The "Rod Brind'Amour should be in the Hall of Fame" discourse feels like a yearly tradition at this point. We get our hopes up that this might be the year, only for the announcement to be made without Brind'Amour's name being called. Once again, the Carolina Hurricanes' head coach was shut out of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025, adding at least one more year to our disdain for the system.
The Hockey Hall of Fame declared its selections for this year's class on Tuesday afternoon. The group is headlined by several first-ballot Hall of Famers. Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith, Zdeno Chara, and longtime snub Alexander Mogilny make up the four skaters, joined by women's hockey legends Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker, and coaches Jack Parker and Danielle Sauvageua.
What is taking so long?
If I'm being honest, I didn't think this would be the year, especially with the first-ballot candidates on this year's ticket. It was going to be an uphill climb for Brind'Amour, though it wouldn't be impossible. At least three of the slots were going to be taken, so the fourth one might've been up for grabs. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Most of the discourse surrounding Brind'Amour's exclusion rests on a few major things. Many start the conversation by saying he was never consistently among the best in the league. That's not to say he wasn't good, but he wasn't ever an MVP candidate, nor did he ever threaten for the mantle. His best finish was 10th place in 2006 after guiding the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup.
Brind'Amour didn't pile up points either. His best offensive years came in Philadelphia. He topped 85 points three times with the Flyers, led by 97 points in 1993-94. He was nearly a point-per-game player with Philly (601 points in 633 games) but was well below that in Raleigh (473 points in 694 games). However, there are plenty of players with fewer points who've been inducted.
While it's hard to ignore my personal bias as a Canes fan, Brind'Amour checks almost every box. He's got individual success, winning a pair of Selkes. He's got team success, captaining and contributing on a Stanley Cup winner. He also won a World Championship with Canada. Best of all, he's a model person as he continues to grow the game, though his coaching career can't be considered.
Will 2026 be his year?
There's a little hope for Brind'Amour's chances next year with a weaker first-ballot field. Patrice Bergeron is the only player who feels guaranteed to make it amongst the first timers, leaving three spots open. The problem then becomes about his case compared to the other players who weren't elected this year, like Carey Price. That's where the problems might arise.
I don't like the argument that this wouldn't be an issue if he'd played in a Canadian or a traditionally large market, but you have to understand it from the little guys' perspective. You can't help but take it a little personally as Hurricanes fans, even if our feelings on the matter have little bearing on the proceedings of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Nevertheless, our hope persists that Rod Brind'Amour will one day get the recognition he deserves. It may come next year. It may not. We'll be here through it either way. He's a Hall of Famer in our book, even if the governing body doesn't agree.