Hockey Hall Of Fame Argument: Dave Andreychuk

Despite all his achievements on and off the ice, former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk has been left off the list for the 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame class.

Every young player who ever laces up their skates and dreams of one day playing in the National Hockey League has thought about the day when their name will be added to the prestigious list of players in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

As the years continue on, and the players fight with everything they have to develop their game and make their mark on the world of hockey striving towards their ultimate goal; winning the Stanley Cup and cementing their name in the history books as one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

Some players achieve greatness and continue to hear their names mentioned throughout the years by people who have fond memories of their accomplishments. Those unable to make their way into the spotlight eventually fade away into oblivion and out of the minds of hockey fans around the world.

When the names of the players who would be making their way into the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2015 were announced, there was one name that was notably missing from the list; former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk.

Former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk is undeniably one of the most dedicated and well-rounded players in the game of hockey. Andreychuk spent twenty six seasons in the National Hockey League. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen…Dave Andreychuk was in the National Hockey League longer than some Lightning fans have been alive.

Originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, Andreychuk would begin his professional hockey career with the Buffalo Sabres back in the 1982-83 season. The Hamilton, Ontario native would go on to play with the Sabres for 11 seasons before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1993.

It was in his native Canada that he would spend the next four seasons. It was in the 1995-96 season when Andreychuk would once again find himself in a new home; this time it would be with the New Jersey Devils. It was then that he would find himself bounced around a little bit, jumping from the Devils to the Boston Bruins, the Colorado Avalanche, back to his roots with the Buffalo Sabres.

This would lead Andreychuk to the place where he would eventually cement his legacy and finally find his name engraved on the greatest trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup.

One season after joining the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2001-02 season, Dave Andreychuk would find himself as the captain of the still-young team. His leadership would lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a height that no one in the world of hockey, with the exception of those of us here in sunny Tampa, Florida, believed would ever happen.

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Just one season after being named the captain of the team, Dave Andreychuk would lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup in the 2003-04 season. Unfortunately, due to the NHL lockout, Andreychuk would only play one more season before hanging up his skates for good and moving on to the next stage in his career.

In his 26 season career in the National Hockey League, Andreychuk played in a total of 1,639 games (278 of which were with the Tampa Bay Lightning.) In that amount of time, he amassed a whopping 640 goals and 698 assists for a grand total of 1,338 points.

The question I pose to the world is how does someone like this continually get snubbed each and every year for a place among the hallowed halls of the Hockey Hall of Fame? At 41 years of age, which is relatively old when it comes to professional sports, he still had the fortitude to lead his team to the Stanley Cup. If you ask us, this more than qualifies him for a spot in the Hall.

Don’t get me wrong, every single player who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year worked long and hard to get to where they are today, but at some point and time the name Dave Andreychuk has to become a part of the conversation.

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Those of us here in the Bolts Nation will have to wait yet another year to see if one of our favorite captains will make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Thankfully, Andreychuk is still very much a part of not only the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, but the community as well. This should help us heal our wounds for now…or at least until next year.

Do you agree that it’s insane that Dave Andreychuk has yet to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame? How long do you think it will be before we see Andreychuk’s name added to the historic list of players currently residing there? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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