First of all, there HAVE been two games headlining Zelda herself. They were on the Philips CD-i and Nintendo's only contributions were the names and basic designs of the characters and are as downright abhorrent as that pedigree suggests.

Second, there WAS another Zelda game on the SNES/Super famicom, the Satellaview's "BS Legend of Zelda". It was Japan only, it was released in episodes, was built on Link to the Past's code, and used actual voiced dialogue and orchestral music streamed live over the Satellaview. The only way to play this now is emulated, and you can't get the audio the same way, but it WAS recorded and archived by players. In it, you don't play as Link, but as, ostensibly, yourself, transported to Hyrule some time after the events of Link to The Past.

Thirdly, there are many games not mentioned in the above lists, including Minish Cap, Four Swords Adventures, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and.....Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland.

The less said about that game, the better, perhaps.

Ad for the timeline, the timeline knot in question that occurs in Ocarina of Time is thus;

1: Link (The Hero of Time) defeats Ganondorf.
2: Link fails, Ganondorf takes over the world
3: Link fails to appear at all.

Case 1 is pretty self explanatory. That's the Good Ending, the one you actually see when you play the game.
Case 2 is unseen, since you're taken to a simple game over screen when you die, but ostensibly, it later takes an army to defeat Ganondorf, and the world is damaged greatly by the long, destructive conflict.
Case 3 brings us to the Wind Waker timeline, where since The Hero Of Time never appeared at all, the Goddesses stepped in personally and flooded the world, sealing the Triforce and Ganon away forever (except not, because then there wouldn't be a game)

Besides that, The Legend of Zelda is, to apparently borrow a phrase from Hideki Anno, a story that repeats. In Skyward Sword, which is the earliest canonical game so far, it's revealed that the three - Link, Zelda, and Ganon, are cursed (By the being that would later become Ganon) to reincarnate and do battle again and again, because he hates Link and Zelda THAT MUCH.

Incidentally, I've long considered the reason Ganon goes after Zelda first to be because SHE is the more dangerous. Link/the Hero of Time/The Wielder of thr Triforce of Courage/Steve may be the one who deals the final blow, but Zelda is the one who can STOP him. She's invariably a wise and just ruler, bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, and often a powerful Mage. She is usually the one who ends up providing Link with the Light Arrows, the only means to properly weaken and defeat Ganon.

Ganon never wants Zelda as a wife, or anything. He doesn't imprison her for kicks, like Bowser. He does so because to leave her roaming free would mean his defeat. He does it because he fears her power.

He isn't remotely afraid of this stupid punk in a green dress, even if he DOES wield one of the only things in the world that can actually kill him. Multiple times in the franchise, he simply *bats you aside* like the insignificant speck you are, yet he is ALWAYS careful to incapacitate Zelda, before he does ANYTHING of real note.

I think it's the Legend of Zelda because SHE is the important one. Link is, ultimately, just the tool that's needed at the time.