Jarome Iginla: Hall of Fame Worthy?

Congratulations to Jarome Iginla for becoming just the 10th player in NHL history to score 30 or more goals in 10 consecutive seasons. Here's the list of others who accomplished this amazing feat, listed by number of consecutive seasons:

15 Mike Gartner, 1979-80 to 1993-94
15 Jaromir Jagr, 1991-92 to 2006-07
13 Phil Esposito, 1967-68 to 1979-80
13 Wayne Gretzky, 1979-80 to 1991-92
13 Bobby Hull, 1959-60 to 1971-72
12 Marcel Dionne, 1974-75 to 1985-86
10 Mike Bossy, 1977-78 to 1986-87
10 Jari Kurri, 1980-81 to 1989-80
10 Darryl Sittler, 1973-74 to 1982-83

That is very impressive company. All are Hall of Famers with the exception of the still-active Jagr, and once he is retired he is a lock.

Which raised the question: Is Jarome Iginla Hall of Fame Worthy?

My first - and lasting - thought is "of course!"

He still has, health willing, probably 5 productive seasons left in him, and he could continue to play beyond that. Next season he should reach the magical 500 goal and 1000 point marks. He could challenge 600 goals and 1200 points, very impressive numbers in any era, but especially considering some of his strongest seasons came in the dead puck era.

Individual accomplishments? He is a three time First Team All Star on right wing. He is a two time Maurice Richard Trophy winner as top goal scorer in the league. He also won an Art Ross Trophy, Pearson Award and was once a runner up for the Hart Trophy. It does not hurt to be the undisputed face of a franchise either.

That brings us to team success, which mean championships. Iginla does not have a Stanley Cup ring, and some believe that is a pre-requisite for Hall of Fame inclusion. I disagree, especially in this era of 30 teams. Besides, Iginla played top line roles in three Olympics with Team Canada, winning two gold medals. Some of his most memorable moments came at the game's highest level.

Even without a Cup ring, it could be argued Iginla had more playoff success than a few of the Hall of Fame players listed above, namely Mike Gartner, Marcel Dionne, and Darryl Sittler. Iginla led Calgary to game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup finals, leading all players in goals.

Oh yeah, and he was a significant part of two Memorial Cup championships, 1 World Junior Championship, 1 World Cup and 1 World Championship.

So yes, Jarome Iginla, even with several years left to play, is already lock to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in my books.

HHOF Worthy? Dave Andreychuk

A reader recently emailed me adamantly stating that Dave Andreychuk is sure-fire Hockey Hall of Famer. 

The case he made is impressive:

• 640 career goals, 13th best all-time
• NHL's all time leader in power play goals (274)
• Captained Stanley Cup winning team (2004 Tampa Bay Lightning)
• 5th all-time in games played.
• 27th all time in career points

"Consistency, longevity, a winner, and the best power play goal scorer in the League's storied history. Sounds like a Hall of Famer to me," the reader wrote.

It's hard to argue with that. Yet at the same time Dave Andreychuk does not really fit my idea of what a Hall of Famer should be. He was never a dominant player.

My profile of a HHOFer must include being a dominant, rare talent for a good stretch of time. Six to eight years in a 10 year window is my general rule of thumb. While Andreychuk played very well for a very long time and is a real nice guy, when was he ever "the best?"

He never once made a post-season All Star team. Heck, only twice did he play in a NHL all star game. For all those career goals, only once did he crack the top five in goal scoring - 1994. That same season was the only time he finish in the top 10 in points. I think that spurt in production had more to do with playing with Doug Gilmour than anything.

I still really struggle with longevity and consistency compared to true dominance. Even with his lofty goal scoring totals I personally would not include him in my own Hall of Fame. But in the real world Hockey Hall of Fame, I will concede that Dave Andreychuk should one day be included in the Hall. By their lower standards, I agree that Dave Andreychuk should one day be included in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

I would even induct Andreychuk ahead of fellow long time goal scorers like Dino Ciccarelli because of the Stanley Cup championship. But I do think the likes of Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Adam Oates, Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros and maybe even John Leclair should get the nod first. In my mind, they were all dominant players.

So yes, Dave Andreychuk fans, I do suspect one day he will be included in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But not in 2010.

Jeremy Roenick

Ever since Jeremy Roenick retired, the media, who loved the always quotable JR, began campaigning for his inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

So the question is simple - was Jeremy Roenick's career good enough to get him in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Roenick was a face of the game for a long time, both in the United States and in Canada. Fans loved him, almost as much as the media. He was wildly popular, and his ritzy personality generally good for the game.

And make no mistake, he was a very good hockey player. For a short window of time he was even a great hockey player. At his peak he was as good as, or even better than, many of the players in the Hall of Fame right now.

