The Case for Tim Kerr

by Bob Herpen
The Phanatic Magazine

One thing has really bothered me over the last couple years with regard to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the electoral process and the politics behind it.

Cam Neely has been enshrined while Tim Kerr pretty much continues to languish in obscurity.


The power forward position is one which grew out of the rapid development of the game in the 1980s which demanded certain players take on multiple roles.

Neely's induction back in 2005 didn't legitimize the position, but it did finally cast a spotlight on a small niche of skaters which were prevalent roughly from the WHA folding in 1979 through the massive drop in goals in the late 1990s.


It also cast a spotlight on a clear injustice, whether you support the Flyers or are a hockey fan in general.

Looking back two-plus decades, Kerr and former Winnipeg Jet Paul MacLean were setting the standard for the power forward position just about the time Neely's career was warming up.



Neely, Gerard Gallant, Brendan Shanahan, Wendel Clark, Eric Lindros and others who continued the tradition owe a debt to both men.


Each man had primes of roughly seven years, Kerr from 1983-90 and Neely from 1987-94, so it's fair to examine each in that time frame.


After a broken leg sidelined him for most of 1982-83, Kerr recorded four consecutive 50-goal seasons from 1983-87. He led Philadelphia in scoring four times (1983-85, 1986-87, 1988-89), while placing second in the NHL to Wayne Gretzky (62) in total goals in 1986-87.

In addition, he took a tremendous beating over the years basically parking himself from the edge of the crease to about 20 feet. It's no wonder his knee and shoulder went under the knife so many times. Each time, though, hereturned to play until his effectiveness was so limited that he retired at age 33.

Although the Flyers built themselves a club without a clear star in the period they contended with the Edmonton Oilers, Kerr was clearly the focal point for the opposition. Who knows how far
the club may have gotten without him?


We know the impact of his loss in two Stanley Cup Finals had a clearly negative effect, and in the seven-game 1987 defeat, his absence was one of thedeciding factors in Edmonton's victory.

Add to that a 48-goal campaign following major shoulder and knee surgeries, and the fact that his prolonged absences in 1987-88 and 1989-90 had adverse consequences for each team. In addition, Kerr took home the Masterton Trophy in 1989 for his perseverance and determination.

After 36 and 42 goals in his first two Bruins years, Neely hit 50 goals only twice in a row (1989-91) and again in that memorable run during the 1993-94 season when he became a folk hero in Boston for doing it on one good leg. Neely won the Masterton at the end of that year.

If it were not for he and Ray Bourque, the Bruins would not have reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1988 and 1990; unfortunately Boston was nothing more than cannon fodder for Oilers clubs with twice the talent. Having him on the roster at full strength clearly wasn't as much of a difference maker Kerr's absence was for Philadelphia.

Plus, during the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons when Neely was limited to 22 games, the Bruins finished second and first respectively and the club's overall goal production was not hampered.

Kerr holds a Flyers franchise record for 50-goal seasons; an NHL record for most power play goals in one season (34 in 1985-86) and a playoff record for most and fastest goals in one period (four in an 8:16 in the second period of a 6-5 Patrick Division Semifinal win over the Rangers, 4/13/85).

Neely has no bona fide mark in the record books, save for being one of a handful of players to score 50 in less than 50 games. Even that record has an asterisk beside it, as he did not set the mark prior to Boston's 50th game that season per league mandate.


Also, at best, you can say it's a wash for both men in terms of what they would have done if they'd been goal-scoring machines over a longer, healthier period.

Neely ended with 395 goals in 726 games while Kerr netted 370 in 655. With three more quality seasons, each were a lock for 500 but Kerr still holds the higher goal-per-game percentage.


What Neely also had going for him, which Kerr does not, is a high profile beyond his playing days.


I'm not saying that Neely has openly courted that support for his own ego or to advance his case for the Hall. However, his work with his foundation, operating the Neely House and his friendship with those in the entertainment industry, particularly Denis Leary, definitely boosted his image for the better.


Meanwhile, a bit closer to the hockey ethos, Kerr has chosen to raise his kids near Avalon, New Jersey while owning his successful realty company and operating his own charity. He's mostly been out of the spotlight with Flyers and Flyers' Alumni events save for his induction into the team's Hall of Fame in March, 1994.


As often happens with an era where there is a saturation of great players, there isn't enough room to nominate or elect all of them in due time.

Still, I've barely heard mention of Kerr's name as the years pass. There's something curious about it, Flyers bias or not.

He's also not the first former Flyer with star pedigree from beyond the Bullies Era you can say that about, but he's the most glaring omission from the ledger, especially if someone who created his reputation afterward is already among the immortals.

If voters in this area can be so clever as to write-in the Philadelphia Phillies for president, why not turn that into a positive by writing the Flyers organization or the Hall of Fame itself on Kerr's behalf?