HockeyBuzz Wire: 2019 Hall of Fame Class

All things considered, an odd class. Nedomansky would be more of a builder in my opinion. Mogilny deserves the same honor.

Carbonneau and Zubov? There are probably others more deserving.

All things considered, an odd class. Nedomansky would be more of a builder in my opinion. Mogilny deserves the same honor.

Carbonneau and Zubov? There are probably others more deserving.
- GeorgeBailey

Hall of really, really good.

I always advocate for the riverton rocket Reggie Leach every year I don't understand why he get passed over so many times.
However, Haley Wickenheiser is one of my favourite players ever so I am happy to see her inducted.

Zubov I think deserves it. Hugely underrated player. Wickenheiser is also obviously very deserving.

Nedomansky ... I don't have a strong objection to him being a Hall of Famer since I think the Hall has generally been too stingy about inducting Euro stars who played all / most of their careers behind the Iron Curtain. But purely based on hockey playing ability it would seem like a few others (Firsov, Mihailov, Maltsev, Vasiliev, Petrov) who have continued to be passed over would have stronger cases.

Carbonneau is a weak pick. Mad respect for his defensive skills and carving out a useful niche and long career for himself, and clearly if you only look at scoring totals you'll underrate him significantly. But no way did he provide Hall of Fame-level value overall as a player.

I always advocate for the riverton rocket Reggie Leach every year I don't understand why he get passed over so many times.
However, Haley Wickenheiser is one of my favourite players ever so I am happy to see her inducted.
- Tom Dusome

Reggie Leach had:

- One borderline great season (1976, in which he lead the league in goals thanks to having two Hall of Famers on his line, one of whom was one of the greatest playmakers of all time, and both of whom finished with substantially more total points than Leach that year).

- Two very good seasons (1975 and 1980).

- Was otherwise basically just a very good second liner who was out of the league by age 33.

In eight seasons in Philadelphia, Leach never led his team in scoring and in fact only once finished in second. He finished 3, 3, 9, 6, 5, 2, 3, 8 in team scoring those years.

By the time Leach retired in 1983, Wayne Gretzky had already amassed more points in his first 4 NHL seasons (709) than Leach did (666) in his entire 13-season, 934-game career.

The reason Leach is not in the Hall of Fame is because he is nowhere even remotely close to being good enough to get in. Barber probably shouldn't even be in either, and he was still way better than Leach.

Reggie Leach had
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The reason Leach is not in the Hall of Fame is because he is nowhere even remotely close to being good enough to get in. Barber probably shouldn't even be in either, and he was still way better than Leach.
- Sven22

Huge Flyer fan since 1972 here but I agree on Reggie Leach.

I do think Barber deserves the honor, for his franchise stats (#1 in goals, #2 in points, #2 in games played, and a regular season PPG of .978), combined with being one of the best two way forwards of his day. He played all situations, PP, PK and with Clarke was on the ice when you needed your top offensive or defensive players out there.

And of course, totally agree with your assessment of Clarke.