ILLITERATE TWATS Macklin Celebrini insisted he had to suit up in all of his brand-new hockey gear. It was the youngster's first skating lesson — not even a game. His passion for the sport was there in plain sight for parents Rick and Robyn to see. Celebrini pushed himself from that moment onward. All the work led him to Sin City's searing heat and the NHL draft. The San Jose Sharks did the expected inside the mesmerising Sphere auditorium Friday, selecting the centre out of Boston University in the NCAA with the top pick. "Pretty amazing feeling," Celebrini said. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid." The Vancouver product is coming off a season where he collected 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games to become the youngest winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in U.S. college hockey. A busy 2023-24 campaign included representing Canada at the world junior hockey championship and helping his school qualify for the NCAA's Frozen Four tournament. "It's been a long process ever since last summer and there's been a lot going on," said Celebrini, whose name was called by Sharks legend Joe Thornton. "I've really enjoyed spending time with my friends and family, going through this with them. "Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Celebrini knows Northern California well after the family moved there when his dad took a job with the NBA's Golden State Warriors in 2018. He spent one season playing up a year with the San Jose Jr. Sharks youth programme before continuing his budding career in Minnesota at Shattuck-St. Mary's School, whose former student-athletes include Sidney Crosby. "It was completely different from where I grew up," Celebrini said of the San Francisco Bay Area. "Got the lay of the land and got to experience what life in California is like. There's not that much transition. I enjoyed my time playing for the Junior Sharks. "I'm excited to play for the actual Sharks." The Chicago Blackhawks were up next, taking defenceman Artyom Levshunov before the Anaheim Ducks drafted a stunned Beckett Sennecke at No 3. "I didn't think this was an option for me," said Sennecke, a winger ranked as the 11th-best North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting. "To hear my name called by them, it was definitely shocking." The Columbus Blue Jackets took centre Cayden Lindstrom with the fourth pick and the Montreal Canadiens went with winger Ivan Demidov at No 5. "I'm so excited to be Habs," said the Russian, a selection announced by Canadian music icon Celine Dion. "It's unbelievable." The Utah Hockey Club's first selection since moving from Arizona was centre Tij Iginla at No 6. The son of Hall of Fame winger Jarome Iginla now has family draught bragging rights after dad went No 11 in 1995. "He had a pretty good career," Iginla said with a smile. "I'll have to start trying to build my resume. But yes, it's nice." The Ottawa Senators took defenceman Carter Yakemchuk at No 7, the Seattle Kraken selected centre Berkly Catton at No 8, the Calgary Flames picked defenceman Zayne Parekh at No 9, and blue liner Anton Silayev went No. 10 to the New Jersey Devils. Montreal took centre Michael Hage at No 21, the Flames picked winger Matvei Gridin at No 28, the Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed defenceman Ben Danford at No 31, and the Edmonton Oilers chose forward Sam O'Reilly at No 23. The Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets didn't have first-round picks. The draft, which continues Saturday, is being held inside the cavernous Sphere — a US$2.3-billion venue unlike any other in the world that features a massive screen made up of 64,000 LED tiles offering jaw-dropping visuals. "Amazing," said Celebrini, who now has what's likely the most unique No 1 selection picture in NHL history. "It's truly one-of-a-kind, the technology and all that they have here. "Just seeing how this place runs and the capabilities that it has, it was super cool." The Sharks are in a full rebuild after a long period of sustained success. The team promoted assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky, 36, to the top job earlier this month after firing David Quinn on the heels of San Jose's 32nd-place finish. The club has selected second at the draught on three occasions, with the most recent being Patrick Marleau all the way back in 1997, but Friday was the first time it had owned the No 1 slot. "It's an exciting opportunity because you get to build a group," Celebrini said of being a key part of San Jose's future. "They have a young core that's very special. I feel like they're moving in the right direction, and they're building the right way. I'm super excited to join the organisation. "I can't wait to see where we go." LAS VEGAS - There were rumours in the lead-up to the draft that Anaheim might select Beckett Sennecke with the third pick over all. Evidently, Sennecke did not hear those rumours himself. The Oshawa Generals right winger appeared to be in genuine shock when his name was announced at the Sphere, but if you think about what the Ducks are trying to build right now, the big teen makes a ton of sense. "They're obviously drafting big and I fit that role," Sennecke said. "They want skill and physicality and I'm going to bring that to the team. Whenever they think I'm ready, I'm going to hop in and do my job." Now 6-foot-3 and 182 pounds, Sennecke was only 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds when Oshawa took him in the OHL draft two years ago. Some scouts think the right winger might even continue growing, though Sennecke says he's perfectly fine whether he gets any taller or not. For the Ducks, the package he brings to the table was irresistible. "What we love about the player is the skating ability and the hockey sense," said GM Pat Verbeek. "His individual skill level is off the charts and he's the type of player who can play any game on the ice, whether it's a physical game, a skill game or a fast-paced game." And while Sennecke had a very nice regular season with the Generals, he was a beast in the playoffs with 22 points in 16 games, helping Oshawa on a surprise run to the OHL final. So ending strongly probably helped his cause, eh? "I think it was probably the driving factor," Sennecke said. "They want someone who produces in the playoffs and shows up when it matters most and I do think I'm a playoff performer." Sennecke will be back in the OHL next year and the mission now will be to continue his growth and development. "There's a lot of upside," Verbeek said. "He already possesses a lot of elite skills, now it's a matter of, like all these young kids, just get in the gym and put some weight on and get stronger." Yes, it was shocking that Sennecke went third over all since a number of better-known names were still on the board, but at the same time his name had been trending up in the past months and a number of teams were quite high on him. The fact he was floored by the selection was one of the highlights of the first round. "I heard the 'from Oshawa' before my name was called," he said, "and it was just butterflies and chills." The Sennecke pick was the first of a number of surprises in the top 12 picks, including a number of the top blue liners dropping - heck, in a class that was known for high-end defencemen, only one (Artyom Levshunov to Chicago) went in the top six selections. And the second - Carter Yakemchuk to Ottawa at No 7 - wasn't the name many would have expected to go before the likes of Zeev Buium, Sam Dickinson and Anton Silayev. But as the folks who work for NHL teams like to say, it's not about the number you were picked at, but what you do after that matters most. Now these kids officially have teams to impress. Each year since 2017, St. Andrew's College, a tiny private school north of Toronto with an enrolment of 650, has produced at least one NHL draught pick directly off its varsity roster. It has also supplied a steady diet of Div. 1 college players, particularly to Cornell.
