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.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.
Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.
However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PARIS (AP) — French judicial authorities are investigating the disappearance of two Paralympic athletes from Congo who recently competed in the Paris Games, the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny confirmed on Thursday.
Prosecutors opened the investigation on Sept. 7, after members of the athletes’ delegation warned authorities of their disappearance two days before.
Le Parisien newspaper reported that shot putter Mireille Nganga and Emmanuel Grace Mouambako, a visually impaired sprinter who was accompanied by a guide, went missing on Sept. 5, along with a third person.
The athletes’ suitcases were also gone but their passports remained with the Congolese delegation, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the case.
The Paralympic Committee of the Democratic Republic of Congo did not respond to requests for information from The Associated Press.
Nganga — who recorded no mark in the seated javelin and shot put competitions — and Mouambako were Congo’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, organizers said.
