Hall of Fame talents who faded into oblivion

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#164303
May 31, 2008
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Was Jay Bouwmeester a HHOF talent? He for sure did an impression on a lot of people back in Florida and then things just kind of fizzled out in Calgary.

Surprised he scored so much in Florida, never thought of him as a particularly good shooter...

I saw him play in the AHL. I was like "I don't get it, he isn't that good!" He hit 29 or 30 and you are right, he just fizzled out after those 3 years in Florida.
 

GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
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Brampton, ON
This is the first time I've heard longevity used in an argument against Turgeon. When he started playing, Gretzky was still with Edmonton and Bossy had just retired, and 19 years later he got 46 points in 62 games, with 12 or 13 min. per game ice-time, when Crosby and Ovechkin were playing.

I meant longevity of a higher quality as opposed to the type Andreychuk had later on in his career. Maybe it's not realistic, but a good, productive stint in DAL might have been enough to get him into the Hall. He wasn't that old when he signed with DAL (only 32) but had a lot of mileage by then. Of course, I suspect he'll be inducted eventually anyway.
 

ted2019

History of Hockey
Oct 3, 2008
5,492
1,882
pittsgrove nj
Definitely one of THE Most Underrated Players who played a Complete Game Defensively and Offensively, Had a HOF Career until a Major Injury due to a Concussion by a cheap shot play that would be a suspension in today’s NHL was Flyers BRIAN PROPP.
Yes he was a quiet player but played the complete game, yes he went 0-5 in the Cup FINALS in his Career but he was on the wrong team at the worst time, LOL, by facing 3 Dynasties (ISLANDERS, OILERS, PENGUINS) I mean how do you beat those Teams when you aren’t playing with ANY Forwards who made the HOF when those teams each had 6 or More Hall Of Famers & we’re stacked.

I know some say well he didn’t win any Awards or Cups but so did a lot of guys & had it NOT been for a CHELIOS Cheap-Shot in the 1989 Playoffs (Which Brian was never the same player playing parts of 5 more seasons after the Concussion Hit) but at the time of the Hit Propp was Leading the 1989NHL Playoffs in POINTS with 14-6-20 in 15 Games But the cheap shot changed everything.

PROPP still had 1000+ Points in 1000 Regular Season Games (425-579-1004) and he is which is friggin incredible for the last 28 Years the HIGHEST SCORING LEFT WINGER IN NHL PLAYOFF HISTORY with (64-84-148).

Now their have been 2000+ Left Wingers in NHL History & Propp is #1 All Time, Plus the Playoffs is Hockey at its Highest Level of Play. I think the 5 Time All Star Who incredible enough who was a Junior star, NHL star, Won GOLD twice in International Tournaments and who Holds 6 NHL PLAYOFF RECORDS might be in the HOF today had he Not been Injured.

Some might agree and some might disagree but having watched Hockey for Decades & having 450+ Games on VHS/DVD-r I feel by watching the games with an unbiased opinion helps with my judgement. but that’s half the fun talking hockey with hockey buys like myself, CHEERS.

Propp had no shot at the HOF. One 1 10th place Hart vote and the best he could do for a post season AS was 3, 4th places finishes. Pretty damn good 2 way winger, but that's about it.
 

The Panther

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
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Tokyo, Japan
I meant longevity of a higher quality as opposed to the type Andreychuk had later on in his career. Maybe it's not realistic, but a good, productive stint in DAL might have been enough to get him into the Hall. He wasn't that old when he signed with DAL (only 32) but had a lot of mileage by then. Of course, I suspect he'll be inducted eventually anyway.
Okay, I see what you mean. Maybe you're right -- if Turgeon had been more studly later in his career, it might have pushed him in.
 

Boxscore

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How about Brian Bellows? He burst onto the scene with tremendous hype and was all the rage. He was blessed with good size and borderline elite hands. He was poised to blossom into a steady 50 goal / 100 point force, a la Hawerchuk or Yzerman and never quite lived up to the billing. If there was a Hall of Very Good, Bellows would be in there.
 
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Vanzig

Registered User
Aug 6, 2018
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Vancouver, B.C.
Did the Chelios hit really impact Propp that much? His stats did go down a bit in 1989-90, but he was 30 by then, a not untypical age for forwards of his time to start slowing down a bit. The Flyers were also in a decline by then, so I don't think he was the only one whose stats suffered.

I don't blame Propp, of course, for his team's losing those series, but the question is more one of how did he perform in those series? I remember him being pretty good in the '87 Finals, but I wasn't aware of him in '85 (I was too young), and he didn't make any impression on me later on. (The Pens weren't a dynasty, btw.)

That's not correct. Gretzky had 22 points in two rounds of playoffs in '89.

I like Propp, but I think you might be over-stating the significance of the Chelios hit. Of course a concussion is serious, but Propp had 4 or 5 months, at least, to rest and recover after it. (This is assuming it was a fairly serious concussion -- I don't know how bad it actually was.) That hit may have had some lingering effect, but more likely Propp was just passing his prime years at the same time the Flyers were entering a decline.