But this year, the school might have its first-ever first-round pick in hulking centre Dean Letourneau, who scored 127 points for his prep school team this past season. He's 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds and growing, and if the team that draughts him doesn't convince him to play major junior hockey next season, he's off to either the USHL or Boston College. That would represent one more first-rounder for St. Andrew's than the entire QMJHL will likely produce in this draught. In fact, the QMJHL hasn't had a first-rounder since 2022, when Nathan Gaucher and Maveric Lamoureux were taken. Whether this is just a down cycle for the QMJHL or an indication that neither Quebec nor the Maritime provinces are producing elite players, it's a concern. The Dallas Stars bought out the final year of defenceman Ryan Suter's contract. Here's what it will cost them over the next two seasons.
The Dallas Stars announced they're buying out defenceman Ryan Suter.
Suter had one year remaining on his contract, which carried a $3.65-million cap hit. He will instead become a UFA. Two-thirds of his salary will be spread out over the next two seasons, which comes to $783,334 in 2024-25 and $1,433,334 in 2025-26. That means the Stars will save $2,866,667 in cap space next season instead of paying his full cap hit. They'll have about $19 million in cap space with 12 of 23 roster spaces filled, according to PuckPedia. Dallas has six pending UFAs, including Joe Pavelski, who said he doesn't plan to play next season, centre Matt Duchene and defenceman Christopher Tanev. They also have three pending RFAs, including defencemen Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist. The 39-year-old from Madison, Wis., had two goals and 15 assists for 17 points this past season. He averaged 18:56 of ice time per game, which is the least he's had since his rookie season in 2005-06. Suter averaged 20:22 of ice time in 2022-23 and 23:39 in 2021-22 when he first signed with Dallas. This is the second time Suter's been bought out of his contract. The first time was with the Minnesota Wild before the 2021-22 season, which had four seasons remaining on a 13-year contract worth about $7.5 million per year. The Wild are on the hook for $7,371,795 in 2024-25 and $833,333 for each of the following three years. That said, Suter's had a lengthy and respected NHL career so far, with 1,444 games played over 19 seasons since being selected seventh over all by the Nashville Predators in the 2003 draft. During that time, he's recorded 105 goals, 576 assists, 681 points, 1,162 hits and 1,934 shot blocks. He also has 133 career playoff games, including back-to-back Western Conference final appearances with the Stars in the past two seasons. Suter was a first-team NHL all-star with the Wild in 2012-13, and he won a silver medal as an alternate captain of Team USA at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and a gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Championship. He'll now join the UFA pool. And the fucking idiot Stars should not have signed him in the first place.
Luke Fox SPORTSNET
LAS VEGAS — Auston Matthews has waited more than eight years for this.
Donning a Team USA sweater in an international tournament as a professional. Matthews is honoured to be one of the first six players named to represent his country at 2025's 4 Nations Face-Off, the NHL's midseason teaser tournament ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. All four countries — Canada, the U.S., Finland and Sweden — unveiled their top six players Friday. "Best-on-best is something that guys have really been wanting for a while, and I think it's just great for the game," Matthews said, inside Las Vegas's Encore hotel. "It's going to be extremely competitive. And I think there's a lot of pride in playing for your country." Team Canada is sponsored by Grecian Formula.
Matthews is getting the band back together, reuniting with fellow USA Hockey National Team Development Program alumni such as Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Charlie McAvoy, and Quinn Hughes. That crew grew close and have stayed in touch as their pro careers whisked them in different directions. "All five guys who were selected today I know pretty well... It's kind of just putting the ego aside and doing what's best for the team, and then coming together as quickly as possible," said Matthews, who suited up for Team North America at the September 2016 World Cup. The 69-goal sniper believes there is an advantage to holding the 4 Nations in February as opposed to the fall. "It's going to be good that it's kind of halfway through the year, not necessarily trying to get the cobwebs out like at the start of the season, how the World Cup was," Matthews said. "That's definitely a positive." With this being Matthews's first meeting with reporters since the Toronto Maple Leafs cleaned out their stalls 53 days ago, a couple of club-related questions were lobbed his way. Matthews politely declined comment on the firing of coach Sheldon Keefe and the hiring of new bench boss Craig Berube ("Maybe we can revisit that in September," he said), but he did offer a few words on the rumours swirling the uncertain future of his wingman, Mitch Marner. "All I'm going to say is, we love Mitch, obviously," Matthews said. "There's a lot of noise rolling and all that, but we love Mitchy. He's a great person, great team mate. I can't speak highly enough about him." Matthews also gave his respect to the Stanley Cup championship run of Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers, who eliminated his Leafs in 2023. "Well deserved," Matthews said. "It's always tough to watch, but there's always learning lessons and stuff that you can take away as well." Here is everyone taking home trophies during the 2024 NHL Awards, as well as the players named to the first and second all-star teams and all-rookie team. The 2024 NHL Awards honoured the best of the best.
