Why Isn’t Rogie Vachon in the Hall of Fame?

18 Aug, 2009 | by Keith

Rogie VachonSitting on the couch this Saturday in full hangover mode, I pulled out the laptop and started Googling former Los Angeles Kings greats (yeah, I know). When I hit the name of Rogie Vachon and took a refresher look at his stats, it struck me that these are no mortal, run-of-the-mill goaltender stats (again, thank you Captain Obvious). My question is: why the hell isn’t Rogie Vachon in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Let’s take just a cursory glance at Rogie’s NHL stats. In 795 career games played, Vachon was 355-291-127 with a 2.99 Goals Against Average. He won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens. He was a four-time NHL All-Star. He shared the Vezina Trophy with Gump Worsley in 1967-68. He was the runner-up for the Hart Trophy in 1974-75. He was the Kings’ MVP five times. His number was retired by the LA Kings in 1985 (making his jersey the first to be retired by Los Angeles). He never allowed a penalty shot in his entire career. His international play was also stellar. As a member of Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup, Vachon posted a 6-1 record (two of those games were shutouts) with a 1.39 Goals Against Average. He was also named MVP of Team Canada as well as goaltender of competition.

Rogie VachonWith so much success with the beloved Montreal Canadiens organization, how did Vachon become a member of the Los Angeles Kings? After a stellar 1970-71 season with Montreal, Vachon was relieved of starting his starting duties when Ken Dryden was called up to give Vachon a break. Dryden had an excellent showing and was given the start in the playoffs.

Vachon, still a great starting goaltender, asked for a trade and was moved south to join the LA Kings on November 4th, 1971 for Dale Hoganson, Doug Robinson, Denis DeJordy and Noel Price. In the 1972-73 season, Rogie helped improve the Kings by 24 points. Los Angeles won games because Rogie would stand on his head to win them (when is the last time the Los Angeles Kings could say that). The offense around him, unfortunately, was virtually non-existent. Los Angeles would make regular appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs during Vachon’s tenure but only made it past the first round once (1975-76).

I argue that Rogie Vachon is not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame because he was a member of the Los Angeles Kings. He played with the team when they were at the pique of obscurity. If you think the LA Kings are bottom-feeders now, you should have seen them in the 1970′s. No one knew who they were.

Rogie VachonIf you compare Rogie Vachon to some of his contemporaries, his stats are not off by a long-shot. Lifetime, Rogie was GP 795, W 355, L 291, T 127, GAA 2.99. Gerry Cheevers, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame had impressive stats at GP 609, W 289, L 209, T 96, GAA 2.87. So did Ken Dryden at GP 397, W 258, L 57, T 74, GAA 2.24. Eddie Giacomin, also inducted, had GP 609, W 289, L 209, T 96, GAA 2.87. Now I certainly would not take away anything from the aforementioned goalie greats but Rogie’s right up there with them…right?

Off the ice, Vachon has been an ambassador to the Los Angeles Kings and still makes regular appearances with the team. He served as the Kings general manager from 1984 through 1992. He has also served as the head coach. Who can forget the Stogie with Rogie event a few years ago? The point is, Rogie Vachon was not only a great player, but also went on to a successful career off the ice in the National Hockey League.

Call me a jaded Los Angeles Kings fan but I just don’t understand why he hasn’t gone into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Rogie Vachon retired at the end of the 1982 season with the Boston Bruins. Where there really no spots for him in 17 years?

If Rogie Vachon stayed with the Montreal Canadiens, or was traded to a traditional hockey market, would he already be in the Hockey Hall of Fame? I think so but, hey, maybe it’s just me.

Tell you what, the Hockey Hall of Fame accepts letters from anyone and everyone with suggestions on who should go into the hall. If one person on the committee agrees, it becomes up for discussion. I promise to send this with your comments. Let’s hear your thoughts and get Rogie Vachon where he should be…in the Hall of Fame.

Keith Korneluk is a co-host for the KingsCast Hockey Podcast. Follow him on Twitter.

