Hall of Fame Monday

Today the Hockey Hall of Fame welcomes 5 new members: Mark Messier, Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis, Ron Francis and Jim Gregory. It has been described as the class of all classes.

This past weekend I've shared personal memories on our 4 player inductees. Here's a recap: Ronny Franchise: A Look At Ron Francis; Al MacInnis: Mr. Big Shot; Mark Messier: My Villain, My Hero; and Scott Stevens: Hockey's Ultimate Warrior.

Meanwhile, last week I issued a Greatest Hockey Legends.com Challenge around the blogosphere. In an attempt to spread hockey history around the blogs, I challenged hockey bloggers to post memories of their favorite retired NHLers. While the challenge didn't penetrate the blogosphere as deeply as I had hoped, I still consider the challenge to be a success. Here's a look at the favorite hockey legends of some of your favorite blog authors:

Spector remembers Ken Dryden
NHL Digest remembers Mats Naslund
Paul Kukla remembers Gordie Howe
Biskit Art remembers Bernie Parent
Mike Chen remembers Mike Ricci
On The Forecheck remembers Vladimir Konstantinov
On Frozen Blog remembers Peter Bondra
Going Five Hole remembers Mario Lemieux
Hockey Night In California remembers Mario Lemieux
Earl Sleek remembers Adam Oates
Hockey Narrative remembers Teemu Selanne
Flyer Flies remembers Bernie Parent
Christie at Behind The Jersey remembers Steve Yzerman
and good ol' Lucas Aykroyd remembers the mustachioed players of the 1980s!

A lot of people ask me who is my all time favorite player. I have to admit that I have too many to choose from, and I have posted about 600 profiles here at Greatest Hockey Legends.com. Those who know me well know that Wayne Gretzky and Trevor Linden rank high on my personal list, for both their on ice and off ice contributions.

Watch live coverage of the 2007 Induction Celebration on TSN's Alternate Feed, Monday at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Also, a special two-hour presentation of the festivities will be broadcast on TSN on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt prior to the Edmonton Oilers-Vancouver Canucks game on the NHL on TSN.

Be sure the visit the Hockey Hall of Fame website. Information on Gala Festivities can be found here. A .pdf file containing the official Hall of Fame induction ceremonies program can be found here.

Al MacInnis: Mr. Big Shot

Lucas Aykroyd over at Hockey Adventure recently retold a great Al MacInnis story. Great, that is, unless you were goaltender Rich Parent. And he was MacInnis' teammate at the time.

"Apparently he didn’t ease up too much against his own teammates, either. With the St. Louis Blues, MacInnis unleashed a drive that hit goalie Rich Parent in precisely the wrong place during the warm-up prior to a game versus Edmonton. Parent underwent emergency surgery after suffering a “scrotal contusion and ruptured testicle.” He missed 11 games."

Ah yes. That shot. When you think of Al MacInnis you think of his booming slap shot. His overall effective game which ranked him as one of the most complete defenders of any era is totally overlooked by his 100 mile an hour blast from the point that puts the fear of god into goalies and anyone standing in the way.

His shot got him into the NHL. He was always known for his shot during his playing days, and will be forever remembered for his awesome blast. But if you look past that shot, you'll notice he was a complete defenseman with an incredible career.

Read the full Al MacInnis biography here.

"Chopper" also took the time to talk to the media this past week. Here's some highlights:

On the moment he is most proud of: "Without a doubt is '89 and winning the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames, and the team that we had there and the coaching staff. You play this game to win and to win the Stanley Cup. I would have loved to win more than one, but looking back over my career, I feel very fortunate. There are a lot of great players that don't get a chance to win one. To think that we won one in '89 was no question the highlight of my career. "

On where he ranks his 2002 Olympic gold medal: "It is certainly second. Again, I'm thinking back when you're growing up playing street hockey, the Stanley Cup was your number one goal. Then all of a sudden, years later they allowed professionals to play in the Olympics. And without a doubt it was a great accomplishment. Any time you put on a jersey representing your country, there is pride and accomplishment and expectations. To win a gold medal in Salt Lake was definitely a close second."

On his famous slap shot: "I remember I always felt probably after midget on, midget hockey into junior that I kind of realized that I was shooting the puck a little bit harder than everybody else. And my junior coach at the time, Joe Crozier, in Kitchener, he was watching me shoot pucks at practice one day and he came over and said, kid, that shot's going to get you to the NHL some day. Sure enough it was a shot that gave me a chance to play."

