NHL Hall of Fame Inductees

On November 12 the NHL inducted this years hall of fame crop of Mark Messier, Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis, and Ron Francis. Each of the four were in their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility. It’s not really a surprise that any of these four were included in their first available year, but that doesn’t make their inductions any less special.

Mark Messier, perhaps the most well recognized of the four, was one of the most idolized leaders that has ever played the game. Versus, a TV channel, has even given Messier the opportunity to present his own award for leadership to whoever demonstrates that quality the best within the NHL. He is the only professional athlete to captain two different teams to championship victories. Messier led both the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers to Stanley Cup victories. He is the second most prolific scorer in NHL history by compiling 1193 assists and 1887 points in the regular season. He has also played the second most games in the sport’s history with 1756 games played in the regular season. He even won two Hart Memorial Trophies, given out two the NHL’s most valuable player in the regular season. Even with all of his regular season prowess over his career, his fame and respect really came from the playoffs. His name is on the Stanley Cup 6 different times a feat made even more impressive by the fact that he is also second in playoff points in a career with 265. This shows that he was not only on great teams to win those cups, but he was also a vital member that contributed greatly to those teams.

Scott Stevens will be remembered as one of the best defensemen to ever play the game, as well as one of the most physical. Stevens has played the 4th most games in the NHL with 1635 games played over long stretches with the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils as well as a season played for the St. Louis Blues in between. Over his career he never had a season with a negative plus/minus rating, finishing off with a +393 rating over his 22 season career. Stevens won 3 Cups with the Devils during his stay captaining the team(1995, 2000, and 2003). He was the first player in the Devils franchise history to have his number retired. Stevens fame mostly came from his solid defensive play with his punishing, yet clean open-ice hitting, which even sent some of his victims unconscious.

Al MacInnis will also be remembered as one of the best defensemen to play, but for a different reason than Stevens. MacInnis was known for his amazingly powerful slapshot which helped him amass the 3rd most points, goals, and assists for a defensemen in the history of the NHL being one of only a few defensemen to break the 1000 point mark. His shot was so hard that early in his career with Calgary, he blasted a shot that shattered the goalie mask of St. Louis Blues' goalie Mike Liut. He also won seven Hardest shot competitions at the All Star skills competitions. He only won one Stanley Cup out of his 23 seasons in 1989 with the Calgary Flames. He only played for two teams during that span, the Calgary Flames and the St. Louis Blues. He won the Norris trophy once for the 1998-99 season with the Blues. He was also one of the few NHL players that refused to switch to the new composite sticks, and kept using his wooden stick. One interesting fact about Al MacInnis is that he played instrumental roles in two of the three largest third period comebacks in NHL history.

Ron Francis is perhaps the most underrated and least known great that ever played the game. Francis played for four different teams in the Hartford Whalers, Pittsburg Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, and a brief stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Over his lengthy career which is good for 3rd on the all time list with 1731 games played, he won three Lady Byng Trophies awarded to the most gentlemanly player. He also holds the fourth spot for the all time scoring lists at 1798. He’s captained three of his teams over four periods including two periods with the Penguins and excluding the Maple Leafs. Either way it’s clear that all four of these players left a significant mark on the NHL.