Some awards were handed out in the weeks leading up to the ceremony on 27 June. Five of the remaining player awards were announced on Thursday evening. Here are the finalists and winners for this season. Hart Trophy Winner: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado) Runners-up: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), Connor McDavid (Edmonton) MacKinnon wins the first Hart Trophy of his career. In a year when a handful of NHL stars showed how valuable they were to their clubs, MacKinnon received 137 first-place votes on 194 ballots by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. MacKinnon's 140-point campaign is just the fifth in the NHL in the past 30 years. Ted Lindsay Award Winner: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado) Runners-up: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), Auston Matthews (Toronto) This is MacKinnon's first time winning the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the NHL's most outstanding players as voted on by fellow members of the NHLPA. He was a finalist in 2017-18 and 2019-20 as well, but with 51 goals and 140 points, along with a 35-game home point streak that was the second-longest in NHL history, he clearly caught the attention of the players. Calder Trophy Winner: Connor Bedard (Chicago) Runners-up: Brock Faber (Minnesota), Luke Hughes (New Jersey) Bedard, 18, didn't disappoint in his rookie year after being drafted first over all in the 2023 NHL draft. He lived up to the hype, leading all rookies and Blackhawks team mates in goals (22), assists (39) and points (61) while playing 68 games. Read more Norris Trophy Winner: Quinn Hughes (Vancouver) Runners-up: Roman Josi (Nashville), Cale Makar (Colorado) Vezina Trophy Winner: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg) Runners-up: Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida), Thatcher Demko (Vancouver) Hellebuyck entered the season by signing a seven-year contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets. He then recorded his best goals-against average (2.39) since 2017-18 and his best save percentage (.921) since 2019-20, when he won his first Vezina Trophy. Hellebuyck received 31 first-place votes and one second-place vote from NHL GMs in the voting for the league's goaltender of the year. Read more First All-Star Team LW: Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers) C: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado) RW: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay) D: Quinn Hughes (Vancouver) D: Roman Josi (Nashville) G: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg) Second All-Star Team LW: Filip Forsberg (Nashville) C: Connor McDavid (Edmonton) RW: David Pastrnak (Boston) D: Adam Fox (New York Rangers) D: Cale Makar (Colorado) G: Thatcher Demko (Vancouver) All-Rookie Team F: Connor Bedard (Chicago) F: Logan Cooley (Arizona) F: Marco Rossi (Minnesota) D: Brock Faber (Minnesota) D: Luke Hughes (New Jersey) G: Pyotr Kochetkov (Carolina) These were the award winners before the NHL Awards ceremony: E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence Winner: Michael Hage Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Connor Ingram (Arizona) Runners-up: Frederik Andersen (Carolina), Oliver Kylington (Calgary) Frank J. Selke Trohpy Winner: Aleksander Barkov (Florida) Runners-up: Jordan Staal (Carolina), Auston Matthews (Toronto) Jack Adams Award Winner: Rock Tocchet (Vancouver) Runners-up: Andrew Brunette (Nashville), Rick Bowness (Winnipeg) Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award Winner: Jim Nill (Dallas) Runners-up: Patrik Allvin (Vancouver), Bill Zito (Florida) King Clancy Memorial Trophy Winner: Anders Lee (New York Islanders) Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Winner: Jaccob Slavin (Carolina) Runners-up: Elias Pettersson (Vancouver), Auston Matthews (Toronto) Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award Winner: Jacob Trouba (New York Rangers) The events that led to Gary Bettman, becoming the first NHL Commissioner began 25 years ago. Previously the NHL had a President, and the final real President was John Ziegler, who was in office from 1977 until being forced out by the owners in 1992. Ziegler, who succeeded the longest tenured President Clarence Campbell, has seen the NHL through some of its leanest years. He helped the league with its merger with the World Hockey Association, but had trouble getting the NHL exposure in the United States. Ziegler’s biggest folly was in 1987 when, he agreed to put the NHL on Sports Channel America, instead of ESPN. Over the next five years NHL games were rarely seen nationally in the USA despite the trade that sent Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. John Ziegler’s tenure as Commissioner ended suddenly after the 1992 season, when he was forced to resign by NHL Owners. The 1991/92 season had seen the National Hockey League celebrate its 75th Anniversary amidst the gathering storm of labour strife. The season had been played without a new Collective Bargaining Agreement before players walked out on April 1st. The late season walkout had put the playoffs in jeopardy. The post season was key to owners who needed the playoff revenue to make a profit due to the poor television contract. Desperate to save the season, Ziegler agreed to a short-term deal with the NHL Players’s Association after ten days. The season was salvaged and the playoffs went on as planned, but owners hated the deal and Ziegler was forced out. ![]() For 75 years the NHL had a President, but owners wanted more control so the position of commissioner was created, but while the league searched for its first commissioner, they needed an interim boss who served as the final league President, that man was Gil Stein. Stein, was born and raised in Philadelphia and attended Temple University, before studying law at Boston University. After passing the bar, Gil Stein worked for the City of Philadelphia for two decades, serving several different positions including Deputy District Attorney, before working for the Philadelphia Housing Authority and Labour Relations Board. After joining a private law firm, Gil Stein began working for the Philadelphia Flyers. After working with the Flyers, Stein was hired by the league office to serve as General Counsel and Vice President under John Ziegler. Gil Stein took over as President of the NHL on June 22, 1992 as the league was finally free of its terrible Sports Channel deal and returning to ESPN. Among the things Stein attempted to do was get a broadcast television deal for the NHL, though his time in office was short he was able to land the ground work for a deal with Fox, he also helped lay the groundwork for the NHL playing in the Olympics, though his attempts to get the league to participate in the 1994 Lillehammer games fell short. On a balance serving as an interim President, Gil Stein did some good work. His tenure would end following the 1993 season as his duties were handed over to Gary Bettman who became the National Hockey League’s first commissioner on February 1, 1993. While still serving as a President in basically a figure head position, Gil Stein created the Hall of Fame board, for selecting members for the Hockey Hall of Fame. The board changed the Hall of Fame voting process to allow enshrinement by a simple majority and instead of a secret ballot, voting will be done by a show of hands. The first person chosen to be elected into the Hall of Fame under this questionable new policy, was none other than Gil Stein. When news of Stein’s election to the Hall of Fame was announced it created an