Here's a YouTube tribute of Al MacInnis:

Mark Messier: My Villain, My Hero

I hated Mark Messier at times. I loved him at other times. And now that his career has ended, I still have mixed emotions about #11. You can read my original Mark Messier biography here. What follows below are some personal memories of "the Moose."

In the 1980s I loved to watch Mark Messier and the Edmonton Oilers. The speed, the power, the determination - Even in the early days I had an inkling that Messier may be the closest comparable player to Gordie Howe, a legend I never really saw play.

There wasn't anything Messier couldn't do. Physically he dominated like so few before. He skated like the wind. And his hands were at times so soft he could make plays and score goals. At other times his hands were like boulders of rock, jack hammering away in numerous fights in the Battle of Alberta.

But I also saw Messier as one of the dirtiest players, frequently using his elbows and stick to intimidate. Unlike Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier could also be accused of floating through a lot of meaningless regular season games. But rest assured when the team needed him, he showed up, especially in the playoffs as proved by his 5 Stanley Cups in Edmonton.

Then he went off to New York, out of the shadows of Gretzky's Oilers. He took Manhattan by storm, his ego grew and he became less likable, for me anyways. To make matters worse, he led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup in 1994, knocking off my Vancouver Canucks. The image of that wide-grinned Messier ripping the Cup out of Gary Bettman's hands and hoisting in front of the Madison Square Gardens' faithful pains me as much today as it did back then.

An interesting thing happened that night. With the Stanley Cup delivered, Messier was no longer an Oiler forever. he was Manhattan's Messiah, one of the most heralded sports figures in America's biggest marketplace. Unlike any of his teammates, Messier may be better remembered outside of Edmonton than wearing the blue and orange, despite Edmonton's attempts to reclaim their hometown hero.

Messier's play slipped considerably after that Cup win. The Rangers let him go and god forbid my Canucks lured him away as the highest bidder. This wasn't the same Mark Messier playing as a Canuck. The former Canuck killer was now a disinterested perimeter player, willing to talk big but not willing to lead by example, as he always did. No, in Vancouver he was a locker room cancer, not a leader. History will likely sweep that painful period under the rug. No wants to remember the washed up Messier that hung on way too long.

In fact I refuse to believe Messier is the greatest leader in hockey history. I'll save that for Steve Yzerman or Bobby Clarke, or Wayne Gretzky, Messier's leader in Edmonton.

How I do want to remember Mark Messier though is as a member of Team Canada, where he truly is a legend, especially in the Canada Cup tournaments.

he three time Canada Cup champion was instrumental in both the 1984 and 1987 Canadian victories. He took a back seat to the likes of Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Paul Coffey, but his fearless play and win at all costs attitude intimidated the Russians and all other nations.

In 1984 the Soviets sent a more physical lineup, led by Vladimir Kovin. It was Messier who delivered the message right back at the Soviets, rearranging Kovin's face in a famous (or maybe it should be infamous) stick carving incident.

In 1987 Messier was most often matched up against the famed Soviet Green Unit - the KLM Line with Krutov, Larionov and Makarov. Messier shutdown Larionov in particular. By doing so, he showed his teammates that he was willing to sacrifice goals and assists for the good of the team. Everyone on Team Canada noticed, and even superstars like Dale Hawerchuk and Michel Goulet gladly accepted lesser roles.

"Mark was very instrumental in bringing that group together," said Canadian head coach Mike Keenan.

"How Mark impacted his team was incredible," he added. In Game Two in 1987, we were tied after regulation. He came in and just jacked the room right up. It was really an incredible experience. And the team stayed jacked up, even more so for Game Three. Honest to God, you could feel the energy in the room, like I've never experienced in any situation before or after. The energy was so high, it was like they were walking on air after he spoke."

1991 was a tough tournament for Mess personally. Due to injuries, he missed the entire training camp and was expected not to play at all. Then, on the last day of camp, he limped in and was named to the team. He played a quiet and largely ineffective role, but when the team needed him would be ready to come through.

And the team did need him. Wayne Gretzky, clearly the tournament's best player, was crunched from behind by USA's Gary Suter, rendering him unable to play in what proved to be the decisive game. The loss of The Great One could have proved deadly for Team Canada, but Mark Messier, along with Paul Coffey, really took the bull by the horns and kept the team confident and focused. Messier himself scored the all important goal in the third period of Game One to calm the team down, then opened the scoring in Game Two. Despite his injuries, Messier was dominant when the time came.

Mark Messier is one of the league's all time greatest players, and one of the tournament's all time greatest performers. If they were ever to name 20 Canadians of any era to an all Canadian dream team, Mark Messier would be there, and would likely be their leader.

