The former player turned executive has been one of the more influential figures in hockey, both on and off the ice, for over three decades
By Jason Fink | June 17, 2026
1,184 career points. Two Selke Trophies as the league’s best defensive player. One Stanley Cup championship as a player and another as a head coach. With a resume like this, you would think it would grant one entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame, but for Rod Brind’Amour, he is on the outside looking in, while others deserving of the honor with lesser resumes have been enshrined before him.
The St. Louis Blues drafted Brind’Amour out of Michigan State as a 17-year-old ninth overall in the 1988 NHL Draft. That draft was loaded with players who would later go into the Hall, such as Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Teemu Selanne, Mark Recchi, Rob Blake, and Alexander Mogilny. All of them won Cups or an award, except for Roenick.
Roenick was an offensive stalwart of some very good Chicago Blackhawks teams in the 1990s. A then 22-year-old Roenick led the 1991-’92 Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final, where they were swept by Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins in four games. Except for a 3-1 win in Game 2, all of the games were decided by one goal. Unfortunately, that would be Roenick’s last trip to the final.
Meanwhile, Brind’Amour went to two Stanley Cup Finals as a player, one with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1997, as the Detroit Red Wings swept the Flyers in four games. He won his first Cup in 2006 as he captained the Carolina Hurricanes to their first championship in team history, as they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. As head coach, Brind’Amour has led the Hurricanes to four Eastern Conference Finals and one Stanley Cup championship, which the Hurricanes took this past Sunday in six games over the Vegas Golden Knights.
When you compare the statistics of Roenick and Brind’Amour, there isn’t much separating them in terms of overall numbers. Based on the data from sports-reference.com, there is no reason why Brind’Amour shouldn’t be in the Hall already.
Brind’Amour- Games Played- 1,484 Goals- 452 Assists- 732 Points- 1,184 Championships- 2 (one as a player and one as a head coach) Awards-2 (Selke Trophy winner in 2005-’06 and 2006-’07)
Roenick- Games Played- 1,363 Goals- 513 Assists- 703 Points- 1,216 Championships- 0 Awards- 0
This is not taking anything away from Roenick whatsoever, but the powers that be that make the decisions as to who goes into the Hockey Hall of Fame are dropping the ball on this big time. Brind’Amour wasn’t the flashiest player on the ice, but he was consistently good throughout his career, and it has carried over into his head coaching profession. He helped elevate the Flyers and Hurricanes into Cup contenders after playing on some mediocre teams for both organizations. He has proven himself and then some. At this point, he fills all the boxes as far as championships and personal hardware are concerned.
It’s time to get Rod Brind’Amour recognized for the accomplishments he achieved on and off the ice. If he isn’t in the next round of inductees, then Toronto has a very flawed voting system. It’s time to enshrine Rod Brind’Amour into the next class of Hockey Hall of Famers.
