The Hockey News: The Straight Edge: The Straight Edge: Sealing a HHOF spot with a Cup

The Straight Edge: Sealing a HHOF spot with a Cup

Vancouver's Mats Sundin will be looking to win his first Stanley Cup this post-season. (Photo By Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

Ryan Kennedy
2009-03-27 11:45:00

Truly, there is only one award coveted by every single NHLer. It is the Stanley Cup and it is difficult to win. And while the humility of many of the athletes who play the sport dictates that individual honors take a back seat to the ultimate team goal of winning the title, a nice little hat-tip at the end of one’s career never hurt.

But in most years, getting elected to the Hall of Fame is a tough accomplishment, made even more difficult by the fact there are so many more players to choose from than there were in the Original Six era, or even when the NHL had 21 teams.

So how does an elite athlete distinguish himself today? In the words of Alex Ovechkin, “Cups is Cups.”

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. I’m not saying this is virtuous, but he was captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs for a decade and is that franchise’s all-time points leader. The Olympic gold for Sweden and two-time all-star* honors are nice, but a Cup with the Canucks would seal the deal.

Jeremy Roenick, San Jose – Another fan favorite and one of the greatest personalities the game has seen, J.R. unfortunately does not have a lot of hardware to back it up. In fact, the tough-as-nails Shark has no trophies or all-star selections in his career and that’s probably not going to change. He is, however, one of the highest-scoring Americans of all-time and has certainly made an impact on the game for the better. Much like Sundin, a Stanley Cup may give the selection committee the excuse they need to get him in.

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Mark Recchi, Boston – True, Recchi already owns two Stanley Cup rings, courtesy his time in Pittsburgh and Carolina, but a third Cup with a third team would give the savvy vet irrefutable entry into the Hall. Think about it: Recchi is nearly a point-per-game player over a 20-year career and has an all-star team selection (1992) under his belt. But to prove himself once again to be that consummate playoff performer – not to mention someone brought in by the Bruins for the express purpose of putting the team over the top – would raise a lot of eyebrows in the right places.

Claude Lemieux, San Jose – Speaking of playoff genius, Lemieux is the poster boy. The agitator extraordinaire will have easily punched his ticket if he could win an incredible fifth Cup with a fourth team this summer. Based on post-season heroics alone, Lemieux should be a lock, but he’s not exactly a cuddly selection to make. He trails only Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull in game-winning playoff goals and has a Conn Smythe Trophy on his mantle.

*In all cases in this column – and anywhere in The Hockey News – an all-star is a player selected to the end-of-year all-star team, not the guys who played in the mid-season All-Star Game.

Ryan Kennedy is a writer and copy editor for The Hockey News magazine, the co-author of the book Hockey's Young Guns and a regular contributor to THN.com. His blog appears Mondays and Wednesdays, his column - The Straight Edge - every Friday, and his features, The Hot List and Prep Watch appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.

For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

COMMENTS (37)

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Greg Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:40)

In my opinion, Sundin doesn't need a Stanley Cup to get into the HOF. He's a point per game forward in the NHL, as well as in his World Cup and Olympic appearances. He's been an All-Star in the NHL, Canada Cup, and World Cup. Roenick is probably in as a second ballot - he's been great for hockey in the US. Recchi and C. Lemieux are a bit of a stretch as far as the HOF goes - both very good, but neither strikes me as elite.

wuzza Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:26)

The author isn't saying that a Stanley Cup medal is essential for entry, but rather that it would give the selection committee an extra reason, or push them over the top if someone was borderline. I agree that it the selection committee sometimes seem to have strange predilections, but having a cup in your back pocket might be what separates a very good player from a great one.

11 Cups Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:26)

If Claude Lemieux's play alone were a factor on getting in the Hall, hell no. The only reason he'll make the Hall is he played in the playoffs AND won 4 Cups. Saying his play alone will get him into the Hall is a sin. It's those 52 punch marks on the Cup that will scar it forever, and get him in that beautiful Hall.

Brian Kemp Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:16)

Brian P, I agree with you, to a point, although I will say that all of those monster seasons came in a more high scoring era, before the trap. My point is more that Sundin has been consistent despite the fact that he hasn't had consistency on his wings, not that he was a great player who just needed wingers of his caliber. Like I said, I think he is borderline, maybe a little more on the in side of the border than the out. In my opinion, Sundin isn't even remotely close to the sure fire locks that Yzerman or Lemieux were, and I think Oates was probably a little better. Oates isn't in yet and I don't expect it to be easy for Sundin, either.