uproar in Canada. The bubbling controversy led to Gary Bettman calling for an investigation on the voting process, and Stein’s selection as his first official duty as NHL Commissioner. It was decided that the Hall of Fame Board, had not consulted the NHL Board of Governors or Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Essentially it seemed Gil Stein created the new process to put himself in the Hall of Fame. Once the investigation was over Stein was forced to withdraw from the Hall of Fame and retired completely from the NHL. After leaving the league, Gil Stein returned to working for the government serving as a Special Assistant to Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and later served as an adjunct professor at Villanova Law School, teaching Sports Law. He also wrote a book telling his side of the story in 1997. However, whatever good he did in serving as the bridge from President John Ziegler to Commissioner Gary Bettman, it will always be remembered that he created a committee designed to put himself in the Hall of Fame, in a moment that can only happen in the NHL. April 3, 2024 THE HOCKEY WRITERS (originally published Jan. 2018) Colourful hockey nick names are an integral part of the game’s history. They’re as much a part of hockey as the blue line. You’re given one early by your mite’s coach only later to be called something else by your team mates. Your mom may not want to know what your team mates call you, so you let her give you another one that only she and your grandma knows. Over the years, some of those nick names have trickled down to the ears of fans. Here is a comprehensive list of some of the best ones. It’s not a list of the best players, but a list of the best nick names. It’s not enough to be called “Red” if a player was a redhead. The list honours originality and distinctiveness. Since there are so many, we categorised them into three categories – insulting, comical, and endearing, just to make sure we got all of our bases covered. Endearing Nick Names Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky The Great One is a fitting nick name for arguably the greatest hockey player of all time. Gretzky’s impressive list of statistics and individual accolades can be seen here. He re-wrote the record books and owned or shared 61 marks when he retired. Off the ice, he was the ultimate ambassador of hockey, unselfishly doing what’s best for the sport and for the communities that he’s been a part of. "Super Mario" Lemieux The most dynamic player in Pittsburgh Penguins history and one of the greatest players in the history of the NHL. Had Mario Lemieux’s career not been cut short by injury, he may have challenged many of Wayne Gretzky’s career scoring records. He led the Pens to a pair of Stanley Cups as a player (1991 and 1992) and three more as the owner. Lemieux made his NHL debut when the popular Super Mario video game was introduced and became only the third rookie to score 100 points. Gordie "Mr Hockey" Howe When your nick name is synonymous with the sport itself, you know you’ve made an impact on the game. Gordie Howe is one of the top three greatest all-around players the game has ever seen. He began his legendary 34-year playing career in Detroit in 1946 and didn’t retire as an active player until 1980 when he was 52 years old, holding nearly every meaningful scoring record in NHL history. Gordie Howe had a lot of nick names during his impressive 34-year hockey career. He was called Power, Mr All-Star, The King of Hockey, The Legend, No. 9, The Great Gordie, and even Elbows but it would be Mr Hockey that he will be referred to as in the history books. Before Gretzky, Howe was known as the greatest hockey player to have played the game. Mark "Moose" "Messiah" Messier Mark Messier won six Stanley Cup championships and finished his NHL career as the NHL’s second all-time leading scorer. His size, strength and punishing, physical style of play earned him the nick name “Moose.” He later became known as “The Messiah” when he helped end the New York Rangers’ 50-year playoff drought and delivered a Stanley Cup to New York City in 1994. Bernie “Boom Boom“ Geoffrion The Montreal Canadiens were a dynasty in the 1950s and much of their success was due to Geoffrion. He was one of the pioneers of the slap shot and earned his nick name while playing junior hockey. Sportswriter Charlie Boire penned the moniker for the sound of Geoffrion’s stick hitting the puck quickly “Boom” followed by the shot hitting the rink’s boards “Boom.” Sid "The Kid" Crosby The baby-faced phenom made his NHL debut in 2005 as an 18-year-old. Sidney Crosby’s “aww, shucks” demeanour, scoring success, and scraggly beard during playoffs contributed to his moniker. He’s the youngest captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup, the youngest player (18) to tally 100 points in a season and 200 in a career (19), and the youngest league scoring champion (19). Joe "Mr Clutch" Sakic Joe Sakic has scored a lot of goals in his career including eight overtime playoff goals earning him the nick name, “Mr. Clutch.” (from ‘Super Joe Sakic was sensational in big games,’ Denver Post, 11/10/2018) Peter "The Great" Forsberg To say Peter Forsberg was an incredible player would be an understatement. Even though injuries limited him to only 708 games, when he was on the ice he only knew how to give 110%. He was also versatile in that he could do it all. He was a big hitter, a big play maker, and could dazzle with highlight-reel goals. His opponents both feared him and respected him. Until the end, even though his body said no more, Forsberg pushed himself to the edge to his very last game in which he finished befittingly in a Colorado Avalanche uniform. Pavel "Magic Man" "Houdini" Datsyuk The Sverdlovsk native is known for his abilities to dangle defenders and juke helpless goaltenders out of their jocks. In his time with the Detroit Red Wings, Pavel Datsyuk often leaves hockey fans in awe. Comical Hockey Nick Names Don "Grapes" Cherry Grapes is a former coach of the Boston Bruins and Colorado Rockies, but is best known for his loud, retina-incinerating suits and blunt, acerbic opinions as a broadcaster on a ‘Coaches Corner’ segment during “Hockey Night in Canada. ”He earned his nickname during his playing days as a minor league defenceman. It’s based on the cliché sour grapes, since Cherry only made it to the NHL for one game. Dustin "Penncakes" Penner Dustin Penner had the choice of making up a story to cover for his back spasm injury but luckily for everyone he decided to own up and admit to how he really got hurt. While getting ready to dive into a stack of pancakes, he threw out his back and was forced to hobble his way to team doctors for treatment. Fans continue to enjoy reminding Penner of this injury and even Penner has turned it into an opportunity to raise money for charity. Marc-Edouard "Pickles" Vlasic On the ice, Marc-Edouard Vlasic is cool as a cucumber. But sharing a last name with Vlasic Pickles founder Frank Vlasic meant Pickles would be his chosen name and not cucumber. Ron "Nuts" Tugnutt On March 21, 1991, Ron Tugnutt stopped 70 of 73 shots to help the Quebec Nordiques earn a point in a tie-game with the Boston Bruins. Those 70 stops are not only a modern-day record for most saves in a non-loss regular-season game but it is also nuts. However, that is not how he earned his nickname as team mates just liked to refer to him with a shortened version of his last name. Pat "Little Ball of Hate" Verbeek Similarly, Pat Verbeek was dubbed the “Little Ball of Hate” by Glenn Healy. To this day, Verbeek speaks fondly of his given name. “There’s something about it I liked. It spoke to that I wasn’t an easy player to play against,” said Verbeek in an interview after his career finished. Peter "Ned Flanders" Budaj Peter Budaj has played for two NHL teams in his nine-year career. The native Slovakian, a devout Christian, consistently has a picture of cartoon character Ned Flanders painted onto his playing masks. Ilya "Mr Universe" Bryzgalov HBO did everyone a favour when they made Ilya Bryzgalov a main focal point of one of their Road to the Winter Classic series. The fervent Russian goaltender is most famous for his deep and insightful thoughts about the universe thus earning him the tag of Mr Universe. His team mates thought he was loony. He’s seriously cracked and out there. Insulting Nick Names Ken "The Rat" Linseman Ken Linseman not only looked like a rodent, he played like one as well. Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke thought Linseman’s hunched, scuttling skating style reminded him of a rat. The agitator was even known for biting the chin of an opponent while playing junior hockey. Linseman played 13 seasons in the NHL for the Flyers, Oilers, Bruins and Maple Leafs. He is known as one of the dirtiest players to ever play the game. Jeff "The Justin Bieber of Hockey" Skinner Are you a grown man with a baby face? Well, Jeff Skinner is. It also doesn’t help that upon his arrival in Carolina every teenage girl started swooning at the young star causing his captain to comment how “it has a Justin Bieber-type feel to it.” Brent "The Other One" Gretzky Brent Gretzky played 13 NHL games and only scored one goal. His famous brother, Wayne, dubbed “The Great One,” played 1,487 games and scored 2,857 points. Brent can still tell people that he is one-half of the NHL record for most combined points by two brothers. Goalie Nick Names Dominik "The Dominator" Hasek Dominik Hasek’s style was as unorthodox as any goalie that’s played the game. His acrobatic saves and rubbery limbs often had him flailing and flopping all over. But it worked. He was one of the NHL’s best at the position for most of his 15 seasons, winning two Stanley Cups, six Vezina Trophies and two Hart Trophies as league MVP. He dominated games earning him the nickname “The Dominator.” Georges "The Chicoutimi Cucumber" Vezina Georges Vezina was a Montreal icon, playing goalie for the Canadiens in the game’s early days. The trophy annually awarded to the league’s best goaltender now bears his name. As a player, he was exceptionally composed and reserved. His name came from the small town in Quebec where he lived (Chicoutimi) and the fact that writers said he was “cool as a cucumber.” Lorne “Gump” Worsley Worsley was a Hall-of-Fame goalie who won 335 games for the Rangers, Canadiens and North Stars from 1952 to 1974, winning four Stanley Cups. He earned his moniker when a friend noticed his hair stood straight up like the comic strip character, Andy Gump. The moniker stuck after Worsley listed it on a form while signing on with a junior team. Worsley was one of the last goalies in the NHL to play without a mask and one of the great quipsters in hockey history. Once, a reporter asked him which team gave him the most trouble. “The Rangers,” Worsley answered with a straight face, naming his own team. Curtis "Cujo" Joseph Curtis Joseph was one of the biggest cry-baby moaners and vastly, horribly over rated better goalies of his era, playing for seven different NHL teams from 1989 to 2009 all of which he cried and sulked his way off of because no one treated like the greatest goalie that ever lived, which is what he thought of himself. His style was unorthodox, but somehow he made it work, winning more than 100 career playoff games and appearing in several All-Star games. His nick name came from the big dog in the horror novel by Stephen King, which matched the first two letters of his first and last name. Cujo’s mask featured the teeth of a vicious dog for most of his NHL career. Nikolai "The Bulin Wall" Khabibulin Khabibulin, a Russian goaltender, was nick named after the Berlin Wall–a nearly impenetrable structure, being he was so tough to score on during his prime. In 2004, he backstopped the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup. Fittingly, the artwork on his mask is based on the classic Pink Floyd album “The Wall.” Gary "Bones" Bromley Bromley tended goal for the Sabres and Canucks from 1973 to 1981. He’s remembered most for his mask, which looked like a skull and reflected Bromley’s nickname: Bones. As scary as the mask was, Bromley was actually just an average goaltender. Glenn “Chico” Resch Resch earned his nick name when playing with the New York Islanders in the mid-’70s. He looked a lot like actor Freddie Prinze who starred in the sitcom “Chico and the Man.” He was one of the first goalies to paint his mask, putting a map of Long Island and an “NY” on his face. Frank "Mr Zero" Brimsek Brimsek was a goaltender for the Bruins in the NHL’s early years. He earned his nick name as a rookie in 1938-39 by posting scoreless streaks of 231 minutes 54 seconds and 220 minutes 24 seconds en route to 10 shut outs and a Stanley Cup. Andre "Red Light" Racicot A career .880 save percentage and 3.50 goals-against average, earned Racicot one of the most brutal sports nick names of all time for a goalie. Henrik "The King" Lundqvist Henrik Lundqvist represented his country, Sweden, for many years before jumping the pond and joining the NHL. Sweden’s three-crown emblem is often used as a symbol of authority by the Swedish government, but other less formal examples exist such as the Swedish national men’s ice hockey team, which wears three crowns on their shirts. They are often called “Three Crowns.” The crowns, along with his sensational play during his rookie season, earned him his nick name from the New York media and Rangers fans. Felix "The Cat" Potvin Potvin’s first name and cat-like reflexes made this famous cartoon’s name a natural. Tony “O” Esposito Esposito’s “O” followed the Blackhawks star everywhere he went. It had not as much to do with his name as it did with his propensity for shutting out his opponents. Steve "The Puck Goes Inski" Buzinski Buzinski once allowed 33 goals in four games and 55 in nine so it’s easy to see why he didn’t last long in the National Hockey League. He will also go down in history as the goalie who Maurice Richard scored his first goal against. Eddie “The Eagle” / “Crazy Eddie” Belfour Belfour wore an eagle on his mask because he admired their majesty and aggression. However, his fiery, unpredictable personality earned him his other nick name. He led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final in 1992 and later won a Cup in 1999 with the Dallas Stars. Enforcers & Physical Trait Nick Names Derek "The Boogie Man" Boogard Boogard played nearly his entire career with Minnesota. Team mates and fans affectionately called the hulking, 6-7, 260-pound enforcer “The Boogie Man” while opponents feared going toe-to-toe with him. Sadly, Boogaard died of an accidental overdose of medication and alcohol in 2011. Wendel “Captain Crunch” Clark This Leafs captain loved to crunch opponents into the boards. Dave “The Hammer” Schultz Schultz was a powerhouse heavyweight fighter. His hands were like hammers when he dropped the gloves, breaking his opponent’s face with every punch. The enforcer’s fists were a key element to the Philadelphia Flyers ‘Broad Street Bullies’ that won two straight Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. He still holds the NHL record for most penalty minutes in a season with 472 set back in 1974-75. Dave "Tiger" Williams