With the announcement of his retirement after 21 years in the league, the biggest question involving Shane Doan—other than a possible Olympic berth—is will his long outstanding career be enough for the Hall of Fame. While those who knew him best would immediately shout yes based on just his leadership and experience, the Hall rarely inducts on intangibles alone.
Doan retires as #92 on the all-time points list, and will likely stay there for at least another season. The closest active player is Henrik Zetterberg, who would need 69 points this season to overtake him. While landing in the top-100 certainly starts his case with a bang, that total is inflated because of how many games he’s played. Doan ranks 14th in games played in the history of the NHL with 1,540 but should drop to 15th this season if Patrick Marleau can stay healthy. While the points-per-game rate isn’t perfect, the rest of the top-20 in games played are all either in the Hall of Fame, active (Marleau), or still looking for a job this summer (Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla).
So it comes down mostly to what goes into your decision. Does his longevity hurt his case by looking at a point-per-game rate instead of raw totals, or does it help it by proving his worth over more than two decades worth of changes in the NHL. What do you think? Will Doan make it to the Hall of Fame someday?
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Coyotes all time leader in scoring. 21 years in the league. Absolutely a hall of famer
If so he will be the only coyote ever
I’d say no. He’s a two time all star who never broke 80 points (granted, he did have two 30-goal seasons). Amazing guy and leader but at no point during his career was he a top 5 or 10 player in the NHL. This is the hall of fame and he doesn’t meet that threshold.
Not even close.
He might get in eventually because he was the face of the Coyotes and he’s played for so long, but he was never a truly dominant player.
I’ll say yes simply because Paul Kariya made it in, and I don’t believe Kariya had many accolades either, individual or team, nor did he play 1,000 games. Just a point per game rate. I’m sure off-ice Doan did more for hockey than Kariya, too.
I think the Keltner list is a good tool to assess a player’s chances at the baseball hall of fame – it’s not the only tool, but it gives you a good indication of a player’s worthiness. I find it useful to apply it to hockey too.
Was he ever regarded as the best player in hockey? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in hockey?
Doan – no, Kariya was never considered the best player, but it’s not a stretch to suggest that a 3-time first team all-star was in the conversation as best player.
Was he the best player on his team?
Yes to both.
Was he the best player at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?
Doan – no. Kariya was a three time first team all-star, so the answer is yes. From 1996-1999 (even 2000), Kariya was the best left wing in the league.
Did he have an impact on a number of playoff races?
Doan? Yes. Kariya? Definitely. I’d say it’s a tie.
Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?
Doan? Yes. Kariya? No, too many concussions.
Is he the very best player in hockey history who is not in the Hall of Fame?
Doan? No. Kariya is in, but if he wasn’t, probably yes.
Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?
No – probably for both.
Do the player’s numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?
Just shy for both of magic marks 500 goals/1,000 points. Kariya is closer due to better ppg and gpg rates.
Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?
Kariya had a number of concussions just as he was entering his prime, so I’d say that his stats were hampered by injuries. There’s nothing to suggest that Doan was better or worse than his stats.
Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?
No for Doan.
How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?
Doan – no, Kariya never was an MVP, but a Hart top ten finisher three times and was a runner-up once.
How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the other players who played in this many go into the Hall of Fame?
Kariya played in 7 all star games and had about 7 all star type seasons. So yes.
Doan played in 2 all star games and had about 3 all star type seasons. So no.
If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the conference finals?
Kariya was an important part of a few playoff teams, but he wasn’t a playoff force, so no. Same with Doan. The only edge I might give Kariya is that the 98 Olympic team would have been better with him on it, his absence certainly impacted their chances.
What impact did the player have on hockey history? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?
Kariya didn’t have a huge historic impact, but he certainly had an impact on free agency, skill/size/speed, and on blindside hits and post concussion syndrome. It’s fair to say that you couldn’t discuss the 90s in hockey without his name coming up. Doan is integral to Jets/Coyotes history and was an important part of Canada’s international play. I’ll say slight edge to Kariya, but with both registering here.
Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?
Kariya for sure. He practically defined the Lady Byng in the 90s. 2 time winner and was always in the discussion. He has been recognized as a hard working, sportsmanlike, character player at pretty nearly every level of hockey – junior, college, international, and NHL. He has been a spokesperson and advocate for hockey, so it’s a no brainer – yes!
Doan has never been a legit Lady Byng candidate. There was that weird french slur thing that happened with parliament. But he’s always been considered a hard working character guy and a captain.
I’d say Kariya is a slam dunk in this category, while there is nothing that stops Doan was unsportsmanlike or unworthy due to character.
Kariya’s enshrinement is justified. He’s not a Gretzky like case, but he’s far from the worst player in the Hall. Doan’s enshrinement, I think, would lower the standards of the Hall.
No. He was rarely deserving of being considered among the best players in any given year (made 3 all-star teams in a 21-year career), no way should he be placed among the best of all-time just because he played for one team and for a long time.
The baseball hall of fame has the right idea, only those who truly deserve to be enshrined get in. The hockey hall of fame lets in 4 guys a year just to do it. He’ll probably make it at some point just to fill a spot