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.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.
The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.
Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.
Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.
Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.
It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.
Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.
Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.
It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.
Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.
With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.
The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.
An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”
Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.
There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.
Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.
“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”
Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.
“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”
The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).
The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.
Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).
The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.
To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.
“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”
A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.
The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.
“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)
Wednesday, Providence Park
HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.
ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.
POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.
Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.
The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.
It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.
“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.
Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.
More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.