On top of that, he was one of the greatest American players of all time. Top ten? Probably. Top 5. Possibly. Not that citizenship should enter into the equation, but it seems to for top American players.

The question that lingers though is this: Was Jeremy Roenick's career great enough to enshrine him in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Was he a winner? As Patrick Roy would be quick to point out, Roenick has zero Stanley Cup championships on his resume. He was part of two Olympics, picking up the silver medal in 2002. He participated in the 1991 Canada Cup, but he was not a member of the victorious 1996 World Cup of Hockey American squad. He never won a major NHL award, either.

Was he one of the truly elite players of his era? From 1990 through 1994, most definitely. Otherwise he was a very good player. Is four years at the elite level good enough? Does Roenick's longevity make up for that enough?

Are his career numbers good enough? 500 goals was once basically a guarantee of inclusion, but that has changed and the new benchmark is still trying to be established. Roenick's 513 are impressive, the 36th most in NHL history at the time of his retirement. But Dave Andreychuk has 640, and Dino Ciccarelli has 608, and they waited a long time.

Roenick's 1216 career points ranked him 39th all time at the time of his retirement. Among the players ahead of him are quite a few players who do not get a lot of Hall of Fame mention: Adam Oates, Dave Andreychuk, Pierre Turgeon and defenseman Phil Housley all have more.


Most people want to see the popular Jeremy Roenick in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day. If you take out the emotional attachment people seem to have for JR and just look at his career by crunching numbers against his peers, he would be placed among a group of Pierre Turgeon, Phil Housley, Pat Verbeek, Vincent Damphousse and Rod Brind'Amour.

But hockey is not a game that can be measured by statistics. It is a game of emotion. Roenick was one of the best blends of skill and mayhem the game has seen, bringing more to the table than goals, assists and plus/minus. Perhaps his intangibles will raise him above others.

HHOF Worthy: Sergei Fedorov?

Adam Kimelman of NHL.com hit the nail on the head when he proclaimed Sergei Fedorov's series winning goal against New York last night brings back memories of one the game's greatest players.

A decade ago, Sergei Fedorov was Alexander Ovechkin, streaking up and down the ice, making jaw-dropping plays.

Of course the fans in Washington remember the great Fedorov all too well. After all, in 1998 he was a key player for the Detroit Red Wings team that defeated the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup finals.

On Tuesday night at the Verizon Center, it was like 1998 all over again as Fedorov scored the series-clinching goal in Game 7.

It's the first time the Caps have advanced to the second round of the playoffs since 1998, the only time the Capitals have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Those Caps were swept by the Detroit Red Wings -- and the winning goal in Game 3, played in Washington, was scored by Fedorov.

Those were the days. Fedorov was one of my favorite players, the last classic Soviet-era centerman as creative in the offensive zone as he was heady in the defensive zone. He was blessed with speed and puck skills but above all he had a wonderful hockey mind.

Even in the height of his career some people claimed he was an enigma. That always bugged me. While I admit he looked disinterested in Anaheim and Columbus, the truth of the matter was he was an effortless player because he understood the game so well. He was always in such good position that he, unlike so many players in the league, did not have to go all out to make the play. Some fans hate that, I love it. In his prime he was a near perfect hockey player.

He was so flawless offensively that several times in his career he actually dropped back and played entire games as a rearguard, and play it wll. That is an incredibly rare thing to do, especially for an offensive player.

Sometime Fedorov did leave you wanting more, especially offensively. Even though he scored nearly 500 goals and nearly 1200 points, his talent suggested he could have raised those numbers some. But the bigger the game the better the performance by Fedorov. In four consecutive Stanley Cup playoffs between 1995 and 1998 Fedorov scored 20 points or more. Even Wayne Gretzky never scored 20 points in four consecutive playoffs.

As far as I am concerned Sergei Fedorov is an easy lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a key member of three Stanley Cup championships. He won a Hart Trophy and Pearson Trophy, and two Selke's and scored nearly 500 goals and 1200 points.

HHOF Worthy - Joe Nieuwendyk?

Joe Nieuwendyk was one of my favorite players. So it should come as no surprise that I will argue that Joe Nieuwendyk should one day be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Joe Nieuwendyk was a winner. He won three Stanley Cup championships with three different teams - Calgary, Dallas and New Jersey. Plus he won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in 2002.

In 1999 he was so important to Dallas' Stanley Cup championship that he was named as the Conn Smythe trophy winner - about as prestigious of an individual award a hockey player can earn.

That was not his only major award either. In 1988 he won the Calder trophy as best NHL rookie, and in 1995 he won the King Clancy award for his leadership on and off the ice.

