I will not stand for this Gillies bashing that guy shit nails. He was really a tough customer and a true blue collar hockey player. My compliant against the hockey hall of fame, it only allows players with good offensive numbers in. Whats the likelyhood of seeing a Claude Lemiuex or an Esa Tikkanen guys who made your team better not by scoring but through tough gritty play. Both guys were Cup winners and deepley respected if not hated by their peers. Plus I think I have a soft spot for Gillies because he lives on Long Island and I have had the pleasure of hanging out with his really hot daughter.
Claude Lemiuex or an Esa Tikkanen guys who made your team better not by scoring but through tough gritty play. Such as vicious cross-checking in the back or turtling? Having a bastard like Claude Lemieux in your team does help, but there's no way he'll ever be considered for the HOF, and rightly so. grum, it's true that those were other times. Maruk's 81-82 season is just insane by today's standards, yet he was probably barely in the top 10 scorers in the league. Goulet is still way above your three examples. He played over a thousand games, and averaged more than a point a game over his career, despite fading a little during his stay in Chicago. But I agree with your general point. If every first-liner with a 10years+ career is inducted in the HOF, there's not going to be a lot of mystique about this "institution".
My compliant against the hockey hall of fame, it only allows players with good offensive numbers in. Then what the hell is Clark Gillies doing in the HOF? Him getting into the HOF is like Luis Sojo getting in: great role player on a bunch of championship teams. If Gillies gets in, why doesn't Ken Morrow get in? Same number of Stanley Cups (with the same team), plus he's got an Olympic Gold medal to boot! Goulet is still way above your three examples. I do concede that point now. I realize I had my "Gillies-hate" mixed with my "Goulet-apathy", and I inadvertantly lumped them together. Maruk's 81-82 season is just insane by today's standards, yet he was probably barely in the top 10 scorers in the league. 1 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton..........212 2 Mike Bossy, NY Islanders.........147 3 Peter Stastny, Quebec............139 4 Dennis Maruk, Washington.........136 5 Bryan Trottier, NY Islanders.....129 6 Denis Savard, Chicago............119 7 Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles.......117 8 Bobby Smith, Minnesota...........114 9 Dave Taylor, Los Angeles.........106 9 Dino Ciccarelli, Minnesota.......106 But his previous season as a 50 goal scorer did not get him into the top 10. BTW, I'm stunned that Bobby Smith hasn't made it into the HHOF. Not because I think he deserves to be there, but because he meets the (low) criteria perfectly:Length of career - 16 seasonsProduction - 0.96 points per gamePersonal awards - Calder Trophy 1978-79Team awards - Stanley Cup winner in 1986 He must be a bigger dickhead than I thought...