Full Disclosure time. In doing research for this article and racking what’s left of my brain cells, it was difficult to find an NHL player who was banned from the Hall of Fame for gambling or murder, like other leagues. So, for the sake of this article, we’re going to stretch the words “one mistake” just a little bit. Athletes are not different from us regular folk, and despite having money, fame, and lavish lifestyles, they also have their demons. Some players have been kept from the Hall of Fame because of their demons, although some of their issues may seem less severe. Other players have had the doors in Toronto slammed shut on them due to reasons kinda of out of their control.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at 10 NHL players who should be in the Hall of Fame but aren’t because of one mistake.
Which NHL Players were snubbed in the Hall of Fame due to the mistakes they committed?
Jeremy Roenick – Outspokenness
Let’s start with why Jeremy Roenick should be in the Hall of Fame. Over a 20-year career, he amassed 513 goals and 703 assists for 1216 points in 1,363 games, on his way to being selected for 9 All-Star games. The centerman is ranked 5th all-time in scoring among American-born players. Three players in front of him are in the Hall, and the fourth, Patrick Kane, will eventually be there. So, what’s keeping him out?
The former NHL player has stated that he believes his “straightforward and honest personality” is keeping him out of the Hall of Fame. He might be right. He even suggested that the Hall voters have something against American players. Making those types of accusations certainly won’t help his candidacy. Jeremy Roenick belongs in the Hall of Fame. Hopefully, the voters will soon correct that mistake.
Theo Fleury – Personal Demons
One of the biggest surprises I found in writing this article was that Theo Fleury only made one All-Star game over his 15 years in the NHL. It was surprising because the man could flat-out score. He reached the 20-goal mark 4x, 30 goals 5x, 40 goals 3x, and hit the 50-goal mark in the 1990-91 season. Overall, he scored 455 goals and had 1088 points. While his career numbers are Hall-worthy, imagine what Fleury could have achieved had he not been dealing with deep personal issues. The right winger is a recovering alcoholic, drug addict and abuse survivor. His struggles impacted his play on the ice and life off it.
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Since his career ended, the former player has done numerous acts of charitable works and advocacy on behalf of abuse victims and those suffering from addictions. With or without his off-ice work, and kudos to him on that, Theo Fleury has the body of on-ice work to be immortalized in the HoF.
John Vanbiesbrouck – Poor Postseason
There was a period in the late 1980s-early 90s when John Vanbiesbrouck was one of the better goaltenders in the NHL. During his peak, he was a multi-time All-Star and won the Vezina Trophy in 1985-86; he also had eight other top 10 finishes for the trophy and two top 5 finishes for the Hart Trophy. He had a career GAA of 2.98 and his 374 wins rank 19th in league history. While not elite numbers, there is an argument to be made that “Beezer” deserves HoF recognition. One of the factors working against Vanbiesbrouck is that he never won the Stanley Cup.
He was released the year before the Rangers won in 1994 and lost in the 1996 Finals. His lack of success wasn’t just in the finals, as the goalie had a career record of 28-38 with a 2.67 GAA in the playoffs. While the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto will have to wait, in 2007, the former NHL player was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
Rick Nash – Disappearing Act
I admit that, at best, Rick Nash is a borderline Hall of Fame player. I can also admit that the word “borderline” is being stretched to its absolute limit as a word. Nash was never THE best player in the league, but during his prime, he could be counted on for 30-40+ goals a season and play a full 200-foot game. He would finish his 16-year career with 437 goals, which included 111 PPG and 73 game-winning goals. After a very successful 9-year run with Columbus, Nash made the jump to New York but never quite seemed to live up to expectations.
Perhaps it’s because the winger disappeared during the playoffs, not just during the Rangers’ run to the Cup finals but also in Columbus and Boston. In 89 career playoff games, he scored a total of 18 goals. However, as this list has/will show, postseason success shouldn’t be the only factor in determining a player’s greatness. Perhaps Rick Nash deserves another look.
Also read: All 32 NHL Teams’ Mount Rushmore: Which 4 Players Made It For Your Team?
Curtis Joseph – No Hardware
Curtis Joseph finished his 19 years playing hockey with 454 wins, which places him 7th all-time in NHL history. There are over ten goalies in the Hall of Fame with fewer career wins than him, including Tony Esposito and Dominick Hasek. One of the factors working against Joseph is timing. Unfortunately for him, he was overshadowed by more elite goalies during his playing days. That’s not to say that CuJo wasn’t a great goalie, he was, but he played at the same time as Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, and the aforementioned Hasek, among others.
Joseph was simply overshadowed, which is why his Trophy Room is empty (perhaps he’s got little league or bowling trophies displayed) except for a King Clancy Memorial Trophy. He was simply the consummate bridesmaid, having five top 5 finishes for the Vezina Trophy in an 8-year span. Like others on our list, the lack of hardware shouldn’t take away from the fact that Curtis Joseph won 454 games! Put him in the Hall!
