Avalanche legend's legacy in jeopardy after another stunning omission
Photo credit: Denver Post
Earlier this week, the Hockey Hall of Fame unveiled their class of 2025.
Among the 8 elected into the hall, Colorado fans are buzzing that a Colorado legend has yet to be named for another year.
Avalanche legend gets snubbed by the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Aaron Poorman from Mile High Hockey writes that making a case for Alex Tanguay requires acknowledging that it's a long-shot. A forward often overlooked during his playing is unlikely to suddenly receive overdue recognition for what can be described as a quiet brilliance. Tanguay was named an All-Star just once, in 2004, a season on which he finished 9th in overall points.
"Tanguay as a Hall of Famer perhaps suffers from the more notable company he kept. Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Milan Hejduk, to name just three. All three of those teammates are rightfully enshrined in the Hall. Sakic and Forsberg are like MacKinnon and Makar in that they were no-doubters of their time. They were stars so bright that they had to have their induction speeches in the works the moment they hung up their skates." -Poorman
Tanguay was an elite playmaker. During the Avalanche's 2001 Stanley Cup run, the team essentially had two top lines, a luxury made possible by having generational talents like Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg down the middle. With that kind of depth, neither the team nor its fans worried about what was line 1A or 1B. Individual success naturally fed into team success. So when Sakic and Milan Hejduk lit the lamp off perfect feed from Tanguay, no one questioned the setup, everyone celebrated the result.
"If the argument against Tanguay's inclusion into the hallowed Hall of hockey greatness when compared to his teammate Milan Hejduk boils down to goals are better, I call foul. If it's about individual accolades, I concede one point. Hejduk does have a Maurice Richard trophy with his name on it. The award is given to the NHL's top goal-scorer, which Hejduk won in 2003, when he scored 50 goals." -Poorman
Among the Avalanche fans, Tanguay will forever be remembered as a key piece of a Stanley Cup-winning team. But I'd argue his entire career deserves broader recognition and praise. Unfortunately, it's unlikely Hall of Fame voters will ever share that view. Maybe one day...
| POLL | ||
JUIN 29 | 17 ANSWERS Avalanche legend's legacy in jeopardy after another stunning omission Does Alex Tanguay deserve to get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame? | ||
| yes | 12 | 70.6 % |
| no | 5 | 29.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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