Committee Chairman
Hockey List revised, Dominik Hasek #1
Revisions, Revisions, Revisions. The Hockey list has been revised, and it what seems to be an annual tradition, a new number one has been crowned and a major overhaul in the top ten has occurred. Last year, three of our top ten were selected (Chris Chelios #2, Brendan Shanahan #5, Scott Niedermayer #6) and there are many new eligible players who are top ten worthy; including our new number one selection.
The new Number one selection is Czech Goaltender, Dominik Hasek. The “Dominator” won the Hart Trophy in 1997 and the Vezina Trophy six times. There is no logical reason to think he won’t enter immediately. This moved Don Cherry back down to the number two slot, a position he seems to hold every time there is no surefire Hall of Fame Hockey player for enshrinement.
Paul Kariya moved up to #3, while another first ballot nominee, Peter Forsberg moves into the #4 spot. Like Kariya, Forsberg did not hit the 1,000 point plateau, but both had a stretch where they were considered among the elite; a status that we have always felt should be essential for the Hockey Hall of Fame. American superstar, Mike Modano also debuts in the five spot, bringing the third first ballot nominee into the top five.
Soviet born, Sergei Makarov slips down to sixth. Although we personally have been a big supporter for Makarov to the Hall, votes from this site has pushed him down the pecking order. As always, this site is assisted by all of you! The #7 rank is a fourth newcomer, Mark Recchi. Although he does not have the accolades of those higher on the list, he does bring to the table the highest career point total of anyone not inducted (and eligible). His could be the most interesting case of the new debuts.
The top ten rounds out with Eric Lindros, Pat Burns and Dave Andreychuck, who all of have strong Hockey Hall of Fame cases.
There are other new entries on the Hockey Hall of Fame list. At #38 is Goaltender, Chris Osgood, #39 Doug Weight, #53 Brian Rafalski, #64 Owen Nolan and #79 Sandis Ozolinsh.
You know what to do! Check out the new entries, and make your votes heard!
Tracy McGrady retires from the NBA
And just like that, we have another major retirement in the NBA that received little fanfare. Tracy McGrady has announced that he is officially done with playing in the National Basketball Association. “T-Mac” leaves behind what many consider to be a cluttered legacy, as he is a two time scoring champion, but his critics constantly point to his inability to lead his team past the first round of the NBA playoffs (and no, last year with the Spurs doesn’t count).
Statistically, McGrady has the credentials. Not only is he a two time scoring champion as earlier mentioned, he eclipsed the 24 points per game mark seven years in a row, was named a First Team All Star twice, a Second Team All Star three times and again a Third Team All Star twice; accolades which in our eyes is a true telling of where a Basketball player ranks among his peers. In advanced metrics, McGrady also had the highest PER in 2003, and retires from the NBA with a career PER of 22.1, a number that ranks him 28th all time.
Playoff failures aside, Tracy McGrady is a Hall of Fame calibre player, and barring any continued play in overseas professional leagues, he will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2019. He will probably get in, but will they make him wait?
Allen Iverson set to retire
The answer is, with a whimper. That is the Jeopardy question to “How did Allen Iverson retire, which a decade ago seemed impossible. It was reported that Iverson was going to announce an official retirement, which considering he has not played professionally in two years (three in North America) is a little anti-climactic.
That is not how we will remember A.I., as we will think of him as the Shooting Guard who redefined the culture of the National Basketball Association, and brought an urban grit that really did not exist before. We remember him as the man who carried the 76ers on his back, and took them to an NBA Finals, which without him, that team had no business even sniffing. We remember his controversy about “practice” and his four scoring titles, though we also remember that Iverson never saw a shot he never took.
Regardless of how he is viewed, and whether you are a fan of his or not, any man who is a three Time NBA First Team Selection (not to mention three Second Team Selections and an MVP award in 2001) is an automatic first ballot Hall of Fame selection in our book, and we will vault him straight to the top of our list once he is eligible. That year is 2017, as his extra year playing in Turkey will delay his inevitable induction by a year.
The 1984 Hockey HOF Class is up
Our work on the existing Hockey Hall of Fame Classes continue. We have now made our way to the year of 1984 (which for the record is easily among our favourite Classes). The Class of 1984 contains:
Bernie Parent
Jacques Lemaire
Jake Milford
Phil Esposito
Punch Imlach
Gang you know the drill. Check it out, and cast your votes and let us know whether you think they deserved their Hall of Fame induction. Look for upcoming classes soon!