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Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:17 pm
by not_a_wings_fan
So I was just reading through this article from ESPN and they are talking about when Pronger will be eligible.

It seems it's "three years from last game" and has nothing to do with the fact that he's still under contract. As such, he could go in as soon as 2015 if selected.

But what really struck me was the tone of the article where everyone interviewed looked at him as a surefire, guaranteed HoF inductee.
Pierre LeBrun wrote: Scott Niedermayer and Chris Chelios were no-brainer, first-year Hockey Hall of Fame inductees as two of the greatest blueliners ever to play the game. And Chris Pronger will be the same, whenever his day comes.
Pierre LeBrun wrote:Pronger’s humility notwithstanding, it's clear he’s a first-year automatic inductee whenever his times comes, and if it is indeed in 2015, that would be the same year as the great Nicklas Lidstrom, so that would be a perfect 1-2 punch to put in.
Is his resume really that good? Is he really first-ballot, surefire HoF caliber?

Discuss

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 10:52 pm
by AlsWoodenStick
Yeah, (Frank) Nicklas Lidström.

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:29 pm
by Oaklandblue
Is Prongs HoF Materal?!


Well, let's see:

1. Wore a letter for pretty much every team he was a part of, including the C.
2. Been to the finals 3x, won the Cup once.
3. Won the Hart as a Defenseman which hadn't happened since this guy named Orr.
4. Two Olympic Gold Medals. Not one. Two.
And was a fairly reliable scorer/assistman

Quite possibly one of the best D of our time and is he First-String HoF material?! Seriously? Hell yes!

The one I'm curious about, when he finally retires and doesn't win a Cup, is Shane Doan. Now there's a guy who deserves to be in the HoF, hands down.

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 8:36 am
by dmiles2186
If you go to Hockey-Reference and look up Chris Pronger, they have 'Similarity Scores,' based on their career numbers and they compare them to players of equal output. Here are the names on Pronger's:

Chris Pronger
King Clancy
Chris Chelios
Larry Robinson
Brian Leetch
Sergei Zubov
Sergei Gonchar
Brad Park
Scott Niedermayer
Phil Housley
Red Kelly

That's a pretty good list, one with a lot of Hall of Famers on it. I know there are more factors than comparing players and saying, 'That guy is an HOFer, so this guy has to be.' But the type of guys Prongs compares to, along with his numbers, and like Oakland said, the first D-man since Orr to win a Hart, makes him more than qualified to be a first ballot HOFer.

If he was still playing, it wouldn't be a question. He's just be padding the stats. But because his career ended prematurely, I guess that's where the question comes in. But it's not a question for me. He's a first ballot guy.

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:32 am
by ViPeRx007
The answer to this thread is yes.

/end of discussion

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:41 am
by not_a_wings_fan
I am not saying he isn't, just wanted to see what you guys had to say on the topic.

He finally got through in the playoffs after he left STL, but when he was here he was shitty in the post-season.

I think the idea that injuries have really limited him is a valid one, but does that factor in to the analysis?

He's well over 1k games played tho, and that's often a key indicator.

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:31 am
by BlueNoteworthy
I would say so. Every Hart winner who has been eligible except for 3 has been voted into the hall of fame. That's roughly 40 winners in the hall and 3 not. Of the three, one was a goalie who played for a god awful team and consequently had terrible numbers but was still given the trophy. One had a short career and the last was injury plagued. Add in that Pronger did it as a D, which is much more difficult in todays game. The last D to win it other then Pronger was Orr in '72. Pronger was the only D in 40 years to win the Hart (from '73 til now). He wasn't a one season fluke either, with 6 all-star games. That means auto bid for me. Only one Norris could be a knock, but you can hardly blame him as the writers auto-gave it to Lidstrom whether he derserved it or not for about 10 years. Also HoFers Niedermayer and Macinnis only have one each. His career definitely makes him a HoFer. His one great year and Hart win secures the first bid.

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 9:37 am
by cprice12
Is this even a serious question?

Of course he is.

One of the best all around defensemen of his era. If not for Lidstrom, he would be considered the best of his era.
Dude controlled the play on the ice better than anyone I have ever seen. Punished players in the defensive zone, put up very good numbers in the offensive zone, triggered long outlet passes (goal line to blue line) better than anyone...seemingly had a wingspan of half the width of the rink.

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:22 am
by F Keenan
HOF'er, yes. Worth Brendan Shanahan, no.

Re: Is Pronger really a no-doubt HoF Player?

Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 10:02 am
by WaukeeBlues
In his prime, and for a long period of time, he was one of (and routinely THE) most dominant players at his position in the league.

Regardless of what sport you're talking about, that means HOF. First ballot. No contest.