Would Shea Weber's career have made the cut in fans' eyes to be on the NHL's Quarter-Century Team if the Montreal Canadiens had finished the job in 2021? Weber is one of the forgotten stars of the last 25 years, mostly because he didn't win that elusive Stanley Cup. However, Weber did pretty much everything else as a defenseman. It's easy to say that Weber might be the best defenseman to never win a Norris Trophy or a Stanley Cup.
Weber was a finalist for the Norris in 2011, 2012, and 2014. He finished second to Nicklas Lidstrom and Erik Karlsson in the first two years, and then was third in 2014 when Duncan Keith won the award. He might not have been the best defenseman in the league in any one season, but for 16 years he was the picture of consistency and effectiveness.
It's an NHL honor, but Weber's accolades internationally should give him much more respect than he gets. He won an Olympic gold medal twice, a World Championship, a World Cup, and a World Junior gold. While I can listen to the argument that Weber didn't earn enough accolades in the NHL to be on the quarter-century team, it's also inexplicable that he wasn't included on Canada's Quarter-Century team during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
If you want to know how people view Weber in NHL circles, just look at how they inducted him into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024 before he was even officially "retired". Weber is still technically on the Chicago Blackhawks, as his contract has been with the Vegas Golden Knights, the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Hockey Club, and Chicago since he ended his playing career in the 2021 finals.
Only three defensemen were on the list: Nicklas Lidstrom, Cale Makar, and Zdeno Chara. The NHL could've done a better job of evening out the numbers, as defensemen like Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman also have a case to be on this list. The three chosen defensemen, plus Weber, Karlsson, and Hedman could've been a great list.
There were six goalies, which doesn't make much sense when comparing the number of players there were to choose from. It would've made much more sense if picking 25 players to have 15 forwards, eight defense, and three goaltenders. Nevertheless, letting the fans decide was sure to have some snubs.