Congrats to the inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame. With this year’s class entering the Hall, out focus shifts somewhat to who might get selected for next year’s class. Of course, as we have seen, there is little to no transparency as to how the process works, so we will be flying somewhat blind as to who gets in and who is snubbed once again.
Greg Wyshynski has a good column on his rankings for next year’s possible class. The first name on the list is one those of us on this blog know and love and should be a no-doubt selection. But as we have seen and I mentioned above, given what has transpired in years’ past, who knows.
Henrik Lundqvist’s stats speak for themself. The only title that eluded him was Stanley Cup winning goalie and that was of no fault to him. Lundqvist willed New York to the Cup final in 2014 along with two other appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. He won a Vezina Trophy along with Olympic and World Championship gold medals, further evidencing his ability to raise his game.
I am not going to list all his numbers, but here are a few that’s stand out to me:
- Lundqvist finished his career in the top-10 all time for wins (459 — sixth), total saves (23,509 — seventh), save percentage (.918 — 10th), shutouts (64 - 10th), games played for a goalie (887 — eighth), and minutes played (51,818 — ninth).
- Over the last 13 seasons of his career, Lundqvist saved 178 more goals than the average goalie would have been expected to save based on the number of shots he faced (also arena adjusted) (via @IneffectiveMath)
- Lundqvist was nearly unbeatable in Game 7s throughout his career, posting a 6-2 record in winner-take-all games with an absolutely unbelievable .961 save percentage. He allowed more than one goal in only two of those Game 7 appearances, both losses. In those losses, he didn’t allowed more than two goals
- We speak of raising your game for the big moments and making the big save when needed. Here are staggering numbers. Between 2012 and 2015, Lundqvist had a 15-4 record and a .954 save percentage in elimination games.
To me,
Lundqvist should be a lock, especially since Roberto Luongo was elected this year. Beyond that is where is gets interesting. Wyshynski adds nine more possible candidates, three of which are from women’s hockey, Caroline Ouellette (2nd), Meghan Duggan (5th) and Jennifer Botterill (7th).
In order, the remainder he lists are Alexander Mogilny, Sergei Gonchar, Rod Brind’Amour, Henrik Zetterberg, Curtis Joseph and Keith Tkachuk. Of the other possible first candidates, only Corey Crawford could get passing consideration. I don’t believe he is a Hall of Famer, but you never know.
From the list Wyshynski posted, I think all will eventually make their way to the Hall.
Gonchar is the one that made me look again at his numbers and his role. Based on both, I am more open to his likely induction. As you have read from me previously,
Mogilny not being in already borders on almost criminal. Not just because his impact on the ice, but the back story of how he landed in the US and what his defection from the Soviet Union meant to others.
Brind’Amour should get strong consideration, especially if you compare him to Guy Carbonneau, who is in the Hall. I am partial to Tkachuk, but he is viewed by many as a compiler, though he was the prototypical power forward for nearly a decade. Two other names not on the list that could get consideration, if not this year, then in the future are a three local players in New York: Patrik Elias, Mike Richter and Pat Verbeek. In addition, locally, we can add in Pierre Turgeon. Others up for consideration include Jeremy Roenick, Chris Osgood and Reggie Leach, while international stalwarts, Boris Mikhailov and Alexander Maltsev likely should be in already.
Elias, who retired on March 31, 2017, finished his career with 1,025 points (408 goals 617 assists) in 1,240 NHL games, and 125 points (45 goals, 80 assists) in 162 playoff games. He owns New Jersey's career records for goals, assists and points in the regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he's second to Jaromir Jagr in points scored by an NHL player born in the Czech Republic. Elias was a key member of two Stanley Cups in New Jersey and should eventually get in, but don’t think it happens in 2023.
Richter, who last played Nov. 5, 2002, finished 301-258 with 73 ties, a 2.89 GAA, .904 save percentage and 24 shutouts in 666 regular-season games, and was 41-33 with a 2.68 GAA, .909 save percentage and nine shutouts in 76 playoff games. He led the team to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years in 1994 and Team USA to gold in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, winning MVP.. The Rangers retired his No. 35 on Feb. 4, 2004, and he was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame four years later. Beginning in 2014, the Mike Richter Award has been presented to the outstanding goalie in NCAA Division I hockey. Injuries cut short his career, which is why he likely won get in.
Verbeek, affectionately known as the little ball of hate. finished his 20-season NHL career with 522 goals and 2,905 penalty minutes, by far the most of any member of the League's 500-goal club. He retired after the 2001-02 season with 1,062 points (522 goals, 540 assists) in 1,424 NHL games, and 62 points (26 goals, 36 assists) in 117 playoff games. Verbeek, who played 88 games for the Rangers in 1994-95 and 95-96, won the Stanley Cup with Dallas and scored at least 35 goals seven games. Like Tkachuk, he wins viewed as a compiler, impacting his chances for election.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»