The Puck Stops Here

On Wednesday, the NHL announced its 2006 Hall of Fame inductions. Included in the list was Dick Duff. To many of the younger fans he is a name they had never heard. The older fans remember him, probably the way todays fans would remember Kris Draper. He was a hard working forward with defensive skill who won some Stanley Cups and was good enough to be viewed as an all star a few times. Possibly they remember him a little more strongly because some of those cups were won with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don't think most fans remember him as a Hall of Fame talent, because he wasn't one.

Duff was a Toronto area prospect who first starred with the St Michael's Majors in junior. He led the team to the 1955 Memorial Cup. That alone put him on the radar screen of the Toronto diehard hockey fans. After the Memorial Cup, he mad his NHL debut playing three games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but scoring no points. He was a hard working checker with 20 goal offensive talent (this was back in the days when a 20 goal season made you a solid player). In his rookie season, he made the NHL all star game. This was as a 37 point scoring rookie. In those days, the all star game was Stanley Cup champions versus the all stars from the other five teams in the league. Montreal was the Stanley Cup champ and an extremely dominant team. The all star game was a competitive battle and the all star team was chosen for such (it was not just the top scorers in the NHL with no chemistry). They had bangers and checkers as depth players in the all star team. As such, Dick Duff fit in well. In fact, he played in the all star game on the all star side in his first three NHL seasons. A player with three all star games in three NHL seasons may sound like a hall of fame track, but when you consider he had (at that point) a career best of 49 points and was there as a checking line guy its not so clear. He was a member of the Leafs for their 1962 and 1963 Stanley Cup wins. He was a solid contributor in each. In 1962, he put up 13 points in 12 playoff games. He got to play in two more all star games, now as a member of the Stanley Cup champions. In the 1964 season, the Leafs were well on their way to their third cup in three years when they traded Duff to the New York Rangers.

The rebuilding Rangers wanted to move out aging star Andy Bathgate, so they sent him and Don McKenney to the Leafs for five players. Dick Duff, Arnie Brown, Bob Nevin, Bill Collins and Rod Seiling became Rangers. Dick Duff was the biggest name in the bunch of future Rangers. Duff never really fit in as a Ranger. He was traded in the next season to the Montreal Canadiens with Dave McComb for Bill Hicke and Jean-Guy Morissette. The trade was mostly seen as addition by subtraction for the Rangers. Sure they didn't get anyone as talented as Duff back, but at least the unhappy winger was back in Canada.

The Montreal team Duff joined won four Stanley Cups in their next five years. Duff was an important second line player for these wins. He played in two more all star games as a Stanley Cup winner in 1965 and 1967 (this was for the 1966 cup win, the NHL moved the all star game to mid season this year, so rosters were set almost a year before the game), before the all star game format changed. Ín 1969, the Habs decided to trade Duff to Los Angeles for the younger Dennis Hextall (former Philadelphia goalie Ron Hextall's uncle).

Duff spent nearly a year in Los Angeles without fitting in well and then was traded to the Buffalo Sabres with Eddie Shack for Mike McMahon Jr and cash. This was an attempt by Los Angeles to ship out the unhappy veterans for a fresh start. It moved Duff back to Buffalo, which was close enough to Canada that he might be happy.

Duff lasted in Buffalo one more year before announcing retirement. All told, Duff had 1030 NHL games played with 283 goals and 572 points. In 114 more playoff games, he had 30 goals and 79 points.

Duff was a popular figure in the Toronto area and was eventually hired on to the Maple Leaf scouting staff. He also served as an assistant coach and for a short time, coach of the team.

Why is Duff in the Hall of Fame? He was a popular Toronto figure. He won six Stanley Cups in two cities (one of which is Toronto). He was a very good checking forward. He was good enough for inclusion on seven all star teams (although one can make a very solid case that under today's all star format, he would not have played in a single all star game). Duff is a friendly popular guy who is well liked by the media and a good friend to many of the Hall of Fame committee members. He never fit in when he was on a weaker (in this case American) team. I think it may have been partially because on a weak team he had to play first line minutes and this was not a role that he was capable of playing. He was a very good checker, but a failure as a frontline star. He has done charity work in the Toronto area and is respected for this.

Lets take a look at my hall of fame standards and specifically at the Bill James hall of fame questions (which are in a baseball context - but I will try to adapt to hockey).

1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball?

No. Definitely not the best player by anyone's standards.

2. Was he the best player on his team?

No. Not even when he played on a weak team.

3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?

Again the answer is a clear no.

4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?

Definitely. Yes.

5. Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?

I would say yes. When Duff retired in 1972, there were few players who had played 1000 games in their career (Duff played 1030) - today there are several more. This probably would not have happened had he not aged right as the NHL was expanding, so its not quite as big an achievement as it seems.

6. Is he the very best player in baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame?

No way.

7. Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?

No. But Duff's game did not show up in statistics well as he was a checking forward.

8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?

Again no. Except possibly number of Stanley Cups won. Again I should state that his game did not translate well to statistics.

9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?

Yes he was definitely better than his statistics show. His inclusion on three all star games as an "all star" despite not being a top scorer is strong evidence. His game did not translate well statistically.

10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?

No.

11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?

Never had an MVP-type season or even came close to one.

12. 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?

Seven all star games. But it was a different format from that of today. Most players with seven career all star games probably make the hall of fame, although there are at least a handful of contemporaries of Duff who made several all star games for winning Stanley Cups who have never been given serious hall consideration.

13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?

They would have no chance at winning the league or their division. They would probably be last place or at least close.

14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?

Not much impact. That is why many younger fans never even heard of him before his hall of fame induction

15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?

Dick Duff does very well by this standard. It is probably a main reason he got inducted.

I think its pretty clear that he shouldn't be in the hall of fame. Duff was a solid player, similar to Kris Draper (would it shock you if in the 2040's they induct Draper to the hall? It would shock me). He was a player (though not a frontline player) for six Stanely Cup winners. He appeared in seven all star games, although all seven of those appearances might not have happened in today's all star game format. His a popular friendly man. He is well liked in the Toronto area. He is a friend and contemporary of several hall of fame committe members. This is not a reason for induction.

When a player is eligible but not inducted for 30 years (as Duff was) there is usually a good reason for it. Nothing significant changed in the 31st year to make him a better player. There are ex-NHL players I support for the hall of fame who have been eligible but not inducted for a few years now (Mark Howe for example). The longer time passes since his retirement without his induction the weaker his case becomes. New retirements push him back. A compelling reason should exist when a player is inducted after several years of failed eligibility. That reason should be far more compelling than friendship with the hall of fame committee.