Fans, media get Blackhawks Hall of Fame vote right

Earlier this year, the Chicago Blackhawks announced a new team Hall of Fame as part of the Centennial Celebration season. The inaugural class will include the nine players whose numbers are already retired by the team, and one player from the Heritage Era and another from the Modern Era. The team used votes from the fans, alumni, and media to determine the two additional members.

This morning, the team announced that Steve Larmer and Duncan Keith won the vote from their respective ballots. These were the two players I voted for on my media ballot, and they couldn’t be more deserving of this honor.

“We are beyond proud to announce the inaugural Blackhawks Hall of Fame class will include Steve Larmer and Duncan Keith,” Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said in an official statement. “The incredible participation we saw from Blackhawks fans, Alumni, and media is a testament to the lasting influence that each of these individuals have had on our storied franchise.”

The inaugural Hall of Fame class will be honored at the United Center before the April 11 game against the St. Louis Blues. The physical Blackhawks Hall of Fame will be part of the expansion at the Fifth Third Arena and will be open all year round, not just on gamedays.

Duncan Keith, MVP of the Stanley Cup Era

The next few months will be huge for Keith. He will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in November before receiving this honor from the Blackhawks in the spring. This decision was a no-brainer. When the Modern Era names came out, there was no doubt that Keith would win. While offensive stars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane got a lot of the spotlight during the 2010s, it was Keith who was the heart and soul of those teams.

General manager Mike Smith drafted him in the second round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Keith needed a season split between Michigan State and the Western Hockey League, and two full years in the American Hockey League before making his NHL debut in 2005. His first two seasons in the National Hockey League were full of growing pains, and he looked far from the Hall of Fame defenseman he became. His development is something to keep in mind when watching the slew of young blueliners the Blackhawks have now.

Keith accomplished it all in his 16 seasons with the Blackhawks. He scored 106 goals and 646 points in 1,256 regular-season games, averaging 24:40 of ice time a game. In the postseason, he had 18 goals and 91 points, with a plus-20 rating in 151 games, while averaging 27:07 of ice time a night. The three-time All-Star won three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies, two Olympic gold medals, and a Conn Smythe Trophy.

One could argue that the Blackhawks don’t win any Stanley Cups without Keith. There is no debate that the 2015 championship wouldn’t have happened without his fantastic performance. He averaged 31:07 of ice time per game, literally putting the defensive corps on his back. He had three goals and 21 points with a plus-16 rating in 23 games. It was only fitting that he scored the game-winning goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. It’s only a matter of time before Keith’s No. 2 is hanging from the rafters of the United Center.

Honor for Steve Larmer is Long Overdue

Speaking of numbers hanging from the United Center rafters, Larmer’s No. 28 should have been up there for a long time now. His snub from the Hockey Hall of Fame after all these years remains unfathomable. Hockey writers and fans love to throw the term “warrior” around, but nobody embodied that moniker better than Larmer during his career with the Blackhawks.

Larmer was drafted in the sixth round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft and was part of the same draft class as Denis Savard and Troy Murray. Not too shabby! He became a full-time NHLer starting in 1982, winning the Calder Trophy after scoring 43 goals and 90 points in his rookie season. He went on to play 891 games for the Blackhawks, all in a row, never missing a single game. He scored 406 goals and 923 points, with a plus-181 rating, and 475 penalty minutes.

I loved Larmer so much; he got me to cheer for the New York Rangers during the 1994 Stanley Cup Final. Many of you know my disdain for New York sports teams and can appreciate what a big deal that is.

Nowadays, players get applauded for playing all 82 games in a season. Larmer never missed a game over 11 seasons with the Blackhawks during the 1980s and early 1990s. While the game wasn’t nearly as fast as it is today, it was tougher. Players were allowed to get away with a lot more physicality than they are today. They carried wooden sticks that didn’t break when chopped across an opponent’s wrists or ankles. The equipment, medical techniques, and training regimens were not nearly as advanced as they are now.

Some of the games from the old Norris Division looked like scenes straight out of Slap Shot. Larmer didn’t shy away from any of the physical play. He showed up every single night and produced. He had five seasons of at least 41 goals. He only scored fewer than 30 twice: 28 in 1986-87 and 29 in 1991-92. He scored 35 goals during his final season with the Blackhawks at 31. He had an amazing career and deserves this honor and much more!