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Can a Stanley Cup Get Them in the HHOF?
by Alanah McGinley on 03/27/09 at 01:32 PM ET
Comments (2)
From Ryan Kennedy at The Hockey News:
For a number of veteran players, that elusive Lord Stanley is the one piece of the puzzle left in what could be a Hall of Fame career. Let’s look at the candidates.
Mats Sundin, Vancouver – As my colleague Brian Costello has posited in the past, Sundin is not quite a Hall of Famer just yet. But the way I see it, clinching a championship would put him in. The big Swede’s next goal will put him past former teammate Joe Nieuwendyk for 20th all-time in NHL history (Teemu Selanne passed both of them and Mike Bossy this year) and he also ranks 33rd overall in assists (passing Jean Ratelle, but getting passed by Mike Modano) and 25th all-time in points.
Stats aside, I really get the sense the Hall of Fame wants him in.
And while you’re at THN, you can check out Risto Pakarinen’s piece on Jonas Gustavsson, the netminder in the Swedish Elitserien finals, and on a record shutout streak which currently resides at 240 minutes and 25 seconds.
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: hhof, Jonas+Gustavsson, mats+sundin,
Comments
I think Sundin and Recchi make the Hall of Fame regardless of what happens to them from here on out. A Stanley Cup would really help the case for Roenick and Lemieux if and only if they aresignificant contributors in the playoffs. I see that as a much more plausable scenario for Roenick than Lemieux. I can imagine Claude Lemieux as a probable healthy scratch in the big playoff games.
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 03/27/09 at 01:22 PM ET
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I fail to see how any of those guys aren’t already HOFers. The writer completely ignores non-statistical contributions to the game, that, given how close all these guys are to getting in strictly based on the numbers and hardware, should put them over the top.
Sundin has success outside the NHL game with Sweden. He played in Toronto as the only true superstar for a number of years, expected to elevate the level of mediocre players around him (remember how even Sergei Berezin looked pretty good for a couple seasons?).
J.R. has had success in the international game. He was on the U.S. team in the ‘96 World Cup of Hockey. His impact and influence on American kids playing hockey cannot be measured.
Recchi already has 2 Cups, like the author says, to go along with his 1400 games, 1300 points, and 500 goals. That’s not enough?!?!
And as much as I despise Claude Lemieux, you can make a pretty strong argument that for his impact and dominance in the Stanley Cup playoffs alone, he deserves induction. He’s the only guy on that list that in my mind, because of his regular season numbers that are far weaker than the other three, is not a sure-fire HOFer yet.
Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 03/27/09 at 01:21 PM ET