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spt_RedWingsHallClement.sPubDate = "6/13/2009 11:12:54 AM GMT";
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spt_RedWingsHallClement.appHeader = "A separate Wing in the Hockey Hall of Fame?";
spt_RedWingsHallClement.appDeck = "NBCSports.com contributor Bill Clement takes a look at all the current Detroit players and members of the organization likely headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame. It's not a quick read.";
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spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Mike Babcock, coach","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/getty/gyi0057469118.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Jamie Sabau", "Getty Images", "298", "189", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i-1].body = "
He’s in a class by himself, and really has an excellent chance to enter the Hall of Fame. He’s the best coach in the NHL. He possesses all of the leadership abilities great coaches must have. Communication, organization, and motivation, he has them all.
He has a great understanding of the game, and great insights into it. He’s ultra competitive, and his fire to win never burns out. Babcock has an energy level that appears to be the kind of energy level that will never dissipate. At 46, he has a lot of years left to coach, and he will want to stay behind the bench. He just seems to thrive doing what he’s doing.
His numbers will be astronomical because of the continued excellence of the Red Wings’ organization. For all of the intensity he shows on the surface and when he is behind the bench, he is more relaxed with his players than most people believe. He also has a thirst for learning and improvement as he continues to study successful people in other walks of life. ";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Chris Chelios, defenseman","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060201/060201_Chelios_vmed_9a.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Scott Cunningham", "Getty Images file", "278", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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Of course, numbers and awards are looked at when considering players for the Hall of Fame, but in the 47-year-old Chelios, there is a competitive fire that has burned longer and hotter than anyone could have ever imagined. The only player who played in the NHL and was older than Chelios was Gordie Howe.
Chelios still plays with a competitive snarl, and a confrontational style that has usually vanished by the time a player hits his 40s. Or at least it starts to dissipate or wane, but that’s not the case with Chelios. He’s like a freak of nature, who keeps himself in incredible shape.
He has won three Stanley Cups, two with Montreal, and one with Detroit. He also has won the Norris Trophy three times as the league’s best defenseman, and been runnerup twice for the award, once at age 40. His desire to compete is what drives him, even if his skills have diminished, and his speed has fallen off. ";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Pavel Datsyuk, center","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Components/Photo-Sports/April/080425_PavelDatsyuk_v.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Gregory Shamus", "Getty Images", "291", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i-1].body = "
He’s already won two Stanley Cups, and that always counts for something. He was a Selke Trophy winner in 2008 as the best defensive forward in the league. And this season, he is a finalist for three major trophies: the Hart (MVP), the Lady Bing (sportsmanship), and the Selke (defensive forward). There’s virtually nothing missing from his game.
By the time he retires, Datsyuk’s numbers will be significant enough to draw Hall of Fame consideration. In addition to the strength of his numbers, an even bigger factor working in his favor will be the number of major awards he wins. It’s hard to keep players out of the Hall of Fame when they have both multiple Stanley Cups, and multiple major awards on their resumes.";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Ken Holland, general manager","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050718/050718_holland_vsml_9a.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Tom Pidgeon", "Getty Images", "290", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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The whole world predicated Detroit would be in deep trouble in the salary-cap era since the Red Wings were free spenders, and it was thought they had winning teams primarily because of the amount of money they spent.
Well, obviously they are still the cream of the crop playing by the same rules as everyone else, and Holland deserves the credit for that. Holland has won four Stanley Cups as a general manager, including one in the salary-cap era. ";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Marian Hossa, right wing","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/081126-marianHossa-vmed-832p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Jim Mcisaac", "Getty Images", "283", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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He’s 30, and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Let’s say he signs a six-year deal, which is very reasonable to expect. At his present rate of goal scoring, he’d finish that contract with 543 goals. That would mean only 14 of the 130 forwards in the Hall of Fame have more goals. It would be really hard to keep Hossa out of the Hall of Fame with that number of goals.
But in Hossa’s case, to get into the Hall of Fame he has to win a Stanley Cup. So far he's 0-for-2 in the finals.";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Mike Ilitch, owner","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050315/050315_ilitch_vsml_2p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "255", "198", "", "", "", "", "");
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i-1].body = "
He’s already in the Hall of Fame and for good reason. His goal every year is to win the Stanley Cup. His competitiveness, his love for his team, and his love for his sport is what really differentiates him from so many other owners. And these things are what have helped him attract so many Hall of Fame players to the Red Wings.
The Red Wings go first class on everything. When you sign with Detroit, chances are you will have a shot at winning a championship. Case in point was last offseason, when Marian Hossa turned down a five-year, $35 million dollar deal with the Penguins to take a one-year, $7 million contract with the Red Wings because he felt Detroit gave him a better chance to win a Stanley Cup.
Ten years from now, the Red Wings’ organization will have swamped any other organization with the number of its former players that will be already in or headed for the Hall of Fame. From 1997 through 2009, the number of Hall of Famers who played for the Red Wings will be staggering. That’s quite a tribute to Illitch. ";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Nicklas Lidstrom, defenseman","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080515/080515-Nicklas%20Lidstrom-vmed-234p.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "M. J. Masotti Jr.", "Reuters", "276", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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His list of accomplishments is quite a long one. He’s won the Norris Trophy six times as the league’s best defenseman, and three times he’s been the runnerup for the award. He’s a finalist for the Norris again this season. Lidstrom has also won four Stanley Cups.
When thinking of Lidstrom’s outstanding play, the first thing that comes to mind is his overall excellence. It’s not the velocity of his shot, the speed of his skating, and he’s not necessarily a physical player when he doesn’t have the puck. So he’s not great at anything that is physically measurable, but he is unbelievable at the things that are hard to measure like instinct, poise, strength with the puck, hockey IQ, his ability to get shots through from the blue line, and his passing. None of these are tracked or really measurable, but he excels at all of them.";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Chris Osgood, goalie","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Components/Photo-Sports/2009/April/090405_ChrisOsgood_v.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Dave Sandford", "Getty Images", "237", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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When you stack up his numbers and accomplishments, there’s a strong argument to be made for his making it into the Hall of Fame. He’s already got more games played than the majority of goalies in the Hall of Fame. His 389 wins are more than four goalies already enshrined: Gump Worsley, Bernie Parent, Eddie Giacomin, and Billy Smith.
He’s been on three Stanley Cup winners, being the No. 1 goalie on two of them, both of those with the Red Wings. If the Red Wings had won the Stanley Cup this season, Osgood would have become a lock for the Hall of Fame.
For all the inconsistencies and weird goals Osgood has experienced in his career, and the ups and downs he’s had at times, his numbers and championship accomplishments speak for themselves.";
spt_RedWingsHallClement[i++] = new Array("","Henrik Zetterberg, center","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Personal/Jervay%2C%20John/NHL/Red%20Wings%20Pics/080503_Henrik-Zetterberg.vmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Doug Pensinger", "Getty Images", "253", "198", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
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He’s only 28, and has four years left on his deal with the Red Wings. He should have eight more years of being an impact player in the NHL. For the last four seasons, he’s averaged 34 goals, and 75 to 80 points so with the numbers he can put up, he’s a Hall-of-Fame caliber player.
He is as good without the puck as he is with it. He was a finalist last season for the Selke Trophy awarded to the best defensive forward in the league. He’s won one Stanley Cup (last season with the Red Wings) while also being chosen the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the MVP of the playoffs. When it comes to getting players into the Hall of Fame, there’s probably more significance in winning that trophy than anything. It says volumes about the quality of player you are, and your ability to perform in incredibly tough situations. ";
// END editorial data