Last night was the induction of what is being called the greatest class ever to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame. While there is no quibbling with the credentials each new inductee presents, I do think the selections demonstrate a bias that has not been discussed as much as it maybe should be. It is supposed to be the Hockey Hall of Fame and therefore not specific to the NHL and left out of the list of inductees was Igor Larionov. Larionov didn't play in the NHL until he was thirty years old. By that time, he had established a very impressive resume in international hockey winning both gold medals and world championships. After that, he played thirteen productive seasons in the NHL and won Stanley Cups in Detroit. He was a slick playmaker, good goal scorer and all around complete player.
By contrast, Scott Stevens, probably the weakest of the new inductees, was less accomplished before he moved to New Jersey where he would play the last thirteen years of his career. A good all-around defenseman, Stevens was physical and strong defensively and reasonably productive offensively. He finished his career with decent but unspectacular offensive numbers and is remembered for being a punishing hitter and a three-time Stanley Cup champion. Both of these are strong accomplishments but also representative of team success and teamwork. Stevens could take the big hit because players like Ken Daneyko and Scott Niedermayer were there to take the puck and make smart plays with it. He won Cups not only because he was a great captain but also because he was surrounded by excellent players. This is not to say that Larionov didn't benefit from great teammates but simply to point out that on merit, he is probably more deserving of joining this class and pushing Stevens into waiting for next year. As it stands, I would be shocked if Larionov didn't headline the class of 2008 but it doesn't take the fun out of discussing it.
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No one ever seems to ask whether or not a dominant offensive player benefitted from the play of their teammates. Sorry, let me clarify. Noone ever seems to ask whether or not a dominant offensive player benefitted from the play of his *defensive* teammates-- at least not when it comes to HoF candidates. Why are you holding Mr. Stevens to a different standard?
If your response in any way is predicated on their being a difference between the value of offensive players and the value of defensive players, I would caution you to avoid the chauvinism propagated by NHL management and neophyte fans alike that goal scoring is the be all and end all when it comes to determining what is and is not good hockey. It is this prejudice that will have nets mushrooming to the size of small barns; goalies in nothing but helmets, neck protectors and jock straps; offside jettisoned and skating backwards when without the puck a federal offense.
I worry sir when you say it was other players that allowed Stevens to take the big hit (I object first because he gave more frequently than he took). I worry because such an analysis seems to rely on the premise that thundering body checks are only defensive and secondary to the game that's actually being played. I believe the point of Mr. Stevens induction into the HoF was that his ability in that area was so prodigious that his hits, rather than being the reactionary and therefore defensive actions of the average blue liner when faced with an attempted goal scoring attack, were *offensive.* They were feared, as all offensive weapons are. This fear of the Scott Stevens weapon meant teams had to adjust, had to keep their heads up and had to pass the bloody puck.
Mr. Stevens had the ability to change games, and he frequently did, whilst abusing some of the very best players in the game.
While I can understand why GMs might wish never to see a Scott Stevens again (and therefore protect their valuable offensive assets) and I can understand that it is difficult for facility supervisors to find the appropriate combination of pop music and syncopated lighting effects to coordinate with the making of a big hit (much easier when there is a goal scored or penatly assessed)I am at a loss to understand why their should be any doubt as to the importance of one of the greatest body checkers in history. Is there anyone comparable to him in that regard who has played in the last two decades?
I respect all the players in this year's induction ceremony-- they were truly great. Aspiring players and worshipful fans will find plenty to talk about when discussing the careers of these players.
I wonder though, if perhaps Mr. Stevens career doesn't have something to teach a league that seems to be losing its way. Didn't Mr. Stevens teach us that defense is good; it can be exciting and it can be *offensive?*
If the league truly believed this (as Mr. Stevens'induction would seem to suggest) then there would not be an obsession with making it easier to score. There would not be talk of expanding an already watered down league. Goalies would not be left to hang. Most important of all there would be more Scott Stevens playing in the league.
And of course, instead of everyone running around trying to eliminate completely legal body checks that might just might plant a shoulder on someone's face and change the tide of a game, they'd demand their offensive players keep their heads up and work their asses off and give us something to cheer about other than a stretch pass or powerplay.
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