Jaromir Jagr – Longevity
How does a player amass a career total of 766 goals (4th all-time), 1921 points (2nd all-time), was an 8x All-Star, a 5x Art Ross Trophy winner, a Hart Trophy winner, and a 2x Stanley Cup champion, and not be in the Hall of Fame? Simple, be Jaromir Jagr. The man is a combination of a physical specimen and a lover of hockey. At the age of 52, Jagr is still playing professional hockey. While his days as an elite NHL talent are long gone, having last played in the NHL in 2017-18, he currently plays in his native Czech Republic.
Combining his time in the NHL and Czech Republic, the right winger is currently playing in his 36th professional season, which is arguably a hall-of-fame-worthy career. His love of the game is admirable, and his longevity is definitely not a mistake, but it’s keeping him from immortality… for now. Unlike some others on this list, Jaromir Jagr’s time for the Hall of Fame is coming. Until it does, enjoy the fact that we can still watch him play.
Pekka Rinne – Poor Postseason
Simply put, Pekka Rinne is a Hall of Famer. Over a 15-year span in Nashville, the goalie won 369 games, with a .917 save percentage and 60 shutouts, was a 2x All-Star, and won both the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the Vezina Trophy. His win total is the same as that of Tom Barrasso and more than that of Rogie Vachon and Billy Smith, all of whom are NHL Hall of Famers. The thing keeping Rinne from induction into the Hall is his poor postseason performance, although poor might be a bit of a stretch. In 89 playoff games he was 45-44 with a 2.49 GAA and a .914 save percentage, numbers pretty much aligned to his regular season performance.
Additionally, in the 2016-17 season when the Predators went to the Stanley Cup finals, the star goalie was 14-8 with a 1.96 GAA in 22 games. The lack of postseason glory shouldn’t keep Pekka Rinne out of the Hall of Fame.
Also read: 5 NHL Hall Of Famers Who Definitely Don’t Belong…And 5 Retired Players Who Should Be In It
Alexander Mogilny – No Reason
Alexander Mogilny was a sniper from the right wing. He scored 473 goals and 1032 points in 990 games. In 1992-93 he led the NHL with 76 goals, in 77 games. But Mogilny wasn’t just a goal scorer, he could also play hockey. Coaches weren’t afraid to play the winger on the penalty kill, as evidenced by his 20 career shorthanded goals. The 2x All-Star also won the Lady Byng Trophy and hoisted the Stanley Cup. A deeper dive shows that Alex the Great’s numbers exceed Paul Kariya’s in goals, points, +/-, PPG, SHG, and game-winning goals.
Kariya also never hoisted the Cup, yet he’s in the Hall of Fame. Perhaps if Mogilny was the first USSR player to defect and play in the NHL… oh wait, he was! That alone should get him in. The fact that the Hall voters have failed to recognize Alexander Mogilny’s worthiness of induction is a shame.
Anatoli Firsov & Valeri Vasiliev (Tie) – No NHL Experience
The Hall of Fame in Toronto also honors and acknowledges players from outside of North America. With that being said, inducting two more players from the glory days of the USSR makes sense.
Anatoli Firsov has quite the impressive resume and is one of the most decorated players from the glory days of the USSR. Some of the many accolades he earned over his career include: 3x Soviet MVP, IIHF World Championships scoring leader AND goal scoring leader in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971, won 3 Olympic medals, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. He is considered one of the best forwards in Soviet hockey history.
Valeri Vasiliev played for Dynamo Moscow internally and competed internationally with the Soviet Union. He was an 8x Soviet All-Star, the captain of the national team, won 9 gold medals at the IIHF World Championships, was named the tournament’s best defenseman 3x, and won gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.
Both Firsov and Vasiliev have the pedigree to be honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame, but their lack of notoriety and NHL experience will keep them from being enshrined in the halls of Toronto.
Don Cherry – Bombastic Personality
Ok, Don Cherry is not an NHL player unless you count one game with the Boston Bruins in 1955. But he is as much a part of the fabric of the game as any player, coach, or executive in the history of the game. The bottom line is that Don Cherry is a Hall of Fame announcer. From 1986-2019 he co-hosted Coach’s Corner during the show Hockey Night in Canada and was a staple in millions of people’s homes. His outspokenness and controversial views may have entertained millions of viewers, but they certainly got him in hot water with executives and Hall of Fame voters.
Throughout his colorful career, the announcer would complain about players not playing the “right way,” promoted in-game fighting, and often criticized players (sometimes viewed as racist). Despite his unpopular views, there is no denying that Don Cherry was an invaluable broadcaster who brought the game of hockey to millions of fans and deserves to be recognized for that.
Also read: All 32 NHL Teams Best Active Player That Won’t Make The Definitely Hall Of Fame
