Gonchar is 19th in career points among defensemen, with 811 in 1,301 NHL games. Everyone who is Hall of Fame-eligible ahead of him — save for Gary Suter — is in the Hall. That includes Nicklas Lidstrom, with whom Gonchar has the misfortune of sharing an era.
The Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer — considered one of the best defensemen in hockey history — is the only blueliner who amassed more goals (236) and points (985) than Gonchar (220 goals, 811 points) from 1994-95 to 2014-15, which was the span of the Russian defenseman’s career. He did some real offensive damage during the dead puck era.
Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy seven times. Gonchar finished in the top five for the award four times, which is more than Hall of Famer Zubov, for comparison’s sake. Gonchar won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. He won Olympic silver in Nagano, bronze in Salt Lake City and world championship silver in 2010.