Why is Cam Neely in the Hall of Fame but Tim Kerr isn't?

[severian]

They have very similar numbers. Both their careers were in roughly the same era and both were cut short by injuries.

Is Neely's 50 in 50 the only reason he's in and Kerr isn't?

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[Iceman]

Neely is overrated because of entertainment.

Neither should be in.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Same can be asked for Bernie Nicholls...

 

[Thenameless]

They have very similar numbers. Both their careers were in roughly the same era and both were cut short by injuries.

Is Neely's 50 in 50 the only reason he's in and Kerr isn't?

I'm sure that's part of it, but I don't think it's the only reason. Neely was a power forward that had something closer to a complete game. As effective as Tim Kerr was, there was probably a perception that Neely was closer to being one of the best players in the league during his peak/prime. I do believe that Tim Kerr is an underappreciated player though.

 

[DitchMarner]

How would Tim Kerr measure up against John LeClair?


Neely's induction is one of the reasons I believe Corey Perry will have a good shot at induction if he ends up with well over 400 goals and more than 900 points.

 

[crobro]

How would Tim Kerr measure up against John LeClair?


Neely's induction is one of the reasons I believe Corey Perry will have a good shot at induction if he ends up with well over 400 goals and more than 900 points.

John LeClair was an elite beast of a player the day he joined the Flyers

Didn’t he have back to back hat tricks his first week in philly?

 

[DitchMarner]

John LeClair was an elite beast of a player the day he joined the Flyers

Didn’t he have back to back hat tricks his first week in philly?

I don't know, but I'm a fan. That guy was a stud during his six season peak.

There's a huge drop-off from his peak years to the other seasons of his career, though.


Still, I would think he'd match up fairly well against Kerr... at least in the regular season.

 

[Albatros]

Didn’t he have back to back hat tricks his first week in philly?

No. He scored a hat trick in his 4th game for the Flyers, and another one eleven days later in his 7th (against Montreal in the Forum no less).

 

[Iceman]

How would Tim Kerr measure up against John LeClair?


Neely's induction is one of the reasons I believe Corey Perry will have a good shot at induction if he ends up with well over 400 goals and more than 900 points.

I certainly hope that "because this player is in" is NOT an argument used by the commitee to induct someone else.

 

[boredmale]

Probably the combination of great press for Neely coupled with the fact he was a bit more of a complete player(Neely was a banger who scored while Kerr was more of a guy who would stand infront of the net and tip in pucks at an amazing rate(basically a PP specialist))

 

[DitchMarner]

I certainly hope that "because this player is in" is NOT an argument used by the commitee to induct someone else.

I don't know if the induction committee sees players who have been inducted as weak or questionable inductees.

I think you can make guesses as to who may met the HHOF's standards based on previous inductions.

 

[Passchendaele]

I asked the same question a few years ago:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/if-cam-neely-is-in-the-hall-then-why-tim-kerr-isnt.1567981/

Very similar players.. similar numbers as well. The 50 in 44 must be it.

 

[seventieslord]

Statistically they are similar, and realistically neither should make it. But Neely was just a higher impact player.

 

[Hobnobs]

Statistically they are similar, and realistically neither should make it. But Neely was just a higher impact player.

Was he though? I get the whole physical aspect of his game but Kerr wasnt a pushover. He was versatile, could take face offs, big, took a lot of punishment and was a big impact player for the Flyers. They both had their careers cut short by injuries. Tbh, I dont see a big difference between the two.

 

[The Roy Of Ottawa]

Tim Kerr was called a bad skater in the Ultimate Hockey book.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Kerr was pretty tough too... but other than that he played more of an Andreychuk kind of game.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Neely should not be in, neither should Kerr.

Neely is in because the HOF is eight guys who are an old boys club who make arbitrary decissions without any real consistency. There's no way a guy with no individual awards, no 1st team all stars, no cups and way below average numbers should be in the HOF.

That's not to say that Neely and Kerr weren't talented. Both had HOF talent. But neither were healthy enough to have HOF careers. Want to argue that Neely was better than Kerr... that's fine. To me the argument is irrelevant. Neither should be in the HOF.

 

[sr edler]

Because he could skate and hit. Tim Kerr just stood there and shoveled pucks.

 

[seventieslord]

Was he though? I get the whole physical aspect of his game but Kerr wasnt a pushover. He was versatile, could take face offs, big, took a lot of punishment and was a big impact player for the Flyers. They both had their careers cut short by injuries. Tbh, I dont see a big difference between the two.

Neely did a lot more to score the goals he scored. The descriptions of Kerr in this thread are pretty accurate.

I shared a 1987 scouting report on Kerr, and it's remarkable that they're talking about a guy who scored 50 goals. "His skating is not even AHL caliber..."

Yes, goals are goals, to some extent, but the other things a player can and can't do impact the game in other ways.

 

[The Panther]

I think I'd have Neely ahead of Kerr -- having said that, would I have Neely in my personal 'Hall of Fame'? Probably not.

I think Neely could skate, pass, and play at 5-on-5 better than Kerr. Just in terms of 'aesthetics' (if such things are important), he could also score in more and different ways than Kerr.

I don't think Neely's 50-in-44 is what pushed him into the Hall. I don't even remember any big media about that when it happened. I think he just retired at the right time and had the right friends. In 2005, the Dead-puck era was the only thing in recent memory, but that era's players were still a long way from retirement -- someone like Neely appeared, relatively, a bit stronger of a player than he actually was, maybe.

The other thing is, when you look at 2nd-All Star teams, it's 4 for Neely, 1 for Kerr. In addition, Neely's playoff goal-scoring is more impressive than Kerr's: Kerr scored 40 goals in 81 games (39 in 73 with Philly), while Neely scored 57 in 93, which is really impressive.

One thing does surprise me, though, in Kerr's favor: Even though he's known as a power-play specialist (and was), it's actually Kerr who has the best and the second-best even-strength goals seasons between the two of them -- he scored 45 ES goals in 1984 and 33 in 1985.

 

[HalifaxforNhl100]

I have never understand this, its a scandal that not he also Curtis Joseph Kent Nilsson Andy Moog and Bernie Nicholls and Mogilny is not in, maybe Vanbiesbrouck too
I have no understanding for this.
It shouldnt really matter if you have had injury problems.
Thats just unfair, very much.
Anyhow Gary Suter
But his hit on Kariya has
damaged hockey so to a
part that he doesnt deserve it
cause that

perhaps Nabokov too
anyhow

 

[ColinM]

Some of these calls are subjective. But one thing that jumps out is that Neely's teams had more playoff success thus he got more visibility.

 

[HalifaxforNhl100]

Though, injuries with combination of if you havent won so much trophies and awards unfortunatly,
I though hate to say it
it brings a little of a reduced mark
regardless of what it doesnt are worth
it or not…
Thats shit

well
we have anyway our considerations and personal perceptions about HOF places

 

[JackSlater]

Neely was better than Kerr but more importantly was a lot more famous. Neely was a very popular player during his prime.

I have never understand this, its a scandal that not he also Curtis Joseph Kent Nilsson Andy Moog and Bernie Nicholls and Mogilny is not in, maybe Vanbiesbrouck too
I have no understanding for this.
It shouldnt really matter if you have had injury problems.
Thats just unfair, very much.
Anyhow Gary Suter
But his hit on Kariya has
damaged hockey so to a
part that he doesnt deserve it
cause that

perhaps Nabokov too
anyhow

Yes.

 

[Albatros]

Fame is a great argument for Neely, but unfortunately one that isn't applied very consistently. Versus Kerr he was a bit better for a bit longer, though neither is very impressive in that regard to say the least.