The best hockey hall class ever

Let's have a pity party for poor Vincent Damphousse. The veteran NHLer retired last week after averaging close to a point a game over his 18-season career. In any other year, he arguably would be part of the conversation about the Hockey Hall of Fame, where he could be honored like other talented but underappreciated players such as Mike Gartner and Clark Gillies.

Not this year. Consider the players who will be eligible for induction in 2008 (if the traditional waiting period is not waived): Mark Messier, the glaremaster who is second in career points to Wayne Gretzky; Ron Francis, the quiet, classy leader who is second in career assists to Gretzky; Al MacInnis, the laser-blasting rocket man who is third in career scoring among defensemen; and Scott Stevens, one of the meanest hombres ever to invoke bodily harm on an opponent (see: Lindros, Eric). And they all were winners. The four of them have 12 Stanley Cups and 13 pieces of other NHL silverware--Harts, Norrises, Conn Smythes and the like--lying around their basements.

But is this the best class ever? Notwithstanding the Hall's formidable catch-up days in the late 1940s and early 1950s, you betcha. You will get an argument from old-timers about the class of 1972 (Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Boom Boom Geoffrion) or 1983 (Ken Dryden, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita), but the trophies and points totals of the class of 2008 make a great case that no other quartet comes close. That is, until after this season when the candidates for the 2009 class could include Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, Dominik Hasek, Peter Forsberg and Ed Belfour.

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