the 4th star

Seeing how the schedule-challenged morons at TSN delayed my Monday Night Football viewing with a Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony that I thought happened three months ago, I figured it would be a good opportunity to look at the potential Class of 2010. Who’s up for possible entry for the first time. Who’s in, who isn’t. As is the case with all HHOF discussions, please note that as long as Clark Gillies remains a member of the HHOF, anyone who has ever laced up the blades is worthy of inclusion. Including you.

Joe Nieuwendyk
Calder trophy winner. Three-time Stanley Cup winner on three different teams — Calgary, Dallas, and New Jersey. Conn Smythe winner. In his 21 seasons, he only missed the playoffs four times. Over 1,100 points in a career that saw over 1,200 games. Won a gold medal in Salt Lake. Dirty with the stick. A lock to get in. Bet the farm on it.

Eric Lindros
Led the Flyers to one finals appearance. I think he won the Hart trophy in the mid-90s. Only played 700 some odd games. Bit of a head case. Literally, a head case. Eight concussions. Won a gold in Salt Lake and a silver in Albertville. Defined the term ‘douchey.’ Hates Quebec. Dad looks like a dick, too. Lots of headlines, but not enough body of work to warrant a spot. Sorry, Carl.

Theo Fleury
Won a Stanley Cup. Won a gold in Salt Lake. Overcame abuse and addiction issues. A point a game player who played over a thousand games. Over a point a game in the post season, too. Always a sideshow. Played two games for the Calgary Vipers. His bullshit comeback with the Flames this season was just an excuse to get his name back in the press to help sell his book. It would make for some good ink for the league, so he’s probably in the HHOF. Thousands of books will have to be pulled off the shelves to include the honour.

Doug Gilmour
Won a Stanley Cup with Calgary. Over 1,400 points is pretty good. Played for all 30 teams at one point. Extended the career of Bob Cole by 15 years and gave people another reason to loathe Don Cherry. If you believe Maple Leaf fans, he built SkyDome with his bare hands before moving onto the Air Canada Centre. Didn’t win shit with the Leafs, which fit in perfectly with what the team was trying to do. Despite the lack of resume, most certainly in. Last I heard, the HHOF was in Toronto.

Of the remaining players on the first-time considered list — Pierre Turgeon, John LeClair, Pavel Bure, Peter Bondra, Adam Oates, Alex Mogilny, Sergei Makarov, Phil Housley, Mike Richter, Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon — gotta think only Turgeon (over 1,300 points) and the goaltenders (the last three) have any chance to sneak in. All the players were second-tier stars (or stars who didn’t do it long enough) to really be considered.

Again, how hard is it to talk about who should be in the HHOF when Clark Gillies is in there? It’s almost like every discussion needs an asterisk to it. Well, Bure had some impressive seasons, but I don’t think he did enough…but Gillies is in so I guess he gets in, too.

The thing I never understood about bringing in Damon Allen Michael Bishop this year was the accompanying line to his resume.

“With Michael Bishop, you know exactly what you’re going to get.”

Truer words have never been assessed to a player. Bishop is like a shower at the cottage. There are moments when the water is hot, when no one has washed the dishes, allowing the small hot water tank to quietly heat itself up, and in turn, giving you a few minutes of spa relief in less than urban conditions. Those showers are like a breath of fresh air — they rejuvenate and they get you excited about the rest of the day. Hell, they get you excited about the rest of the long weekend. There will probably be another hot shower coming, you think. More often than not, though, the shower is cold. Check that: It starts warm and then quickly turns north, providing an uncomfortable, numbing experience that makes you wish you never jumped in there. But the curtain is drawn and you’re already wet, so you might as well suffer through it. Never again, you tell yourself as you’re freezing on the bathroom mat. I’m not going to buy into this idea that the water will be hot. It never stays that way for long.

“With Michael Bishop, you know exactly what you’re going to get.”

The thing I never understood about bringing Bishop to Winnipeg, and that pre-fab, expectation-controlling excuse that would always be uttered when his name came up, was the lack of questioning towards the move in the first place. Sure, the Bombers needed an arm after ‘Stef’ (LeFors) went down (or was sat down) and the CFL landscape doesn’t exactly provide a bumper crop of quality quarterbacks to choose from. I get that. And I get that Bishop’s skill set is intoxicating to any novice head coach like Mike Kelly. Those big arm, big body types made him drool over his four-receiver sets. But, again, here’s the thing I don’t understand:

“With Michael Bishop, you know exactly what you’re going to get.”

What glowing words for your starting quarterback. Faith that he may not be the most reliable option. So why waste a whole season with this guy at the helm then? Why keep fooling fans, season ticket holders, and people interested in the club in any capacity with this ruse that a proven inconsistent quarterback is going to get the job done at the end of the day? “With Michael Bishop, you know exactly what you’re going to get, though.” That doesn’t really wash when I see Bomber fans standing on the side of the road, waiting for a bus, all looking like their dog had just been run over by that same Great Pumpkin. With Bishop at the controls this season — a campaign of no hope right from the break of training camp, with or without the 33-year-old throwing it into the fifth row — all the football club has done is delay the quarterback re-building program they originally set out to do at the start of this year.

Take away the 60-yarder to Titus Ryan yesterday and Bishop’s numbers were 7-of-25 for 62 yards and two interceptions — both of the Pick-6 variety. Seven first downs in the game. One first down in the second half. Errant balls everywhere, and for the one millionth time in the last 30 years of big home games put forth by Winnipeg professional sports teams, the Bombers didn’t rise to the occasion.

Bringing in Bishop was filling a need. Sticking with Bishop speaks to Kelly’s arrogance, a trait that ultimately led the football club to where they are today at the most important position on the field. Good-bye veteran QB Kevin Glenn, hello Stef — and here are the keys. You don’t have your license yet? No problem, I’ll teach you. The way Kelly stuck with Bishop all year told me that he thought he could coach him into a good, consistent player. Kelly thought he could make Bishop into a good player, that his teaching abilities could somehow be the difference to a player who proved himself a CFL gamble years ago. The best chance for the team to win? What does that say about your club when a 50 percent passer is your best chance to win? It says you’re setting the odds at about 50 percent — give or take a couple picks.

Not only did they not make the post season, an idea that seemed to trump the young QB path when the red ink bled through the balance sheets this year, they also wasted the whole year on an education process. Think Ricky Santos or Casey Bramlet would have benefited from some actual game time? What happens at the Winnipeg pivot position in 2010 is anyone’s guess. Kelly, his never-say-die stubbornness alive and well, told reporters after the Hamilton fishing trip that Bishop would probably be invited to camp. Bomber fans are surely dancing in the streets today.

After all, with Michael Bishop — and Mike Kelly, for that matter — you know exactly what you’re going to get.