Messier chatted with the media via teleconference prior to Hall of Fame weekend. Here's some highlights:

On Edmonton winning the Cup in 1990, without Wayne Gretzky: "I never felt happy that we were able to win a Stanley Cup without Wayne. I never felt vindicated that we were able to do that on a personal level. If anything, I probably felt sad that he wasn't there to share it with us after what we had gone through with the first four. I never really felt that I had anything to prove. I shouldn't say "I," I should say "we" as a team. Didn't feel we had anything to prove as individuals whether we could or couldn't win without Wayne. We just felt we had a responsibility to ourselves and our city to do everything we could and carry on that tradition we had established there. When we were able to win, there was probably more a sense of regret and sadness that he wasn't there."

On his Cup win with the New York Rangers in 1994: "Obviously, the Stanley Cup in New York was very similar to the first one in that it was just so new to everybody. Nobody knew in Edmonton, you know, what to expect or how to react. I felt the same kind of pandemonium type feeling in New York in '94 as in '84 where it was such a feeling of sheer and utter jubilation and satisfaction for both of those Cups."

On the Battle of Alberta: "I think we wouldn't have been the same teams without Calgary pushing us to the heights that they did. And we wouldn't be the same players. I think what they forced us to do is really examine ourselves and what we were really made of. Because they forced you to answer the call, you know, your internal courage had to be summoned each and every time you played. So they really pushed us to greater heights and to greater players through that rivalry."

More on the Hall of Fame Inductees

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: AL MACINNIS
Norm Sanders writes in the BELLEVILLE NEWS-DEMOCRAT, "Neither of his parents are still alive, but they were the first people to enter Al MacInnis’ mind Thursday when the former St. Louis Blues star defenseman learned he had been voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 'You think about how many people have actually had a hand and an influence on the path that you’ve taken to get here,' said MacInnis…Growing up in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia, MacInnis was always looking for something to do. His father managed the local ice rink and his son would help him lock up at night, gathering stray pucks that had been shot over the boards or over the glass. He lugged them home and built his muscles by firing puck after puck against the family barn. 'Never did I think it’d turn out this way, I was just bored and needed something to do,'"

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: MARK MESSIER
Sam Weinman writes in the ROCKLAND JOURNAL NEWS, "Just like he was standing before an empty net, Mark Messier's selection to the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday was never in question. The NHL's second-leading scorer, already revered in New York for bringing the Rangers their first Stanley Cup in 54 years in 1994…The 46-year-old Messier will be the 43rd Ranger to enter the Hall, but the first player elected in more than a decade who spent a significant portion of his career with the team. Messier won five Stanley Cups in 12 years in Edmonton, but his most dramatic feat may have come in 1994, the third of his 10 seasons as a Ranger. Fortunately for him, the Hockey Hall of Fame doesn't force players to designate a team when they enter."

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: SCOTT STEVENS
Tom Gulitti writes in the BERGEN RECORD, "Scott Stevens was just about to start cleaning the kitchen floor when he received the telephone call Thursday morning that he had been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame's incomparable Class of 2007. 'I still don't have the floor done yet,' the former Devils captain confessed later…During his 22 NHL seasons, Stevens was one of the game's most feared players. His knockout open-ice hits on Detroit's Slava Kozlov and Philadelphia's Eric Lindros added to his legend. Although he played in Washington and St. Louis before coming to the Devils in 1991 as compensation for the Blues' signing of Brendan Shanahan, he will be forever linked to the Devils."

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: RON FRANCIS
Luke DeCock writes in the RALEIGH NEWS AND OBSERVER, "Ron Francis went through his career as one of the most underappreciated players of his generation. He was also one of the most productive. When the Hockey Hall of Fame selected him for membership Thursday, it honored the latter while correcting, once and for all, the former. The native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, played 16 of his 23 seasons for the Carolina Hurricanes franchise, leading them to the Stanley Cup finals as captain in 2002. Francis was at home in North Raleigh when he got the news. Francis said, 'As a kid growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, I dreamed of playing in the NHL and holding the Stanley Cup over my head. But never did I expect to accomplish this.'" Also See: Hartford Courant

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: JIM GREGORY
Mike Zeisberger writes in the TORONTO SUN, "The nicest story of the day might have been the announcement that long-time hockey man Jim Gregory was being welcomed into the builders' category. Gregory, who served as the general manager of the Maple Leafs from 1969-79, easily could have been a candidate for the sympathy vote, having served under the tyrannical Harold Ballard for 10 years. But his duties with central scouting and his role as the NHL's vice-president of hockey operations underscores the work of a man involved in the sport for more than four decades. He received the call concerning his induction while driving home from a family function in Dunnville Wednesday night, causing him to pull off the road."

