Call to the hockey hall: The candidates
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 10:29 AM ET
CBC Sports
Steve Yzerman is sixth all-time on the NHL points list and won three Stanley Cups in the last decade of his career. (John F. Martin/Associated Press) There is plenty to choose from among retired NHL players up for Hockey Hall of Fame consideration, and those selected on Tuesday for induction could collectively rival any previous class in terms of offensive firepower.
There are five forwards in their first year of eligibility who combined for more than 3,200 regular season goals in their illustrious careers.
The men in question — Dave Andreychuk, Brett Hull, Alexander Mogilny, Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman — are joined by strong defenceman candidate Brian Leetch, a two-time Norris Trophy winner.
The selection committee takes no more than four players per year, and those approved may stand up admirably in terms of goal-scoring prowess alongside the 1972 class of Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau and Bernie Geoffrion and the 1983 duo of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita.
The strong crop of first-year eligible players also means that candidates who've already been eligible might have to wait at least another year. That list includes names such as Pavel Bure, Dino Ciccarelli, Doug Gilmour, Steve Larmer, and Adam Oates.
The Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee is comprised of 18 members. In addition to players, referees and builders of the game may also be honoured. Up to five can be nominated for induction in any given year, with no more than four players.
This year's Inductions into the Hockey Hall of Fame will take place on Nov. 9 in Toronto.
Here is a look at the top candidates who are in their first year of eligibility:
Dave Andreychuk
Plus: Scored 640 goals, ranking 13th in NHL history … Added 698 assists for 1,338 points, which is tied for 25th on the all-time list …Twice scored 50 goals in a season …Captain of Tampa Bay when they won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Minus: Even if you shaved over four years off his two-decade plus career and didn't take any goals away, his average per season is 35 goals. Nice numbers, but not necessarily worthy of the Hall.
Should Andreychuk be rewarded for longevity when a player of a similar ilk, Tim Kerr, was much more prolific in a career curtailed in part by injury?
Verdict: It would also be hard to justify Andreychuk going in before Gilmour, the more versatile former linemate who set up dozens of his goals. His best chance would seem to be the Glenn Anderson route — in a few years in when there is less stiff competition.
Brett Hull 
The "Golden Brett" had his eyes on the net throughout his NHL career. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Plus: Finished with 741 career goals, third only to Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe … He added 650 assists for 1,391 points, currently 21st overall … Scored 86 goals in 1990-91, a single season total only surpassed by Gretzky … Also the only man other than Gretzky to score more than 70 in a season on at least three occasions … He poured in 339 goals between 1989-90 and 1993-94, a five-year rate of production only exceeded in NHL history by Gretzky in the 1980s … Won Stanley Cups with Dallas and Detroit, tallying 42 points in 46 games during those Cup runs.
Minus: His numbers were merely really good instead of extraordinary after Adam Oates left St. Louis. His occasional bouts of crankiness also won't matter on Tuesday.
Verdict: Hull's in the hall, joining his father Bobby — the top father-son duo in league history.
Brian Leetch
Plus: Leetch scored 247 goals and 781 assists for 1,028 points, the fifth-highest among defencemen … Scored over 20 goals in a season five times … One of only five blue-liners ever to top 100 points in a season … Calder Trophy as top rookie, two Norris wins as top defenceman, and Conn Smythe as MVP when the New York Rangers ended a 54-year Stanley Cup drought.
Minus: Towards the end of his career could be a bit of a defensive liability, but that's a minor quibble in the grand scheme.
Verdict: Leetch was smooth and stellar for a decade, never less than one of the top five defenceman in the game during the 1990s. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame eight months ago alongside Hull, and the pair will go in again together in Toronto.
Alexander Mogilny
Plus: Tallied 473 goals and 559 assists, putting him 63rd on the all-time list … Eight seasons of over 30 goals … Twice scored over 50 in a season … His 76 goals in 1992-93 were tied for fifth-most ever in a season … His defection in 1989 helped open the floodgates for Russian players.
Minus: After scoring 55 goals in his first season with Vancouver, had a very fallow four-year period with the Canucks until a turn-of-the-century resurgence with New Jersey and Toronto.
Verdict: The 76-goal season coupled with a solid career is worthy of consideration, but former Russian team linemate Bure was a more consistent scoring threat. The sardonic Mogilny would probably have a great induction speech, but he won't get a chance to deliver it this year.
Luc Robitaille
Plus: No left wing ever compiled more goals or points … Ranks 10th in goals with 668 and is 19th in points with 1,394 …Three seasons of over 50 goals and four with over 100 points … Stanley Cup winner in 2002 (on a Red Wings team that included Hull and Yzerman).
Minus: Nearly 60 per cent of his goals came in the first eight years of a nearly two-decade career.
Verdict: If it's a four-player class, Robitaille has a strong shot, although some voters might wonder if he's more deserving than still-waiting candidates such as Oates or Gilmour.
Steve Yzerman
Plus: Scored 682 goals and 1,063 assists for 1,745 points, sixth in NHL history … Ranks seventh in assists and eighth in goals … Five seasons over 50 goals and two over 60 … Recorded more than 100 points for six consecutive seasons … Compiled 155 points in 1988-89, the most in a season by any NHL player not named Gretzky or Mario Lemieux … Three Stanley Cup wins, Olympic gold with Canada.
Minus: None. It seems preposterous now, but a dozen years ago some pundits wondered whether a 32-year-old Yzerman would always be a bridesmaid.
Verdict: It's a no-brainer. Yzerman's in line for an exciting three-month period that could potentially include both a Hall of Fame induction and recognition as the architect of a gold-medal Olympic hockey team.
Davidson, Molinari honoured
A pair of honours were already announced. John Davidson will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. After over 20 years as a broadcaster Davidson is now the president of hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues.
Pittsburgh Penguins beat writer Dave Molinari will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for hockey journalism.
Candidates from women's hockey will be considered for induction beginning in 2010.
