On Tuesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame membership grew by five, as Scott Neidermayer, Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan, Geraldine Heaney and Fred Shero joined their ranks. All five are legends in their own right and deserve the call, though surely there must be some debate about the players passed over again this year, most notably Eric Lindros, Rob Blake and coach Pat Burns.
Nevertheless, let's take a quick look at the careers of the five inductees.
Scott Niedermayer: Really, what else can be said about the 4 time Stanley Cup Champion that hasn't already been noted countless times before. Of all the inductees this year, Niedermayer was a mortal lock. I've always had a soft spot for Nieds, a BC native like myself who won a Memorial Cup with my hometown Kamloops Blazers in 1992. It was the first of many championships and accolades in his distinguished career. Among those are two Olympic gold medals, Gold at the World Championships, Gold in the World Cup and Gold at the World Junior Championships. All this man does is win. Though not the most gifted offensive defensemen during his era, he finished his career with 740 points in 1263 games over 17 seasons. Like all the players inducted this year, his numbers suffered slightly from having to miss games due to two locked out seasons. His true greatness was his vision, positioning and hockey sense, which allowed him to be one of the best all-around defensemen of all time. Niedermayer is also considered by many to be one of the best skaters the NHL has ever seen. He was a three time first team all star who won the Norris trophy in 2004 and the Conn Smythe in 2007.
Chris Chelios: Without a doubt Chelios had the longest playing career of any of this year's inductees. The Chicago native was drafted way back in 1981 by the Montreal Canadiens and wouldn't retire until the age of 48, after playing 26 seasons in the NHL. That could be attributed to his nearly inhuman training regimen. His strength and conditioning rivaled players half his age. Chelios made a splash right away, earning a place on the All-rookie team in 1984, and finishing second to some guy named Mario in the Calder trophy race. He would win the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986 as well as the Norris in 1989 and add two more Cups as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and 2008. Mixed in between was a stint with his hometown Chicago Blackhawks, when he was one of the premier defensemen of the 90's, winning two more Norris trophies. By the time Chelios wrapped up his playing career with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010, he had accumulated 948 points in 1651 games, good for 10th all time among NHL defenseman. Chelios will mostly be remembered for his intensity and passion, both on and off the ice.
Brendan Shanahan: Though Shanahan can't boast the same personal accolades as Niedermayer or Chelios (his only major individual award was the King Clancy in 2003), there is no doubt that Shanahan is one of the best power forwards of all time. Drafted 2nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in 1987, he had a decent start to his career, scoring 20 or more goals in three of his first four seasons. It wasn't until Shanahan joined the Brett Hull and the Blues in 1991 when his career really took off. He would score 50 goals twice in St. Louis, and earned the reputation as one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league. Shanahan continued that production through stints with Hartford, Detroit and New York, ultimately finishing with 656 goals (13th all-time) and 1354 points in 1524 games. His 19 consecutive 20 goal seasons is second only to the immortal Gordie Howe. His legend as one of the best power wingers of all time is evidenced by the fact that he is the only player in NHL history with more than 600 goals and 2000 penalty minutes. He's also a three time Stanley Cup Champion, being an integral part of championships for Detroit in 1997, 1998 and 2002.
Geraldine Heaney: Heaney becomes the first female defenseman, and third woman overall, to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Though many people may have missed out on Heaney's career, she was undoubtedly a pioneer for female hockey on the international stage. Heaney began her career with the Toronto Aeros in the Canadian Women's Hockey League as a 13 year old and would win 6 provincial championships during her 18 year career with the team. She also represented Team Ontario in the Esso Women's National Championships in Canada and played in every national championship tournament from 1987 to 2001, the only woman to do so. Where Heaney really shone though was on the international stage. Heaney was an integral part of the defense for a Canadian team which won gold in the first seven Women's World Championships. She was named the best defenseman during the 1992 and 1994 tournaments. She's also a two time Olympic Medalist, winning silver in the first Olympics that featured women's hockey in 1998, and gold in 2002. Overall she finished her career with 93 points in 125 international games.
Fred Shero: Shero has been nominated posthumously in the builders category. He had a very brief NHL career, from 1947 until 1950 during which time he accumulated only 20 points in 145 games. He also bounced around various other professional leagues as a player during the 40's and 50's. After retiring as a player, Shero turned to coaching and spent 13 years in the minor leagues, winning championships in the IHL, the AHL, and the CHL. Finally he was given a shot as an NHL head coach in 1971 with the Philadelphia Flyers. Shero brought with him a winning reputation and, though struggling initially, would lead the team to the pinnacle of success. In three consecutive seasons, from 1974-1976, Shero's Flyers would win 50 games each year, make the Finals three times and win two consecutive Stanley Cups. In 1974, a season in which the Flyers won their first Cup and lost only 16 games during the regular season, Shero would be awarded the Jack Adams trophy as coach of the year. He joined the New York Rangers as head coach in 1978 and would ultimately retire from coaching during the 1980-81 season. Though his career as a coach was relatively short-lived, only 9 seasons, he racked up 390 wins in 734 games to go along with his two Stanley Cups.
No comments:
Post a Comment