2012 Hockey Hall of Fame Candidates

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 15, 2011

2012 Hockey Hall of Fame Candidates

Dave Andreychuk

Andreychuk played for six teams spanning 23 seasons and ranks among the top 10 in NHL history in games played (1,639). Like Ray Bourque, it took Andreychuk 22 seasons before he won his first Stanley Cup.

Pavel Bure

The Russian Rocket will be remembered as one of the fastest skaters in NHL history. Bure led the Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals as a No. 7 seed, scoring 16 goals and 31 points in 24 games. Bure also dated Anna Kournikova when he was 28 and she was 18.

Pat Burns

Burns had some of the most pressurized coaching jobs in the league -- Montreal, Toronto, Boston and New Jersey -- and lifted the Cup with the Devils in 2003. Burns, who died of colon cancer in 2010, won 501 games over 14 seasons.

Theoren Fleury

Fleury was a 5-foot-6 firecracker out of Oxbow, Saskatchewan. Supremely talented, Fleury's file is not complete without mention of drug and alcohol addictions and alleged sexual abuse by his youth coach. Fleury made seven All-Star teams, six with the Flames, and was second in the league with 51 goals in 1990-91.

Phil Housley

Housley retired in 2003 with the most games played by an American (1,495) and most points by an American (1,232). He no longer holds either record, but Housley certainly made his mark playing for eight teams in 21 seasons. He also played in the 2002 Olympics and six world championships for Team USA.

Curtis Joseph

Cujo rose to prominence with the Blues and then enjoyed more success with the Oilers and the Maple Leafs. Joseph never played in the Stanley Cup Finals, slightly diminishing his record compared to his generation's greatest goalies -- Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek.

Olaf Kolzig

The Capitals drafted Kolzig in the first round in 1989, and he stayed with the organization through the 2007-08 season, bagging most of their goalie records. He starred in the late 1990s, leading the Capitals to the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals and winning the Vezina Trophy in 2000.

John LeClair

LeClair won the Stanley Cup in his first full season with the Canadiens in 1993, but he's best known as a member of the Legion of Doom line in Philadelphia. He made five straight All-Star teams from 1996-2000, scoring at least 40 goals each year and finishing his career with 406 goals.

Claude Lemieux

Lemieux picked up quite the reputation over a career that began in 1984 and ended in 2009. He became one of the most hated players around the league, especially in Detroit, as he was in the thick of the Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry. Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the Devils' 1995 Stanley Cup season.

Eric Lindros

Lindros' career didn't start smoothly -- bullying his way out of Quebec after the Nordiques took him No. 1 overall in 1991. It ended even worse, as concussions marred his final years and ultimately shortened his NHL tenure. Lindros made six All-Star teams, won a Hart Trophy and was the face of the Flyers in the 1990s.

Boris Mikhailov

Mikhailov was the captain of the Soviet Union hockey team from 1972-80, guiding them to gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and a surprise silver in 1980, losing to the Miracle On Ice U.S. team.

Alexander Mogilny

Mogilny's best years were split between the Sabres and the Canucks in the mid-1990s. He made four All-Star teams and tied Teemu Selanne for the NHL lead in goals in 1992-93 with 76.

Markus Naslund

The Swede retired as the Canucks' alltime leading scorer, having spent 12 seasons in Vancouver. Naslund made five All-Star teams and registered a 104-point season in 2002-03.

Adam Oates

Oates was arguably the biggest omission on the 2011 ballot. He entered the league with the Red Wings in 1985-86 and played through the 2003-04 season. Oates ranks sixth alltime in assists (1,079) and 16th in points (1,420).

Gary Roberts

A neck injury could have ended Roberts' career at age 30 -- Roberts did announce a retirement -- but he came back and persevered to play through age 42. Roberts played for six teams, most notably the Flames, and incredibly went 11 years between All-Star appearances (1993-2004).

Jeremy Roenick

Roenick registered three straight 100-point seasons beginning at age 22, starring for the perennial playoff Blackhawks team before being dealt to the Coyotes for Alexei Zhamnov in 1996. A nine-time All-Star, Roenick would go on to stints with the Flyers, Kings and Sharks before retiring with 513 goals.

Joe Sakic

Sakic spent his whole 20-year career with the Quebec Nordique/Colorado Avalanche organization and was the franchise's captain as it moved from Canada to Colorado. Sakic won two Stanley Cups, one Hart Trophy, one Conn Smythe Trophy and ranks eighth in NHL history with 1,641 points.

Brendan Shanahan

The NHL's disciplinarian played 21 seasons, scattering his time among the Devils, Blues, Whalers, Red Wings and Rangers. He is the only player to rank in the top 25 alltime in both points (1,354) and penalty minutes (2,489).

Mats Sundin

Sundin spent 11 seasons as the Maple Leafs' captain and is the franchise's career leader in goals and points. He's also the highest-scoring Swede in NHL history with 564 goals and 1,349 points.