The Hockey Hall of Fame is an illustrious building in Toronto. Built to honor all the people, moments, and even objects that have contributed to making the sport what it is today, it’s filled to the brim with hockey icons recognizable across all generations. From NHL players like Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe to moments like Bobby Orr’s flying goal, the Hall of Fame is filled with timeless memories. However, while many of these people and moments deserve to be in this hall, some probably don’t. There are also players who do deserve the Hall of Fame but haven’t been granted that honor yet.
Let’s take a look at five players who should be kicked out of the hall of fame, and five who deserve to be in.
Which NHL players deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, and which ones need to be booted out?
(Kicked Out): Gerry Cheevers
This one might make Bruins fans mad, as Cheevers was the goaltender during the 1970s era. That era saw one of the best Boston teams in history. Cheevers won two Stanley Cups with that team, but that’s where we have to draw the line. Cheevers success mostly came from the team in front of him. He played behind one of the best offenses and defenses in Boston history. Their play drastically boosted Cheever’s own play. He was never the driving force of this team and, in fact, never even finished in the top five of GAA once in his career despite playing behind this illustrious team. Definitely not a Hall of Fame-worthy goaltending career. Sorry Gerry.
(Deserves): Alex Mogilny
Sometimes, a player’s impact matters more to a Hall of Fame induction than his NHL playing career. In Mogilny’s case… It’s both. He not only had an illustrious playing career that saw him score 473 goals and 559 assists for 1,032 total points, but he also sits in the top 50 of all-time points per game rates. He also won a Stanley Cup and a Lady Byng. Playing career aside, Mogilny is impactful in other ways as well. Mogilny was the first player in history to leave the USSR to pursue a playing career in the NHL. Given the time period, this was huge and even played a role in tearing down the Iron Curtain, as other young stars would follow suit. Both of these should be enough to one day get Mogilny into the Hall of Fame.
(Kicked out): Clark Gillies
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Sometimes, the Hall of Fame tends to favor dynasties and famous lines, and that’s how some of these players sneak in. Gillies was a member of the famous “Trio Grande” line for the New York Islanders. It’s true that Clark played on one of the most famous and productive lines of all time, but he himself only finished in the top 20 in points twice in his career. In fact, his role on the line was to be the enforcer for the other two. While certainly not a useless role, he shouldn’t have been inducted off of the accomplishments of his linemates. Sorry, Clark, but this spot could’ve been given to someone more worthy.
(Deserves): Patrick Marleau
Longevity alone should be enough to get Marleau into the NHL Hall of Fame. The fact that he finished 24th all-time in goals is just icing on the cake. Yes, it took him longer to reach those totals, but you can’t discredit them just because he played so many games. Most players would kill to have as long of a career as Patrick did. Marleau played 1,779 games in his career, surpassing Gordie Howe for the most in league history. Given how brutal of a sport hockey is, that longevity is absolutely insane, and it should be enough to get him into the Hall, even if you don’t consider him the same caliber of player as others.
(Kicked out): Glenn Anderson
Here’s another player that most likely got into the Hall due to his playing on a dynasty team. However, Glenn wasn’t even in the top five best players on that Oilers team. His numbers were also drastically boosted from playing with some of the best scorers of all time, like a certain Wayne Gretzky. He wasn’t a bad player by any means, but he only ever finished in the top ten in points once in his career. He was known for his playoff heroics, but in my opinion, a few moments in the postseason shouldn’t be enough to carry you into the Hall of Fame when a lot of your NHL numbers were boosted by those around you.
(Deserves): Ilya Kovalchuk
If Ilya’s numbers in the KHL and the NHL were combined, he immediately deserves a spot in the Hall. Take his numbers from the NHL alone, and he still deserves a spot. He scored 443 goals in his career, which is the 38th most in NHL history. He scored 40 or more goals in six consecutive seasons from 2003-04 to 2009-10. He didn’t win a Cup in his career, but he did win two gold medals at the World Championships, one at the Junior Championships, and one at the Olympics. He also won a Maurice Richard trophy. He may not get inducted this year due to some overseas conflict, but he is absolutely a deserving candidate.
(Kicked out): Leo Boivin
This is an example of a player’s reputation getting him into the Hall over his achievements. Boivin was never anything really special as a defenseman. He was okay and was surprisingly small, but he played on a team that missed the playoffs consistently despite there only being six teams. Despite there only being 24 defensemen league-wide, Boivin rarely finished with any kind of success. What got him into the NHL Hall of Fame was his notoriety for delivering devastating hits. That’s cool, and it really embodies the spirit of hockey, but there are other defensemen who have done the same and have the individual accomplishments to back it up. Just ask Zdeno Chara.
(Deserves): Ryan Miller
If Jonathan Quick hadn’t just passed him, Miller would still have the most wins of an American-born goaltender. That alone should tell you the type of career Miller had as a long-time NHL goaltender. No, he didn’t win any Cups, but he should have. He was cursed by playing on bad teams for most of his career. However, he consistently made those teams more competitive than they should’ve been. To not consider Miller among some of the greatest goalies of all time is a travesty to the sport of hockey. The former NHL player deserves his spot in the Hall of Fame. Any Buffalo fan will agree with me.
(Kicked out): Harry Watson
Yet another example of a player getting inducted due to the team around him. Watson played on a very good Leafs team for most of his career, but he was far from the central point of that team at any given time. He was a solid, physical two-way forward, which definitely helps, but a lot of his success was boosted by having such good teammates. Another part of his induction probably comes from him winning five Stanley Cups in his career, but again, he was never the driving force for those Cup wins. It’s no disrespect to Watson and what he’s done, but there are just far more deserving players for that spot.
(Deserves): Pavel Datsyuk
Yes, I know that with the tense situation in Russia, it may be a lot to ask to have Datsyuk inducted right now. But man does he deserve it. Not only is he probably the best stick handler of all time, having a deke named after him and a whole highlight reel of sick goals that probably could be inducted themselves, but he has the numbers as well. Datsyuk played 953 games, scored 314 goals, and tallied 604 assists. He won two Stanley Cups, three Selke trophies, and four Lady Byng’s. Again, if his numbers alone don’t do it for you, then his iconic moments and impact on the sport should. Please don’t let political affairs keep this very deserving man out of the Hall of Fame.
