I don't have a strong opinion on his candidacy either way, but this is flat out wrong. Ottawa (2003 President's Trophy winners) acquired him at the 2004 deadline. And as a two time retro-Rocket winner, he was an elite player in a low scoring era.
Peter Bondra, hockey hall of fame?
- Thread starter jcbio11
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Michael Farkas
Celebrate 68
Yeah, combined with the trade deadline aspect, that's a fun one...
Then he got compared to probably- or at-least-maybe-HOFer Pierre Turgeon...
Then he got compared to probably- or at-least-maybe-HOFer Pierre Turgeon...
Big Phil
Registered User
- Nov 2, 2003
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I'll still say no. He was a very good goal scorer, and very fast. But that's it. Might be the biggest case of a one-trick pony in NHL history as someone who did just one thing very well, but not really anything else. I'll give him credit, he did kill penalties even if the reason for this was because of his speed and a possible short handed break.
But he has a career of 0.83 PPG, which is okay if you have something else to offer. He played a lot of hockey in a high scoring era, and the rest in a lower scoring era. So it isn't as if he didn't have a chance to score a lot. Yet he never got more than 85 points in a season. Had 34 goals one year and 9 assists. Besides the fact that he didn't get many assists in his career, he had some weird unexplainable seasons. 1994 and 2000 come to mind as years where he didn't produce, and yet he did the year after each time. Despite all of his goal scoring, he still just scored 503 goals in his career. He would be the type of guy who gets in solely because he hit this magical 500 number. I am not so sure the 500 goal club is as special as it once was, there are a few I wouldn't induct, and who haven't gotten in anyway.
Did nothing in the playoffs as well. Got punted out of the 1st round all of the time, his production didn't help. The one postseason outside of Washington was in Ottawa in 2004 and he had zero points in 7 games. Was outscored by 4 teammates in 1998's run to the Cup final.
Not a whole lot better than the careers of Danny Gare and Reggie Leach.
But he has a career of 0.83 PPG, which is okay if you have something else to offer. He played a lot of hockey in a high scoring era, and the rest in a lower scoring era. So it isn't as if he didn't have a chance to score a lot. Yet he never got more than 85 points in a season. Had 34 goals one year and 9 assists. Besides the fact that he didn't get many assists in his career, he had some weird unexplainable seasons. 1994 and 2000 come to mind as years where he didn't produce, and yet he did the year after each time. Despite all of his goal scoring, he still just scored 503 goals in his career. He would be the type of guy who gets in solely because he hit this magical 500 number. I am not so sure the 500 goal club is as special as it once was, there are a few I wouldn't induct, and who haven't gotten in anyway.
Did nothing in the playoffs as well. Got punted out of the 1st round all of the time, his production didn't help. The one postseason outside of Washington was in Ottawa in 2004 and he had zero points in 7 games. Was outscored by 4 teammates in 1998's run to the Cup final.
Not a whole lot better than the careers of Danny Gare and Reggie Leach.
jcbio11
Registered User
Peter Bondra should be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame because he was one of the most dynamic and exciting players of his era. Bondra was known for his incredible speed, deadly shot, and clutch performances in important games. He scored over 500 goals in his NHL career, was a five-time All-Star, and won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal scorer twice. Bondra was also a key player for the Slovakian national team, leading them to a surprising fourth-place finish in the 2010 Olympics. Overall, Bondra's impressive statistics and impact on the game make him a deserving candidate for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
ChatGPT's argument. 2002 WCH win is a more significant achievement of his with team Slovakia than the 'surprising 4th place Olympics finish', overall pretty good argument though.
Edit - Yikes, I was just about to post about how Demitra lead that 2010 team, then remembered Hossa, Gaborik, Kopecky and even Palffy, but no Bondra. So that's a bit of an oopsie from the AI, as Bondra wasn't even on that team.
ChatGPT's argument. 2002 WCH win is a more significant achievement of his with team Slovakia than the 'surprising 4th place Olympics finish', overall pretty good argument though.
Edit - Yikes, I was just about to post about how Demitra lead that 2010 team, then remembered Hossa, Gaborik, Kopecky and even Palffy, but no Bondra. So that's a bit of an oopsie from the AI, as Bondra wasn't even on that team.
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Bondra was a great goal scorer, underrated all-star, and a very good player for his time, but I don't view him as a Hall of Famer. As a prior thread indicates, there are several borderline players not in that likely would have precedent over him. There are also people in the Hall that have no business being there.
Bondra didn't do enough beyond goal scoring to merit being in the Hall, and didnt score enough goals to get in on that merit alone. And the one SC final he was in, he went 7-5-12 in 17 games.
Does he make it into the Washington Capitals Hall of Fame? Probably. NHL? Not a chance. And this comes from a guy who watched many of his games and carries a lot of respect for the man.
Bondra didn't do enough beyond goal scoring to merit being in the Hall, and didnt score enough goals to get in on that merit alone. And the one SC final he was in, he went 7-5-12 in 17 games.
Does he make it into the Washington Capitals Hall of Fame? Probably. NHL? Not a chance. And this comes from a guy who watched many of his games and carries a lot of respect for the man.
