Hall, who someone tried to argue for in this thread.

I'd put Perry ahead of Pavelski and Burns from the OP's list.

Perry is going to get in. I get hes not a popular pick around these parts but they aren't going to keep a guy with that resume out. He wont be a first ballot guy but he will indeed get inducted.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Here's my list of active players whose career numbers and accomplishments during their careers so far make them locks for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

My main criteria is if they retired today, they would make the hall after the 3 year waiting period.

Patrice Bergeron
Patrick Kane
Connor McDavid
Drew Doughty
Jonathan Quick
Marc-Andre Fleury
Sidney Crosby
Evgeni Malkin
Kris Letang
Steven Stamkos
Victor Hedman
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Joe Pavelski
Brent Burns
Alex Pietrangelo
Alex Ovechkin
Nicklas Backstrom

Some others are close and very probable, like Mackinnon, Matthews, Draisaitl, but don't yet have enough years of sustained high level performance to be in the lock category.

Who would you add or subtract as locks from this list?

I think for all 3 of those guys, if they were to get a career ending injury, they would make it. They've been as impactful in their careers as other stars with injury shortened careers have, like Cam Neely. But if they just all of a sudden became awful players they might not make it.

Joe Thornton technically isn't retired yet, so you can add him to the list even though he likely isn't getting another contract. Same with Carey Price.

I'd add Erik Karlsson too, unless he stops producing points completely. Even if he prime ended earlier than most thought, he should be in the HOF.

 

[Voight]

very underwhelming resume. Take out team accomplishments and not much left. 2nd team allstar and 1000 games ..WOW..... Only scored over 70 points twice in 14 yrs. If someone looked at his career without knowing who the player is they would say no to HOF. Only 852 career points and a lot of undeserved hype

Bob Gainey never scored more than 50 points.

Guy Carbonneau never scored more than 60.

You can take out team accomplishments but he was a core player on every one of them. From the 2007 WJC, to 2010 Olympics, 2010 Stanley Cup, 2015 Stanley Cup, 2016 WCH etc he has been one of the top guys on winning teams.

His Selke record is also notable at 1,2,2,3,4,5,6

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Pat Maroon

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

I think he's overrated, so I'm obligated to ask if Letang's team awards are enough to overcome his lack of individual awards?

Something something Hall of Very Good

I think he should be in. He reminds of Zubov

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Umm
Jonathan Toews?
3 Stanley Cups
2 Olympic Gold Medals
1 World Jr Gold Medal
1 Conn Smyth trophy
1 Selke award
1 Messier award
2nd team allstar
All rookie team
1000+ NHL games

Toews, Kane and Keith are all HOF locks.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

kravtsov

We said Hall of Fame, not Mount Rushmore. Thanks.

 

[GMR]

Jaromir Jagr

 

[treple13]

Letang isn't getting in.

I haven't heard anyone say that Mark Giordano should be in the HoF, and Giordano has more hardware and is considered a much stronger defensive player while still having more career points than Letang.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Letang isn't getting in.

I haven't heard anyone say that Mark Giordano should be in the HoF, and Giordano has more hardware and is considered a much stronger defensive player while still having more career points than Letang.

Letang has over a 100 more points than Gio, in less games.

 

[Hockeyholic]

I tend to think Taveras needs to be an important part of Toronto winning a Stanley Cup.

Different sport but Bill James wrote recently that there are 30-40 players in baseball hall of fame who didn’t look like Hall of Famers at age 33 but made it. 85% of career value happens before 33 but the finishing kick is important.
Then again how a player does in the writers (first group) ballot is published and many volunteer how they voted but hockey doesn’t say.

Interesting.

Baseball is definitely the toughest sport to make it in.

Letang has over a 100 more points than Gio, in less games.

Giordano can play D.

Regardless, neither deserve to get in.

 

[tfwnogf]

if Toews gets in (I'm sure he will), would any forward have worse stats than him? yeah he's amazing defense and all, but man. Hall of fame with Toews? I'm barely sold on Bergeron (yeah yeah 5 selkes). Of all the "defensive" forwards I always like Kopitar best, but I'm sure all 3 are going to make it. Toews will barely crack 1000 points at this rate, if at all. The bar is so low these days. Who in the hall is worse than Toews? Nobody.

 

[NyQuil]

We said Hall of Fame, not Mount Rushmore. Thanks.

You mean the Hockey Hall of Kravtsov?

 

[TheGreenTBer]

You mean the Hockey Hall of Kravtsov?

Way to set unrealistic expectations for hockey players everywhere, brother.

 

[NyQuil]

Way to set unrealistic expectations for hockey players everywhere, brother.

He’s the only exhibit, and rightly so.