Why is Housley not in the hall ?

[edmonton_ice]

I think it's damn a shame this man isn't in the Hall. At one time he was the all time American Born points scoring leader @ 1232 points. 1000 points in the general bench for the HHOF. I know he didn't win a cup but his stats alone should get him in. Get this man in the HHOF!

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[Dark Shadows]

I think it's damn a shame this man isn't in the Hall. At one time he was the all time American Born points scoring leader @ 1232 points. 1000 points in the general bench for the HHOF. I know he didn't win a cup but his stats alone should get him in. Get this man in the HHOF!

Because he was a one dimensional player, and its the Hall of fame, not the Hall of very good. He was also a guy who disappeared in the playoffs, and so soft that he made Turgeon look like Cam Neely. He avoided corners like the plague and put little to no effort into backchecking. The term "4th forward" applies to him moreso than just about any other defenseman I can think of. His own coaches kept him stapled to the benches during penalty kills because he would have been worthless on the ice.

I can't remember who, but someone made the comment last month when Housley came up that he looked like a deer in the headlights when he was in his own end. I consider that to be an apt description.

His points are largely a product of the era he played in, and he was rarely considered one of the best defensemen in the league. Even in his best years, he was not a guy you considered to be a Norris finalist. He was top 4 for the Norris only once in his entire career, and usually was far below that.

If Nationality plays a part in entry to the Hall, then I can think of many many European players I would inducte ahead of Housley, who should not ever get in.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

here's a question for you guys. even though mark howe is still not in the hall of fame, the two american defensemen whose names seem to come up in newspaper articles about HHOF eligibles are housley and suter. nobody thinks either should ever actually make it. but which would sicken you guys more?

i say suter. as one dimensional as housley was, as little he accomplished in the playoffs, gary suter should be barred from even buying a ticket to the hall of fame for his crimes against hockey. first, he seriously hampered the second half of gretzky's career with his '91 canada cup cheap shot. then he ruins a potential hall of fame career when he cheap shots paul kariya. neither player was ever as good as he was pre-injury. thoughts?

 

[Canadiens1958]

His Stats

I think it's damn a shame this man isn't in the Hall. At one time he was the all time American Born points scoring leader @ 1232 points. 1000 points in the general bench for the HHOF. I know he didn't win a cup but his stats alone should get him in. Get this man in the HHOF!

And his stats shall keep him out. +/- career regular season -53, career playoff -19. Very unimpressive for a defenseman.

 

[Big Phil]

Housley has one 2nd team all-star. That's not good for a defenseman. I know Serge Savard has only one as well, but keep in mind he won 8 Cups and was a Conn Smythe winner as well.

To the OP, Al Bundy (frequent HF poster) would love you, he's a big Housley fan too. And he's pimped him for the HHOF. Personally there are a few defenseman who deserve it a lot more. Howe, Tremblay, Wilson and even Brewer if you want to take it that far. Heck I'll consider Suter more deserving even. Housley is the equivalent of Pierre Turgeon for his position. Soft, soft, soft, disappears, soft, one dimensional, soft.

 

[cupcrazyman]

I think it's damn a shame this man isn't in the Hall. At one time he was the all time American Born points scoring leader @ 1232 points. 1000 points in the general bench for the HHOF. I know he didn't win a cup but his stats alone should get him in. Get this man in the HHOF!

eligible players with 1000 pts or more not in the HHOF....

Oates 1420
Gilmour 1414
Andreychuk 1338
Nicholls 1209
Dino 1200
Verbeek 1063
Mogilny 1032
Bellows 1022
Hunter 1020
Larmer 1012
Propp 1003

 

[ForsbergForever]

eligible players with 1000 pts or more not in the HHOF....

Oates 1420
Gilmour 1414
Andreychuk 1338
Nicholls 1209
Dino 1200
Verbeek 1063
Mogilny 1032
Bellows 1022
Hunter 1020
Larmer 1012
Propp 1003

Oates and Gilmour should be locks to get in in the next couple years, Andreychuck and Ciccarelli both have over 600 goals but don't have anything else other than that to really put them in HoF contention

 

[clefty]

There have been some pretty strong induction classes since he's been eligible.

He was eligible in 2006 right? Since then we've had Duff, Roy, Messier, MacInnis, Stevens, Francis, Anderson, Larionov, Hull, Robitaille, Yzerman, Leetch.

Anderson is the only debatable one, although on the surface Dick Duff looks a bit strange but I don't really know anything about him. Point is, its hard to see where Housley fits in there.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I think it's damn a shame this man isn't in the Hall. At one time he was the all time American Born points scoring leader @ 1232 points. 1000 points in the general bench for the HHOF. I know he didn't win a cup but his stats alone should get him in. Get this man in the HHOF!

1000 points is no longer the bench mark to get in. They look at rings and championships and other stuff

 

[God Bless Canada]

The OP seems to be stuck in a timewarp. 1,000 points is no longer the benchmark for induction. If you're looking for career statistical benchmarks, they seem to be 700 goals (Andreychuk and Ciccarelli topped 600 and neither will probably get inducted), 1,000 assists (Oates isn't in yet, but he will get there) and 1,500 points (Mark Recchi will create debate over that one should he reach that total).

Now, 1,000 points for a defenceman is impressive. But it isn't a guarantee for a defenceman. Especially a defenceman like Housley.

Even with the stats-based voting system for all-star teams, Housley has one second-team birth. That's not good enough. Gonchar, DesJardins and Boyle have two. Granted, the top-end for defencemen was higher when Housley played than when Gonchar and Boyle got their all-star nods, but a guy with Housley's numbers should have more than one all-star birth. And that really illustrates his pourous defensive play.

I think Suter's a better defenceman. You could play Suter in any situation. You could play him on the top-pairing in any situation. He could do it all, and do it at a high level. He didn't have Housley's longevity, but at his best, he was better than Housley's best, and Suter maintained that peak for quite a few seasons.