Does Jacques Lemaire Belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Jacques Lemaire was one of the most consistent forwards of his era, and a member of the Greatest Team of All Time. He won an incredible eight Stanley Cups.

But he was never one of the best regular season players in the league, at least by offense, and he was only ever the best forward on one of those Cup winners. He has no major awards and never made an end-of-season All Star team.

So, does Jacques Lemaire belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame? Listen here:

Jacques Lemaire’s Career:

• NHL: 1967-79; 12 seasons, all quality
• Totals:
  • 366G (18th All Time at his retirement),
  • 469A (21st All Time at his retirement) for
  • 835P (21st All Time at his retirement),
  • +344 (8th All Time at his retirement) in
  • 853 Games;
  • 86.6 PS;
  • At his retirement, Lemaire was 24th All Time in Offensive Point Shares;
  • Among forwards, Lemaire was 21st All Time in Defensive Point Shares at his retirement;
• Per Game: At his retirement, Lemaire was
  • 22nd Time in APG
  • 18th All Time in PPG
• Era: Of the 15 skaters to play in at least 820 games (10 modern seasons) between 1967 and 1979, Lemaire is
  • 4th in Goals
  • 2nd in GPG (behind by .22)
  • 4th in Assists
  • 4th in APG
  • 4th in Points
  • 4th in PPG
  • 1st in Plus/Minus
  • 3rd in Offensive Point Shares
  • 5th in Defensive Point Shares (2nd Forward)
  • 3rd in Point Shares
  • 8th in Games
• 82-gave average: 35G, 45A for 80P, +33
• 3-year peak (1972-75): 80-game average of 39G, 52A for 91P, +32
• No possession stats
• Playoffs:
  • Totals:
    • 61G (6th All Time at his retirement),
    • 78A (5th All Time at his retirement) for
    • 139P (4th All Time at his retirement),
    • +54 (10th All Time, 4th at his retirement) in
    • 145 Games (9th All Time at his retirement)
  • Per Game: At his retirement, Lemaire was
    • 17th All Time in playoff GPG
    • 22nd All Time in playoff APG
    • 13th All Time in playoff PPG
  • Era: Of the 38 skaters to play in at least 82 playoff games between and 1967 and 1979 Lemaire is
    • 1st in playoff Goals
    • 4th in playoff GPG
    • 1st in playoff Assists
    • 10th in playoff APG
    • 1st in playoff Points (by 16)
    • 6th in playoff PPG
    • 3rd in playoff Plus/Minus
    • 1st in playoff Games
• Adjusted for Era:
  • Hockey-Reference:
    • 337G
    • 439A
    • 776G
    • Adjusted 82-game average: 32G, 42A for 75P (-5P per 82 games)
    • Per Game: Lemaire doesn’t qualify
  • VsX:
    • 374G,
    • 537A
    • 808P
    • Per Game: Lemaire doesn’t qualify
• Never traded.

Jacques Lemaire’s Accomplishments:

• Top Player:
  • Top 10 Player (by PS) once (‘73)
  • Top 5 Offensive Player (by OPS) once (‘73)
  • Top 10 Offensive Player twice (‘78)
• Goals:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Goals once
  • GPG leader-boards:
    • Top 10 in GPG twice
  • Single-season totals:
    • 40 goals once
    • 35 goals three times
    • 30 goals six times (1 of only 17 players ever at his retirement)
    • 25 goals nine times (1 of only 14 players ever at his retirement)
    • 20 goals twelve times (every season he was in the league, 1 of only 15 players ever at his retirement)
• Assists:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 10 in Assists once
  • APG leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in APG once
  • Single-season totals:
    • 50 assists three times (1 of only 22 players ever at his retirement)
• Points:
  • Leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in Points twice
    • Top 10 three times
  • PPG leader-boards:
    • Top 5 in PPG once
    • Top 10 three times
  • Single-season totals:
    • 90 points three times (1 of only 13 players ever at his retirement)
    • 80 points four times (1 of only 19 players ever at his retirement)
    • 70 points five times (1 of only 23 players ever at his retirement)
    • 60 points eight times (1 of only 18 players ever at his retirement)
    • 50 points eleven times (1 of only 16 players ever at his retirement)
• Plus/Minus:
  • Top 5 in Plus/Minus once
  • Top 10 three times
• VsX Peak:
  • Best 7 Seasons:
    • Goals: 154th All Time
    • Assists: 148th All Time
    • Points: 120th All Time
  • Best 10 Seasons:
    • Goals: 122nd All Time
    • Assists: 139th All Time
    • Points: 110th All Time

Jacques Lemaire’s Great Teams:

• NHL:
  • Best Forward? (led playoffs in goals and co-led in points) on one Champion (‘79 Canadiens)
  • Top 3 Forward (by points) on four Champions (‘68, ‘73, ‘77, ‘78 Canadiens) and one Final Four (‘75 Canadiens)
  • Top 6 Forward (by points) on three Champions (‘69, ‘71, ‘76 Canadiens)