What ballot of HOFer will Marc-Andre Fleury be?

[Voight]

Five goalies inducted into the HOF in the last ~27 years. Guys like Lundqvist, Luongo, Thomas, Rinne, Price, CuJo, Bobrovsky, etc. on the outside looking in and coming due at some point... maybe. MAF with zero Vezina nominations to date (though obviously could change this year).

Completely serious: I honestly have no idea. But this gets weird when you consider the limited number of goalies that have been admitted over the years. If the trend is going to continue be admitting one goalie every five years or so, I see it being extremely unlikely that he's first ballot.

EDIT: And wouldn't be shocked if he never gets in. Not saying he's not been great at times. And I love the Vegas addendum to his career. But that's stiff competition.

People here either don't know or forget that the HHOF is insanely strict when it comes to goalies. & MAF would be the worst or at best 2nd worst goalie in there if he got in (Gerry Cheevers being the other one).

By every objective measure he is slightly above average since entering the league. No major awards considerations. He is the compiler of the goalie position. Being just okay for a long period of time is sometimes enough to get skaters in the Hall but goalies this is historically untrue.

The Marleau of goalies

 

[MXD]

... I don't think he can be kept out if he wins the Vezina this season.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

For goalies, getting into the HHOF is difficult, it’s the most competitive position in hockey and it’s even more difficult to keep the #1 spot for 10+ years.

If there’s any goalie in the NHL that deserves first ballot recognition, it’s Fleury,

 

[GingerJesus28]

Updated the poll to include "never", although it may be too late lol

 

[GingerJesus28]

How is MAF a hall of famer???? The dude had three of the WORST playoffs in a row in NHL HISTORY. He's lucky to be in the league.

He's just played a lot of games. He isn't even in the hall of pretty good

Yeah you realize you're just proving my point, right? Lol

Yeah, a career 908 save % in the playoffs f***ing sucks. Hockey is a team sport. He helped his team get to the position they were in, whether he was backup or not. Still 3 cups.

Playoffs 15 straight years has never been done in nhl history for a goalie. He did that.

So yeah, f*** off with terrible takes like this lol. You have no idea how hard it is to be a consistent goaltender at any level, let alone the NHL. He's been consistently good for 15 years minus 1 or 2 years.

 

[Richard]

Yeah you realize you're just proving my point, right? Lol

Yeah, a career 908 save % in the playoffs f***ing sucks. Hockey is a team sport. He helped his team get to the position they were in, whether he was backup or not. Still 3 cups.

Playoffs 15 straight years has never been done in nhl history for a goalie. He did that.

So yeah, f*** off with terrible takes like this lol. You have no idea how hard it is to be a consistent goaltender at any level, let alone the NHL. He's been consistently good for 15 years minus 1 or 2 years.

Those are all team accomplishments not player. He didnt do dick special for the pens. The pens game up some of the lowest shots in the league in high chance areas and his only elite season was maybe 2014.

Fleury lost the pens playoff series. He's a sieve

 

[aufheben]

It’d be such a joke to let him in, and I’m a fan of MAF. Like if this f***ing dude goes to the HHOF they should erect a new one just for Lundqvist and Luongo.

 

[Albatros]

Those are all team accomplishments not player. He didnt do dick special for the pens. The pens game up some of the lowest shots in the league in high chance areas and his only elite season was maybe 2014.

Fleury lost the pens playoff series. He's a sieve

Only three goalies in league history have more playoff shutouts, and he's only one away from making it two.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Doesn't have individual hardware to get it done yet. This season could alter that perception

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

He'll get in probably as long as it took them to induct Belfour and Gilmour.

But I'm hoping he gets that Vezina because it'll automatically make him a first-ballot.

 

[Richard]

Only three goalies in league history have more playoff shutouts, and he's only one away from making it two.

So what? He's tied with Chris Osgood another not even in the Hall of very good.

 

[Albatros]

I don't think you can call Osgood a "sieve" either. Fleury didn't play behind all-star defense though.

 

[b in vancouver]

Probably 1st, especially if he gets the Vezina this year.