Williams was as tough as hockey players come. He ranks as the NHL’s all-time penalty minutes leader, with 3,966 minutes. He didn’t always use his fists to destroy opponents, sometimes he used his shot… he scored 35 goals in 1980-81. For his goal celebrations, he often would ride his stick like a witch on a broomstick, drawing cackles from fans. Dave "Cement Head" Semenko The tough cookie is best known for being Wayne Gretzky’s personal bodyguard. He is likely one of the only enforcers to ever play on the first line in the NHL. Stu "The Grim Reaper" Grimson At 6-foot-5, Grimson was a menacing presence, doling out ferocious hits and punishing fists while using his stick like a scythe. He was one of the NHL’s most feared enforcers of the 1990s. If he dropped the gloves, it was over. Frank "Seldom" Beaton A tough-as-nails enforcer, Beaton’s NHL career lasted only 25 games. Originally, his nickname was Frank “Never” Beaton, but after losing a few fights, the nick name was changed to “Seldom.” Johan "Mule" Franzen The 6-3, 220-pound, Detroit Red Wings’ forward played a rugged style and was dubbed “a mule” by team mates. A beast of a player who was difficult to move. Jerry "King Kong" Korab At 6’3″, 218 pounds, Korab seemed to just tower over many of his opponents. The defenceman reached the Stanley Cup Final three times in his first five years in the league (1971, 1973 and 1975) but lost all three times. Larry "Big Bird" Robinson Larry Robinson, at 6-5 and 225 pounds, reminded his team mates of the Sesame Street character. The Montreal Canadiens Hall-of-Fame defenceman was both big and strong, anchoring their defence for nearly two decades. Nicklas "The Perfect Human" Lidstrom “We call him the Perfect Human,” Niklas Kronwall told ESPN. “And there’s a reason for it. Whatever he does, he seems to do perfectly, so I think that’s a pretty good nick name.” Speedster Nick Names Bobby Hull "The Golden Jet" Bobby Hull’s blazing speed and head of blond locks earned him his nick name. He was the best goal scorer of his generation (the 1960s), scoring 50 or more goals five times in 13 seasons The left winger, with one of the fastest slapshots in the game, scored 610 goals during his NHL career and another 303 goals for the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA. Howie Morenz "The Stratford Streak" Howie Morenz dominated the NHL in the 1920s and 30s. During his 14-year career, Morenz became the NHL’s first superstar, winning two scoring titles, three MVP awards and three Stanley Cups. He was nick named “The Stratford Streak” for his speed. In 1937, he suffered a broken leg in a game and was told he would never play hockey again. He died of complications from the injury, although many claimed he died of a broken heart. Pavel Bure “The Russian Rocket” Bure earned his nick name for his nationality and his sheer speed. He was one of the league’s best goal scorers in the 1990s, tallying back-to-back 60-goal seasons in 1992-93 and 1993-94. Bure had five seasons of 50 or more goals before knee injuries slowed him down and forced him to retire at the age of 32. He finished his career with 437 goals in 702 NHL games. Teemu Selanne "The Finnish Teemu Selanne burst onto the NHL scene, scoring a rookie-record 76 goals for the Winnipeg Jets in the 1992-92 season. In 1,341 NHL games, Selanne scored 663 goals and totalled 1,406 points. He won three goal-scoring titles and one Stanley Cup in his NHL career. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017. As one of the elite goal scorers of the “Dead Puck Era, he became known as “The Finnish Flash” for his country of origin, speed and gifted offensive skills. Yvan “The Roadrunner” Cournoyer A writer dubbed Cournoyer the “Montreal Roadrunner” because he was only 5-foot-7 and had blazing speed. The winger was a flashy, reliable scorer who topped 20 goals for 12 straight seasons en route to winning ten Stanley Cups. Maurice “The Rocket” Richard This Canadiens’ Hall of Famer got his name in 1942 after team mate Ray Getliffe said Richard skated like a rocket. Montreal Gazette sportswriter, Dink Carroll, heard the comment and began using the name in his stories. Richard was unquestionably the best goal scorer of his era. The original rocket, he scored 544 career goals and was the NHL’s all-time leader at the time of his retirement in 1960. He was a fierce competitor, winning eight Stanley Cups with the Habs. Today, the league’s leading goal scorer is awarded the Rocket Richard Trophy in his honour. Maurice Richard was the first player to score 50 goals in 50 games in addition to being the first to reach 500 goals. Originally called “The Comet,” Montreal media outlets decided “The Rocket” was a better description of his speedy and determined style of play. Henri “The Pocket Rocket” Richard Henri Richard was 15 years younger than his brother Maurice and didn’t play in the NHL until the tail end of his brother’s career. At 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, he was three inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than his famous sibling. He spent his entire 20-season career with the Canadiens, winning the Stanley Cup a record 11 times as a player. He finished his career with 1,046 points in a career that started in 1955 and ended in 1975. Miscellaneous Nick Names Hector “Toe” Blake There’s nothing hockey-related about this one. Blake’s little sister had trouble pronouncing his name and referred to him as “Hectoe” as a kid. Toe coached the Canadiens to eight Stanley Cups. "Lucky" Luc Robitaille Luc Robitaille was drafted with the 171st pick in the 1984 NHL Draft. Scouts dissed his shot and his skating ability. He was “lucky” enough to retire as the highest-scoring left winger in league history. He was a sniper, scoring 40 of more goals eight times, reaching 50 twice and 60 once. Danny "Tickets" Gare Gare told all his buddies in Nelson, British Columbia, that if he made the Sabres team and played in Vancouver, they could all come down. Sure enough, Gare made a line up and paid for tickets for eight busloads of friends and family to go to the game. Later, in Buffalo, he was constantly giving his allotted two tickets to different people. Team mate, Larry Carriere, started calling Gare “tickets” and it stuck. Guy Lafleur “The Flower” / “Le Demon Blond” Just seeing the legendary Canadiens’ name conjures up images of him speeding down the wing with his hair flowing behind him. The popular winger’s nickname was a natural, as the French word “fleur” means flower. Lafleur was an elite goal scorer who won five Stanley Cups with Montreal in the ‘70s, including four straight from 1976-79. Fred "The Fog" Shero Shero coached the Flyers Broad Street Bullies to Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. He’s also known for his famous directive to his players, “Take the shortest route to the puck-carrier and arrive in ill humour.” The Hall-of-Fame coach was so often lost in thought that he seemed to be in a fog. Then there also the time in Atlanta, when he left the arena through a door with no re-entry and became locked outside prior to the post-game press conference. At the press conference, no one knew where Shero was and reporters unsuccessfully searched the arena for him. George “Punch” Imlach Imlach was accidentally knocked out by an elbow to the head during a senior league game. Once he woke up, the dazed Imlach tried to punch his team’s trainer, who was merely trying to help him out. While Imlach never lived down the incident or play in the NHL, he later guided the Maple Leafs to the playoffs 10 times in 11 seasons, winning four Stanley Cups. Al “Radar” Arbour The only guy in the