Predicting every NHL team’s future Hall of Famers
Every year, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducts new members into history. The Hall of Fame is a shrine for hockey, as it honors the best hockey players, coaches, and executives of all-time, not just those who have played in the NHL. Like all Hall of Fames, there are debates each year about who should go in and who shouldn’t.
Who could be the next Hall of Famers for each franchise? Let’s take a look. Please read the whole article before commenting on who I forgot because I only mentioned people for one team, even if they played or coached for multiple ones. I tried to narrow them down to the one team they are most associated with.
Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf
Ryan Getzlaf has quietly put together a pretty impressive resume. He’s a World Championship gold medal away from being a member of the Triple Gold Club, though if you wanted to argue he should be in it because of his World Cup of Hockey gold medal, you wouldn’t hear any objections from me.
His case isn’t simple though. Getzlaf has only one second-place Hart Trophy finish to his name. That remains the only time he’s been a finalist for an award. Getzlaf has only been named to one second-team All-Star team, which doesn’t help his case either. That said, he’s still going to be an easy “yes” thanks to his counting stats.
He’s already played in over 1,000 NHL games. Getzlaf will most likely eclipse the 1,000 point mark next season. Since the 1994-95 lockout, every player with at least 1,000 points is either in the Hall of Fame, a slam dunk candidate once they retire, or at the very least has a strong case.
Furthermore, among players with at least 1,000 games played since the 1994-95 lockout, Getzlaf ranks sixth in points per game. The players above him are either Hall of Famers (Teemu Selanne, Mats Sundin, Jaromir Jagr), will be Hall of Famers (Alex Ovechkin), or are the fascinating case of Daniel Alfredsson (more on him later).
Getzlaf isn’t as much of a slam dunk as everyone thinks, but I see no reason he shouldn’t get into the Hall of Fame. It might not be on the first ballot because voters are weird when voting for players with no individual awards, but he’ll get in.
Honorable mentions: Corey Perry might join Getzlaf in the Hall of Fame. He has a Hart Trophy and a Rocket Richard Trophy to his name, which helps. Perry’s also a member of the Triple Gold Club, which should give him another advantage. That said, Perry’s simply not a popular player and his bad reputation could affect his chances.