Bookmark and Share

Related Posts

  • jfkehoe
    Have been a habs fan all my life and a big Rogie fan. Clearly remember the '76 Canada Cup and his great goaltending and yes he ought to be in the HHF
  • Jaynee Harpe-Amos
    I agree totally that Rogie should be in the Hall of Fame! As a season seat holder of the Kings when the team consisted of Rogie, Butch Goring, Don Kozak, Neil Komadoski, Gene Carr, Vic Venasky, Juha "Whitey" Widing, et al, they weren't the best-known team in the NHL, nor the team with the most wins, but they were fun and exciting to watch. Rogie was a fantastic goalie, as his stats show. Just because he was on a West Coast
    "Hollywood" team, he should not be overlooked! I remember how "second-class" the Kings were treated compared to the Lakers. One example, on Fan Appreciation Nights, the Lakers would give away fantastic trips as a grand prize while the Kings were only able to give away cartons of Mountain Dew! The Kings were a fun team and very, very underappreciated. except by the real, hard-core hockey fans of L.A. There was definite prejudice against the West Coast at that time. However, keep up the fight until they indict him in the Hall of Fame.Thank you Rogie and Gang for all the wonderful memories
    and good times.
  • peterduggan
    I agree totally. I grew up watching Vachon and the one thing that differentiated him from his counterparts was his quick reflexes. He was the "fastest glove in the west" when he played for LA. In the mid 1970's when he played for the Canada Cup, he was arguably the best goalie in the world. The reason he is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, may very well be that he played on the west coast and not the eastern time zone. That being said, is there "politics" involved on the section committee?

    100% - Rogie needs to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, if not as a player, then in the General Manager catagory - remember - it was he who brought Wayne Gretzky to LA.
  • Peter, spot on as we have yet to have someone come in and disagree. I'll bring this up next time I see one of the Kings management.

    But it was McNall that brought the Great One to LA. It was all him.
  • Dave Hollingsworth
    First, I believe Rogie's on-ice career is worthy of acceptance in the HHOF. Second, I think an argument could be made for Rogie's inclusion in the HHOF as a builder, based on his stint as the King's GM.

    Rogie is not in the HHOF because...,
    1. He spent his prime playing years in hockey's "frontier".
    2. The HHOF committee in the mid-80's remained East Coast-centric.
    3. Rogie rarely led the league in the primary goaltending categories.
    4. The Kings travel schedule made it difficult for Kings coaches to regularly start Rogie in 70 games (even if he was ready to start).
    5. While Rogie's name is on three Stanley Cups, Rogie was only the playoff starter for one of those seasons.
    6. In face to face meetings with the great goaltenders/teams, the Kings lack of scoring usually resulted in ties or 1-goal losses.

    I think the only hope Rogie has is if an organized group, including former players from his era, make the case
  • Dave, awesome stuff there! Part of me believes we need to take this to a fan level and bring it to the organization. It is literally a crime that Rogie's not in!
  • robertlefebvre
    Rogie, on an inferior team, has superior stats to both Giacomin and Cheevers. Has his name on three Stanley Cups. Were it not for him, there would simply have been no team for Gretzky to popularize come 1988.
  • I grew up watching Rogie and his acrobatic saves. We had seats two rows behind the glass (Rogie's net) for (all but three) years at the Forum. I still have Polaroids of Rogie! The guy deserves recognition - he deserves to grace the walls of the Hockey Mecca. He deserves to be honored by all future generations of hockey fans.
  • Just for a second, stop and think about something. Lets pretende there was a goaltender, who played the majority of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and had similiar stats over almost 800 games. Not only would he be in the Hall of Fame, he'd be idolized, he could run for Parliment and he'd be on the back of the $5 dollar bill...

    That pretty much sums up my feelings on the subject :-)
  • Absolutely! If he was a Leaf, Bruin, Red Wing or Ranger in his prime, he would have been enshrined years ago.
  • *sigh* resorting to theft of my story ideas...sheesh! :-)

    Seriously, I'm planning on sitting down with Vachon during HockeyFest, if possible, for a one-on-one interview, and I'm definitely going to talk to him, and others about him not being in the HHOF.
  • You should try writing your ideas :-)

    I'm interested to see what Rogie has to say on this. No doubt he has the credentials to be in the HHOF (more so than, say, Jeremy Roenick). I remember Phil Esposito on XM Radio talking about the fact that it's a travesty that Vachon wasn't in the Hall. This was a year ago. I'm just curious why the hockey community doesn't take this issue up and run with it.
  • With 355 wins and a lifetime .299 GAA, he deserves it. He's 16th in all time wins, in the history of the league! (how many goalies total have played in the history of this league?) I asked him a few years ago at a Kings event if he would come out of retirement and replace Dan Cloutier, and he responded that he could except his eyesight was a little poor. :) It's a shame nontheless he's not in...
blog comments powered by Disqus
IceJerseys.com
Not the Season Finale...Yet Subscribe via iTunes View All

Bad Behavior has blocked 23533 access attempts in the last 7 days.