The Hockey Hall of Fame will be announcing their newest inductees to the hall in June. This year, some star players will make their first attempt at getting in the hall. Among them are goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Carey Price, defender Zdeno Chara, and forwards Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza.
There is also a pair of former Flyers who are left over from previous voting. We will examine the two players to see the cases for and against them getting into the Hall of Fame.
Rod Brind'Amour
The Case For: Brind'Amour was among the toughest guys ever to don the Orange and Black. He could score, hit, and was one of the guys you never wanted to get into a fight against. Currently, he is 11th in Flyers history with 611 points. In his 20-year career, he spent parts of nine seasons in Philly.
Most of his career was spent in Carolina where he won a Stanley Cup and two Selke Trophies. His number is retired in Raleigh as he was the captain of the 2008-09 champion team. Currently, he is the head coach of the Hurricanes and has turned them into a force to be reckoned with.
The Case Against: His career stats are good. He is currently 54th all-time in goals, points, and 65th in assists. However, outside of an impressive Iron Man streak of 484 games, he never led the league in anything. He was a good player, but never a great one. He never even went to an all-star game: either for Philly or Carolina. You could argue that his stats are as good as they are because of the amount of games he played in his career (1484---26th all-time).
Overall Assessment: I do feel he deserves to get in. I'm not sure if this is the time. He's up against some good players. I also feel that as his reputation as a great coach grows, that will help his case. I'd like to see him get in this year, but it is doubtful. Many believe he is long overdue to have his name called.
Justin Williams
The Case For: Williams was involved in one of the worst trades in Flyers history. He was a young promising star and blew up after the Flyers gave up on him. He was traded to Carolina after four seasons in Philly and would win the first of three Stanley Cups alongside the aforementioned Brind'Amour. He won his next two with the Los Angeles Kings after he was traded there.
Williams shone in the playoffs. "Mr. Game Seven" won the 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy with the Kings. He has 41 goals and 61 assists in 162 playoff games in his career. It was almost like he knew the spotlight was on him and he shined brightly as all eyes were on.
The Case Against: He came through in big moments in the playoffs at just the right time. As a regular-season player, he was good, but nothing special. He has 320 goals with 477 assists. That's a solid career. Heck, he played 19 seasons and scored over 20 goals in seven of those seasons, and topped 30 twice.
However, outside of the Conn Smythe, he never won a major NHL award. He was never an all-star. He was a consistently decent player for most of his career. Williams never led the league in any stat category. His playoff heroics notwithstanding, he is not the same caliber of player as the other candidates.
Overall Assessment: It would be hard to find a hockey fan who doesn't like Williams. He was a fun player to watch and, by all accounts, a great teammate. He is a guy every team would love to have on their bench. However, his stat lines aren't hall-worthy. At some point, I think he'll be dropped off the ballot. It's his playoff performance that has kept him on it thus far. That can't last forever.