As it stands there are 294 players, 113 builders, and 16 officials in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and that group stands to grow on Wednesday.
Each of the last four Hall of Fame classes have included exactly six members, so it’s fair to expect something similar for the 2023 group. The rules stipulate there can be as many as four male players, two female players, two builders (or one builder and one official) in a given year, so eight inductees is the ceiling.
Whatever the exact number ends up being, the 18-member selection committee has some excellent options to choose from. They will announce their choices on Wednesday, and below you’ll find a rundown of their top options.
Lundqvist held down the New York Rangers crease between 2005-06 and 2019-20 — and he finds himself high on a number of all-time leaderboards for goaltenders. Only five goalies accumulated more wins than him (473) and he finished top-five in Vezina Trophy voting seven times, winning it in 2011-12.
Henrik Lundqvist is likely to take his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame this season. (Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
Why he might get in: The Swedish netminder is a pretty sure bet to earn his place in the Hall of Fame. He’s got longevity on his side as well as a consistently high quality of play. His GSAA ranks 15th all-time, and his playoff save percentage (.921) was superior to his regular-season work (.918)
Why he might not: If you’re looking to nitpick you can point out Lundqvist’s lack of Stanley Cup rings, but he did his part to drive a few deep Rangers runs. New York’s failure to win a Cup in the Lundqvist era was not a failure on his part.
Crawford helped deliver two Stanley Cup championships to the Chicago Blackhawks, and produced a career save percentage (.918) that matches Lundqvist’s. He led the NHL in shutouts in 2015-16, and spearheaded two William M. Jennings Trophy wins for his squad.
Why he might get in: Crawford’s playoff work was excellent, and his 2012-13 run (.932 SV%) was special. Between 2010-11 and 2016-17 he was one of the NHL’s top goalies, ranking fourth in wins (180).
Why he might not: Without his Stanley Cups Crawford wouldn’t really warrant a discussion. He didn’t break through as a starter until he was 26 and he was done at 35. Even during his prime he was rarely thought of as one of the NHL’s top goalies, earning just one top-five Vezina finish in his career.
F Justin Williams
Williams had a long, productive, career that was highlighted by three Stanley Cup wins. He played for 19 seasons, with 797 points to show for his efforts. His teams were famously 8-1 in Game 7s he played in, and he produced eight game-winning goals in the postseason.
Why he might get in: Being known as “Mr. Game 7” is a pretty strong indicator that you played a significant role in hockey history, and having a Conn Smythe Trophy on your shelf also helps.
Why he might not: For most of his career Williams was more of a consistent second-line producer than a star. He deserves credit for his clutch performances, but he simply didn’t put together a Hall of Fame resume.
Other notable candidates
G Curtis Joseph
Joseph ranks seventh all-time in both games played (943) and wins (453) among goaltenders. He never won a Stanley Cup but his save percentage was significantly better in the playoffs (.917) than the regular season (.906) — and he produced plenty of notable postseason performances.
Why he might get in: Joseph’s case is based off longevity and consistency, but he also had a noteworthy peak. He finished in the top-five in Vezina Trophy voting five times in an eight-season span between 1992-93 and 1999-00. He also ranks 22nd all-time in GSAA, and that number would be much higher if he didn’t have a brutal three-year stretch to end his career (-37.1 GSAA).
Why he might not: The fact of the matter is Joseph never led his team to a Stanley Cup victory or won a Vezina. More often than not he was one of the best goaltenders in the league, but he was seldom in the top two or three.
F Meghan Duggan
Duggan’s resume includes a remarkable amount of team success as she captained a USA squad which won an Olympic gold in 2018 and two silvers in 2010 and 2014. She also won seven IIHF Women’s World Championships, including three as captain. She played on multiple Clarkson Cup winning clubs in her pro career, and earned three Division 1 NCAA championships.
Why she might get in: The Hall of Fame likes to reward winners and there’s absolutely no doubt that Duggan is not only a winner, but a leader as well. Everywhere she’s gone, Duggan has participated in and driven success at a high level.
Why she might not: Because there’s a limit of two female players inducted per year, and the Hall of Fame hasn’t inducted more than one in a class since 2010. You could nitpick Duggan’s individual Olympic record (8 points in 15 games) and some other candidates have a beefier pro resume, but the induction limits are the biggest obstacle here.
F Alexander Mogilny
Mogilny played just 990 regular-season NHL games, but he made an impact with 1032 points. He also won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000-01, and authored one of the most remarkable scoring seasons in NHL history with 76 goals in 1992-93.
Why he might get in: There are players with higher point totals on the outside looking in, but Mogilny’s peak was remarkable and his game was adaptable. After starting his career as a scorer he became a prolific playmaker — and even earned down-ballot Selke Trophy votes in 2000-01. If you saw Mogilny play, there’s a good chance you want to see the ingenious winger in the Hall.
Why he might not: By raw offensive production alone, there are better cases for guys like Pierre Turgeon or Bernie Nicholls, and despite winning a Cup, Mogilny’s playoff stats (0.69 points/game) don’t jump off the page.
F Jennifer Botterill
Botterill was a fixture on the Canadian National Women’s Team for 14 years and won three Olympic gold medals and a silver plus five IIHF Women’s World Championships. She was the MVP of two of those world championships and her collegiate career at Harvard (340 points in 113 games) was unbelievable.
Why she might get in: Botterill has a compelling combination of team success, individual awards, and statistical achievements. It would be hard to ask for much more in a Hall of Fame candidate.
Why she might not: Like Duggan, Botterill deals with the same induction limits but there are very few holes on her resume. For the Canadian, getting the call is probably a matter of time.
Zetterberg was a key player on some incredible Detroit Red Wings squads and won two Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy with the team. He also won Olympic gold and an IIHF World Championship with Sweden in 2006. He racked up 960 points in his NHL career and had a stellar defensive reputation, earning Selke Trophy votes in 10 different seasons.
Henrik Zetterberg was a two-way force during his career. (Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Why he might get in: Zetterberg contributed to winning in the NHL and on the international stage, playing a complete game that could not be adequately valued by his point totals alone.
Why he might not: Having less than 1,000 NHL points hurts the Swede a little bit, as does the fact he topped 20 goals just seven times in his career — and couldn’t eclipse that mark once in his final six years. If voters fixate on the offensive numbers, there are better candidates.
Gonchar was one of the best offensive defenseman of his generation, producing 811 points in his 20-year career. He won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008-09 and finished top-10 in Norris Trophy voting seven times.
Why he might get in: Between Gonchar’s first full year in the NHL (1995-96) and his age-35 season (2009-10) only Nicklas Lidstrom produced more points from the blueline than the Russian (677). During that time, he ranked seventh among all players in power-play points (363) and helped quarterback elite PP units wherever he went.
Why he might not: Gonchar never had an elite defensive reputation, and although he was a stellar point producer, he ranks 17th all-time in points among blueliners. That’s certainly strong, but not enough to guarantee a Hall of Fame induction if it’s his primary selling point.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