league who wore glasses on the ice (hence his bookish nickname “Radar” that was given to him by Jack Adams, his coach in Detroit. Adams called him a “blind-eyed, CinemaScope, radar, sonuvabitch.” His likeness to the character Radar O’Reilly” from the movie and television show M*A*S*H also helps. Honourable Mention: Ken “Wolfman” Morrow – Note the beard of this Isles defenceman from the early ’80s. “Little Joe” Pavelski – He earned his name from Sharks announcer Randy Hahn, a reference to Pavelski’s team mate and San Jose’s superstar “Jumbo Joe.” “Jumbo” Joe Thornton – San Jose Sharks power forward. Johnathan “Captain Serious” Toews – The steely-eyed captain is all about winning. Igor “The Professor” Larionov – He was a professor on the ice and looked like one off it. Glen “Slats” Sather – he earned the nickname “Slats” because of his gritty style of play. Gary “The Iron Man“ Unger – Set an NHL record by playing 914 consecutive games in the regular season between Fe. 24, 1968 and Dec. 21, 1979. Eddie “The Entertainer” Shack – widely known for his entertaining style of play and his second career as a TV pitchman. Jason “The Mayor of Pominville” – According to play-by-by legend, Rick Jeanneret, every time Pommer scores, the population of Pominville goes up by one. Terry “Taz” O’Reilly – short for the Tasmanian Devil and his nonstop hustle and effort on every shift. Roger “Captain Video” Neilson – The head coach used technology to analyse hockey games and to correct his players from making similar mistakes. I went car shopping today. Woodrow Baines Roosevelt the III Sorry I missed you. I have been trying to make this trip for a few days now, and finally everything came together with little time to contact you. Drove to Kingston, today. Got to K-Mazda at 11:45. By the time test drive and horseshit was over, it was 13:00. Too late for a lunch or coffee visit. They tried to absolutely sodomise me on the trade in value of my wee Barbie car, so it looks like I shall have to wait until someone has the motor I want on their lot, and privately sell my car. I knew the cocksuckers would low-ball me, but this price was fucking disgusting. Anyway, off to the Quinte Air Show Saturday and will probably drive to Montreal on Monday. If I go to Montreal, I'm thinking of splitting at 06:00. That means arrive at about 10:00. Probably done by noon at the absolute latest. Then, cruising past yours about 14:30? Got time for a quick coffee then? Hope all is well with you and maw.
As always, your loving son, Ezekiel Fight the power! Written by Bill Schoeninger in 2014. THE HOCKEY WRITERS At times, the Hall of Fame committee has inducted some players that have sparked a lot of debate. Many believe they belong in the “Hall of Very Good” and not the Hall of Fame. When looking at the most questionable choices, three trends shine through among those of questionable merit:
Player A finishes 2nd in the NHL with 100 points. Player B scored 80 points that year, and is given a score of 80 (80/100). I am not meaning to disparage these players, they were tremendous hockey players during their careers. It’s just that the Hall of Fame should be reserved for only the very elite players. Dick Duff - Left Wing (1955-1971) ![]() A member of both the Maple Leafs and Canadiens dynasties of the 1960s, Dick Duff collected six Stanley Cup championships during his career. A big part of his candidacy comes from scoring a few clutch goals in the playoffs, but he only led his team (not the playoffs) in goals, assists, or points in the playoffs once in his career. Duff was known as a hard-working two-way player but never finished with a top 10 point finish, received no significant awards voting, and had a career high VsX of just 70.7. For a reference, Mike Ribeiro had five seasons of higher scores. He was never the best player on his team, instead having the fortune of playing on some incredible squads. If he spent his entire career on mediocre teams, there is no chance he makes the Hall. Gerry Cheevers - Goalie (1961-1980) The goalie for the Big Bad Bruins of the 1970s, Gerry Cheevers played behind some unreal teams and the best defenceman in history. He backstopped the team to two Cups, but was far from the driving force behind the wins. Despite playing behind one of the best teams ever, he never finished in the top five of GAA in any season when there were only ~15 teams (and 15 starters) in the league. His highest finish in terms of post-season all-star voting was fifth when he received only six out of 486 votes. So, theoretically, he was a top-five goalie once in his whole career. He won some awards in the WHA, but his competition paled in comparison to the NHL where he was merely an above-average goalie. Had he played for the California Golden Seals, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Clark Gillies - Left Wing (1974-1988) The left wing on the famed “Trio Grande” line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies did the dirty work for the line. He was a big, physical power forward that was also a willing fighter. Physicality is a valuable skill and helps his case, but when the rest of the picture isn’t there, it shouldn’t get him into the Hall. Gillies had a great two-year peak when he finished 9th and 13th in points, but he finished in the top 60 in points just two more times in his career (30th and 48th). And he was on a line with two top 25 players of all time! He never broke a VsX score of 80, and was at best the fifth-best player on those Islander teams. Compared to the regular season, his point-per-game average goes down from .73 to .57 in the playoffs. Being a power forward is great, but his offensives numbers are not HHoF calibre, despite playing alongside two legends. Leo Boivin - Defence (1951-1970) A stay-at-home defenceman, Leo Boivin’s claim to fame were his patented bone-crunching hits. Boivin was not large at 5-foot-8 183 pounds, but he could deliver thunderous body checks. Boivin played almost exclusively in an NHL that had six teams, yet Boivin’s teams made the playoffs in just 6 of those 15 seasons. Four teams made the playoffs each year. Boivin did not have great individual success either, with his highest finish in post-season All-Star voting being seventh. Then consider that there were only 24 regular defencemen in the NHL, and you’ll understand the scepticism. With a career-high of 26 points, Boivin’s accomplishments simply are not HHoF-worthy. Glenn Anderson - Right Wing (1980-1996) In Glenn Anderson, the list acquires its fourth role player from a dynasty. Anderson was a goalscoring wing who had talent, but whose point totals were inflated by playing on the highest-scoring team of all time in the highest-scoring era of all time. He finished top three in All-Star voting just once, received no Hart Trophy votes, and was at best the sixth-best player on the Oilers behind Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, and Grant Fuhr. He broke a VsX score of 80 once, and had one top 10 point finish in his career. Despite being known for his playoff heroics, his Points per Game (PPG) actually goes down slightly from the regular season to playoffs. Joe Nieuwendyk - Centre (1986-2007) The only centre on the list, Joe Nieuwendyk was a very good player for a long time but never peaked high enough to be deserving of HHoF honours. He was a “compiler” who scored a good amount each season for a long time but was never actually an elite player. His highest VsX score was 75.8 (Doug Weight beat that five times), and his highest finish in All-Star voting was fifth. In his career, he received just three total votes for the Hart Trophy over 20 seasons.
