You Get Only One (Cup/Medal/Hart/HHoF)

[WarriorOfGandhi]

So I get all the rhetoric about how “only the Cup matters”. But realistically, a Hall of Fame career is the most desirable item on this list. HHOF’ers would not trade their careers with an average player just to get a ring.

agreed, surprised this is really all that close. An HHOF career means you play at least a decade in the show and do extremely well. None of the other three guarantee anything other than one really great year.

 

[trick9]

I would rather be Patrick Sharp, Cup winning non-HoFer, than Patrick Marleau, non-Cup winning HoFer. Assuming I have a nice career regardless of choice, winning a championship in pro sports has to be one of the coolest things to experience.

I mean that's kind of an obvious one.

What about Christian Djoos or Patrick Marleau?

 

[Nemesis Prime]

Am I a Steve Yzerman winning the cup or Tyler Kennedy?

 

[FriarChill]

For me as an austrian it's pretty easily olympic Gold. That would be epic and probably no austrian team will ever come close again.

 

[nowhereman]

Give me the Hockey Hall of Fame career and all the glorious paycheques to go along with it.

 

[centipede2233]

Also by winning a cup, you create a bond and friendships for life. Sharing stories with your fellow teammates post career sitting at the cottage drinking a cold one, that’s the true value right there. No money can buy those memories

 

[Soundwave]

Too many people here have the mentality of a 10 year old lol, winning a Cup is cool but if you're not a major part of the team no one cares that much.

If you had an agent and/or wife-fiance, they would slap you upside the head 50 times and tell to choose HHOF career.

Being a nobody on a Cup team is not worth throwing probably in the range of $60+ million in career earnings down the toilet.

Even Cup winning teams don't give a shit about small time role players on their teams, they discard them all the time as soon as the off-season starts.

There are plenty of guys on Cup winning teams who are playing in Europe or out of the NHL within 1-3 seasons.

I get a Cup being important to someone who's been in the league for a while and is financially set but if you're not financially set, choosing a Cup over multi-generational wealth (if you invest even reasonably well) is dumb as bricks.

Being a HHOF player also means you have it made with a post-career in hockey if you want. You can become a sportscaster on Sportsnet, TNT, ESPN, you can work as a scout, coach, assistant GM, GM, POHO, work for the NHL, etc. etc. etc. All kinds of doors are open to you for life basically if you want. If you're a role player on a Cup team from like 20 years ago ... guess what? No one gives a shit about you.

 

[HFpapi]

I'm surprised how many say cup.

I'd rather have Marcel Dionne's career than Brad Lukowich.

I'll say HOF because it means you were truly elite (although there's some questionable exceptions lately) but means you were clearly very successful in your career and also means you almost certainly made a lot of money which matters a lot let's face it.

A HOF career without a cup really stings though, no doubt about it but I don't think Dionne or Sundin or Roenick trade their careers for John Madden.

 

[JoVel]

This was probably not OP's intention but I thought of this question purely as which is going to make me the most money, so I chose HHoF.

Edit: and it seems I wasn't the only one

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

As a hockey player the cup. As a human who needs a $ for a living. Hall of fame

 

[bobholly39]

Few more thoughts:

If money is taken into account (and it 100% is by far the most important thing, and in some ways the only important thing) - either Hall of Fame, or Hart. Both pretty much guarantee you ~$50M+ career earnings, and probably more. The others could be 10x less, depending on how things shake out.

But for fun - let's completely ignore money. Let's assume my career earnings are exactly the same in any of the 4 scenarios. Here's how I'd rank them:

1. Hart. Yup, still care about this the most. I want to be seen as one of the best players ever, and this guarantees it.

2. Hall of fame. Same idea as above. I want to be seen as one of the best ever, and having a hall of fame career is huge. I like the idea to being the absolute best in the world, even for a short period - which is why I prefer hart. Kind of hard to envision a hart win and no hall of fame though.

3. Stanley Cup.

4. Gold Medal

If it's a Gold Medal as an underdog country and I'm a key contributor (ie Hasek/Jagr gold in Nagano) - I might pick Gold above Cup.