Gotta remember these last few groups have been fairly weak. I don't think there will be a big logjam in the near future, either (especially if not having a 2021 class gets cleared up reasonably quickly).

If Marian Hossa is a very recent first ballot HOFer, I see no reason MAF shouldn't be as well.

There's a major logjam coming. We'll be seeing a lot of competition for a good while once this group is eligible so it really depends on when guys retire.
Crosby, Malkin, P. Kane, Keith, Ovechkin, Bergeron with Toews, Doughty, Kopitar right behind them.
That's 3 years before you even decide on

Karlsson, E. Staal, Getzlaf, Weber, Stamkos,
Rask, Kessel, Perry, Price, Marchand, Letang, Suter, etc. - I'm missing more than a few.

It's going to get tough once this generation starts retiring in a few years.

 

[Panthaz89]

His bid with Vegas really helps his case considering Penguins never really were too stacked on D. He definitely has put in a lot of work since he came to a team that actually wants to play defense on a consistent basis.

 

[Fataldogg]

In a world where Tim Thomas, Bobrovsky, Price, Miller, Rinne etc don't exist, sure.

Somehow Lundqvist, probably the best goalie of the generation, gets omitted over Ryan Miller on this list.

That said, I'd be shocked if Fleury wasn't a first ballot hall of famer. When the NHL voted for the all decade team, didn't they vote Fleury at #1 and had Lundqvist at #2? If they really have Fleury above Lundqvist, he is going to be a first ballot hall of famer.

 

[Kamina]

He's defined his legacy with the Vegas stint. I think he's earned a first-ballot at this point.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

I'm not even sure if Luongo should get in and he was much better than MAF.

 

[majormajor]

MAF has barely league average career save percentage in both the regular season and playoffs, and had more sub .900 postseasons with the Pens than he had .900 plus postseasons. You can make a good argument that the Pens could have won another cup in the 2010-2014 period if he had been an average goalie.

I'd rather they put in a better goalie in the HOF.

 

[Mike8]

Similar to Osgood in that he's not good enough individually to be in the HOF.

 

[UnSandvich]

If he wins the Vezina this season, 1st or 2nd ballot. Boy oh boy though, do you have to wonder about the numbers Lundqvist or Luongo would've put up with the kind of team support Fleury had through his career.

 

[Albatros]

Fleury rarely played behind particularly elite defenses. Gonchar was great at supporting Crosby and Malkin, defensively less so. Letang would be injured half of the time and wasn't much of a factor early on anyway. It was big but not particularly gifted bodies like Orpik that he worked with.

 

[DonM]

If I had to pick a single NHL opinion to embody recency bias as a concept, "Marc-Andre Fleury is a first ballot HOF goalie" can't be far from the top.

 

[Voight]

Somehow Lundqvist, probably the best goalie of the generation, gets omitted over Ryan Miller on this list.

That said, I'd be shocked if Fleury wasn't a first ballot hall of famer. When the NHL voted for the all decade team, didn't they vote Fleury at #1 and had Lundqvist at #2? If they really have Fleury above Lundqvist, he is going to be a first ballot hall of famer.

That was a vote done by the NHL and its mediocre writers. The HHOF selection committee is a completely different group of people and aside from some recent choices like Lowe / Housley, have done a pretty good job at keeping the hall reserved for the best of the best.

& that was my bad. I always forget about Hank

 

[wetcoast]

Ideally never.

BTW first ballot.... are you guys OK? Superior goalies like Giacomin, Holmes, Worters, Brimsek and Broda had to wait a long time to get in.

This, most people probably don't realize the history of goalies and the HHOF.

1st ballot isn't really a thing in hockey, but he could get in his first year of availability depending on his competition.

Once again, just another lazy baseball comp, there isn't a first ballot (or any ballot) type of process for getting into the HHOF.

The process in baseball and hockey is entirely different.

 

[Goomba]

He's a generational goaltender, should be in as soon as he is eligible or even have the waiting time waived altogether if he finishes on a high note.

A generational goaltender?

wow I didnt realize Fleury is THAT overrated. And I like the guy a lot