It is yet to be determined whether the Facebook group will have any effect on the Hall’s selection committee.

The fact that both TSN and CBC have reported on this in the last few days might suggest otherwise.

Oh, and it’s up to almost 18,000 members as of this writing.

Update (10:16 AM, 4/1): No April Fool’s joke (Stillnoname.com is a bullshit-free zone on Liar’s Day), now NHL.com‘s reporting on it. I have to admit, I’m surprised at how quickly this thing’s gained traction: membership has doubled since the TSN story went up yesterday. I understand Gerard’s concern in the comments about the optics of public pressure, but I’m not sure how this is necessarily different than any other letter-writing campaign or petition: public support for an idea is nice, but the HHoF committee’s still gotta vote him in, and while they’re obviously aware of the public pressure, I think if he gets in now, he was getting in regardless. Like with Roger Neilson in 2002, it’s simply a matter of doing it while it still matters to the man himself.