Iginla, Olczyk join HHOF selection committee; Gartner named Chair of the Board
Published
The Hockey Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday that Jarome Iginla and Ed Olczyk will join its selection committee, while Ron Francis will become Chair of the Selection Committee, taking over from Mike Gartner who will transition to Chair of the Board in June of 2025.
Iginla and Olczyk are replacing Gartner and David Branch, who have each served their full-term limit of 15 years.
“One of the things that makes the Selection Committee so strong is the regular inclusion of new voices and the opportunity for highly knowledgeable hockey people to contribute in the process of honouring excellence in our game,” said outgoing Chair of the Board Lanny McDonald. “To this end, we are very pleased to welcome Jarome and Ed to the committee, and thrilled that Ron, a long-time member and one of hockey’s great leaders, has agreed to serve as Chair. I would also like to express our appreciation and gratitude to David and Mike for their outstanding contributions over the past several years.”
Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020, Iginla played over 15 seasons with the Calgary Flames and led the team in scoring during 11 of those seasons. A three‐time NHL First All‐Star Team member, Iginla recorded 1,300 points in 1,554 regular season games over his phenomenal 22-year NHL career. He was also a member of Team Canada at three Olympic Games, winning gold medals in 2002 and 2010.
Olczyk, a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (Class of 2012), played more than 1,000 games recording 794 points throughout 16 NHL seasons. During the 1989–90 season Olczyk scored a point in 18 consecutive games, which was then the longest streak by an American-born player in NHL history. Following his playing career, Olczyk has served as an NHL coach and is a two-time Emmy award winning broadcaster.
Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, Francis ranks second on the NHL all‐time assist list and is a two‐time Stanley Cup champion. After his playing career, the Hurricanes officially retired Francis' No. 10 jersey on January 28, 2006, and the long‐time Carolina Hurricanes captain would serve the club in a variety of capacities before being named General Manager in April 2014. He is currently the Executive Vice-President and General Manager of the Seattle Kraken, a position he has held since the expansion club commenced operations in 2019.
In addition to these new appointments, Brian Burke, Marc de Foy, Anders Hedberg and Pierre McGuire were re-appointed to the Selection Committee each for a further three-year term expiring December 31, 2027.
The Selection Committee will meet in late June 2025 to consider duly nominated candidates for election into Honoured Membership and the annual Induction Celebration will be held on Monday, November 10, 2025.