Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev

[Advantage 2,818]

I have been feeling pretty idealess for a while when it comes to writing topics and while I had other “series” that I ran in the past (and ultimately dropped) I have wanted to look at the infamous Hall of Very Good talents who were just not quite great enough to be in the VHL HOF, but still found their way on the ballot for a number of years.  This isn’t going to be some major deep dive into their entire career, but rather a simple reflection on their career and perhaps touching on some of the reasons they should and/or shouldn’t be in the HOF.

 

I don’t necessarily think I will discover many talents where we all of a sudden look at them again, and consider putting them back in the HOF, as I do think the BOG does a good job generally with this aspect.  With that being said, I think it’s cool to shine a light on some of the great players that shaped our league, that are perhaps not remembered as well as those who graced the VHL’s version of Cooperstown.  Without further ado, I bring you to our first player…Nikolai Lebedev.

 

Hall of Very Good - Nikolai Lebedev (S25-31) – @probably not noah

 

RS: 504 GP, 318 G, 335 A, 653 P, +280, 771 HIT, 63 GW, 1.30 P/G

PO: 61 GP, 29 G, 32 A, 61 P, +9, 74 HIT, 4 GW, 1.00 P/G

 

Accomplishments

S28 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
S28 Lemieux Trophy (Most Points in VHL)
S28 Joe Malone Memorial Trophy (Most Goals in VHL)
S28 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved Player)
One Continental Cup (S28)
Member of Triple Gold Club

4th All-Time in Seattle Bears Goals

6th All-Time in Seattle Bears Points

 

Season-by-Season Finishes

Goals - 1st, 6th, 9th, 9th
Assists - 6th
Points - 1st, 8th

 

All-Time Rankings

Goals: 65th
Assists: 311th
Points: 122nd
P/G: 94th

 

If we handed out the HOF based on a single season, Nikolai Lebedev would have a pretty strong argument for his tremendous Season 28 campaign.  Heck, it pretty much built his entire resume that earned him a ticket on the ballot from S32 to S35, before he was swiftly removed when the Board of Governors did its rehaul of the ballot.

 

Lebedev was a consistent player who never once had below a point-per-game, which is a pretty impressive feat even in an era where it was easier to have a consistent talent like that.  His rookie season was his worst offensive performance with a still very respectable 74 points in 72 games, to lead all rookies.  While his Season 28 tally was a dominant 128 points, taking the scoring race by 4 points over Hall of Fame pivot, Leeroy Jenkins.  Capping off that impressive year in style, Lebedev would score the GWG in the deciding Game 6, the only one in a tight 1-0 win.

 

Nikolai doesn’t exactly jump off the board when you look at his all-time placements, but a lot of that has to do with his seven season career.  Unlike many of the VHL’s best players, he only played 504 games but was an offensive juggernaut throughout those seasons, finishing top ten in goals four different times.  With that being said, one has to remember that this was only an eight team league at the time, and the top teams typically fielded no more than two lines of players, meaning it was a lot easier to be in the top ten than it is in the present day.  With that being said, Lebedev still has a pretty eye popping 318 goals and 653 points in 504 games, and while there are definitely players that fall closer to the HOF line (Tyson Kohler comes to mind), Lebedev still ranks among non-HOF players as fourteenth all-time in goals.  Add his tremendous hardware and consistent overall play, and Lebedev showcases just how solid he was for his seven year tenure in the Victory Hockey League.

 

Lebedev would play 434 of his regular season games with the Seattle Bears; a team that the user was pretty familiar with over his time in the league with multiple players.  To this day, Lebedev sits 4th all-time for Seattle Bears players in goals, 6th all-time in points and even 2nd in Game-Winning-Goals.  While I do agree with the decision to have not put him in the Hall of Fame, his dedication and consistent strong play (and even playoff heroics) made him someone who deserved to have their number retired by the organization and sadly that seems to have been missed.  While perhaps not the highest profile player in team history, he absolutely was an important one in the contribution to the franchises overall history.

Edited April 3 by Advantage