I mention Hart trophy - and I know OP says Hart/Norris/Vezina. Hart is way more valuable for me. If it's not a hart but a vezina or norris, than I would pick Hall of Fame #1, and that trophy #2.

In the end - a team trophy is great, so I'm not trying to diminish what a huge accomplishment winning a cup or gold medal would be, but I care a lot more about being the best I can be and standing out for my own accomplishments.

To make this closer, OP would have to give more details around the cup or gold medal win, and exclude career earnings. Am I the MVP of the playoffs in a cup win, or MVP in a gold medal win? That might be better than a hart.

 

[Help]

there is no greater honour on this mortal plane than to accept the call to play for the Canadian Olympic team. when people think on the greatest teams ever assembled they are always wearing those red and white (and sometimes black) jerseys. even to be Chris Kunitz is such a high honour

 

[Jumptheshark]

All about the ring for the cup. Ask any hall of famer who does not have one

 

[Three On Zero]

Yes I would, my life with $2M would be exactly the same as $100M.

This is just so inaccurate. The difference between a career earning of 2 and 100 million is staggering

 

[Plural]

If you are guaranteed generational wealth anyways, it's the Cup.

If not, it's HoF career. If there's a choice between 5 million career earnings and a cup vs. 30 million in career earnings and no cup, everyone takes the 30 million.

 

[Lshap]

I'd rather be the guy who shared an historic "Do you remember when?" moment, rather than the guy with the better 15-page resume. People remember Cups over resumes. Give me a Cup.

Sure, a HoF career is worth a lot more money, but even depth players make a few million. I'd rather be an average player with a great story of playing on a great team that accomplished something great.

 

[hangman005]

Cup hands down.

 

[Plural]

Yes I would, my life with $2M would be exactly the same as $100M.

That's a lie.

 

[Fatass]

Easily this is the Cup. The greatest players, who don’t get a Cup, are ranked in a lesser tier than the greatest who did. Like Dionne. Great player, but no Cup. There’s a couple greats playing right now who don’t have a Cup. Imo those guys understand the importance of the Cup to cement their legacy. No Cup and they fall into the tier with Dionne.

 

[banks]

As the title implies, you're an NHL player and have a choice of receiving one of these accolades, at the exclusion of all the others during your no doubt outstanding professional career.

For example, you're a forward and get in the HHOF but you never win the Cup, a gold medal or a Hart trophy.

For those of you from non-Olympic-level countries (say, Brazil? Australia?), well, take that into account however you wish. Maybe in your fantasy you get drafted by an American team and get to play for America?

The bolded part is the reason I picked the Cup option. OP clearly says you never reach the other accolades, but still have an "outstanding professional career". You can nitpick and say a career in the AHL is still "professional" hockey. But I think the meaning was obvious, that all options still suggest that you had a great career, and thus still made enough money to be set for life.

If this wasn't the case, and picking the Cup means I still could end up as a Rundblad who had virtually no career but was present for a Cup win, then I'd take the HHoF career with the assumption of huge earnings.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I choose cup for my City , but playing for a random team? HOF and earnings for sure

 

[Arthur Morgan]

the whole point is to win a cup. ill take that. hell Ill take that over everything combined

 

[Albatros]

Easily this is the Cup. The greatest players, who don’t get a Cup, are ranked in a lesser tier than the greatest who did. Like Dionne. Great player, but no Cup. There’s a couple greats playing right now who don’t have a Cup. Imo those guys understand the importance of the Cup to cement their legacy. No Cup and they fall into the tier with Dionne.

I doubt what "tier" some nerds online rank him makes Dionne's top 1000 most important career legacy questions.

 

[jigglysquishy]

Why is everyone assuming a nobody on a Cup team?

Being great on a Cup team, just not HHOF, should be the clear winner.

Patrik Elias made $70 million despite retiring 10 years ago. Gets fondly remembered by Devils fans and won a Cup.

I'd rather that than a Roenick, who is a bit richer and in the Hall, but no Cup.

 

[Fatass]

I doubt what "tier" some nerds online rank him makes Dionne's top 1000 most important career legacy questions.

Agreed. But from his perspective, although he was great, he accepts lacking a Cup puts him in a tier below the greats who do have at least one. The greatest are all great and it’s only Cups that separates them. And they understand this.