It’s that time of year again, when we look at the best in the game and decide who among them will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
The 2016 ceremony saw Eric Lindros take his place among the Hall’s other greats along with longtime Canadiens and Kings goaltender Rogie Vachon, Soviet star Sergei Makarov and the late legendary coach and executive Pat Quinn (builder’s category).
Another year brings another group of first-year eligible Hall of Famers, plus several still waiting for their turn. Let’s have a long at some of the possible inductees.
FIRST-YEAR ELIGIBLES
Teemu Selanne
This one is about as obvious as it gets. Selanne set the league on fire when he first hit NHL ice in 1992-93, scoring 76 goals and tallying 132 points for an incredible rookie record that has yet to be will never be bested.
In total, The Finnish Flash tallied 684 goals (the most among all Finnish players) and 1,457 points in 1,451 career NHL games over the course of 21 seasons split between the Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks (two separate stints), San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche before officially hanging up the skates at age 43.
The 10-time all-star won the Calder Trophy in 1993, the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 1999, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2006, and helped the Ducks hoist the Stanley Cup in 2007. He currently ranks 15th in all-time NHL points and 11th league-wide in all-time goals, and still holds Anaheim’s franchise record for goals (457) and points (988).
He also represented Finland six times on the Olympic stage, winning three bronze medals and one silver, and was recognized by the International Ice Hockey Federation earlier this year when he was announced as a 2017 IIHF Hall of Fame inductee alongside Joe Sakic, Saku Koivu, Angela Ruggiero, Uwe Krupp, and Dieter Kalt.
Teemu Selanne on Twitter
Great honor to share IIHF hall of fame 2017 class with this legends, Krupp, Koivu, Sakic thank you
Daniel Alfredsson
The longtime Ottawa Senators captain is a prime HHOF candidate, though we wouldn’t be surprised if he had to wait a year or two — especially with someone like Selanne setting this year’s bar as far as the first-ballot conversation goes. Alfredsson established his dominance in 1996 when he broke into the league with a Calder-winning rookie campaign in which he tallied 26 goals and 61 points as a sixth-round pick two years prior. He was not only the face of his franchise for more than a decade but also a great leader throughout his 13-year captaincy in a hockey-crazed town.
His career also included six all-star nods and Olympic gold and silver with Team Sweden in 2006 and 2014, respectively. To this day, Alfie still holds Senators franchise records for goals (426), assists (682) and points (1108). After a season with the Detroit Red Wings in 2013-14, he called it a career with 444 goals and 1,157 points in 1,246 total NHL games.
Saku Koivu
Like Selanne, Koivu enjoyed a long career in both the NHL and with Finland’s national team and was a fan favourite through the duration of his hockey-playing days. Though his stats were strong — 255 goals and 832 points in 1,124 games with Montreal and Anaheim — his career will be more remembered for his long tenure as Montreal Canadiens captain (10 seasons — tied with Jean Beliveau). His recovery from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and emotional return to the game also places him firmly in Canadiens lore.
Tim Thomas
Thomas was really good, but not for really long. Because his time in the NHL spotlight came later than most, the netminder’s resume is shorter than other goalies in the HOF conversation — but still worth considering. In the span of just a few seasons, he won two Vezinas (2008-09, 2010-11), one William Jennings (2008-09) and a Conn Smythe to go with his Stanley Cup in 2010-11.
THE (HOPEFUL) WAIT LIST
Mark Recchi (fourth year eligible)
Recchi has been on “possible Hall of Famer” lists since his first year of eligibility in 2014. The hard-working, well-respected winger wasn’t exactly known for his ability to light up the league, per se, but he strung together a long, consistent, and successful career that spanned four decades and saw his name written on Lord Stanley’s Cup three times.
Recchi’s consistent scoring landed him 12th on the NHL’s all-time points list (577 goals and 1,533 points in 1,652 games over 22 seasons), and earns him a spot in the Hall of Fame — if not this year, then likely soon. (And in a year that’s not necessarily being touted as a particularly strong one, this could be his time.)
“Hopefully my day will come at some point,” Recchi told Sportsnet’s Mike Johnston back in February 2016. “If they think I’ve earned it then that’s great. I think I did what I could on the ice. I have all the respect in the world for the process it goes through and if I’m fortunate enough to get in there then that would just be icing on the cake for everything that I accomplished, for everything I tried to go out and do.”
Paul Kariya (fifth year eligible)
There is precedent for the Hall of Fame inducting players despite careers that have been cut short by injuries — 2016 inductee Eric Lindros could be considered an example of this, and Kariya should be next.
Kariya’s career may not have been as long as many others’ but it was certainly great. He brought fans to the rink with his thrilling style of play and was a mainstay on the highlight reels throughout parts of 15 seasons. He finished his career at a perfect point-per-game pace: 989 points in 989 career games.
Dave Andreychuk (ninth year eligible)
Like Recchi, Andreychuk made a career out of being very good for a very long period of time. The 23-year veteran got his name on the Stanley Cup with a young Tampa Bay squad in 2004, and was a proven leader on several teams. He has the 14th-most goals all-time in the NHL (640), and is arguably the best eligible player still waiting for his time in the Hall.
Other names to keep an eye on:
Jeremy Roenick: 513G, 703A, 1216PTS in 1363 games (sixth year eligible)
Theo Fleury: 455G, 633A, 1,088PTS in 1,084 games (ninth year eligible)
Chris Osgood: 401 wins, 2.49GAA, .905 SV% in 744 games (fourth year eligible)
Curtis Joseph: 454 wins, 2.79GAA, .906SV% in 943 games (fifth year eligible)
Alexander Mogilny: 473G, 559A, 1031PTS in 990 Games (ninth year eligible)
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