Alex Ovechkin just announced that this will be his final NHL season, and it made me realize how pointless the Hockey Hall of Fame waiting period is for certain guys.
Ovi is the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. When Sidney Crosby eventually retires, are we REALLY going to spend three playing seasons pretending either of these guys needs to build a Hall of Fame case?
What are we waiting to learn?
I understand the waiting period for normal Hall of Fame debates. Give careers some distance, compare guys to their era, let the argument happen. Ovechkin and Crosby aren’t arguments. The committee isn’t going to sit there three years later and suddenly discover Ovi was pretty good at scoring goals.
There should be an automatic-player exception. Ovi retires? Next Hall of Fame class. Crosby retires? Same thing.
If literally everybody already knows you’re going in.. why are we making you wait?
- Benny Yinzer
