David said:
Perhaps Ray would have gotten in to the Hall without a Cup and perhaps he wouldn't have. If Glen Anderson didn't get in again then we can't know for certain at this point exactly who would get in and who would not because the voting didn't take place when Ray was 30 years old. That's what being questionable is.
I'm a big fan of Glenn Anderson, and certainly a member of the Glenn-for-the-Hall Camp
But...
To say that "Perhaps Ray would have gotten in to the Hall without a Cup and perhaps he wouldn't have" is - well - insane...
I think there's a bit of a difference between Ray and Glenn in 2 aspects away from the Stanley Cups
Ray's Resume:
All-Time Defenseman Goal Leader
All-Time Defenseman Assist Leader
All-Time Defenseman Point Leader
All-Time Point Leader (any position) of an Original 6 Team
4th All Time NHL Assists (any position)
Calder Trophy Winner
5-Time Norris Trophy Winner (3rd NHL All-Time behind Doug Harvey and Bobby Orr)
King Clancy Award Winner
19-Time All-Star Games (Second in NHL History to only Gordie Howe)
All Star Game MVP
13 Time NHL 1st Team All Star (NHL Record)
6 Time NHL Second Team All Star
I gotta think that as soon as ANYONE in NHL history was allowed into the HOF without his name on the cup - anyone with a resume like that is pretty much a shoe-in...
I mean - the All Time Leading Scorer amongst Defensemen... A player who can easily be argued as the second best player at his position in NHL History... 5 Times voted as the best at his position... More 1st Team All Star Selections than ANYONE in history... More assists than anyone in NHL History not named Gretz, Mess or Ron Francis...
What else would it take? Really? Once the door opened to non-SC winners - if you leave someone with a resume like that out, doesn't the whole thing become a farce? Isn't the Hall supposed to showcase the best players? Wouldn't you think that resume would qualify?
As far as the "if Glenn Anderson isn't in - who knows about Ray?" argument... Like I said - I'm a big fan of Anderson, but Ray was FAR FAR more dominant at his position than Glenn was (I can't ever recall anyone making the argument for Glenn Anderson as nearly the best forward in NHL history...)
But perhaps more importantly - and I don't know if this
should be an issue or not - Ray Bourque was (and still is) a pillar of his community... Glenn certainly had his off-ice issues. Like I said - whether it's right or not to omit someone from the HOF because of off-ice issues is a topic for debate, but it certainly could weigh on the selection committees minds.