The Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2020 remains the inductee Latest category due to COVID-19 All of them were worthy of entry.
Discover all things hockey with THW’s Hockeypedia pages.
It’s called the Hall of Fame, not the “Hall of Greatness.” To be considered for the Hall, you will likely have been considered one of the best players at your position during your time in the league. Players like Jarome Iginla would at one point maintain that credibility, which justifies his entry on the first ballot.
However, there are still a number of players who haven’t gotten the call that they’re going to make history. One player of note is former New York Islander Pierre Turgeon.
Over the course of a 19-year career, Turgeon has played for six organizations including the Buffalo Sabers, St. Louis Cardinals, and St. Louis Cardinals. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche.
Related: What Mats Sundin Means for Toronto Hockey
Latest news and highlights
Unlike Iginla, Turgeon hasn’t spent most of his career playing for one club, but that shouldn’t detract from how great he is. The Canadian center still leads the non-professional list with 1,327 points in 1,294 games. No one with more points than Turgeon isn’t already in the Hall of Fame.
For starters, being above a point-per-game player in over 1,000 career NHL games is an impressive feat in itself. That this pot is produced at the highest level of play is no accident.
Turgeon is also part of the 500 Goals Club, having lit the lamp 515 times in his career. This is especially interesting when compared to first-ballot 2020 Hall of Famer Marian Hossa, who has only 10 more goals than Turgeon, but 193 fewer points. Additionally, Hossa has played 15 more games than Turgeon.
The argument here might be, “Well, Turgeon never won a Stanley Cup.” However, a player’s measure should not depend on whether or not he lifted the Stanley Cup. Would it be a nice addition to a CV? Sure, but does that make a player like Turgeon any less than he was? of course not.
comparisons
To win a Stanley Cup, things have to go right for the team as a whole, so it wouldn’t be fair to assess a player’s value on whether or not they hit the feat. Quebec Nordiques star, former Avalanche star, and current Hall of Famer, Michel Goulet, was part of that fortune when he lifted the trophy in 1996 and 2001. However, Turgeon has outscored Goale by nearly 200 points in his career.
Related: Remember What Made Mario Lemieux the Greatest
“Not many good players have won the cup. What can you do?” Joulet said (of Why isn’t former Avs forward Pierre Turgeon in the Hockey Hall of Fame? He and 1998 inductee Michel Joulet try to explain.) denver post, 08/11/2019). “A trophy, to me, isn’t such a big part of being a Hall of Famer — not that I haven’t won a trophy, but in my mind, if you’ve been a great player for 10 to 15 years, holy cow.”
Let’s take a look at Phil Housley, a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee. He had an amazing career amassing 1,232 points in 1,495 games. He has been selected to seven All-Star Games and has no personal devices to his name.
Despite two more All-Star nominations, Turgeon is ahead of Hosley in career points in career-less games, and he has a personal award to his name. A five-time All-Star, Turgeon was the first overall pick of his draft year in 1987, and he certainly lived up to that selection.
You may also like:
In the 1992-93 season, Turgeon scored 58 goals for the New York Islanders, entering the 50-goal scorer club. That year, he was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, the only individual award of his career.
The 1992-93 season proved to be the best of Turgeon’s career, but if longevity is in question, look again. “Pierre was the best player on his team for 12 to 14 years in a row,” said Gullit. “This is elite.” If that wasn’t enough for you, in 17 years of his 19-year career, Turgeon averaged points per game or better.
Over the course of his career, the center was considered one of the best at his position. In 13 of his best seasons, Turgeon has been in the top 10 overall points among centers for 7 seasons, and in the top 15 for 12 seasons.
Turgeon has more credibility than some players in the Hall of Fame already. the 2020 Hall of Fame Class His tenth year was eligible for a seat in the auditorium. One would think he would get the call in years to come, because the top scorer who isn’t in the hall can’t sit outside much longer.
Other notable omissions The 2020 Hall of Fame inductees include Alexander Mogilny (12th year inductee), Theo Fleury (12th year inductee), and Daniel Alfredsson (4th year inductee).
Related: Islanders’ Ziggy Palffy – Underrated IIHF Hall of Famer
Want more Islanders content? Check out the Nassaumen Hockey Podcast, which he hosts hockey book The authors are James Nichols and John Zella. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!