Hopefully the Hockey Hall of Fame gets it right this year on Sergei Gonchar
Let’s hope this is the year
We did it in 2023, and in 2024 and now it’s time again to keep the spotlight on in 2025 the Hockey Hall of Fame to make the overdue call to induct Sergei Gonchar when announcements come out on Tuesday.
The good news is that it seems like Gonchar’s candidacy is trending in the right direction, per HHOF expert Paul Pidutti.
Will these 10 stars ever get the call to the Hockey Hall of Fame? https://t.co/QfUwo7bKxh
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Year of Eligibility: 8th
Claim to Fame: One of the best offensive defensemen of his generation
The Case: Over nearly a decade from 1999-2000 to 2007-08, Gonchar kept exclusive company.
Goals by a defenseman (129): Most in NHL
Assists by a defenseman (356): Second in NHL, behind Nicklas Lidstrom
Points by a defenseman (485): Second in NHL, again trailing only Lidstrom
Top-10 finish for Norris Trophy seven times
By PPS, Gonchar is the biggest snub among all defensemen. By comparison, Zdeno Chara is expected to rightfully cruise into the Hall on his first try on Tuesday and he’s tied in PPS with Gonchar at 282.
Will He Ever Be Inducted?: Yes. Gonchar is part of an underappreciated generation, so his induction may take a while. But he’s going to compare so favorably to many of the current generation’s likely future inductees that the Committee should connect the dots in due time.
The bad news for Gonchar this year is that Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith, two modern defenders are on the ballot for the first time with good chances of making it through. (“Good” is under-stating it in Chara’s case). There can be up to four male players inducted, and it’s the first time up for Joe Thornton and Carey Price too. Jason Spezza, Tuukka Rask, Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Brown also will be considered for the first time.
Add in worthy holdover candidates that join Gonchar in Alexander Mogilny, Rod Brind’Amour, Keith Tkachuk and Theo Fleury and there might not be room for Gonchar...Yet again.
Hopefully it will be different this time. A Thornton, Chara, Keith, Gonchar class would be a nice one to go with, it’s already past time for Gonchar to get in.
If not now, next year might be the year for players like Gonchar, Mogilny and Brind’Amour that have been waiting a while to get the call. Patrice Bergeron is a shoo-in for induction in 2026 during his first year of eligibility, but it’s not exactly a loaded list of first timers behind him, the Patrick Marleau “do we reward just showing up being really good for a really long time” upcoming debate aside. The logjam could clear in ‘26 for players that have been jammed up to get a couple of them in.
But why wait that long? Gonchar is deserving as being one of the elite defenders of his generation. His only crime is being a notch below Nicklas Lidstrom in a world where EVERYONE was a notch below Nicklas Lidstrom. Let’s hope the HHOF gets it right and starts with Gonchar at getting some of their backlog of worthy players inducted.