Hall of Fame Moments

[ScottM]

 

A friend and I had a conversation a bit earlier that inspired this post. It started after I read a case for Paul Henderson being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I don't think there's any question that Henderson's play alone isn't enough to get him into the Hall, but because of his last minute heroics at the 1972 Summit Series, there's a debate among some people. I think no matter which side of the debate you fall on, we'd all have to agree that Henderson's goal was a "Hall of Fame moment."

 

So, that has me thinking. There are certain moments that seem Hall of Fame worthy, even if the careers of the players involved are not. This thread isn't intended as a debate on the resumes of the players, but for discussion of certain moments that are themselves Hall worthy. I'll kick it off with a few suggestions of my own.

 

1) The Paul Henderson Goal

The Summit Series was tied 3-3-1 going into the last game, but the Canadians would have lost on a tie, because the Soviets were ahead in goal differential. Therefore, the difference made by the Henderson goal was winning and losing in an instance that the Cold War extended its reach into the world of sports.

 

2) The Miracle on Ice

This is the American equivalent to the Summit Series, though I'd take the game as a whole rather than one moment. Yes, there was the Eruzione goal, but there was also the stunning refusal of Viktor Tikhonov to pull his goalie for an extra attacker, as well as his bizarre decision to pull Vladislav Tretiak after the second goal. Then, of course, there'e the Al Michaels call.

 

3) The Wayne Gretzky Trade

It marked the beginning of the end of a dynasty, and started the transition of the SoCal area from one that could barely support one hockey team to one that now supports two. The fact that the talks were kept secret from Gretzky only adds to the mystique of the moment.

 

4) Gordie Howe Comes Back

Mr. Hockey long had a desire to one day play with his sons, but had come to the conclusion it wouldn't happen when he retired. Mrs. Hockey saw an opportunity, however, and the Houston Aeros jumped on it. That Howe underwent surgery to make it happen and that he continued played -- well -- until age 52 make this an even bigger deal.

 

5) The Guarantee

The New York Rangers faced elimination in Game Six of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils. Messier guaranteed a win to the media and delivered it by scoring a hat trick. After winning Game Seven, the Rangers went to the Stanley Cup Finals and came back from a 3-2 deficit again, this time against the Vancouver Canucks.

 

6) The Stastny Brothers Defect

They weren't the first to defect from the Eastern Bloc, but Peter and Anton Stastny served as an inspiration to others trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Eventually, their brother Marian joined them, and names no less than Alexander Mogilny, Peter Nedved and Sergei Fedorov followed in their footsteps.

 

That's a handful I thought of off the top of my head. Anyone else want to make some inductions?

[Kings Redeem LA]

1 - The first Hall of Fame moment that comes to mind are 

actually moments from Mario Lemieux: 

 

the multiple times that he returned from major injury and 

scored two points in his first game back. 

 

 

..... 

 

2 - Let's see... Another Hall of Fame moment would have to be 

Leafs Legend Bobby Baun  scoring a game-winning goal 

in Game Six of the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals while skating on 

a broken leg!   

 

3 - Guy Lafleur  scoring the game-winning goal in the iconic 

Game Seven against Boston in the 1979 semi finals. That's 

also an HOF moment because seeing Don Cherry's suit 

from that night actually doesn't guarantee lifelong trauma.