Does Bernie Federko belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Bernie Federko has extremely impressive assist and point totals and rate stats; he remains in the Top 15 in APG all time and Top 20 in PPG.

But he’s a controversial inducted – some see him just as a “compiler” or a “good stats bad team” guy. And it’s safe to say that, had he been born 20 years earlier or 20 years later, he wouldn’t have the numbers he does.

So does Bernie Federko belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Listen to us discuss his case here:

Class of 2002: Rod Langway, Bernie Federko, Clark Gillies

Bernie Federko’s Career:

  • NHL: 1976-90; 14 seasons, 13 quality
  • Totals:
    • 369G
    • 761A (13th All Time at his retirement) for
    • 1130P (16th All Time at his retirement),
    • -131 in
    • 1000 Games;
    • 79.8 PS
  • Per Game: Federko is
    • 12th All Time in APG
    • 18th All Time in PPG
  • Draft: Drafted 7th overall in 1976, Federko is
    • 1st in Goals
    • 1st in Assists
    • 1st in Points
    • 3rd last in Plus/Minus
    • 4th in Point Shares
    • 2nd in Games
  • Era: Of the 12 players to play in 902 games (11 current seasons) between 1976 and 1990, Federko is
    • 4th in Goals and GPG
    • 2nd in Assists and APG
    • 3rd in Points and PPG
    • 2nd last in Plus/Minus
    • 3rd in Offensive Point Shares
    • Last in Defensive Point Shares
    • 6th in Point Shares
  • 82-game average: 30G, 49A for 93P, -11
  • 3-year peak (1983-86): 80-game average of 37G, 71A for 106P, 0 [Corresponds to his only double-digit plus season of his career, funnily enough)
  • No possession stats
  • Playoffs: 
    • 35G
    • 66A for
    • 101P,
    • -21 in
    • 91 Games
    • Era: Of the 77 players to play in at least 82 playoff games between 1976 and 1990, Federko is
      • 20th in Goals
      • 13th in GPG
      • 16th in Assists
      • 5th in APG
      • 15th in Points
      • 8th in PPG
      • 4th last in Plus/Minus
  • Adjusted: 
    • Hockey-Reference:
      • 298G
      • 619A for
      • 917P
      • 82-game average: 24G, 51 for 75P (-18P per 82 games)
      • Per Game: Not in the Top 25
    • VsX: 
      • 319G
      • 716A
      • 892P
      • Per Game: Not in the Top 25
  • Trades:
    • Traded at 33 with Tony McKegney (31) for Adam Oates (26) and Paul MacLean (31)

Bernie Federko’s Accomplishments:

  • Never a top player by Point Shares
    • Goals:
    • 40 goals once
    • 35 goals twice
    • 30 goals seven times
    • 20 goals eleven times
  • Assists:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 5 twice
      • Top 10 seven times
    • APG leader-boards:
      • Top 5 in APG once
      • Top 10 in APG eight times
    • Single-season totals:
      • 70 assists twice
      • 60 assists eight times (1 of only 10 players ever)
      • 50 assists ten times (1 of only 16 players ever, first player to do it in consecutive seasons)
      • 40 assists twelves times
  • Points:
    • Leader-boards:
      • Top 10 five times
    • PPG leader-boards:
      • Top 10 in PPG twice
    • Single-season totals:
      • 100 points four times (1 of only 25 players ever)
      • 90 points seven times (1 of only 17 players ever)
      • 80 points nine times (1 of only 25 players ever)
      • 70 points ten times
      • 60 points eleven times
      • 50 points twelve times
  • All Star:
    • 2 All Star Game appearances
  • VsX Peak:
    • Best 7 Seasons:
      • Goals: doesn’t qualify
      • Assists: 51st All Time
      • Points: 122nd All Time
    • Best 10 Seasons:
      • Goals: doesn’t qualify
      • Assists: 39th All Time
      • Points: 96th All Time
  • Non-NHL:
    • WCHL (i.e. WHL) MVP (‘76)

Bernie Federko’s Great Teams:

  • NHL:
    • Top 3 Forward (co-led playoffs in points with a teammate who scored more goals and had a higher +/-) on one Final Four ’86 Blues)

2 thoughts on “Does Bernie Federko belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?”

  1. To say he is in the top 15 in APG and top 20 in PPG is very misleading. He never finished higher than 4th in assists or 8th in scoring in any given year. Also, his teams were bad and he played in two all star games. That has to place him among the worst Hall of Famers in any major sport…

    1. I mean, it’s a fact, it’s hardly “misleading.” Also, we have a summary of his finishes (though not as granular as yours) so it’s not like the information isn’t there for people to make decisions about his career.

      Duff, Anderson, Gillies and Lowe are all worse than Federko, in my mind. And that’s just in the NHL and off the top of my head.

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