I think Messier's words are worth a read...
"I can honestly say that I didn't play my career to make it to the Hockey Hall of Fame. I played my career to play well enough to make the NHL, and obviously, when you make the NHL, the goal is to try to win the Stanley Cup and to be a contributing member of a team. That's what I tried to do. Individual statistics — goals and assists — weren't of interest to me. Figuring out a way to win in every individual game was what mattered. As time went along and as I was getting ready to retire, and as it was my turn to be considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was obviously a tremendous honour, not only for the tradition and history of the game and the people who paved the way for all of us to play this great game, but also for what it meant to all the people who helped me along the way. It's never about the individual making it to the Hall of Fame; it's about your minor hockey league coaches, your family, your friends and teammates along the way. That is the epitome of any individual going into the Hockey Hall of Fame. You don't play team sports as an individual; you play with other people as a team, so making it into the Hall of Fame is the greatest compliment of all to the people who helped you along the way."
—Mark Messier, Feb 2009