Hall of Fame Ignores Russian players

[icing101]

Sunday, July 25, 2004

By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

No one can complain about the quality of the Hall of Fame Class of 2004, one of the most glittering in recent memory. Raymond Bourque, Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy rank among the elite defensemen of their generation, while Cliff Fletcher built a Stanley Cup champion in Calgary and has been a highly effective and respected executive for years.

Nonetheless, the induction of those four in Toronto Nov. 8 will mark another year without two extremely worthy international players, Valeri Kharlamov and Boris Mikhailov, being so honoured.

Kharlamov, arguably the finest of the great forwards produced by the former Soviet Union, is the most glaring omission. He played for two Olympic gold-medal winners and eight world championship-winning clubs, ranking among the top players in the world before being killed in an auto accident in 1981.

Mikhailov was Kharlamov's linemate for much of the 1970s and matched his collection of gold medals and world titles. He captained the Soviet national team throughout that decade and sparkled in the epic Series at the Summit between Canada and the Soviet Union in 1972.

Hockey is a truly international game. The sooner Kharlamov and Mikhailov enter the Hall of Fame -- the full name of which is the Hockey Hall of Fame, not the NHL Hall of Fame -- the sooner people in other parts of the world might believe that North Americans understand that.

[robinson]

Interesting.I could'nt argue with those two guys being inducted.Nhl or no Nhl,they would seem to deserve to be there pretty easily.Tretiak's in the hall and he never played a game in the nhl in his life.They'll put them in sooner or later i would think

[Marc]

There's an IIHF section in the Hall of Fame, and Mikhaïlov and Kharlamov are obviously part of it.

Either they do only one Hall of Fame (then there are many other European players deserving a mention, not only these), or they let it as it is know, with the "NHL Hall of Fame" (what it its basically) on the one hand and the IIHF Hall of Fame on the other hand, and Mikhaïlov and Kharlamov, who never played in the NHL, can't pretend to be in the former.

[robinson]

I don't know,i don't really have a big problem with it.the hockey hall of fame should venerate the game in all it's highest forms i think and the Russian hockey establishment is truthfully hockey in it's highest form i think any fan can agree.The russian leagues and teams were on an even level with the nhl so i have no objection to their greatest stars being in the hall.It's hard to think Valeri Kharlamov is not deserving of a place on the wall in Toronto regardless if he played in the nhl or not.Hey, if the players name was Lo wang Hsiao and he scored 800 goals in the Chinese super league then i might have a problem with the selection but not with those Russian players mentioned.They are hall caliber and it would be a nice and i believe"proper" gesture to have them there.They deserve it. I can't believe i am backing up Russian players,this is a first for me,LOL

[pihinalle]

For me it seems that it's much harder for a European player to get to the HHOF than North American. It took some time for Kurri to get there and he is the highest scoring European in NHL. Tikkanen not even concidered. IMO Tikkanen would be a lock if he was Canadian. But that's my opinion.

[robinson]

I think you have a decent point there pinhalle but i thought Kurri got in on his first time being eligible?I'm quite sure he got in right away when his mandatory waiting period was over. As for Tikkanen,if clark gilles is in the hall you would think that Tikkanen would at least get consideration.Or maybe not,Dale Hunter was a Tikkanen type player(with better career numbers i think)and i don't believe he is in the hall yet and he's Canadian but i'm not sure if his waiting period is up yet.

[Graham]

Kurri was inducted immediately after his 3 year wait. Good as he was, I don't think he deserved the 3-year wait being dropped as it was for Gretzky or Lemieux (after all, they didn't for Bourque).

Hunter was elligible in 2002.

Graham.

[robinson]

Thanks for clearing that up Graham, i was sure Kurri was shooed right in as soon as he was eligible,how could a guy with about 700 goals not be? Also now know when Hunter was eligible,if he's not in yet i think it's quite legitimate that Tikkanen isn't yet.Don't know if others agree

[pihinalle]

Do you think a player should have good numbers to get the spot in the HHOF? Tikkanen's numbers aren't that good but he did...hmm...something else very well and was voted the most unwanted player to play against by more than 50% of NHL-players. After all, he has five Stanley Cups if that has anything to do with consideration.

[robinson]

Yeah, 5 stanley cups would come under consideration but Dave Semenko won 3 cups with those oiler teams also and no-one liked playing against him either. I think craig berube could have been put on the fourth line of that team and come out with four stanley cups under his belt. I don't think people who vote for hall entry really have "hated player to play against" as one of their main considerations for entry into the hall.For better or worse they tend to look at career offensive numbers,stanley cups,defensive ability and things like that. Players disliked playing against Claude Lemieux also and he won 3 cups while winning a conn smythe trophy while he was at it and also has better career numbers than Tikkanen i think but i doubt he's a lock for the hall and he is also Canadian. Like i said, i would'nt have a problem with Tikkanen being inducted but i would disagree he's a shoo-in as you think and don't think it has anything to do with him being from Europe though everyone will probably come on here disagreeing with this because it's coming from me.