There are two reasons that Neely's in the HHOF. And when you bring them together, he should be a no-brainer selection for the HHOF.
The first is definition. He DEFINED the power forward role. Every power forward that comes along for many, many years to come, will have Cam Neely as the measuring stick. It's a measuring stick that only one, Jarome Iginla, had matched. This is not to say that Neely was the first real power forward. He wasn't. Charlie Conacher was a power forward by every definition of the term. But Neely was the first one to get the label of the power forward. Every scout for the last 20 years has been searching for the next Cam Neely. Call it a hunch, I think they'll be seeking for the next Neely for the next 30 years.
Cam Neely is probably one of the 10 or 15 most important players from the game in the last 25 years.
The other reason is playoffs. One of the best playoff performers of his generation. Fourth in career post-season goals per game. Why did Roy hate playing Neely so much? Maybe it's because of the way Neely utterly dominated the Habs in 1988, when the Bruins ended a 40-year post-season drought against Montreal. Or maybe it was Neely's follow-up two years later, when Boston once again dominated the Habs. In 1991, he was an Ulf Samuelsson knee away from leading Boston back to the Cup (that hit changed the entire complexion of the series), and Neely would have certainly set a post-season goals record in the process. (He had 16 in the first three rounds). He had that big-game, high-pressure mentality that can't be taught. When the game was on the line, he wanted to be on the ice. He wanted to be the hero, and he had the ability to do it.
You can cite all the regular season statistical smoke and accolades you want. Personally, when it comes HHOFers, I'd vote for Neely, who defined the game, and dominated in the playoffs, ahead of guys with great career numbers, like an Adam Oates, or even a Dale Hawerchuk or a Denis Savard - great players deserving of the HHOF, but not guys who defined their role, who did things that will make them memorable 25 years from now.
Twenty-five years from now, when we're still searching for the next Neely, nobody will question his place in the HHOF. Those who were fortunate enough to watch him, with an unbiased eye, will rave about how fantastic he truly was.
Those who question Neely's place in the HHOF, have no idea what it takes to truly be great.
Outside of Messier, there hasn't been a better combination of goal scoring ability and physical play the last 30 years than Cam Neely.
And my arguments above are the reason I would vote for Theo Fleury, too. The arguments for Neely hold true for Theo, too. Theo was a magnificent playoff performer. It's too bad that his Calgary teammates didn't have Theo's big game mentality. Actually, as a Canucks fan, it's a good thing. If they did, Calgary beats us in 1994. And Theo defined his role. It's the opposite end of the spectrum, of course. Whereas Cam Neely defined the power forward role, Theo Fleury became the prototype and the measuring stick for small forwards - quick, highly skilled, but fearless, an all-out, all-heart, all-the-time force who took the hit to make the play, and wasn't afraid to hit much bigger players. A guy whose place in the game will grow as we get further removed from his best years.
The only thing that Theo doesn't have, that Neely had, was a spotless record, on and off the ice. And it's too bad. We're going to be looking for the next Theo for the next quarter century, too.
Do I think Theo gets in? Yes. I'm convinced of it. I might be an old fart when it happens. But I think he'll make it. The futher we're removed from the great seasons, such as his 50 goals in 1990-91 that made him such a great story, the more we'll marvel at the little dynamo. The more we'll realize that he was such a special, once in a lifetime type of player. And that's when he'll get in.
