"Scouting" a Hall of Famer -- two ancient game reports

My first view of Glenn Anderson occurred sometime during the 1978-79 season, when the University of Denver brought their fine hockey team to Edmonton for an exhibition game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Bears were in the second of a three-year run as national champions, perhaps the best team ever iced by this long-standing dynasty of Canadian university sport, their line-up featuring future NHLers like Don Spring, Dave Hindmarch, and their captain and CIAU Player of the Year Randy Gregg.

While I was keen to see how the Bears fared against a top NCAA team, I also went to this game with scouting aforethought. The Pioneers’ roster featured Ken Berry, a draft choice of the then-WHA Oilers and brother of Doug Berry who was breaking in with the Oilers that very season. Little did I know that a childhood friend of the Berrys would be the true find. Or as I said to my seatmate more than once that night: “Berry looks pretty good, but who in the heck is this # 9 ?!” Glenn Anderson was flying on the always-excellent Varsity (now Clare Drake) Arena ice, and made a very positive impression despite being blanked along with his mates in a 2-0 Bears victory.

One person who was likely in the building and certainly paying attention was Lorne Davis. That summer the Oilers drafted Anderson, in the fourth round, 69th overall, in the best ever Entry Draft class of 1979. Oilers’ first three picks, Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier, and Anderson, would go on to win six Stanley Cups together, five of them right here in Edmonton. I remember being thrilled on draft day that I had actually seen two of the guys we picked – Messier and Anderson – during the previous season. I had no problem remembering Anderson’s exciting pell-mell dashes towards goal, and was honestly excited that this was a great pick by the newly-reinvented NHL Oilers.

The following season Andy was back in the same arena, which is hockey’s version of Renfrew/John Ducey Park – hard on the rear end, but a wonderful place to see a game. This time the Bears’ opposition was Canada’s Olympic team that was barnstorming the country in preparation for the Lake Placid Olympics. Father David Bauer’s revised dream team was coached by Drake with assistance from Tom Watt and one Lorne Davis. In fact Team Canada featured six players from that Denver-Alberta exhibition game: Gregg, Spring, Hindmarch, John Devaney, Berry and Anderson. It also featured at least four guys who would go on to play for the Edmonton Oilers: Gregg, Anderson, Berry and (trivia fans take note) netminder Bob Dupuis.

Even though the Bears’ roster had been ravaged by “defections” to the Olympic team, they were no spent force. Drake’s assistant Billy Moores stepped to the forefront and guided a team with 11 newcomers to a third consecutive national championship. On this night they gave Team Canada one of their best games on their season long tour, handing the Red Maple Leaf a rare loss in a spirited 4-3 affair.

While there was lots of story lines and some great hockey to enjoy that night, the apple of my eye was Anderson, now a full-fledged Oilers prospect and clearly one of the stars of Canada's first Olympic hockey team in 12 years. He had an outstanding game, scoring once, setting up another, finding iron at least once while creating one great scoring opportunity after another with his speed, puck-carrying and fearlessness. He was not yet a polished finisher in those days, it took him about a year at the NHL level before his brain caught up to his feet in the scoring area. But man, did he make things happen.

I won’t dwell on Glenn’s NHL career in this post, other than to say that at 20 he was one of the most well-rounded and NHL-ready rookies I’ve ever seen, thanks in large part to that year under Drake, Watt, and Davis. Anderson would emerge as one of the earliest and most successful graduates of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, as will finally be confirmed tonight when he finally receives the highest individual honour the game can bestow.

From the archives: The campaign to elect Glenn Anderson

Date: November 13, 2006

To: Hockey Hall of Fame

From: Bruce

Re: The compelling case for Glenn Anderson

When Wayne Gretzky retired in the spring of 1999, the NHL decided to honour him in a multitude of ways, including immediate induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The decision to waive the customary three-year waiting period was not unprecedented, so the further decision was taken that the Great One should enter the Hall of Fame alone, since anybody else's accomplishments and, especially, statistics would pale in comparison.

