Housley finally got into the Hockey Hall of Fame 12 years after he retired from the NHL after a stellar 21-year career. Housley was an offensive defenseman if there ever was one. His 1,232 points are the most ever by a U.S.-born defenseman and are the second most points by a U.S. born player behind only Mike Modano. He also played the third most games (1,495) by an American-born player behind only Modano and Chris Chelios. Housley also played the most games by a player who never won the Stanley Cup as he was in the Cup finals with the Washington Captials, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings and fellow Hall of Fame inductees Lidstrom and Federov.
Housley was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres with the 6th overall pick in the 1982 NHL Draft. He played right away as an 18-year-old right out of high school and scored 19 goals and 66 points and was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy in 1983 as the league's rookie of the year. His second year, Housley had 31 goals and 77 points in 75 games. He had a stellar eight-year career in Buffalo with 178 goals, 380 assists, and 558 points in 608 games.
He was traded in 1990 along with a first round pick (which turned out to be fellow American great Keith Tkachuk) to the Winnipeg Jets for Dale Hawerchuk and their first round pick which would be Brad May. Hawerchuk had a great career in Buffalo. Housley was spectacular in three seasons in Winnipeg scoring 64 goals, 195 assists, and 259 points in 232 games. His last season in Winnipeg (1992-93) was his best ever with 79 assists and 97 points. He also helped rookie Teemu Selanne score 76 goals that season as well.
Housley would be traded to St. Louis and bounce around with Calgary, New Jersey, Washington, Chicago, and ending his career with one game in Toronto. While he was still productive, he failed to live up to his high-scoring ways in Buffalo and Winnipeg. Housley played for the United States in 10 international events as well. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2007. Housley coached Team USA to the gold medal in the 2013 World Junior championships and is currently an assistant head coach for the Nashville Predators.
Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Federov were successful teammates when they were drafted together in 1989 and were teammates on the Red Wings from 1991-2003. Both led Detroit to three Stanley Cups in 1996-97, 1997-98, and 2001-02 and three President's Trophies as the Red Wings were the best team in the NHL in the 1990s and 2000s. Federov left Detroit in 2003 to play for Anaheim and then played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals before heading to the KHL in 2009. Lidstrom stayed in Detroit until he retired in 2012, where he led the Wings to another Cup in 2008 and three more President's Trophies and was the captain for his last six seasons with the team following the retirement of long-time captain Steve Yzerman.
Federov quietly defected to Detroit from Russia in 1990. He was considered one of the best players in the world in the 1990s and early 2000s and considered to be one of the best playoff performers in NHL history. His best individual season came in 1993-94 when he scored 56 goals and 120 points in 82 games to win both the Hart Trophy (league MVP) and the first of his two Selke Trophies (best defensive forward). He won a second Selke in 1996 and was one of the best two-way centers in the league during his prime, breaking a stereotype that Russian and European players are soft and won't play defense. He'd even play as a defenseman at times for Scotty Bowman in Detroit.
Federov played in three Olympics for Team Russia as well. He scored 483 goals and 1,179 points in his 1,248 game career. He's the all-time leading scorer in both goals and points for a Russian player in NHL history. He also had 176 in 183 career playoff games. In 2009, he became the oldest player to score a game-winning Game 7 goal when he led Washington to a first round series victory over the New York Rangers. He currently is the general manager for CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
Lidstrom is considered to be one of the greatest defensemen ever to play in the NHL. He scored 1,142 points in 1,564 games during his 20-year career, all with the Wings. In addition to winning the Cup four times, Lidstrom won seven Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman, joining Doug Harvey and Bobby Orr (who won eight) to win as many as seven. Lidstrom was a finalist for the Norris Trophy 12 of his last 14 seasons and won it seven of his last ten seasons. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup MVP in 2002, becoming the first European player to win playoff MVP and became the first European captain to win a Stanley Cup in 2008.
Lidstrom appeared in 263 Stanley Cup Playoff games, second most all-time only to former teammate Chris Chelios' 266. Lidstrom shares a record with Larry Robinson for playing in 20 consecutive playoff appearances. Lidstrom was incredibly durable as he was usually among the leaders in ice time per game and never missed more than 12 games in a single season (which occurred in his final season). Lidstrom led Team Sweden to the gold medal in 2006 Olympics when he scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal game, giving him a Stanley Cup, a gold medal in the World Championships, and a gold medal in the Olympics.
Chris Pronger saw his Hall of Fame career come to an abrupt end in 2011 when he suffered post-concussion syndrome and an eye injury due to three separate incidents shortly after being named captain of the Philadelphia Flyers. Pronger currently works for the NHL in their department of player safety and is in the hall despite being under contract with the Arizona Coyotes. He was traded to the Coyotes last week by the Philadelphia Flyers, who were unloading his contract. The Coyotes took on his salary to help them get to the cap floor.