Hockey Hall of Fame Inducts Messier, Francis, MacInnis, Stevens and Gregory

The Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2007 has been announced. Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis and Scott Stevens, as well as NHL executive Jim Gregory will be inducted officially on November 12th, 2007. (photo credit: TSN)

Players not garnering enough support include first time eligible player Igor Larionov, Adam Oates, and Claude Lemieux. Overlooked for a second or more time are Pavel Bure, Glenn Anderson, Doug Gilmour, Dino Ciccarelli, Tom Barrasso, and Mike Richter.

All five of today's inductees are definitely deserving of induction, and it is shame the others had to be left out this time around. But for me Igor Larionov was a no-brainer on par with Messier and Francis.

I'm well researched in the area of major international hockey events and Soviet hockey, and Larionov is every bit the superstar and the class sportsman that the Hall is looking for. Sure his NHL career wasn't as spectacular as most others mentioned above, but his prime days in the Soviet Union were amazing. All those Olympics, World Championships, and Canada Cups should have gotten him inducted much like Valeri Kharlamov. Then you couple a lengthy NHL career, complete with 3 Stanley Cup titles, and the contributions off the ice, and he still will get in, much like Viacheslav Fetisov. Hopefully Larionov won't be ignored like his old running mate Sergei Makarov, another spectacular player who deserves recognition.

The Hockey Hall of Fame needs to end their bias against the Soviet players. As George James Malik of MLive.com says:

It's the Hockey Hall of Fame, remember, not just the NHL Hall of Fame. And while Igor's contributions to three Stanley Cup championships amounts to plenty, his international career -- like that of Hall of Famer Slava Fetisov before him -- adds up to a whole lot more.

Well, at least Larionov is handling the rejection better than I am. Besides, who do you take out of the equation to let Larionov in? Messier and Francis were locks, and MacInnis had so much selection committee support from the likes of Lanny McDonald, Eric Duhatschek and John Davidson that there may have only been one spot open.

Also See: Official HHOF Press Release - Hockey Hall of Fame website

TSN.ca - ESPN.com - Globe & Mail

Who's Going Into Hockey's Hall of Fame?

On June 28th, 2007 the Hockey Hall of Fame will announce the induction class of 2007. Induction will take place on November 12th, 2007 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Only 4 people in the players category can be admitted at one time. And there is no shortage of candidates for the 4 positions.

Mark Messier is the only "lock" as a for-sure enshrinee. Other first year candidates include Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Igor Larionov, Adam Oates, and Ron Francis. Claude Lemieux is a slightly more controversial first time candidate, though definitely worthy of consideration.

Previously overlooked candidates include Pavel Bure, Glenn Anderson, Doug Gilmour, Dino Ciccarelli, Tom Barrasso, Mike Richter and in the long shot category, just because I believe they belongs there, Sergei Makarov and Mark Howe.

So you can see the problem here: Too many deserving members and only 4 positions. My money is on Messier, Stevens, Larionov, and Francis.

I originally gave Bure the nod over Francis, thinking Francis flew too far under the radar and Bure would get a political nod to be included with Larionov to appease the international crowds. But Francis did score 5 major individual trophies. And of course he was a big part of two Stanley Cups, and that should tip the scales in Francis' favor.

Also, the mainstream media is touting Al MacInnis with a slight edge over Stevens. "Chopper" can count on the highly respected Eric Duhatschek as his campaign manager. Duhatschek is a member of the selection committee.

The spotlight will be on Messier regardless, and Stevens makes the perfect bookend as hockey's other ultimate warrior. Larionov is as decorated as a hockey player can be, and he will get in because the Hall has made overtures recently about expanding its international content. They inducted Soviet great Valeri Kharlamov and just recently added Jan-Ake Edvinsson to the selection committee. The Swede was the General Secretary of the International Ice Hockey Federation for 21 years. His inclusion was definitely to gain his insight on the international game's evolution.

With his Toronto-centric spotlight, Gilmour will be overlooked in the interests of not trying to overshadow Messier. Perhaps Gilmour will headline next year along with more modest stars like Oates and MacInnis, and maybe Bure. Yes, the Hockey Hall of Fame can be this political.

It will be an interesting week at the Hall of Fame. You can never really know what to expect with the selection committee, as we've seen in recent years with Bernie Federko, Clark Gillies and Dick Duff.