Lost in the Gretzky spotlight yet again was one Glenn Anderson, another Oilers superstar of the 80s who had retired in 1996. Under normal circumstances Anderson would have been first considered for the HHoF in 1999, instead he was put off to 2000 to compete with a second graduating class. And he's been put off ever since.

Tonight Dick Duff becomes the 10th NHL forward to enter the HHoF since 2000. Duff was an excellent role player on two mini-dynasties, the Leafs of the early 60s and the Habs of the late 60s. Duff's statistics are well below HHoF standards, but he has the deserved reputation as a clutch player, and is the first of those ten inductees to have equalled Glenn Anderson's total of six Stanley Cups. So certainly Duff was a worthy candidate, if a borderline inductee.

Anderson compares very well to that entire group of 10 forwards, who include Joe Mullen, Denis Savard, Mike Gartner, Dale Hawerchuk, Jari Kurri, Bernie Federko, Clark Gillies, Pat Lafontaine, Cam Neely, and Duff. Compare Anderson's stats to their average totals:

Inductees: 1081 GP, 464-601-1065

Anderson : 1129 GP, 498-601-1099

Anderson played a few more games than average, but his goals and points per game were a virtual saw-off. Now let's look at the playoffs:

Inductees: 126 GP, 50-63-113

Anderson : 225 GP, 93-121-214

Anderson is the fourth highest scorer in Stanley Cup history. Of the 10 inductees only Kurri and Savard have even half of his points. In the tighter checking of the playoffs the peer group's per-game production fell by about 10%, Anderson's by a bare 2%. More importantly he played way more games, which in the playoffs is a direct by-product of WINNING. He's got the 6 rings to prove it; even with the addition of Duff, the group of 10 have only 19 among them, including five players with none at all. For sure part of that is opportunity, but you could make the same case for Duff, Kurri, Gillies, and Mullen who all landed in the right place(s) at the right time and made the most of their opportunity.

The most statistically comparable inductee to Anderson is probably Joe Mullen, a player with virtually identical regular season stats to Anderson (502 goals to 498, 1063 points to 1099) but only half of Andy's playoff production (106 points to 214, three Cups to Anderson's six). Mullen was inducted in his first year of eligibility, while 10 years after his retirement Anderson remains on the outside looking in. It is not my point to say Joe Mullen doesn't belong in the Hall -- quite the contrary! -- but if he's there, Glenn Anderson should be there.

Ironically, perhaps the most stylistically-comparable recent inductee to Anderson is the one non-NHLer, Valeri Kharlamov. Both were lightning-in-a-bottle fast with an equal ability to finish a solo drive to the net or make the killer pass at full speed. Both game-breakers struck terror into their opposition with their innate ability to rise to the big occasion, and to find or create holes in the staunchest defences. In Anderson's case, that can be seen in his five playoff overtime goals, or that in an Oiler record book dominated by Gretzky it is Anderson who comfortably leads in game-winning goals.

Andy loved to represent Canada and for years was an automatic choice for the world's deepest team, winning two Canada Cups and appearing in the Olympics, two World Championships (on the rare occasions his playoffs ended early), and on the All-NHL team in Rendezvous '87.

As his peer group shows, making the Hall of Fame can be about the numbers, or it can be about winning. Glenn Anderson's case can be made on both fronts. His continued exclusion from the Hockey Hall of Fame casts a bad light not on the individual, but the institution.

Bruce

*****

Date: November 15, 2006

To: Bruce

From: Philip Pritchard, HHoF

Re: The compelling case for Glenn Anderson

Thanks for the note and your interest in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

I am going to forward this on to the Hockey Hall of Fame's Selection Committee. I trust they will look at it and appreciate all the talents Mr. Anderson brought to the game of hockey, as much as you do.

Thanks again for your interest.

Regards

Philip Pritchard

Hockey Hall of Fame