Congrats to Hasek, Modano, Blake and Forsberg. ..

[ville5]

On induction into NHL H of F

[pittsports87]

This is probably my favorite class of players inducted to the Hall of Fame.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Great class. All well deserved.

[mikey287]

Even a stickler for HHOF players like me is pretty ok with this class of players...Hasek arguably the best goalie of all-time, Forsberg was a dunk-o-matic, Modano a lay-up and Blake is a decent choice as well...wouldn't have lost sleep if he didn't make it, but not a bad choice certainly...

Still no Sergei Makarov...sigh...

[JS©]

I've ranted about this before, but I still think Blake's Norris year was a reward for his goals scored as a defenseman and not his actual defensive play. Lidstrom should have won it that year, and I wouldn't have had a problem with Pronger winning it either.

[bh]

Mike Modano was one of my favorite players from that era. Glad to see him get in.

No goalie that I can remember was as much fun to watch as Hasek. I know fun doesn't = HOF, but although he was very very good, he was also really entertaining.

[mikey287]

I've ranted about this before, but I still think Blake's Norris year was a reward for his goals scored as a defenseman and not his actual defensive play. Lidstrom should have won it that year, and I wouldn't have had a problem with Pronger winning it either.

If anything was based solely on actual defensive play, I don't think Blake would have been voted so highly all the time for the Norris from the mid-90's to the mid-2000's. I think Blake had come back from injury and was rounding back into form and the 20-goal thing was a big deal and a good story. And no one knew heads from tails because he played on the West Coast. So, you get a bunch of box score watchers but without any of the accountability of watching him go for far-flung hits while Mattias Norstrom's got his back (a la McCabe/Kaberle) and bam, Norris Trophy.

If Drew Doughty played at 7 pm Eastern, he'd have won the Norris this year. As he was the best defenseman in the NHL this season. Maybe the West Coast thing goes against him there. While maybe it benefited Blake.

Anyway, whatever, that's just how it is...the journalistic talent pool thins, appreciation for the game wanes and nonsense results are outputted. Garbage in, garbage out.

Back to 1998...how about Teppo Numminen? Probably a guy that had a strong case for the Norris. Always a reliable defenseman and he was a huge factor in the Coyotes success, though, if memory serves, they met an early demise in Detroit that playoffs. But nevermind that.

I'm not dead against Blake getting in, but thinking about it further, I wonder if he actually benefited from playing out West his whole career...big stats, big hits, big shot, big Canadian boy, but no segment during Coach's Corner about bad defensive play...no compilation of missed hits that led to odd-man rushes on Hockey Tonight...interesting to consider, not sure if completely valid.