Posted by Joy Russo
Now that Paris Hilton is out of jail and has found God and has made her "Larry King Live" appearance, all seems right in the world, doesn't it?
Well, not if you're a hockey fan, because you know we have another three months before the sport of champions comes back to us.
Not that the NHL doesn't have its own offseason excitement. Yes, there's free agency. But the call today is for the Hockey Hall of Fame. There will be much debate over the 2007 class, especially when the selection committee has to pick four player inductees from a pool of first-time ballots like Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Claude Lemieux, Igor Larionov and Adam Oates alone.
The committee has to pick four from that group along with other leftovers in waiting: Glenn Anderson, Pavel Bure, Phil Housley, Doug Gilmour and more.
So, how do you choose? This is one of those classes that can invoke a Goose Gossage kind of debate. I can't advocate for one player, but here's one way to look at the selection process: if you were building a hockey team, which players would you want in your starting lineup?
I don't think it's fair to include Messier in this discussion because anyone on the planet will tell you that the league's second all-time leading scorer is a shoo-in for 2007. So, with that in mind, here are some thoughts:
• Scott Stevens: Yes, we all remember "The Night He Drove Ole Lindros Down," but Stevens is one of the reasons the Devils became a contender when he arrived in New Jersey in 1991. During his 13 seasons in New Jersey, Stevens won three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003), the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP (2000) and only missed the postseason once (1995-96). While most consider him a great defensive defenseman first, he could also provide offense. He had 908 career points, 10th all time among blueliners. He should be in.
• Igor Larionov: This is where the skeptics may rear their ugly heads. But Larionov was a stud before coming to the NHL and was part of a big movement that permanently broke the Russian barrier in the league. He centered the famed "KLM Line" with Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov and won two Olympic gold medals (1984, 1988) and four World Championships for Russia. When Larionov came to the NHL at age 29, he jumped from team to team (he played for five in all), but made his biggest impact with the Red Wings. One of the sweetest passers in the game, he helped Detroit win three Cups (1997, 1998, 2002). He also mentored Pavel Datsyuk before his retirement in 2004, and we all know how well that experiment turned out. Hall worthy.
• Al MacInnis: We're sorry. Why wouldn't you want that booming slap shot quarterbacking your power play? (There must be something in that Kitchener, Ontario water when it comes to defensemen.) He ranks third all time among defensemen in points (1,274) and assists (934) and won the Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with the Flames in 1989. Sign him up.
• Glenn Anderson: Does he belong in the Hall? Is the forward being hurt by the fact that those dynastic Oilers teams had so much talent? Maybe. But let's rank 'em: Wayne Gretzky (he's in), Messier (he's about to be in), Paul Coffey (in), Jari Kurri (in), Grant Fuhr (in). Has Anderson's time come? I think he's waiting another year. His career tailed off after he left Edmonton -- he had one decent season in Toronto in 1992-93 and played a minor role in the Rangers' 1994 Cup win. He is fourth all time in playoff scoring (214 points), but he didn't average a point-per-game in the postseason. Not to take away his accomplishments, but when you ask yourself, who do you want on your team, I don't say Glenn Anderson. He's on hold.
The debate won't end come Friday morning after the 2007 class is announced and there are no easy answers for the committee. It's just another sport where there are different definitions for "Hall-worthy."
And just think ... next year's first-timers will include Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull. Do you leave any of those three out? Do you include Anderson or Phil Housley or Doug Gilmour or Pavel Bure instead?
Let the debate begin!
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