Future Hall of Famers

[cape islander]

Just courious what players (current or recently retired) will almost be guaranteed to be in the hall of fame?
just off the top of my head these guys will get in.

Jaromir Jagr
Dominik Hasek
Joe Sakic
Niklas Lidstrom
Scott Neidermayer
Ed Belfour
Teemu Selanne
Jarome Iginla
Peter Forsberg
Martin Brodeur

Click to read more...

 

[Epsilon]

You can add Chris Pronger, Sergei Fedorov, Mike Modano, and Brendan Shanahan to that list and have a pretty solid group of "locks". There may be one or two I'm forgetting. I'm purposely leaving off both Ovechkin and Crosby although I expect both to get there just because that debate will take the thread in an entirely tiresome direction.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Joe Thornton.

 

[unknown33]

Mark Recchi
Mats Sundin

 

[Big Phil]

While he certainly has some sharp critics (myself included) I think Kariya has a very good shot

Rob Blake if there is any justice should be a lock

Can we make a bold projection and assume that the soon-to-be 2nd Vezina of Tim Thomas will get him in the HHOF? I will assume even if he never wins another Vezina that he'll play longer and still fairly well. Two Vezinas is almost impossible to ignore

Throw in Chara's name as well. Even if he retired at the end of the year it is getting harder to leave his name off this list

Depending on who you ask, Martin St. Louis would be in the HHOF. I know I've always been a supporter of his

 

[Volt]

Daniel Alfredsson

 

[Big Phil]

Daniel Alfredsson

A very compelling argument with relevant cases on each side. I'm a Leaf fan and even I'll say he has an argument to be made

 

[cape islander]

Chelios is another one

 

[Epsilon]

Chelios is another one

Yeah somehow I missed his name in the first post, he's a stone-cold lock.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

How about Sergei Makarov? Sure, he didn't play a long time in the NHL but the man has a storied international career and is one of the best the former Soviet Union produced...he has faded from the public eye a fair amount though.

Yeah, he's in the IIHF Hall of Fame...

 

[Big Phil]

How about Sergei Makarov? Sure, he didn't play a long time in the NHL but the man has a storied international career and is one of the best the former Soviet Union produced...he has faded from the public eye a fair amount though.

Yeah, he's in the IIHF Hall of Fame...

Unfortunately it will get harder and harder as time goes by for him to get inducted. I thought 2008 was the perfect time for him with Larionov getting inducted. He was a superior player to Larionov but he didn't have the Cups and the longevity. Still, he played hockey for a long, long time he just didn't last as long in the NHL. The memories of his dominance will fade though and that's just too bad.

 

[MXD]

Mark Recchi
Mats Sundin

Not a lock and no, respectively.

Martin St-Louis already has a better case than both of them (...and a better case than Alfredsson, I might add).

 

[unknown33]

Not a lock and no, respectively.

Leading the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals and points alltime will make Sundin a Hall of Famer whether you or I think he deserves it or not.

 

[MXD]

Leading the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals and points alltime will make Sundin a Hall of Famer whether you or I think he deserves it or not.

You know that if Carey Price plays seven more seasons as a starter with the Habs, he'd automatically be a HHOF'er?

Playing 7 seasons as a starter would make him the leader for Wins for the Habs.

And Price had much better competition (at goaltending in Montreal) than Sundin had as a forward for the Leafs.

 

[Big Phil]

Leading the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals and points alltime will make Sundin a Hall of Famer whether you or I think he deserves it or not.

