In the world of sports, comparables are always very important. When it’s time to sign a contract, agents compare their clients with other players who have similar roles to get equivalent, if not higher, pay.
It’s also the same when it’s time to understand why a player is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Those who have the task of presenting candidates obviously use the statistics or the prowess of members who have already been inducted to build their files. In two weeks, Jeremy Roenick will be inducted into the Hall in Toronto. It is now high time to look at the successes of Vincent Damphousse in his career to understand that he must also receive the same honor.
The best Quebecer still excluded
Vincent Damphousse amassed 1,205 points, including 432 goals, in 1,378 regular season games in the NHL. He added 104 points, including 41 goals, in 140 playoff games, winning the Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Canadiens. He is the Quebecer with the most points in NHL history (11e rank) to not yet have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Jeremy Roenick also had a great career, but he never won the Stanley Cup. In 1,363 games in the NHL, the Boston native scored 1,216 points, including 513 goals. He also amassed 122 points in 154 playoff games. Like Vincent Damphousse, he never won an individual trophy in the NHL.
Damphousse involved in the players’ cause
Beyond his leadership on the ice, Vincent Damphousse has been very involved, during his career, in the well-being of players in the NHL. He was a long-time member of various collective bargaining committees during his career and was vice-president of the Players’ Association when the players were locked out by commissioner Gary Bettman in 2004.
After his playing career, he worked for the National Hockey League Players’ Association until 2006 as director of business relations. In short, his involvement with the players was one of his priorities.
Not the type to complain
As a journalist, I worked alongside Vincent Damphousse during the second half of his playing career. He always behaved like a professional and never refused to answer questions from members of the media.
I worked with Vincent Damphousse at RDS and I still meet him today on occasion at the Bell Center and it is always with great class that he discusses with the people around him.
I have never discussed with him the fact that he has not yet been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Members of his entourage have never pointed out to me that he should already be inducted. It’s not part of our conversations. But I’ve been saying it for years: Vincent Damphousse has his place. Now that Jeremy Roenick is going to be one of the immortals of the hockey world, it is high time to pay the same tribute to a player who also, in his own way, left his mark on the NHL.
