Alex Mogilny as soon as once more snubbed by Hockey Corridor of Fame

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As wrist photographs go, there are few in NHL historical past who’ve had a extra deadly one than Markus Naslund.

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So when Naslund says Alexander Mogilny’s wrist shot was even higher than his, your eyebrows inevitably hit the ceiling.

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It’s but another excuse that it’s arduous to fathom why Mogilny, one of many biggest right-wingers of his period, isn’t within the Hockey Corridor of Fame.

The corridor introduced its newest class of inductees Wednesday and as soon as once more Mogilny, who performed for the Vancouver Canucks from 1995 to 2000, wasn’t included. It stays baffling why the small committee of 18 hockey individuals, who meet annually to find out that yr’s Corridor of Fame class, proceed to exclude Mogilny.

To achieve induction, 14 of the 18 must put your identify on a poll. This yr, the committee, comprised largely of former gamers but additionally together with just a few media members and former coaches and executives, picked gamers Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Pierre Turgeon, Mike Vernon, Caroline Ouellette and two builders, former coach Ken Hitchcock and former GM Pierre Lacroix.

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Why a participant like Turgeon, who racked up 1,300 factors throughout a high-quality profession within the Eighties and Nineties, is in over Mogilny, who was twice named to end-of-season all-star groups, led the league in targets as soon as, and likewise modified the sport by defecting from the Soviet Union, is baffling.

Mogilny additionally received an Olympic gold medal whereas nonetheless in his teenagers in 1988, the Stanley Cup in 2000 with New Jersey, and recording 1,032 factors in 990 NHL video games, the majority performed through the so-called “lifeless puck” period.

“He was the primary participant that I noticed with such a fast wrist shot launch that goalies had been caught off guard,” Naslund stated. Naslund was Mogilny’s teammate on the Canucks from 1996 till 2000.

“He hid his intentions and will shoot in the course of a transfer,” he defined.

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And no, Naslund by no means fairly discovered the best way to copy Mogilny’s method.

“He was simply too good.”

Mogilny was a participant so good, you questioned at occasions if the sport bored him. But when it did, he by no means confirmed it off the ice. His previous teammates have solely optimistic issues to say.

“Simple going and sort particular person as effectively,” Naslund remarked.

On prime of his scoring totals, Mogilny additionally modified the sport: He was the primary Soviet participant to defect to the NHL, fairly actually bolting from the nationwide group on the conclusion of the 1989 World Championships right into a ready automotive exterior a shopping center in Stockholm, steps forward of KGB brokers.

A yr later, Sergei Fedorov jumped to the Detroit Crimson Wings, and by the point Pavel Bure flew to Los Angeles in September 1991, with the top aim of lastly becoming a member of the Canucks, Soviet officers knew the sport was up and there was no stopping Bure. As an alternative, they dug their monetary heels in on releasing him from his contract.

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Fedorov, Mogilny and Bure performed collectively as a line on the 1989 World Juniors, nonetheless thought-about one of many biggest trios that has ever appeared at that match.

“Alex, I believe, was the strongest. He has probably the most agility, the quickest launch, and one of the best shot … the chief of our line,” Fedorov informed ESPN in 2005.

Fedorov, one of many most interesting all-around gamers of his period, was inducted in 2015. Bure was inducted in 2012.

Mogilny joined the Buffalo Sabres for the 1989-90 season, the group that had drafted him within the fifth spherical in 1988, realizing full effectively that it might be exceedingly troublesome, if not unimaginable, to pry a younger star away from the Soviet nationwide group. The Soviets had been permitting older gamers to maneuver to North America, however not their subsequent wave of expertise.

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Mogilny was an instantaneous hit, scoring 20 seconds into his first recreation with the Sabres. He solely scored 15 targets that season, however the indicators of future success had been there. He was a point-per-game participant in his second season, scored 84 factors in season three, after which in his fourth season, he ascended to superstardom, scoring 76 targets, tying him with Teemu Selanne for many within the NHL.

Six gamers have scored 75 targets or extra in a season; Mogilny is the one one not within the Corridor of Fame.

Two years later, he was traded to the Canucks. Pat Quinn determined his group, which had come one win quick within the Stanley Cup ultimate a yr earlier than, wanted extra octane added to its offence.

He was an instantaneous star in Vancouver, breaking by way of the 100-point barrier, a well timed feat given Pavel Bure blew out his knee early within the yr. Mogilny grew to become the group’s go-to man, and whereas their defensive recreation ended up sinking their playoff ambitions — the Canucks misplaced within the first spherical to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche — Vancouver was one of many NHL’s finest offensive groups.

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Quinn had hoped Mogilny would lead the Canucks into a brand new period, however the roster proved to be too stale and their outcomes went south. Mogilny wouldn’t play within the playoffs for the Canucks once more, because the group’s outcomes solely bought worse over the following three seasons.

Mogilny held out for a brand new contract in the beginning of the 1997-98 season, a season that may begin out as a catastrophe and in some way solely worsen. Quinn had signed Mark Messier that summer time, hoping the legend had sufficient juice left to proper the Canucks’ course, however as a substitute the Canucks couldn’t win and Quinn was out of a job by early November.

Days after Quinn’s dismissal, the determined Canucks signed Mogilny, however the group’s tailspin continued. Brian Burke took over as GM the following summer time, Bure demanded a commerce, and a depressing Canucks squad, together with Mogilny, went by way of the motions in 1998-99.

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Burke drafted the Sedins in the summertime of 1999, and as a part of his rebuild, acknowledged he must transfer Mogilny the following season.

The star winger was flipped to New Jersey for Brendan Morrison and a real new period for the Canucks was about to start. Mogilny helped the trap-era Devils win their second Stanley Cup, then helped them get again to the ultimate the following season, the place they misplaced to the Avalanche.

He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent that summer time, reuniting with Quinn, and helped the Leafs to the Japanese Convention ultimate. He performed one other two seasons in Toronto, then wrapped up his profession with New Jersey in 2005-06.

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