Next Stop...HHOF

[RadioGaGa 162]

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=187396&hubname=

Hard to say his career was "cut short" by injuries...he played 20 season...to age 40. But still not the way he wanted to go out.

[Michael9 57]

sad that he was forced to retire, joe was a great playoff performer and its kinda sad that his carear ended like it did.

[Cobra2717 0]

Not gonna lie, i have always hated Joe. But he was a good player, and had a great career.

[Steveo 0]

Not gonna lie, i have always hated Joe. But he was a good player, and had a great career.

How could anyone "hate" joe, he is (was) one of the classiest players in the league

[Chadd 916]

Not gonna lie, i have always hated Joe. But he was a good player, and had a great career.

How could anyone "hate" joe, he is (was) one of the classiest players in the league

He played for Toronto and the Dallas team that beat the Sabres. That alone is enough for anyone from the Buffalo area.

I always liked Joe and considering the players already in the HHOF, he's a shoe-in for induction.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Not gonna lie, i have always hated Joe. But he was a good player, and had a great career.

How could anyone "hate" joe, he is (was) one of the classiest players in the league

He played for Toronto and the Dallas team that beat the Sabres. That alone is enough for anyone from the Buffalo area.

I always liked Joe and considering the players already in the HHOF, he's a shoe-in for induction.

What are the guarantee milestones...500+ Goals (check) 1,000+ Games (check) 1,000+ Points (check)...Stanley Cup victory (he's got 3 - check)

[Chadd 916]

And a Conn Smythe trophy, that's a big one.

[Cobra2717 0]

Not gonna lie, i have always hated Joe. But he was a good player, and had a great career.

How could anyone "hate" joe, he is (was) one of the classiest players in the league

He played for Toronto and the Dallas team that beat the Sabres. That alone is enough for anyone from the Buffalo area.

I always liked Joe and considering the players already in the HHOF, he's a shoe-in for induction.

yup lol.

Like i said, great player, just never liked him.

[Drewhunz 3]

Plus, he played with a wicked toe hook. Anyone who can use one of those at least deserves consideration in my book.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

What are the guarantee milestones...500+ Goals (check) 1,000+ Games (check) 1,000+ Points (check)...Stanley Cup victory (he's got 3 - check)

I like him, in his time in Toronto he seemed like a genuinely nice person, but feel obligated to present a few counter-arguments:

- Nieuwendyk's name would hardly, if ever, come up in a discussion about the very best players at his position, at any point during his career. As evidence, he only made 4 All-star teams in a long career. Good for any player, but good enough for an all-timer ?

- checking quickly on hockeydb, was only his team's highest or second-highest scorer a few times; rarely if ever considered to be his team's best player

- had the fortune of playing on good teams for most of his career. Some might argue that is not a coincidence, some might argue that his stats might be inflated because of the teams he found himself on.

I think there is a good argument that Halls of Fame should be for players of transcendant qualities, not for players who maintained a high but not-transcendant level for a long time. For instance, Bernie Nicholls meets (or almost meets, in regards to goals-scored) 3 out of 4 of your criteria. He scored more points in fewer games and made as many All star teams, but I think most would agree that he would not belong in the Hall. By contrast, Pavel Bure would not meet any of your criteria, but is arguably a better candidate.

[Hooah4 12]

Plus, he played with a wicked toe hook. Anyone who can use one of those at least deserves consideration in my book.

And a career woddie user.

[nummer55 10]

He is Dutch-Canadian which makes him a great guy anyways. In 1998 he was interviewed for the Dutch TV at the Olympics in Nagano. He could even speak some Dutch.

[Eazy_b97 1]

- Nieuwendyk's name would hardly, if ever, come up in a discussion about the very best players at his position, at any point during his career. As evidence, he only made 4 All-star teams in a long career. Good for any player, but good enough for an all-timer ?

- checking quickly on hockeydb, was only his team's highest or second-highest scorer a few times; rarely if ever considered to be his team's best player

- had the fortune of playing on good teams for most of his career. Some might argue that is not a coincidence, some might argue that his stats might be inflated because of the teams he found himself on.

I always thought of him as an incredible second line center, who was able to carry his team when the situation came to be. He was always under appreciated through his career. You can say he played on good teams which inflated his stats, but it also took away from his PP time which hurt his stats.

[Drewhunz 3]

Plus, he played with a wicked toe hook. Anyone who can use one of those at least deserves consideration in my book.

And a career woddie user.

He did experiment with shafts in Dallas. I've got a blade and it is quite close to a Prospal.