Should Johnny Gaudreau be inducted into the HHOF?

[yzerman]

I think he should be honored in each of every first game of the season when it starts.

 

[HolyGhost]

I hate this question because my answer is no, but I also feel this is super inappropriate to ask at this time.

Most are going from an emotional respective place. renaming trophies after him, team retiring jerseys, and calling for the death sentence for the guy before all the details are out. There is a time and place for everything.

 

[ACLEVERNAME]

Yes? The HHoF should already have a place for remembrances and tributes for players taken before their time. Ridiculous if they don't.

"Brotherhood" and all...

 

[AfroThunder396]

No. But:

-The Flames will probably retire his number
-The Jackets will probably retire his number
-Players and officials will probably wear a #13 patch this season
-He gets some type of award/honor named after him

I'm sure every every team in the league will have a moment of silence for him during the home opener as well.

 

[MXD]

No.

But I'd have no issue with the Lady Byng being renamed the Johnny Gaudreau

 

[John Mandalorian]

It’s a little grotesque that this is being asked immediately. Let people process this first. What is the need to do this?

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

HoF ? No
# retirement by the Flames? He wasn't on their team now, so no.

# retirement by the BJs ? Probably.

 

[Varcus]

They could slightly change the wording and make him an honorary member without having to induct him due to his career coming to tragic end. This way there will be a memorial for him.

As he has had some elite seasons just not worthy of hof with what he has shown.

 

[majormajor]

We don't need to debate this now, but FWIW when this debate happens some years down the road, my answer will be yes. I'm already on record for supporting inclusion of players who meet a uniqueness criteria, and there's certainly never been someone quite like Johnny Gaudreau.

 

[K Fleur]

Before we wax poetics about the Hall of fame being reserved for special players it is important to remember; Kevin Lowe is in the HHOF.

 

[Kocur Dill]

No, there should be a better way to honor him.

I certainly think he should be honored by the league in some way, but in terms of HHOF criteria, he doesn't meet it. I just...don't think HHOF is the correct way to honor him. The HHOF is an honor reserved for on-ice accomplishments.

No, the HOF is for the truly special players...he rightly belongs in the hall of very good.

I would love to see an award made in his honor though. The Johnny hockey trophy should be handed out every year, not sure for what.

Maybe the NHLPA can work with the NHL to build an ice complex in South/East Philadelphia area, name it after him, and fund a yearly trust that helps get underprivileged kids playing hockey?

JG's home town is 45m south near the Delaware border but being closer to Philly and West Jersey will help more kids that are in need find an outlet. NJ is very expensive state to live in, especially if you don't live near the Beach towns, or near NYC, alot of west/sw NJ is farms and rural.

 

[Maurice of Orange]

No.

But I'd have no issue with the Lady Byng being renamed the Johnny Gaudreau

Of course you have no issue with renaming the The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy because you haven’t done your research and are ignorant of the fact of the origins of where the Lady Byng trophy came from.

The family of Marie Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy might be upset if they go renaming a Thophy donated to the NHL by Lady Byng of Vimy.

 

[Megustaelhockey]

I'll just preface that I understand this might be a tough topic to approach rn, so if the mods decide to take the thread down I'll understand.

The whole situation around Johnny hockey has been nothing short of a tragedy, and perhaps it is unfair to ask this question while the tragedy of this incident clouds our conscience and reasoning at this time. In my opinion though, he was a HHOF level talent who was taken away from us far too early. Now I'm not saying that would've guaranteed he makes it when his career was over, but I can certainly imagine a projection where he makes it if he could've played out his whole career.

Now my thought was that, before leaving Calgary, he almost certainly would've made it. If he had stayed in Calgary, I think he would've been capable of 2 or 3 more 100 pt seasons. He certainly would've broken Iginla's franchise pts record and likely surpassed 1200 pts. After he went to Columbus, I was less sure that projection would've held up. He wouldn't have the same supporting cast that allowed him to put up gaudy pt totals as before. However, I still think 1000 pts was almost a lock and maybe even 1100 if things clicked. Given some of his peak seasons he had and his overall story of overcoming adversity, I think a solid case could've been made if he even had a respectable second half of his career in Columbus. And honestly, I think he could've shown even more than he had once their roster was better put together.

Given the circumstances that have unfolded (an NHL superstar being killed far too early in their life), as well as his pure talent ability and what he meant to his respective franchises, I certainly think he deserves a spot. I can understand why people would disagree with that overall assessment. Regardless, I do hope that players in the the future, especially undersized ones, continue to look to him as a source of inspiration to what they can accomplish.

You need to read the room. This is an inside thought... at least for several months.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Maybe not the HHOF, but I would argue he belongs in the College Hockey Hall of Fame which has a pretty prestigious list of players.

 

[Maurice of Orange]

Maybe the NHLPA can work with the NHL to build an ice complex in South/East Philadelphia area, name it after him, and fund a yearly trust that helps get underprivileged kids playing hockey?

JG's home town is 45m south near the Delaware border but being closer to Philly and West Jersey will help more kids that are in need find an outlet. NJ is very expensive state to live in, especially if you don't live near the Beach towns, or near NYC, alot of west/sw NJ is farms and rural.

South west NJ is in need of ice rinks.

Not many ice rinks in NJ below US RT 40.

Building a rink in Pennsville, Salem, Alloway Twp or Oldmans Twp in Pedricktown in the Gaudreau’s honor would be an honorable thing to do and would be something for the community to gather together and remember the brothers Gaudreau.

