Montreal Canadiens Hall Of Fame Case: John LeClair

The Montreal Canadiens are well represented in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but a number of former Canadiens players also deserve attention. We are doing a series on a number of these former Habs greats who have a chance of being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday, June 21.

The Montreal Canadiens last won the Stanley Cup 30 years ago, and no Canadian team has won it since. A big reason they were able to hang a 24th banner in the rafters was the contribution of a young American winger who was on the verge of breaking out.

John LeClair scored not one, but two consecutive overtime winners to turn a 1-1 series split in the Stanley Cup Final to a commanding 3-1 series lead. LeClair was a second round pick of the Canadiens in 1987 but played four years of college hockey before turning pro late in the 1990-91 season.

He had a decent regular season in 1992-93, scoring 19 goals and 44 points in 72 games and added ten points in 20 playoff games, including the two enormous overtime goals in the Stanley Cup Final. He followed that up with a very similar season, scoring 19 goals and 43 points in 74 games in 1993-94.

The Canadiens traded him early the next season, with Eric Desjardins, for Mark Recchi. Following the trade, LeClair, a 6’3″ and 223 pound left winger teamed up with Eric Lindros to form the Legion of Doom line with Mikael Renberg. LeClair and Lindros would dominate the opposition for years following that trade.

In the first five full seasons in Philadelphia, LeClair scored 235 goals, reaching the 50 goal plateau three times and averaging 47 goals per season from 1995-2000. In the six year period from 1994 to 2000, LeClair scored 261 goals and 502 points. Only Jaromir Jagr had more goals in that time, and it was one more goal, and Jagr and Teemu Selanne were the only two players to have more points in that time frame.

Simply put, LeClair was one of the best players in the league for over half a decade. He could score goals, pile up points and was a physical force as well. Then, he missed most of the 2000-01 season with severe back injuries and was never quite the same dominant player. He hung around until the 2006-07 season, and had some decent seasons where he scored between 20-25 goals, but he wasn’t among the best offensive producers in the league any longer.

He retired after playing 21 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006-07. LeClair had played a total of 967 games, recording 406 goals and 819 points. Those totals don’t scream Hall of Fame player, which is why he hasn’t been elected, but the whole story is a compelling case.

LeClair was able to score 50 goals when it was nearly impossible to do so. The dead puck era of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s was a time when goaltenders thrived because defensemen were allowed to tackle, hook, interfere and pretty much decapitate opponents without penalty and goalies gear was not measured and completely out of control.

While LeClair has no individual accolades like a Hart Trophy, he was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team on two occasions and the Second All-Star Team three times. He was one of the very best players in the game for six straight seasons. He was also called upon on numerous occasions to represent his country and performed well.

He played in a pair of Wold Junior tournaments in 1988 and 1989 and combined to score ten goals and 16 points in 14 games. The United States won the World Cup in 1996 with LeClair scoring six goals and ten points in seven games. He had just one point in four Olympic Games in 1998 but scored six goals and seven points in six games during the 2002 Olympics, helping the American team win a silver medal.

Had he been born ten years earlier, or even ten years later, he would have played in a different, and more high scoring era and likely easily scored 500 goals and 1000 points. That would make him a slam dunk Hall of Fame player. He shouldn’t be punished for the era he played in and has a real, deserving resume of a Hall of Fame player.

LeClair has been eligible since 2010 and is yet to get the required votes to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hopefully, with new members aboard the voting committee who played against him and can vouch for him, he will eventually get the call to The Hall.

We will find out tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM EST if that call is coming this year.

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