Making the Case for the Biggest Snubs From the 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame Class | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Those of you who are familiar with my work know that I've been an advocate of Rod Brind'Amour's Hall of Fame campaign for years. I made my most compelling plea back in 2020 – and here we are again in 2023, still no Hall of Fame induction for the first and only captain in Hurricanes history to lift the Stanley Cup.

His resume alone stacks up against those already in the Hall. He had 15 seasons with 49+ points, 1,184 career points, captained a Stanley Cup team, and won two Selkes. His career even-strength faceoffs won percentage, 59.1, ranks No. 1 among NHLers with 600 games played. I could go on, but you've heard it all before, and the stats are more of his case for induction into the Hockey Hall of Very Good, which isn't the point.

The argument for his induction extends far beyond a piece of paper. Brind'Amour and his playing career are all of the good things about a loaded term – hockey culture – and none of the bad. I've been told hundreds of stories about Brind'Amour's dedication over the years. Former Michigan State teammate Danton Cole's recollection of Brind'Amour banging down the football facility doors to get a lift in while everyone else was celebrating the Fourth of July always makes me laugh.

He made sacrifices in the gym (legend has it he never missed more than two days of working out in his career), and outside of it (he averaged 24:18 time on ice in 2006, the season he captained the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup at 35 years old). He revolutionized what it meant to be a hockey player with his workout regimen and dedication to health, a model contemporary players now look up to as a way to gain an edge or extend their careers.

The Hockey Hall of Fame officially states the following criteria as attributes in the player category: Playing ability, sportsmanship, character and contributions to his or her team and to the game of hockey in general.

No one in team history has given more to the Carolina Hurricanes than Brind'Amour, and those in the area know that Stanley Cup could've easily been the difference between keeping a team in Raleigh or eventually relocating.

And what has Brind'Amour given to the game of hockey?

That path to longevity many have since followed, an impact on non-traditional markets that Gary Bettman couldn't have even dreamed up, and – call me biased because I actually know the guy – but a certain faith in the concept of hockey culture that has been tested far too often these days.

You could argue he'll get in as a builder, with his unique contributions to hockey and his immediate and record-breaking success in his role as Hurricanes head coach. But other players already in the Hall have similar resumes, and it's not fair to penalize Brind'Amour's campaign as a player just because he's been an equally fantastic coach.

Rod Brind'Amour is hockey in North Carolina, and you cannot tell the story of the game of hockey in general without mentioning his contributions.