Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind’Amour Snubbed Once Again

The Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2019 has been announced with a glaring omission once again. The class, at first glance, looks to be one of the weaker in recent memory; Rod Brind’Amour is one name that should have been recognized.

Rod Brind’Amour is still not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. This year has made it clear that his notable exemption is not due to a career shortcoming, but because of the NHL’s inability to acknowledge his impact on the ice, and on this market.

Out of all the names announced for this year’s nominees, none present a real clear case against Brind’Amour. Although it is easy to understand the inclusion of some, it is difficult to see why Rod didn’t receive that illustrious call this afternoon. There were three male athletes who received the call instead of Rod, whom we can contrast his career achievements.

Guy Carbanneau, Vaclav Nedomansky, and Sergei Zubov represent the three names that were chosen over Brind’Amour for this honor. These players were all chosen for different reasons, while bearing differing impacts on the game. Only two may present compelling cases to be chosen before Rod.

Nedomansky is an understandable inclusion. There is no denying the impact that defection had on the game of hockey, and Nedomansky was the first. Defecting from Czechoslovakia to Toronto in 1974 was an important moment in hockey history. With that, Vaclav started a trend that would be replicated by players like Alexander Mogilny and Sergie Fedorov over 15 years later.

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Sergei Zubov is also a player that one can understand being Hall of Fame worthy. Zubov was an incredibly skilled defenseman who was a vital part of the Rangers Stanley Cup in 1994, and the Dallas Stars Cup in 1999. Surpassing 50 points eight times and accumulating a career high 89 points with the Rangers, Zubov has the second most points for a Russian Defenseman all-time.

This is where the list takes a turn. Guy Carbanneau is not a Hall of Famer. He was an exceptional player, he was a dominant defensive force, and he was a winner; but that does not place him among the greatest individuals to ever lace up a pair of skates and play the game of hockey. Compared to Rod Brind’Amour, Carbanneau’s case falls apart; he simply played in a bigger market.

Carbanneau should be respected for his three Selke Trophies and Three Stanley Cups, but that is where his Hall of Fame worthy credentials end. Guy never reached 30 goals or 60 points in any NHL season, was never an All-Star, and ended his Career without hitting even 700 career points.

These are not Hall of Fame Numbers. As we stated in our last article making the case for Brind’Amour, Rod is in the Top 50 in career points and assists, in the top 60 in career goals, and in the top 30 of career games played. Rod has one less Selke then Carbanneau but is one of only two multiple Selke winners with over 1,000 career points.

Rod was overlooked yet again. Hurricanes fans can understand his impact on the history and development of this franchise, but for a lesser player from Montreal to get the nod instead speaks volumes of how this team is viewed by the hockey world.

Rod Brind’Amour deserves better.