This year’s Hockey Hall of Fame speeches are done, and we’re four months away from the nomination deadline. Four months seems like a long time, so why talk about Dave Andreychuk’s Hall of Fame campaign now? Because we only have four months to go!
Think about it: once the holidays are done, we’re already down to three months! At that point, it’s trade speculation time. By the time the trade deadline itself actually rolls around, we’re down to a month and a half, and we’ll be consumed by the Stamkos Return Countdown. The next thing you know it’s April, and we’ll be rushing to convince the selection committee to let Captain Andy in. Unlike a term paper on the long-term effects of the Cuban Missile Crisis on Russian-Chinese relations, this isn’t something that should be put off until the last minute!
I’m not here to make yet another argument that Dave Andreychuk should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. We’ve already done that on this site (read my filthy hot take about halfway down). Other Lightning web sites have argued for his induction. National sites have said he should get in. ESPN weighed in. Mild-mannered Paul Kennedy got a bit salty about it a few years ago.
We all know what the arguments are for and against him. Boiling it down:
For: 640 goals, 274 power play goals (tops all-time), 14th all-time in goals, 7th all-time in games played. Super nice guy.
Against: He wasn’t the “best” player during his time. He never recorded a 100-point season. He skated like a tree falling in the forest.
So, instead of beating the same arguments into your head, I’ve decided that we should have a call to action. Instead of just talking, let’s do something about it. We live in a new day of social interaction, so let’s put it to use.
Unlike other institutions, the Hockey Hall of Fame is pretty open on how it elects players to become Honoured Members. An 18-person selection committee nominates players who haven’t been in the league for three years. They debate, and if 14 of the members of the committee agree on a name, then that person is elected. No more than six players (4 male and 2 female) can get elected in the same year.
Simple, right?
Not only is it simple, the HHOF even tells us who the members of the Selection Committee are. These folks aren’t strangers either: John Davidson, Brian Burke, Luc Robitaille, Ron Francis, Bob McKenzie are all well-known public figures. Some of them are even on Twitter!
So, we know who picks and votes on the candidates AND we know what the guidelines are. We also know that they have to have their selections in by April 15 at midnight (Toronto time). From now until then, can we, as Lightning (and hockey) fans, start a campaign to get this man elected to the Hall of Fame? It won’t take much of your time, but it might make a difference.
How:
1. While only members of the Selection Committee can officially nominate candidates, there is a way for the masses to make our opinions officially known: We can submit candidates for them to review. Submissions must be sent by March 15th for consideration for next year’s class. Write letters, send emails, hit ‘em up on Facebook. Let your voice be heard! Visit this page for full details.
2. Interact with the Selection Committee. Like I said, a lot of folks are on Twitter. If you interact with them, add a nice little hash tag like #AndyHHOF or #Respect640. Don’t be rude about it, but subtly remind them throughout the next four months that Captain Andy belongs in the Hall. (Except for Brian Burke. Don’t @ him. He might get mad and challenge you to a fight in a barn.)
3. Keep reminding the anti-Andreychuk crowd that 640 goals is a LOT of goals. Especially for someone who played mostly in the “Dead Puck” era. There is a good chance that no one playing is going to get to that total (other than Jagr, because, you know, he’s already done that). As for 274 power play goals? Not even Jagr is going to get there. The purpose of a power play is to score, and Andreychuk did it more often than anyone else in the history of the league.
The incentive:
We’re going to do a little giveaway for the fans that accept the mantle and take up the Andreychuk awareness campaign. The first 25 people who take a photo with a pro-Andreychuk Hall of Fame sign in front of his statue at Amalie Arena or in front of the Hall of Fame in Toronto and post it on Twitter will receive the sticker below. Make sure you include @rawcharge in your tweet so that we see it. One sticker per fan.
If you have any other ideas, leave them in the comments below!
If NHL fans can get John Scott into an all-star game, then Lightning fans can get Dave Andreychuk into the Hall of Fame.
