Is Nicklas Backstrom a hall of famer?

[banks]

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

I mean, not just fame of any kind. But a player who actually accomplished more, and had bigger stories should get in ahead of just a similar stat accumulator.

The hall of fame is a real place where people pay for a ticket and go in and look around. You can't have every display just be the guy's hockeydb stat page and nothing else. They need to have done something.

Willy O'Ree shouldn't be in the hall because of his on-ice stats. But a look at what his games meant gets him in. The Sedin twins are guys whose numbers put them on the bubble, but the fact that they were identical twins playing on the same team for their whole careers makes them interesting. Phil Kessel probably doesn't make it based on career point totals. But the fact that he beat cancer and then went on to the league's greatest ironman streak would make a moving display in the Hall, and I hope he gets in.

By "fame" I mean interesting stories and accomplishments. That should count.

 

[Albatros]

Willie O'Ree got in as a builder for what it's worth.

 

[MXD]

I don't think there had been a forward with so very little individual awards or accolades or voting support that has made the HHOF.

On the other hand, well, hard to be the MVP when you'Re clearly not the MVP on your team, and when the said MVP is amongst the 20 best players of all time. Malkin did it, but Malkin is/was also a significantly better player, and also miles above the bar Backstrom has to clear. It was easier in the 6-team era, not so much in the 30+ teams era that Backstrom played in.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I voted no initially.

But I mean... the math is that 30 players per decade get in.

Not sure I could name 30 players during his era that were better than him.

So I changed it to yes.

 

[blundluntman]

Great player but absolutely not.

 

[blundluntman]

Edit: please remove

 

[RandV]

Backstrom is an example of a guy below the bar, as generally when you have a 1000 point career you need a significant individual trophy to get in, like the Sedins. Otherwise its a maybe on an extended wait list like Roenick/Turgeon/Mogilny, and depends a lot on how crowded that field is, and there will likely be a handful of similar guys to Backstom in 15-20 years.

 

[Albatros]

O'Ree broke the color barrier and worked as a diversity ambassador for the NHL for years. Not really sure what you hoped to accomplish by bringing him up in a Backstrom conversation.

I didn't? You might want to read the thread before replying.

 

[hypereconomist]

5x top 10 points finishes
7x top 10 assists finishes
AST Voting: 3, 4, 6, 8, 9

The year he was 3rd in AST voting, he was behind Crosby and McDavid. The year he was 4th in AST voting, he was 1-2 second place votes from tying or beating Stamkos (the year Stamkos won his first Richard). That's elite company.

I don't think Backstrom did quite enough to be inducted in the HHOF, but he wouldn't be a worse induction than Andreychuk if he eventually does get inducted

 

[blundluntman]

I didn't? You might want to read the thread before replying.

My mistake, I didn’t see the post you were referring to

 

[zizbuka]

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.

You want the HOF to be for the super elite, but that's not really why it's there. It's a showcase, a place for fans to visit and relive past players/events. And that's what it should be.

 

[trentmccleary]

He'll be inducted into the HHOF. Only 30 players over the last 30 years have produced 1,000 points. The HHOF inducts and average of about 1.5 forwards per year. If they're going to induct 45 forwards, you'd have to think that the guy who was 27th in career points would have a great chance. Plus, he was the first line center on a Stanley Cup winner and finished top-10 in scoring 5 times. Add in a very good international career and a good Selke voting history, he seems like a lock.

 

[NVious]

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.

He will always live in the shadow of his father Niklas Backstrom, he was too scared to strap on the pads like the old man and then he failed at being a HOF player. #Sad

 

[tarheelhockey]

I voted no, but man, he’s exactly the kind of player who will pop back up in 10 years and get the “everyone else with 1000 points and 1100 games and a Stanley Cup and born on a Tuesday got inducted” type of treatment.

To be brutally honest, the biggest thing working against him is being Swedish. If he retired to southern Ontario, he could become a GM, pal around with the committee and get inducted in half the time.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Backstrom is an example of a guy below the bar, as generally when you have a 1000 point career you need a significant individual trophy to get in, like the Sedins. Otherwise its a maybe on an extended wait list like Roenick/Turgeon/Mogilny, and depends a lot on how crowded that field is, and there will likely be a handful of similar guys to Backstom in 15-20 years.

That's what I thought.

But going back from 1999 to Now.

in the past 24 seasons (72 HHOF inductees)
Backstrom is at #19 in points ahead of MSL, Getzlaf, Zetterberg, Alfredsson, Elias, B.Richards.

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Just think about the math on this.

With 72 players from this era (roughly) making it into the HHOF, do you honestly think Backstrom gets omitted as the 19th highest scorer in a 24 year span?

 

[tarheelhockey]

That's what I thought.

But going back from 1999 to Now.

in the past 24 seasons (72 HHOF inductees)
Backstrom is at #19 in points ahead of MSL, Getzlaf, Zetterberg, Alfredsson, Elias, B.Richards.

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Just think about the math on this.

With 72 players from this era (roughly) making it into the HHOF, do you honestly think Backstrom gets omitted as the 19th highest scorer in a 24 year span?

I think, if they’re being reasonable about it, most people would mentally adjust him to more of the Richards/Lecavalier range because we all know how he got those numbers.

 

[Three On Zero]

Sedin is probably borderline and Zetterberg I don’t think gets in. I can’t see either of them being left out and an inferior player in Backstrom let in.

Both Sedins are already in

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'll say yes, but that's mainly because the bar for the HoF seems to be low nowadays and it's basically the Hall of Very Good.

When you start inducting compilers and players who were never top 10 players in the league, but who happened to play for a long time and were good *enough* to rack up points, you no longer have an argument against a guy like Backstrom.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

You want the HOF to be for the super elite, but that's not really why it's there. It's a showcase, a place for fans to visit and relive past players/events. And that's what it should be.

I'm not really understanding how it can't be both unless you'd like to explain how.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

I voted no, but man, he’s exactly the kind of player who will pop back up in 10 years and get the “everyone else with 1000 points and 1100 games and a Stanley Cup and born on a Tuesday got inducted” type of treatment.

To be brutally honest, the biggest thing working against him is being Swedish. If he retired to southern Ontario, he could become a GM, pal around with the committee and get inducted in half the time.

He was actually born on a Monday, but I see what you're getting at.

 

[tfwnogf]

If the sedins made it he should too. If it were up to me he'd be Hall of very good but I'm positive he will get in.

 

[Langway]

I think, if they’re being reasonable about it, most people would mentally adjust him to more of the Richards/Lecavalier range because we all know how he got those numbers.

...how did he get those numbers?

The lack of individual hardware hurts. I also would have figured that he'd topped 80 points more than three times in his career. But he's a pretty iconic disher to one of the best finishers ever so that notoriety makes it close you'd think. The longevity of that pairing should help his case a lot more compared to if he had bounced around a bit. Had he stayed healthy later into his career I don't think there'd be much doubt but being done at essentially 33 makes it tough. More than his nationality his demeanor and avoiding the limelight may also not help.

I'm not sure he gets in the same year as Ovechkin but I don't doubt there comes to be more respect paid to Backstrom given that Ovechkin was never known for his defense. Easy to say Backstrom just sponged off of the PP but, I mean, orchestrating the best PP over that span does count for something.

 

[Hivemind]

He's better than guys in the HoF currently.
But he also lacks any individual honors in his career, so I'm skeptical he gets in.

 

[Voight]

Some people on this site think Marleau's a lock yet Backstrom isn't?

 

[895]

If Marleau gets in just cause he coasted the last 100 games so he could get the record of most GP, it will be a travesty.