Another idea would be to rename Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, Washington Twp NJ, where the Gaudreau’s learned how to skate and play ice hockey and where they Guy and Matt coached.

 

[Kocur Dill]

South west NJ is in need of ice rinks.

Not many ice rinks in NJ below US RT 40.

Building a rink in Pennsville, Salem, Alloway Twp or Oldmans Twp in Pedricktown in the Gaudreau’s honor would be an honorable thing to do and would be something for the community to gather together and remember the brothers Gaudreau.

Another idea would be to rename Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, Washington Twp NJ, where the Gaudreau’s learned how to skate and play ice hockey and where they Guy and Matt coached.

TY for the added perspective. I've only ever driven through the area headed south and back home again in HVNY.

 

[joestevens29]

Maybe the nhl should setup a foundation in his honor to deal with drinking and driving

 

[MXD]

Of course you have no issue with renaming the The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy because you haven’t done your research and are ignorant of the fact of the origins of where the Lady Byng trophy came from.

The family of Marie Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy might be upset if they go renaming a Thophy donated to the NHL by Lady Byng of Vimy.

... Spicy. I love it.

 

[Kennerback]

IDK, the closest thing to this was Tim Horton. I know he was a great player, but was there special consideration because his fatal car crash happened while he still played?

 

[teal]

I wish they would honor his memory by taking some meaningful stance on alcoholism (and gambling, while we’re at it.)

 

[Picklepete]

No !
It's sad what happened, but not a HOF

 

[AvroArrow]

The league should do something to honor him, but no he didn't have the kind of career you'd want for a HHOFer.

Also feel like this isn't the right time for this kind of discussion.

 

[leaffann]

I hate this question because my answer is no, but I also feel this is super inappropriate to ask at this time.

Simply research is needed to answer that question, no doubt hockey analysts & fans will delve into that. Here is why I think at the very least Johnny hockey should be an honourary member. Over 10 seasons with 763 games played ( not included his season of just one game & one point ) he had 743 points with 48 game winning goals. A career best season of 115 points & 40 goals. So a player that averages 4.8 career winning goals per season, he had 4 last year. Based on 5 more seasons & 76.3 games per season another 380 games. For arguments sake will give Johnny hockey another 50 points per season ( he had 60 last season & 74 the year prior ) will give him an avg. of 3 winning goals per season so 15 GWG added to his 48 equal 63 that would put Johnny hockey at 91st all time just ahead of Goulet, MacLean & Lecavalier based on games played. Now adding another projected 250 points over 5 seasons to 743 equals 993 career points that puts Gaudreau at 100th all time points just ahead of Kessel @ 992 currently 100th all time, just behind Spezza @ 995 Carrer point good for 99th all time NHL points leaders. Per season using maximum roster size of 23 x 32 teams that is 736 players per season, not including call ups in the event of injury. I have heard right over 7K players have played at least 1 game, with an similar size number for goalies. Johnny Gaudreau with 743 career points sits 227 th all time in the history of the NHL. Also 33 points in 42 playoff games, with a personal best of 14 points in 12 playoff games as a Calgary Flame.

Worth a mention & definitive yes in some capacity Johnny Gaudreau should be inducted into the HHOF no doubt !

Also no doubt the NHL sold a lot of Gaudreau jerseys, especially after a star performance at the all Star game. Who didn't love Johnny hockey, one of mine & my son's favourite's certainly a fan favorite.

Noteworthy

Gaudreau had five points (one goal, four assists) for the United States in a 10-1 win against Kazakhstan on May 19, 2024, to give him 43 at the IIHF World Championship and break Patrick Kane's record for most points and assists by a United States player in tournament history.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• USHL All-Rookie Team (2011)
• USHL Second All-Star Team (2011)
• USHL Rookie of the Year (2011)
• Hockey East All-Rookie Team (2012)
• Hockey East First All-Star Team (2013, 2014)
• Hockey East Player of the Year (2013, 2014)
• NCAA East First All-American Team (2013, 2014)
• Hobey Baker Memorial Award (Top U.S. Collegiate Player) (2014)
• NHL All-Rookie Team (2015)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023)
• NHL First All-Star Team (2022)
• Signed as a free agent by

 

[jigglysquishy]

IDK, the closest thing to this was Tim Horton. I know he was a great player, but was there special consideration because his fatal car crash happened while he still played?

There are three all time players to die during their NHL careers: Howie Morenz, Georges Vezina, and Tim Horton. All three were slam dunk HHOFers based on their playing careers.

The HHOF didn't exist when Vezina and Morenz died so they were inducted years later. Horton did not have the waiting period waived.

The NHL did charity remembrance all star games for the widows, which is probably the most appropriate thing in this circumstance.

Based on his on ice career, no Gaudreau wasn't on track for the HHOF. Whether the voters induct him because of the tragedy is something else.

 

[Natey]

The answer should indeed be no, his career-performance wasn't good enough for the Hall of Fame yet, and tragic deaths shouldn't really be a factor when it comes to the Hall of Fame, especially when they happened away from the game.

Now, retiring his jersey-number in Calgary, that's something you could think about. Or honoring his number without fully retiring it, not sure what sort of approach the Flames take with the numbers right now.

I'm not 100% sure but how many PPG players aren't in inducted (or will be at some point). I honestly don't know, I don't really pay attention nor really care about the Hall of Fame... but a legit question.