Is Nicklas Backstrom a hall of famer?

What do you think?


  • Total voters
    131

slapKing

Registered User
Feb 12, 2020
734
845
Canada
Backstrom's resume:

- over 1000 points
- over 1100 games played
- Stanley Cup champion
- 7x top 10 assist scorer (3x top 3 assist scorer)
- 5x top 10 scorer
- over 100 playoff points
 

DitchMarner

TheGlitchintheSwitch
Jul 21, 2017
11,140
8,128
Brampton, ON
He may be. Worse players are in the Hall, but he's also in the same tier as Eric Staal and Jason Spezza and not all of them will be inducted. I think Tavares will be, but I'm not sure he's a better player than Backstrom.
 

WarriorofTime

Registered User
Jul 3, 2010
31,425
20,402
I don't understand what the third category is supposed to be, HHOF isn't the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, you don't have "groups" inducted.
 

Regal

Registered User
Mar 12, 2010
26,508
16,408
Vancouver
He’s in the tier of player that could go either way. I think he would likely have made it if he didn’t get injured and could keep racking up points. He might have been over 1200 at this point. He’s a weird one too where I feel like he wasn’t really hyped much while he was playing so that could hurt him, but at the same time, there’s no one other than Ovechkin from those strong Washington teams that are going to get in so he might make it in because of that
 

JaegerDice

The mark of my dignity shall scar thy DNA
Dec 26, 2014
25,574
10,238
He’ll probably get in on the basis of accumulation, but I don't recall any time he was ever considered a consensus top 5 player at his position.

I kinda hope he gets in, just cause I enjoyed watching him play so much.
 

wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
24,752
11,622
At no point watching him throughout his career did I feel like “Wow this dude is a hall of fame player / all-time great”. Since his retirement nothing has changed that impression.
That's going to be the problem for backstrom along with his early retirement and the logjam of other players but he wouldn't be a bad pick really, it's just that he doesn't scream huge omission if he doesn't make it in.
 

BKarchitect

Registered User
Oct 12, 2017
8,212
14,691
Kansas City, MO
I lean yes but I’m not going to argue too hard if you want to make the argument there are some very similar careers not in there.

His peak was arguably in DPE 2.0 and he was wrecked by injuries by the time he was 34. Injuries aside, I think he could’ve still be extremely productive well into his mid 30’s so there’s a lot of “stats compilation” left on the table here. I think a non-injury wrecked Backstrom is still doing numbys this season, let alone the last few left off the table.

I actually think to the contrary of a post above that watching him I did feel like I was watching one of the very best centers of that era and a guy who was very much a transcendent playmaker and excellent two-way center.

His bid falls short more on stats compilation and the weak (for me, anyways) narrative that he fed off Ovie more than it did the eye test, at least for me.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
13,777
9,092
Ostsee
There are several more deserving Swedish players that aren't about to get in either. Bäckström had a fine and reasonably long career as your reliable top-line centerman, but hardly anything beyond that.
 

pi314

Registered User
Jun 10, 2017
1,301
2,753
Windsor, ON
At no point watching him throughout his career did I feel like “Wow this dude is a hall of fame player / all-time great”. Since his retirement nothing has changed that impression.

True but the hockey hall of fame is a lower bar than other pro sports.

He will get in eventually.

Especially with 1000 points.
 

Took a pill in Sbisa

2showToffoliIwascool
Apr 23, 2004
16,737
7,739
Australia
He seems to fit the criteria when you look at his resume, but I never considered him a great/legendary. The players in the HOF should be reserved for the legends of the game. I never hear anyone bring up memories of when he dominated.

Unfortunately the bar has been lowered over the past decade or so.
 

FissionFire

Registered User
Dec 22, 2006
12,747
1,386
Las Vegas, NV
www.redwingscentral.com
True but the hockey hall of fame is a lower bar than other pro sports.

He will get in eventually.

Especially with 1000 points.
Maybe but at his peak he was arguably only the 5th best player at his position behind Crosby, Malkin, Datsyuk, and Sedin/Zetterberg. Are all of them getting in too? I don’t think the era was so strong that the 5th or 6th best center is a hall of famer.
 

Regal

Registered User
Mar 12, 2010
26,508
16,408
Vancouver
Maybe but at his peak he was arguably only the 5th best player at his position behind Crosby, Malkin, Datsyuk, and Sedin/Zetterberg. Are all of them getting in too? I don’t think the era was so strong that the 5th or 6th best center is a hall of famer.

Probably. The only questionable is Z
 

895

Registered User
Jun 15, 2007
8,588
7,644
I'm a Caps fan

Under my ideal HHOF where only the best players get in, no.

Under the current actual existing HHOF where players like Carbonneau and Andreychuk are in, yes.
 
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banks

Only got 3 of 16.
Aug 29, 2019
3,848
5,665
No. It's the hall of "fame", not the hall of stats. Just hitting a thousand-ish games and a thousand-ish points shouldn't be enough.

He was Ovie's sidekick. He has a Cup win. But the personal achievements are thin. Fun player to watch, but he shouldn't be in.
 

KevinRedkey

12/18/23 and beyond!
Jan 22, 2010
10,509
5,782
No. It's the hall of "fame", not the hall of stats. Just hitting a thousand-ish games and a thousand-ish points shouldn't be enough.

He was Ovie's sidekick. He has a Cup win. But the personal achievements are thin. Fun player to watch, but he shouldn't be in.

So being 'famous' enough should get you in while stats shouldn't?
What a truly terrible and strange argument to make.
 

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