Celebration Day

Four hockey players had their tickets to the Hall of Fame stamped Thursday, and one baseball player theoretically stamped his ticket to Cooperstown as well. On top of that, the Greg Oden and Kevin Durant era can finally get under way in the NBA, and my favourite league and yours, the CFL kicked off another season (with a 129-yard missed field goal return (129!) and a tied game).

First off, congratulations to Frank Thomas for hitting his 500th round-tripper. While Thomas has hardly been The Big Hurt the last few years, he still has a very well-rounded resume. His peak years, and his overall power numbers were already enough to get Hall of Fame consideration, and home run number 500 should seal his ticket (but really, should designated hitters even get to go to the same HoF as real players?).

And let’s add a few heaps of praise for the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2007 class. Mark Messier and Ron Francis were locks for enshrinement. They sit second and fourth, respectively, on the all-time points scoring list, and have eight Stanley Cups between them.

Messier is regarded as one of the NHL’s all-time great leaders, and will always be remembered on Broadway for guaranteeing his New York Rangers would win game six of their 1994 Conference Final series against the New Jersey Devils, and scoring three goals in the game just for good measure. Five wins later, Messier hoisted the Stanley Cup, delivering the Rangers’ first championship in 54 years. Messier was the rare player that not only embraced the New York City sports culture, but thrived in it. Messier is the only player in history to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup championships, and his role in the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup tournaments can’t be understated.

Unlike Messier, Ron Francis’ resume is not augmented by tales of guarantees and rumours involving Madonna. Instead, Francis’ legacy is on the ice. His 1,798 points leave him fourth on the all-time list. His 1,249 assists leave him second, behind only Wayne Gretzky. Francis was traded to Pittsburgh in 1991, and is regarded as the key piece to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup-winning puzzle. En route to the Penguins’ second of back-to-back championships in 1992, Francis collected 27 points in 21 playoffs games.

Joining two of the league’s greatest offensive threats are two of the league’s greatest defensive stalwarts: Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis. You won’t find either of these guys atop many points lists, but they both take up residence on the all-time games played list. Stevens is fifth (first among defensemen), and MacInnis 20th (seventh among defensemen).

After starting his career alongside Rod Langway in Washington, and a one-year stint in St. Louis, Stevens led the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003. Though Stevens never won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, he was regarded as one of the best throughout his career. Like Messier, Stevens had a reputation as a great leader, but his fierce body checking was Stevens’ hallmark. His hit on Eric Lindros in the 2000 Conference Final is one of the most memorable hits ever.

Al MacInnis will be remembered for hits of a different kind. MacInnis had one of the game’s biggest and hardest slapshots ever. Were the nickname not already taken by Bernie Geoffrion, Boom Boom would certainly have been appropriate for MacInnis. Seven times, MacInnis won the NHL’s hardest shot competition during All-Star weekend. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1989, guiding the Calgary Flames to their only championship in team history. During that playoff run, MacInnis set a record for defensemen by registering at least one point in 17 consecutive games. A decade later, with the St. Louis Blues, MacInnis won his first and only Norris Trophy.

In all, these four players total 12 Stanley Cups, three Conn Smythe Trophies, two Hart Trophies, one Norris Trophy, 6538 games played, 1779 goals, 5867 points, and have had their numbers retired by five different teams. These four guys were so good, together, they make up one of the best Hall of Fame classes ever.

Sports With Steve returns Monday with a look at the opening of the NHL free agency period, and at some point next week, we’ll take a look at the guys that didn’t get the Hall of Fame call.