As Propp is the classic 'borderline' kind of Hall-of-Fame Candidate, I think the question comes down to: Was he the kind of player who, besides his borderline Hall of Fame stats, could elevate a team towards victory? His teams' records in the Finals suggests not. (Note: Don't take this as a criticism of Propp -- the same applies to several of my own favorite players. Example: Bernie Nicholls.)

Ya I meant leading his team in Playoffs in 89, ya Gretzky was a force to reckon with but the CHELIOS Hit did have an impact on Propp’s career, but it happened nothing we can do about it, a great 2 way winger though but he ain’t going in the HOF.

just like TURGEON, NICHOLLS, MOOG, BELLOWS, And others who could have been better for whatever reason. I mean yes propp if u go to hockey reference wasn’t winning individual awards but he will be borderline HOF guys like the others,

thing is BRODEUR is going in, BARRASSO should,
the “maybes” could be JOSEPH, MOGILNY, KRUTOV, BONDRA, ALFREDSSON etc.
 

Nerowoy nora tolad

Registered User
May 9, 2018
1,403
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Gladstone, Australia
How about Brian Bellows? He burst onto the scene with tremendous hype and was all the rage. He was blessed with good size and borderline elite hands. He was poised to blossom into a steady 50 goal / 100 point force, a la Hawerchuk or Yzerman and never quite lived up to the billing. If there was a Hall of Very Good, Bellows would be in there.

I mean kinda, but when it comes to crossing the street between HHOVG and HHOF, what more do you want him to do?
 

rho

Registered User
May 30, 2011
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Panther, thanks for this post. I just got finished asking C1958 about whether he thought Barry was mainly hampered by injuries throughout his career or whether he just didn't turn out to be as good as his first few seasons would indicate - I didn't see your post till right afterward. Let's see if he has the same opinion?

I also asked him about Samsonov and the wrist injury. He didn't SEEM like the same player after that although he played many more years? Do you think the wrist bothered him for the rest of his career or was it just that he never lived up to expectations for any one of a number of intangible reasons, as happens with quite a few players?

Pederson was my favourite player growing up -- my Dad used to take me and my sister to see the Victoria Cougars play when he and Grant Fuhr were starring for the team so I followed his career as closely as I could when he made the NHL. He was an incredible playmaker (I remember some of the fantasy hockey publications talking about his passes being "gift-wrapped"), and that playoffs he and Middleton had where they almost knocked off the dynasty Islanders was phenomenal. The reporting at the time said that the tumour they removed from his shoulder was the size of a softball, so I don't see how that didn't have a significant effect on him. Even after the surgery and trade he was a pretty good player, and the Canucks used him in pretty much all situations (PP, PK, important defensive zone draws), but the sense I got was that his body just couldn't hold up (I think Scott Stevens broke his collarbone with an open ice hit at one point).
 

BlueBull

Habby Man
Oct 11, 2017
1,696
1,434
Vancouver Island
Bobby Smith? :laugh:
No seriously, he was quite good in his first 5 years and then he kind of faded...

Heatley isn't in the hall? I would figure he would get in just to make fun of Rick DiPietro a bit more ala Daigle/Pronger.
Tim Kerr for sure, Pederson as well. Maybe some 80s Goalies that were good, like Tom Barasso or someone else...
 

Syckle78

Registered User
Nov 5, 2011
14,585
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Redford, MI
John Cullen had 3 above 90 point seasons in his first 4 years then basically nothing. Obviously the Mario effect but still.
 

VanIslander

A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
35,134
6,429
Ryan Miller.

The NCAA all star began his NHL career with seven consecutive 30+ win seasons in Buffalo.

He won the Vezina his 1st all-star season and was MVP of the 2010 Olympics, backstopping USA to a silver medal with a stellar 0.946 save percentage.

Then... his next seven seasons he never hit 30 wins again, and is mired in mediocrity in Anaheim, having faded away.
 

Jim MacDonald

Registered User
Oct 7, 2017
703
180
I don't know if this would fall into the Hall of Fame talent category, but Peter Bondra had 52 goals one season and then I read in a magazine that his goal scoring fell off at an alarming rate the next couple seasons after....did he encounter some type of injury or was a flaw found in his game etc?
 

vadim sharifijanov

Registered User
Oct 10, 2007
28,590
15,951
John Cullen had 3 above 90 point seasons in his first 4 years then basically nothing. Obviously the Mario effect but still.

i wouldn’t call him mario-assisted. his best season was with mario out all year. recchi and stevens-assisted? sure. garbage team and pressure of replacing ron francis? probably. being surprisingly old for a fourth year player and just approaching the end of his natural prime? i wouldn’t be surprised.

i think long before the cancer, there were injury problems too.

btw, two 90 pt years, not three.
 

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