Quote:
Guy Lapointe
Bill Barber
Steve Shutt
Clark Gillies
Guy Carbonneau
Cam Neely
|
Interesting choices to leave out.
Lapointe certainly seems like a lock. 6 Stanley Cups. 4 times a first or second team all-star. Six times in the top 5 in Norris Trophy voting. 3 time 20 goal scorer. Plus, he was on both the 1972 Team Canada and the greatest team ever assembled the 1976 Team Canada. In both those tournaments he was a full time player and contributor. The Canadiens of his era were likely the greatest team of all-time so not surprising they would have 3 defensemen in the Hall of Fame. They had the best offense and the best defense almost every year.
I can see the idea that Barber is not a Hall of Famer. However, he was the third best player on the Flyers of the 70's. A team that played in 3 Stanley Cup Finals and other than him is only represented by Parent and Clarke in the Hall of Fame. He also played in both the 1976 Canada Cup and the 1979 Challenge Series. I can see his selection.
I also see Shutt as a lock. Great pure goal scorer and a member of 1976 team Canada and 1979 Challenge Cup. Top left wing and power play guy on the best team ever.
Gillies is in for his intangibles. I can't argue the value of that other than the Islanders have 5 Hall of Fame players from the 4 X Champs and to me that seems a little low. I will say that Gillies standing up to Boston and Philadelphia in the first Cup run, while not being enough to warrant Hall of Fame consideration, at least speaks to his intangibles. For the first time, the Islanders were not seen as pushovers. Gillies and Terry O'Reilly had a few memorable battles in the quarter-finals.
Carbonneau's induction seems to me a case of we need more defensive minded players in the Hall of Fame and he fits that criteria. Excellent face-off man, 3 times Selke trophy winner and 9 time top five finisher in that category. Plus three time Stanley Cup Champion.
Neely was considered the perfect "power forward" of which all future players would be measured against. Yes, his career is short and that certainly can be held against him. His 50 goals in 44 games in 1993-94 is likely the best goal scoring season ever. He scored his 50 in a time when goals were much harder to come by than in other environments. And Patrick Roy saying that Neely definitely owned him helps his cause, especially in the world of quotes and perceptions.