Statistically speaking his numbers are also worthy. 564 goals and 1126 points in 1257 games once upon a time guaranteed a player inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Nowadays a new standard is trying to be established, given the much higher scoring era of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Surprisingly, Nieuwendyk's career statistics could be a sticking point for some Hall voters. Injuries really slowed him, although he always remained a clutch player. He did not average a point per game. And his career totals lands him in a group of 1980s/1990s players who had similar statistics but are debatable Hall of Famers - players like Dino Ciccarelli (608 goals), Dave Andreychuk (640 goals), and a host of players who squeaked into the 500 goal club.

Nieuwendyk's advantages are his championships, his awards, and his impeccable reputation in the community - something the Hall of Fame definitely takes into consideration.

Knowledgeable hockey fans know that Nieuwendyk was one of those guys who brought more to the rink than any statistic can quantify. That might seem odd to say given Nieuwy spent much of his career primarily as a top marksman, but he was a complete player. Aside from chronic back injuries, he had no real weakness in his game. And he brought a lot to the organization off the ice, both in terms of dressing room leadership and community involvement.

When will Nieuwendyk get into the Hockey Hall of Fame? He is not eligible until 2010. Assuming the 2009 class goes as predicted - Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch and Brett Hull - Nieuwendyk will find himself in consideration with other first time nominees Eric Lindros, Peter Bondra, and Pierre Turgeon, as well as backlog of previously passed over stars such as Ciccarelli, Andreychuk, Pavel Bure, Adam Oates, Brian Bellows, Doug Gilmour, Tom Barrasso, Mike Richter, Alexander Mogilny and Phil Housley, amongst others.

Can he be honoured in his very first go around? That has been a rare feat in recent years, highly reserved for the true superstars. However I suspect Nieuwendyk just might do it in 2010, possibly inducted with good friend Doug Gilmour at the same time.

HHOF Worthy - Curtis Joseph?

Here's a new feature I thought I'd toy around with here in 2009. It's called HHOF Worthy?

We will take a look at NHL stars, some active, some not, and look at whether their careers have been proficient enough to warrant inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Let's start with Curtis Joseph, who just registered his 450th career win, the 4th most wins in NHL history:

Patrick Roy - 551

Martin Brodeur - 544*

Ed Belfour - 484

Curtis Joseph - 450*

Terry Sawchuk - 447

Jacques Plante - 437

Tony Esposito - 423

Glenn Hall - 407

Grant Fuhr - 403

Dominik Hasek - 389

* Active player

That is some pretty impressive company CuJo finds himself in. He would have even gaudier numbers had he played on stronger teams. Be it in St. Louis, Edmonton, or Toronto, Joseph was an at-times spectacular goaltender but his teams never could get over the hump and truly challenge for the Stanley Cup.

Some would argue Joseph was the weak link, but I don't think that is completely fair. It takes a team to win or to lose. Interestingly, CuJo could end his career as the NHL's all time leader in losses by a goalie. He's only 4 losses behind Gump Worsley and 3 behind Gilles Meloche - two pretty good goalies, who played on some pretty bad teams.

Besides, Joseph's playoff numbers are strong. Let's take a look at Joseph compared to his peers.

In the past 20 years, seven goalies have played in 100 career playoff games: Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, Dominik Hasek, Martin Brodeur, Chris Osgood, Tom Barrasso, plus Joseph. Again, some pretty nice company.

In those 100 games CuJo had 63 wins, 5th among his 7 peers, with Osgood likely to surpass him in 2009. His save percentage, a solid .917, also ranked 5th. Joseph is also the only goalie on the list to have a sub-.500 playoff career.

But the most glaring stat is number of Stanley Cups won. Joseph has zero. You can also add zero Vezina Trophies, zero post-season all star teams and zero major awards (he did win the King Clancy Trophy for his leadership on and off the ice in 2000). His peers all won Cups and major awards.

No player should be in the Hall of Fame if he was not amongst the best of his era.

Even three time Stanley Cup winner Osgood and two time Stanley Cup winner Barrasso are questionable Hall of Fame entries. I would argue that goalies like Bill Ranford, Mike Richter, and Ron Hextall deserve enshrinement before CuJo.

Curtis Joseph was a spectacular goalie who had a really good career. I have no problem putting him on par with peers like Osgood, Olaf Kolzig, Sean Burke, John Vanbiesbrouck, and Andy Moog. All good goalies, but none are likely to end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

But he was never able to match the truly elite goalies of his era - Roy, Brodeur, Belfour, and Hasak. Any Hall of Famer must be the best of his own era. Joseph was not. That, combined with his lack of playoff success and lack of individual awards, makes that answer to my question fairly obvious.

Is Curtis Joseph HHOF worthy? No.

Tell me what you think. Use the comments section below.