At this point, you can't convince me that the Hockey Hall of Fame isn't playing a cruel joke on the entire Hurricanes organization. The newest class to be immortalized in Toronto was announced on Monday, and it continued to leave Rod Brind'Amour outside of this exclusive club. I guess it just means we'll have to go another year talking about how much he deserves to be in there.
We keep saying this every year. Brind'Amour has achieved individual success, winning a pair of Selke Trophies in 2006 and 2007 as the league's top defensive forward. He has also achieved team success, captaining the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup in 2006 and winning a World Championship with Canada in 1994.
His detractors say that Brind'Amour was never among the most dominant in his position while he played. Across 20 seasons, he accumulated 1,184 points, the 57th-most in league history. Only 12 players have more points than him without being named to the Hall of Fame. Seven of them are active players, another is Anze Kopitar, who just retired, and another is Jaromir Jagr, who might never retire.
While "dominant" might not be the most appropriate word to describe his career, "consistent" would be far more appropriate. He rarely suffered from long-term ailments, keeping him in the lineup for almost 1,500 games. Brind'Amour's work ethic is well-documented, though that alone isn't enough to make him Hall of Fame worthy. My point is that he played the game the right way.
Brind'Amour was also known for being clutch during the big moments, especially in the playoffs. He put together a Conn Smythe-worthy performance in 2006 on the way to the Stanley Cup. If not for a rookie goaltender stealing the show, Brind'Amour potentially adds another piece of hardware to his shelf, likely getting him into the Hall of Fame sooner.
The longer this goes, the longer Brind'Amour might need to wait until after he finishes coaching to be added to the Hall of Fame. He's doing historic work behind the Canes' bench, leading them to the playoffs during all eight of his seasons in charge, reaching the conference finals four times, and winning the Stanley Cup a few days shy of the the 20th anniversary of his lifting the Cup as a player.
Rod Brind'Amour's time is coming. We just have to keep telling ourselves that. The Hockey Hall of Fame won't feel complete until he's there. His time should've come a long time ago, but it's clear that the voters disagree. Nevertheless, we'll continue to advocate for one of the most important Hurricanes in franchise history to be amongst the league's best to ever play.
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