He gets a lot of mileage out of winning one Conn Smythe and three Cups, but his PPG in the playoffs is .17 lower than in the regular season. Harry Watson - Left Wing (1941-1957) A long-time Leaf, Watson is yet another example of a role player being recognised mostly because of his great team mates. Watson won five cups over his career, but was not the driving force for the victories. He never received any significant All Star votes, and got two votes for the Hart Trophy in his entire career. He had one career year in which he had a VsX score of 83, but never broke 70 again. Remember, Mike Ribeiro’s done that five times. Watson was a physical two-way player, which is definitely part of the picture, but his offensive abilities are too far behind for his intangibles to make up the ground. In the playoffs, he has a PPG that dips to .40 from .55 in the regular season.
We’re now just a few days away from hearing who will form this year’s class of inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. There are a few new candidates this year including former Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber, former Detroit Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk, former San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins Patrick Marleau, former Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Canadiens and Washington Capitals Ilya Kovalchuk, former Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks Ryan Miller, former Predators’ Pekka Rinne, former Blues, Boston Bruins, and Ducks David Backes, former long-time Minnesota Wild captain and Columbus Blue Jackets short-time player Mikko Koivu, former New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders Travis Zajac and finally, former Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Not all candidates deserve a look though and as per the HOF rules, only four male players can be inducted per induction class. As always there has been a lot of debating about candidates’ worthiness of induction and it is not easy to get a consensus. To get in, a player must receive 14 votes from the 18 committee members. Here is my opinion on whether Weber is worthy of induction. Weber's Statistics Weber’s career spanned 16 NHL seasons, 11 in Nashville with the team that drafted him 49th over all at the 2003 Draft and five in Montreal. In a total of 1,038 games played, Weber put up 589 points including 224 goals. Throughout his career, he also had a plus-79 rating and 714 penalty minutes.
A power play specialist thanks to his rocket of a shot, Weber scored 106 goals in that situation and added 133 assists for a total of 239 points with the man advantage. He also had 35 game-winning goals.
On average, he spent over 24 minutes on the ice every night and had an 8.1% shooting percentage, although that statistic varied a lot over the years. He went as high as 11.8% and as low as 4% so this stat should be taken with a grain of salt. The hulking defenceman also landed 2,212 hits over the course of his career and blocked 1,691 shots; he was never one to fear the physical side of the game. There’s a reason why Mike Babcock (biggest wank and cocksucker the League has ever seen!) once described him as a “Man Mountain” (from ‘Mike Babcock singing praises of defenceman Shea Weber,’ The Star, Sept. 6, 2016).
Numerically speaking, Weber has good totals, but there’s nothing overly impressive here. Of course, there’s more to a defenceman’s role than putting up points, but the modern-era defencemen inducted all appear to be more productive offensively. For instance, Mark Howe, who’s at the bottom of the ladder in points, still has a 0.80 points per game (P/G). As for Weber, he has 0.57 P/G, and Chris Pronger is at 0.60 P/G, but he has a lot more hardware trophies-wise.
Weber's Lack of Trophies While no one can deny that Weber was a good defender, he has not won a single trophy in the NHL. Pronger, who was mentioned in the previous paragraph, won the Stanley Cup and a Hart Trophy (the first blue liner to claim it since Bobby Orr). Furthermore, he’s a member of the Triple Gold Club. He’s got two Olympic gold medals and a gold medal at the World Championships. Meanwhile, Weber received votes for the Norris Trophy but never won it. On the international scene, Weber has two Olympic gold medals and a gold and a silver medal from the World Championships. While this is pretty to have on your resume, those are truly team awards. Canada didn’t win those titles solely because of Weber. Sure he was there and took part in the team effort, but that alone cannot get him into the Hall of Fame in my humble opinion (besides, Canada would have won with me on those fucking teams!). Personally, I do not think someone needs to have won a Stanley Cup to get in the HOF. It was fine when there were only six teams but, now with 32 teams chasing the ultimate goal, it doesn’t make sense. If it were the case, only players from the very best teams would win trophies. There’s already the Conn Smythe Trophy which can only be won by the players of the two teams that made it to the Final. I don’t think there’s a rule to that effect, it just always ends up like that. Weber's Character There is absolutely no debating possible when it comes to Weber’s character, he’s a great leader and captain. For a rebuilding team full of kids, he can even serve as a great dad and help them grow up in many ways. I remember an anecdote I read in Pierre Gervais and Mathias Brunet’s book, Tales from the Dressing Room, which I don’t have with me, but someone quoted it on X:
As for his leadership, when the Canadiens made that Stanley Cup run in 2021, they weren’t doing it for their coach or anybody but their captain, who could see the end of his career coming, and for Carey Price who was also battling knee problems. When they lost against the Tampa Bay Lightning, many Canadiens players went to console Weber, as if they knew it was the end of the line for him. Don’t get me wrong, I know Weber is a good player and leader, but the Hall of Fame should not be for good players, it should be for those who have truly marked the game. The fact he got to 1,000 games is great, but personally when I think of Weber what comes to mind first is the ridiculous offer sheet he received from the Philadelphia Flyers. Defenceman Raymond Bourque, who had the whole league pulling for him to win the Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, is a good example of the kind of defender I would like to see in the Hall of Fame. For me, Weber doesn’t make the cut, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. |
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