Pronger was drafted second overall in the 1993 NHL Draft by the Hartford Whalers, before playing for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Anahiem Ducks, and Flyers from 1993-2011. He was also the captain of both the Blues and Ducks in addition to being captain of the Flyers. Pronger is one of the most fierce and physically imposing defensemen of his era. He also added some offense to his physical game with 698 points in 1,167 career games.
Pronger won the Cup in 2007 with the Ducks and helped lead the Oilers in 2006 and the Flyers in 2010 to the Cup Finals, where they lost. He has been in the playoffs in every year except his first two in Hartford. His best years where in St. Louis, where he was a five-time All-Star and helped lead them to the President's Trophy in 1999-2000. That same season he also won the Norris Trophy and became the first defenseman to win the Hart Trophy since Bobby Orr in 1972. No defenseman has won it since.
Current Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame. His contributions are that he created the Detroit Compuware youth hockey program in the 1970s, which produced 235 Division I hockey players and 14 NHL first-round picks. He owned several OHL franchises before he purchased the Hartford Whalers in 1994. He moved them to Raleigh, North Carolina a few years later and they became the Carolina Hurricanes (boo!!).
Karmanos interestingly has some involvement with some of the fellow Hall of Famers in this class. He signed Federov to an offer sheet in 1998 worth $38 million after Federov was holding out in a bitter contract dispute with the Red Wings, who decided to match the offer sheet, bringing Federov back to Detroit. His Hurricanes lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002 to both Federov and Lidstrom. He did however beat Pronger's Oilers in 2006 to win the Stanley Cup (which I vomitted in my mouth at that). He did trade Pronger to St. Louis in 1995 when he owned the Whalers.
Bill Hay was the first NCAA graduate to play in the NHL, where he played for the Chicago Blackhawks for eight seasons, winning a Stanley Cup in 1961. Hay was the President and CEO of the Calgary Flames before becoming the Chair of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Angela Ruggeiro won a gold and two silver medals in the Olympics as well as four world championships in her 13-year career. She also became the first woman non-goalie to play in a professional hockey regular season game when she played for the Tulsa Oilers of the Continental Hockey League on January 28, 2005.
Those missing were Eric Lindros, Dave Andreychuk, and Jeremy Roenick as only six can be voted on one ballot each year which I think is ridiculous. There should be 10 if there are 10 guys eligible just like if there are only one or two eligible that's how many should be in. I never agreed with someone is not a first ballot hall of famer but can make it several years later. If your a hall of famer, you're a hall of famer enough said and you should go in whenever you are eligible.
Lindros missed the hall of fame for the fifth year in a row, which is getting ridiculous. How is he not a hall of famer? His 1.138 points per game rank 19th all time. He was the 1995 Hart Trophy winner and is one of a few Hart Trophy winners who are not active to not be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I know because of injuries (concussions) keeping him out of many games and not winning the Stanley Cup have kept him from being in the Hall of Fame. But the guy made a huge impact and was one of the best players in the 1990s and early 2000s. Watching him play and his presence on the ice makes you think hall of famer. He was also one of the best junior players of all time, which is why many thought he'd be the next Wayne Gretzky. Just because he wasn't Gretzky doesn't mean he's not an elite player.
Our old buddy Andreychuk should be in as he scored the most power play goals in NHL history and his 640 goals were the most of anyone who's not active who is not in the Hall of Fame. He had a stellar 11-year career with the Sabres and was spectacular with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Andreychuk also finally won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04. Roenick scored 513 goals and is up there with Phil Housley and Mike Modano as one of the best U.S. born players in NHL history.
Those missing were Eric Lindros, Dave Andreychuk, and Jeremy Roenick as only six can be voted on one ballot each year which I think is ridiculous. There should be 10 if there are 10 guys eligible just like if there are only one or two eligible that's how many should be in. I never agreed with someone is not a first ballot hall of famer but can make it several years later. If your a hall of famer, you're a hall of famer enough said and you should go in whenever you are eligible.
Lindros missed the hall of fame for the fifth year in a row, which is getting ridiculous. How is he not a hall of famer? His 1.138 points per game rank 19th all time. He was the 1995 Hart Trophy winner and is one of a few Hart Trophy winners who are not active to not be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I know because of injuries (concussions) keeping him out of many games and not winning the Stanley Cup have kept him from being in the Hall of Fame. But the guy made a huge impact and was one of the best players in the 1990s and early 2000s. Watching him play and his presence on the ice makes you think hall of famer. He was also one of the best junior players of all time, which is why many thought he'd be the next Wayne Gretzky. Just because he wasn't Gretzky doesn't mean he's not an elite player.
Our old buddy Andreychuk should be in as he scored the most power play goals in NHL history and his 640 goals were the most of anyone who's not active who is not in the Hall of Fame. He had a stellar 11-year career with the Sabres and was spectacular with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Andreychuk also finally won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04. Roenick scored 513 goals and is up there with Phil Housley and Mike Modano as one of the best U.S. born players in NHL history.
No comments:
Post a Comment