Brian Kemp Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:15)

Greesha, you're arguments against Tim actually don't look all that different, other than the fact that Bourque was a lot better than the three. Still doesn't change the fact that whether or not a guy won cups is seriously overrated by the induction commitee. And on that note, Lemieux getting in based on his name being on the Cup 4 times would be a joke. So what if he had a few good and one great playoff? He was a great douche on the ice, so that should get him in? Sean Avery is a great agitator who helps his team win (usually). How many will be saying that he deserves to get in based on that when he's done, if he's able to keep up his level of on-ice douchiness and win some cups? No one. Based on four cups, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty should all get in. They've all won four Cups and were instrumental in all four of them (not as much McCarty on the last one). I love those guys, they've done nothing but good here in Detroit, but there is no one who would say that they are Hall-worthy, so why is Lemieux's name even coming up? Sundin is borderline. He's more on the side of in because of the Leafs, but realistically, looking at his numbers and post season hardware, he's a guy with a real good shot, but not a lock. The big thing for me that would probably make me vote yes for him, were the HOF stupid enough to allow me to vote, is his consistency despite the fact that he really has had mostly garbage on his wings for the majority of his career. A past his prime Mogilny was his best winger and he had him there for three years, seasons of 73, 66 and 37 games, one of which was for a point a game. Internationally, he was great, scoring at a point a game, and that should count for quite a bit.

Brian P Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:15)

I really wish Sundin defenders would stop bringing up the fact Sundin had poor players on his wing as some kind of argument that he should be in the Hall. So, you're saying Sundin should be in the Hall because...he could've scored more points, if he'd played with better players? What kind of argument is that? You know who Steve Yzerman had on his wing the year he scored 155 points? Gerard Gallant, a journeyman forward who was only a scorer those few seasons he played with Yzerman because Yzerman made him one. Mario Lemieux scored nearly 250 points his first two seasons with Warren Young and Mike Bullard as the best wingers on those teams. Who? Exactly. Adam Oates had his best season not with Neely or Hull on his wing, but with Joe Juneau and Dmitri Kvartalnov. Even better for you Leaf fans, Doug Gilmour had his best season with Nikolai Borchevsky and an over the hill Glenn Anderson as the best wingers on his team. The point is, really great players make mediocre players better. You Sundin apologists want to say he had no good linemates during his prime. What you're really saying is that Sundin wasn't a good enough player to make the guys he had on his line better, like other great players both in and out of the Hall did.

Greesha Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:14)

Tim, you are obviously no William Tell because you continue to grossly miss the point. You claim that Roenick, Recchi, and Sundin should be admitted into the HHOF even if they don't win a cup, making a comparison with Ray Bourque to support your argument. I, on the other hand, refuted that this argumentation has value because the aforementioned players are not of equivalent quality (this means that Roenick, Recchi, and Sundin are not as good as Bourque), regardless of whether they have won cups or not. Moreover, your argumentation is further flawed because you tried to state that the presence of players without significant NHL resumes (e.g., Tretiak) in the HHOF further justifies the inclusion of Sundin et al. I in no way was providing the same argument as you (as was erroneously perceived), I was highlighting the weakness of your argument.

Bukator Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:12)

Sundin is in. First European to go first overall and didn't dissapoint. His stats as a Swede are far better than anyone else's. Forsberg had a better ppg, but couldn't be relied on obviously. Sundin would have to be compared to Salming in that category. Cup or no Cup, the deal is sealed.

Fredrik Vilborg Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:12)

Mr Marbles, can you just let the gold medals and cups go for one second? Marcel Dionne does'nt have a cup. It's 23 players on a team and when it comes to national teams it's hard to get traded, really. But ok, aside from the 2006 olympics he got gold in the 1991, 1992 and 1998 World Championships while getting chosen to the AST on all those occations. The World Championship teams are usually equal good as NHL teams. And while these tourneys do consist of less than 10 games each lets not forget that in the case of the OG, World Cup and Canada Cup the teams are better than the NHL teams. He dominates those tournaments in a way ther player has during the last 15 years+, playing against Bourque and Stevens not Stevens and Daneyko. "Player3", since 1997-98 he has played with a 30 goal scorer twice, Mogilny once and Sergei Berezin the other.

Rick Posted
(2009-04-30 08:13:12)

Sure, these guys are very good players but you should have to be a super star in all aspects to make it to the hall. Good stats are a part of the equation but just one part. A player should have exceptional skills, a good hockey mind which would showcase him on any team weak or strong. Win a cup to get into the hall ... I don't think so. Any mediocre player could be lucky enough to be on a team that is a power house and win a cup.

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