I think it goes a little deeper than that. Sundin was a model of consistency his whole career. To be a point a game guy season after season in a low scoring era is an acheivement at least on par with Gartner's 15 straight 30 goal seasons. Sundin was also the superior player by the way

 

[buffalowing88]

While he certainly has some sharp critics (myself included) I think Kariya has a very good shot

Rob Blake if there is any justice should be a lock

Can we make a bold projection and assume that the soon-to-be 2nd Vezina of Tim Thomas will get him in the HHOF? I will assume even if he never wins another Vezina that he'll play longer and still fairly well. Two Vezinas is almost impossible to ignore

Throw in Chara's name as well. Even if he retired at the end of the year it is getting harder to leave his name off this list

Depending on who you ask, Martin St. Louis would be in the HHOF. I know I've always been a supporter of his

I like the Thomas suggestion. I never consider him HHOF material but you look at the remarkable runs the guy has made since the lockout and he does look like a player with a legit chance. Besides what he's already accomplished, he should have 4 or so years of quality play left in him and that bodes very well.

I support St. Louis as well but I think his case is going to come down to more than just statistics but also his perseverance and his intangibles.

 

[PaganKnight]

II love Thomas suggestion and if he goes in the Hall of fame... I just can't wait to hear is Introduction speach. There'll be some emotion in the air.

 

[BubbaBoot]

Tim Thomas?

I'm a huge Bruins fan but he's not going in HOF.

He's 36 yrs old. Unless he plays lights out for another 4-5 years he's not going to go in.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Tim Thomas?

I'm a huge Bruins fan but he's not going in HOF.

He's 36 yrs old. Unless he plays lights out for another 4-5 years he's not going to go in.

Agreed but then again Dryden only played in 8 NHL seasons.

The obvious difference is Dryden's playoff resume but honestly the Habs might have won a couple of cups with suitcase Smith in net.

In the end I don't think that Thomas will make it in regardless of what he does.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Thomas getting the Conn Smythe, which looks pretty good unless he turns into Loungo, and the Vezina this year will go along way to helping his case.

Of course his next 4 or 5 years will really determine if he gets in. Still only 15% chance IMO, even after this season.

 

[Big Phil]

Agreed but then again Dryden only played in 8 NHL seasons.

The obvious difference is Dryden's playoff resume but honestly the Habs might have won a couple of cups with suitcase Smith in net.

In the end I don't think that Thomas will make it in regardless of what he does.

Charlie Gardiner had 7 seasons. Bill Durnan had that many too. Both were considered the best goalie in the game at one time. Thomas has that distinction twice. I think he is the perennial late bloomer in the mold of a Johnny Bower/Gump Worsley to be honest. I think he makes it eventually barring a career collapse. Think about this. Two Vezinas, a final appearance (maybe a Cup) and probably a Conn Smythe. That's a good resume right there. All you'd need to do afterwards is sustain it for a little longer and put up some sexy numbers

 

[jkrx]

He also have awards from SM-liiga and an outstanding reputation in Sweden. Now ofcourse the goofy HoF boards doesnt even think about these sort of thing but I do. I think he has been the most underrated goalie for over a decade.

Not to mention that he currently holds the record for best save % in the NHL.

 

[Iain Fyffe]

Not to mention that he currently holds the record for best save % in the NHL.

Only because it wasn't officially compiled before 1982/83.

Jacques Plante had two .940+ seasons after expansion. And of course George Hainsworth's .965 mark in 1927/28 is pretty good.

Don't get me wrong, Thomas' numbers are amazing. Just trying to add some context when official records only go back a little way.

 

[seventieslord]

Only because it wasn't officially compiled before 1982/83.

Jacques Plante had two .940+ seasons after expansion. And of course George Hainsworth's .965 mark in 1927/28 is pretty good.

Don't get me wrong, Thomas' numbers are amazing. Just trying to add some context when official records only go back a little way.

while you are correct, Plante was notorious for cherrypicking his starts that season. And when Hainsworth was in the .960s, the numbers I saw indicated that a lot of other goalies were right there with him too.

Thomas' sv% this year, if adjusted to the league average, is surely one of the most impressive of all-time. It was higher than Hasek's ever was, amazingly, and Hasek was doing this in the DPE (which, admittedly, today's hockey is not THAT far off from)

 

[Eisen]

Daniel Alfredsson

I love Alfy. And perhaps when a very weak class is nomnated he MIGHT get in, ut I have a hard time imagening a class where he could be a lock.