NFL
By Jesse Rosales:
The Hockey Hall of Fame resides in Toronto Ontario and was established in 1943. It holds the history of the sports including all the greatest players, moments, and achievements. An 18-person committee of players, coaches, and others meets annually in June to select new honourees, who are inducted as players, builders or on-ice officials. This includes female athletes as well.
The class of 2023 was announced last week. Let’s review who made the cut and will enter hockey immortality. One was no brainer, but there were definitely some questionable additions as well.
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee: Henrik Lundqvist
Most people who did not already know who Henrik Lundqvist was, got a chance to become more familiar with the goaltender during this last postseason run where Henrik appears as an analyst on the TNT panel. A sharp-looking guy and being a well-spoken analyst isn’t what he has been traditionally known for though. Lundqvist was arguably the greatest goaltender of his generation as I would put him over peers such as Pekka Renne and Carey Price.
Lundqvist played in 887 games from 2000 to 2020 all for the New York Rangers. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2012 as the best goaltender in the league and was a finalist for the award 4 other times. Lundqvist ranks 6th in all-time wins with 459, 13th in overall save percentage with .918, and 17th in shutouts with 64. Although he never won a Stanley Cup, it largely agreed that it was never due to his performance. In fact, he was the main reason the Rangers were competitive during that span. Henrik Lundqvist absolutely deserves his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame as one of the best goaltenders of all time.
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee: Caroline Oullette
Can you find a better French Canadian hockey name than Ouelette? I bet not. But it wasn’t just the last name, Caroline Oullette won 4 gold medals with the Canadian Women’s hockey team, accumulated 12 IIHF Women’s World Championship medals, 12 Four Nations Cup medals, and 4 Clarkson Cup championships in the CWHL.
In 157 official international games, Ouelette racked up 169 total points and became the first player in CWHL history to eclipse the 300-point mark. A true pioneer of Women’s hockey. There is no doubt Caroline Ouelette deserves to have the perfect hockey name, etched in the history books for good.
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee: Tom Barrasso
Not gonna lie, I had to look this one up. I was super puzzled by the committee announcing Tom Barrasso. Looking at his career stats I became even more puzzled. Barrasso played for a long time in the NHL and won 369 games which is admirable, but hardly hall worthy in my opinion. While he did win the Vezina Trophy as a rookie with the Buffalo Sabres, his career save percentage was under .900
He won two Stanley Cups in the 90s in back-to-back campaigns, but everyone knows who really won those Championships for Pittsburgh. While it appears Tom Barrasso was a solid and above-average player, I am not in agreement with the committee that he is Hockey Hall of Fame worthy. They got this one wrong in my opinion.
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee: Mike Vernon
As a lifelong Colorado Avalanche, I’m more familiar with Mike Vernon than I was with Tom Barrasso. That being said when the name “Mike Vernon” was announced by the committee, my first reaction was more like… really?
Mike Vernon was a very good goaltender who won two Stanley Cups in his career. One with the Calgary Flames and once with the Detroit Red Wings. Vernon also had a career save percentage of less than .900 and is more remembered for his center-ice brawl with Patrick Roy than his stat line. Again a great player for sure, but Hockey Hall of Fame hockey worthy? Again I’m just not seeing it.
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee: Pierre Turgeon
Pierre Turgeon was another great but not elite player in my mind. He has the most points of any eligible player not in the Hockey Hall of Fame already, and while I do think longevity should be a factor when it comes to voting, I’m not sure he meets the bar.
Turgeon was better in the playoffs for sure where he amassed 97 points in 109 playoff games. With other players on the board like Alexander Mogilny, it makes me wonder what the committee used to elevate Turgeon over Mogilny who had just as good stats but was without a doubt more impactful to the game. I, unfortunately, can’t get on board with Turgeon as a Hockey Hall of Fame player.
Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees: Ken Hitchcock and Pierre Lacroix
These two were selected as part of the Builders Category. Hitchcock is the fourth-winningest coach in NHL history, with a record of 849-534-127 with 88 ties in 22 seasons with the Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Blues, and Edmonton Oilers. He guided Dallas to the Stanley Cup in 1999. Lacroix was GM of the Quebec Nordiques and Avalanche from 1994-2006. He built Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1996 and 2001 and will always be remembered for his contributions to the Avalanche franchise.
Overall, the Hockey Hall of Fame committee got some things right and some things wrong. It’s a hard job for sure. You have to take all these GREAT players and which ones truly transcended the game to secure their spot in the Hall. When I think of the Baseball Hall Of Fame, I think it is way too restrictive to the point of being inaccurate as a museum of baseball history. The Hockey Hall of Fame has been dubbed by many to be the Hall of Greats. Perhaps the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the perfect blend?
Either way, it truly is an honor to be inducted into any Hall of Fame, and I sincerely congratulate this year’s inductees!
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