Mogilny snubbed for Hall of Fame induction once again; we may finally have a reason as to why
Alexander Mogilny has once again been left off the list for the Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, marking another year the Russian superstar and legend has been passed over. This re-hashed news started circling the same questions that always follow: how is this guy not a hall of famer?
Swedes Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Daniel Alfredsson have been named among the inductees for 2022 to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Goaltender Roberto Luongo, builder Herb Carnegie, and Finnish women's star Riikka Sallinen who starred through bronze medals at the 1998 and 2008 Olympics and was part of several World Championship teams were also selected Monday to be inducted in November.
The Sedins and Luongo are being inducted in their first year of eligibility. Alfredsson made it in his sixth year. Alfredsson won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year and was the face of the franchise for the Ottawa Senators for almost two decades. He helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 and spent 17 years of his 18-year career in Ottawa. Each of the Sedins won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the NHL in scoring, and Henrik won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 2010. Luongo is fourth in league history in victories.
Mogilny continues to fall short in Hall balloting. Mogilny, whose 76-goal season in 1992-93 remains a Sabres franchise record and the most in NHL history by a Russian player, cracked the 500-goal mark for his career counting playoffs and won a Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2000. He was also a Russian trailblazer for North American hockey after being the first Soviet player to defect from the Soviet Union, escape the KGB, and join the NHL.
With over 1000 points, which is more than a point a game, and all the benchmarks of a Hall of Famer under his belt, which doesn't even include his international play, Mogilny should be a defined lock for the Hall of Fame and has been since the day he retired.
The belief is that one of the primary reasons why Mogilny has not yet been inducted into the HHOF yet is because he may refuse to take part in any of the traditional induction activities. Here's a thought.. maybe ask him if he'd be willing to meet in the middle somewhere? To have someone who was so important to the infusion of Russian players in the NHL not make it in is just embarrassing. Even if he doesn't wish to be involved in a traditional sense, it wouldn't be the first time that an athlete was honoured for something without being physically present.
