What does it take to get into the HHOF?

[Canucks1096]

What would you guys say, because people are judging which players do and don't.

A guy like Trevor Linden would be a guy I'd put in the HOF but not first-ballot.

When Brad Richards has his first year of eligibility I would easily put him in the Hall of Fame.

Most people would say Mike Richards doesn't belong in the HOF, I'd say he would. He has a WJC gold, Memorial Cup, Calder Cup, Olympic Gold and Two Stanley Cups. Also, was a former NHL Captain and lead them to the finals. Some would say no, I'd say yes because not only was he once a very good hockey player, but he is the only player to have all these awards. Being a first ballot HOFer, it's debatable.

Dustin Brown? Captained a team to two Cups, first American to do so, but most would also say no. I'd say he'd have as good of a chance as Kevin Lowe does.

Like players who were very good but careers got cut short due to injury, like Cam Neely.

Personally, I would think it takes more than a Stanley Cup. Like today a guy like Andrew Shaw or Andrew Ladd would not at all get in the Hall of Fame.

In my opinion I'd say:

Players: Have around 1,000+ points and played around 1,000+ games.

Goalies: 300+ Wins and 500+ games.

Is there reason why you think Linden should be in the hhof? As a Canucks fan I think he was really overrated. Some people in Van think he is superstar which is Ridiculous. It is really strange in Van. Some people think Sedins are a second line players and Linden is a superstar. It's the other way around.

Linden is one of most overrated player of all time.

 

[GlitchMarner]

This is what I always say: HockeyDB draft by year

4 players get in every year, so roughly 4 players from every draft year should make it, give or take 1-2 spots for a weak/strong draft class.

So if you want to know if a guy will get in look at his draft year, to be a bit more accurate look at the draft year before and after giving a 3 year span, and ask if he's one of the top 12 players in that group.

The '97-'99 drafts were weak af.

Who are the top 10-12 players be from those three combined drafts?

Maybe Thornton, Hossa, Marleau, Brian Campbell, Datsyuk, Lecavalier, Richards, Tanguay, Markov, Sedins, Zetterberg...

How many players from that list are close to locks?

Thornton is guaranteed to be inducted.

Hossa is a probably a lock.

Zetterberg has a good chance and should get in. Same with Datsyuk. Henrik and Daniel will get in.

That could be it, no?

Of the rest, Richards, Lecavalier, Campbell and Markov would be the best candidates, followed by Marleau. Tanguay seems like a long shot.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Is there reason why you think Linden should be in the hhof? As a Canucks fan I think he was really overrated. Some people in Van think he is superstar which is Ridiculous. It is really strange in Van. Some people think Sedins are a second line players and Linden is a superstar. It's the other way around.

Linden is one of most overrated player of all time.

Toronto has a Linden, too. His name is Wendel Clark.

 

[Los Patos de Anaheim]

Either 1,000 points, or at least a point per game if they had less than 1,000 points.

 

[Barrie22]

Players like Brind'amour, Roenick, Linden, Bondra are long overdue.

Brinds and roenick yes. Bondra and linden heck no. They are both barely in the hall of good.

Linden 1382 games, 867 points.
Bondra 1081 games, 892 points.

 

[GlitchMarner]

^Bondra wasn't the best playmaker, but he led the NHL in goals twice during the dead puck era and was sort of like what Ovechkin's been the last few years for a few years.

He could get in in the Gartner vein, but obviously Mike scored more goals and had more 30 goal seasons. Petr had the better peak.

 

[Ivo]

The '97-'99 drafts were weak af.

Who are the top 10-12 players be from those three combined drafts?

Maybe Thornton, Hossa, Marleau, Brian Campbell, Datsyuk, Lecavalier, Richards, Tanguay, Markov, Sedins, Zetterberg...

How many players from that list are close to locks?

Thornton is guaranteed to be inducted.

Hossa is a probably a lock.

Zetterberg has a good chance and should get in. Same with Datsyuk. Henrik and Daniel will get in.

That could be it, no?

Of the rest, Richards, Lecavalier, Campbell and Markov would be the best candidates, followed by Marleau. Tanguay seems like a long shot.

You forgot Luongo, who has a decent chance I think.

But yeah, those late 90s and early 2000s drafts were quite weak.

1995 only Iginla is a HoFer (Kiprusoff, Doan, Giguere, Savard next best)
1996 only Chara is a HoFer, no one else even close (Daniel Briere probably 2nd best player from that draft.
You covered 1997-1999, but it doesn't get much better afterwards either.
2000 only Lundqvist has a chance, no one else particularly close (Gaborik, Heatley next best players)
2001 Kovalchuk and Spezza best players from this draft, I guess both have a chance, but far from locks, no one else close to HoF caliber.
2002 only Keith looks like a HoFer (Rick Nash next best player).

So that's 8 years worth of drafting, and only 11-13 players I would be comfortable saying have a good chance of making the HoF. Which tells me there will be quite a long window, where players who have been snubbed in the past might make it. Even if every freshly eligible borderline player is inducted, there are still going to be 2-3 free spots every year, and we might see even worse inductions than Housley and Andreychuk.

Only from the 2003 draft onward it seems like more elite players have been drafted again and in the following 7-8 drafts there are always at least 2-3 players who seem to be on a HoF trajectory.