Tale of two retirees: One is sure bet for Hall

By Tim Cowlishaw for The Dallas Morning News, July 28, 2000, excerpted

[Webmaster's Note: In fact, the Election Procedures for the Hockey Hall of Fame stipulate that a player "must have concluded his career as an active player for a minimum of three playing seasons." Therefore Guy will be eligible in 2003, not 2005.]

A popular Dallas professional athlete made his retirement official this month, and he's likely headed for the Hall of Fame some five years down the road.

And his name isn't Michael Irvin.

Irvin should make it because he played in Dallas, where his leadership helped bring three championships.

Likewise, Guy Carbonneau should have a 2005 date with the Hall of Fame, in large part because of the leadership he exhibited during five Dallas seasons that brought a Stanley Cup and two Western Conference titles to town.

This really is a tale of two vastly different men, linked primarily by the timing of their retirements and their work ethic. Stories of Irvin staying on the practice field long after rookie receivers had quit for the day are legendary.

And so it is, or at least should be, with the 40-year-old Stars center whose supreme conditioning at the end of his 18-year career allowed him to play the second most minutes among Dallas forwards night after playoff night.

"Dallas gave me a second chance," Carbonneau said from his Montreal summer residence, which could again become permanent. He has been offered a front-office job with the Canadiens.

"Anybody in sports wants to go out on a good note, and winning the Stanley Cup here was awesome. Then going through kind of a tough year but having the success we had in the playoffs to get to the Finals again was a good way to go out."

The only truly appropriate finish for Carbonneau is to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He wasn't a regular at All-Star games because he wasn't a top-line goal scorer, although he finished an 18-year career with 663 points.

But Carbonneau won three Selke trophies as the league's top defensive forward and finished second on two other occasions. He played in five Stanley Cup Finals, winning three. Only Mark Messier can top Carbonneau's 231 playoff games.

Carbonneau's career wasn't so greatly different from Bob Gainey's. Both captained the Canadiens to Stanley Cups. Gainey, the Stars' general manager, played on the wing and was a superior skater, but both practiced what most athletes only give lip service to – they placed their team ahead of individual interests.

Although most NHL fans will remember the French-Canadian-born center wearing the Montreal sweater, Carbonneau's years in Dallas should put him over the top in Hall of Fame consideration. Montreal determined Carbonneau was finished at 34 and dealt him to St. Louis.

The Blues' Mike Keenan gave up on him a year later and happily sent him to Dallas for Paul Broten.

Five years later, Carbonneau was one of the most significant players in the Stars' lineup.

"I didn't want to go out as a guy playing five minutes a night," Carbonneau said.

"I know I could come back and play another year and maybe things would go just as well as they did this year. But this was a good time to go."

Carbonneau's honors and championships speak louder than his other numbers.