Rod Brind'Amour Is Still Waiting After 14 Years, And The Hall Of Fame Committee Has No Excuse

Okay, Seattle fam, we just saw the Hockey Hall of Fame drop its latest class, and holy smokes, what a lineup! Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk, Cindy Curley, and Brian Burke all got the call. You love to see legends get their due, right? But while we're celebrating those well-deserved nods, a real question looms over the Class of 2027: How in the world are some of these absolute titans not in already?

Specifically, we're talking about two centers who absolutely dominated their eras, one of whom has been waiting for *way* too long. The selection committee, made up of 17 big brains from executive suites, former players, and media, can only pick four male and two female players each year. But even with those limits, some guys just feel like no-brainers, and their wait is getting ridiculous.

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Getzlaf's Gold-Plated Case for Induction

Let's talk about Ryan Getzlaf. This dude spent 17 years with the Anaheim Ducks, leading them to a Stanley Cup in 2007. Seventeen years! He’s their all-time leader in games played (a staggering 1,157), assists (737), and points (1,019) in the regular season. And get this: he holds those exact same records in the playoffs for Anaheim! We're talking 120 points in 125 postseason games, which translates to a mind-blowing 0.96 points per game. That's the fifth-best average from 2005 to 2022 for anyone with at least 100 playoff games. Think about that!

During his career, Getzlaf was fifth among all centers in points. You know who was ahead of him? Joe Thornton (already in the Hall), and then Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Anze Kopitar (all likely future inductees). Overall, he had the seventh-most points of any player in his entire span. On top of the Ducks' Cup, he snagged Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, World Cup of Hockey gold in 2016, and World Juniors gold in 2005. Yeah, he finished second for the Hart Trophy to Crosby in 2013, but come on. Keith Tkachuk just got in without a Hart finish better than 10th. Getzlaf was a leader, a star, and one of the most successful players of his generation. He's in his third year of eligibility, and the word is, he should absolutely be Hall-bound next season. No debate here.

Brind'Amour's Coaching Masterpiece Deserves Recognition

Now, let's get to Rod Brind'Amour, because this is where the frustration really sets in for fans like us. This guy is in his *14th year* of eligibility! Fourteen years! You know how sometimes a long-shot candidate needs a little extra buzz to get noticed? Well, with Keith Tkachuk getting in, and all the chatter around his sons, maybe it helped re-contextualize his career. For Brind'Amour, it might be his coaching success that finally pushes him over the edge.

He just coached the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup victory, which is huge! Think about it, Brind'Amour is only the seventh person in NHL history to lift the Stanley Cup as both a player *and* a head coach for the *same team*. That's an exclusive club, Emerald City! You don't get that kind of dual-role success without being an absolute legend of the game. He's been waiting, and waiting, and waiting. After coaching his team to a Cup, if the committee doesn't finally recognize his incredible, unique contributions, well, we're gonna have some questions. It's entirely possible this latest achievement is the momentum he needed.

So, as we look ahead to next year's Hall of Fame class, the committee has a clear path. Getzlaf's numbers and hardware speak for themselves. And for Brind'Amour, his unparalleled career as both a player and a Cup-winning coach for the same franchise demands a long-overdue phone call. It's time to get these guys enshrined where they belong!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.