Potential candidates for the 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame class
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A number of notable names will become eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame for the first time when the selection committee meets this summer. Among them are Stanley Cup winners, Olympic gold medalists and those who have claimed numerous individual awards. But as always, space in any induction class is limited, and even deserving candidates get passed over.
As the Class of 2023 is set for induction into the hallowed halls in Toronto on Monday night, let’s look ahead at who might be joining them next November.
Pavel Datsyuk
Based on credentials alone, Pavel Datsyuk should be the biggest lock on the list to become the 10th Russian player enshrined in Toronto, but current geopolitics make Datsyuk’s selection unlikely.
Born in Sverdlovsk, Datsyuk appeared in 953 games over 16 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and was perhaps the finest defensive forward of his generation, winning the Selke Trophy on three occasions. A four-time All-Star, Datsyuk also won four Lady Byng Trophies as the league’s most gentlemanly player and was a member of two Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2002 and 2008.
He was named as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players as part of the league’s 100th-anniversary celebration in 2017. Scoring 20 or more goals on eight occasions, Datsyuk finished his career with 314 goals and 614 assists.
Upon ending his NHL career, Datsyuk returned to Russia to play in the Kontinental Hockey League for five seasons, first with SKA St. Petersburg and then Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Datsyuk was twice a KHL All-Star and won the Gagarin Cup in 2017 with SKA.
Internationally, “The Magic Man” represented Russia on a number of occasions, including at five Olympics, and won a gold medal as part of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics to go along with a bronze at Salt Lake City in 2002. Appearing at seven IIHF World Championships, Datsyuk’s team claimed gold in 2012 in Sweden.
As slam-dunk a case as Datsyuk appears to have, it seems doubtful that the selection committee would elect a Russian player as long as the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Datsyuk will undoubtedly be enshrined one day. It’s just probably not going to be next fall.
Ilya Kovalchuk
Like with Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk is highly unlikely to be inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2024 as the war rages, but Kovalchuk’s case for enshrinement is less cut and dry than his countryman’s.
A mercurial, but supreme talent, Kovalchuk was the first-overall selection of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and went on to appear in 926 games over 15 seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals.
One of the deadliest goal threats of his day, Kovalchuk notched 443 career goals, hitting the 50-goal mark twice and sharing the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2004 with Rick Nash and Jarome Iginla as the league’s top scorer. Of the 68 players with more career goals than Kovalchuk, only nine eligible ones are not in the Hall of Fame.
A three-time All-Star, Kovalchuk’s NHL career came in two stints, from 2001 to 2013 and then from 2018 to 2020, with a five-season stop in the KHL in between, but the manner of his first departure remains highly controversial.
The Tver native announced his retirement from the NHL in July of 2013, only three years into a blockbuster 15-year, $101 million contract with the Devils. The deal was actually an amended version of his original 17-year, $102 million deal signed in 2010 that was found to be in circumvention of the salary cap and cost the Devils a $3 million fine and first- and third-round draft picks.
During his seasons in the KHL, Kovalchuk starred with SKA St. Petersburg and later with Omsk Avangard. He won three Gagarin Cups (in 2015, 2017 and 2021) and was a three-time All-Star.
In international hockey, few suited up for their country more often than Kovalchuk, who represented Russia at 17 major senior tournaments, including five Olympic Games. Kovalchuk struck gold with Russia on three occasions: in back-to-back IIHF World Championships in 2008 and 2009 and at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, as part of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team, where he was also named Olympics MVP.
Patrick Marleau
The NHL’s all-time leader in games played, Patrick Marleau is eligible for selection this summer.
The native of Swift Current, Sask. appeared in 1,779 games over 23 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins with 1,607 of those games coming with the Sharks.
Marleau finished his career with 522 goals and 589 assists. But his impressive longevity might be enough to get Marleau into the Hall of Fame on its own. Shane Doan (1,540 games played) and Matt Cullen (1,516 games played) are the only eligible players in the top 20 of most games played who are not in the Hall. Still, Marleau is 23rd all-time in goals and every single eligible player ahead of him with more goals is in the Hall of Fame.
While Marleau never won a major individual honour in the NHL, he was a six-time All-Star.
Internationally, Marleau represented Canada on numerous occasions. He won gold medals at the 2003 IIHF World Championships in Finland, the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and at both the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Ryan Miller
The second of the two backstops eligible for the first time, East Lansing, Mich.’s Ryan Miller seeks to become just the third American goaltender inducted into the Hall of Fame, following in the footsteps of Frank Brimsek (1966) and Tom Barrasso (2023).
Originally taken with the 138th overall pick of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, Miller posted outstanding NCAA numbers over three seasons at Michigan State and claimed the 2001 Hobey Baker Award as collegiate hockey’s top player.
Miller would make his NHL debut in 2003 and would go on to appear in 796 games over 18 seasons with the Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks. He won the 2010 Vezina Trophy as a member of the Sabres.
For his career, Miller had a mark of 391-289-1-87 with a .914 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average. Fourteenth all-time in victories, Miller’s 391 wins are most ever by an American goalie. Of the 13 players ahead of him on the all-time wins list, only two eligible goaltenders — No. 7 Curtis Joseph with 454 and No. 13 Chris Osgood with 401 — are not in the Hall of Fame.
Internationally, Miller represented the United States on four occasions, including a pair of Winter Olympic Games. Most memorably, Miller starred at Vancouver 2010 as the U.S. fell just short of a gold medal in an overtime loss to Canada in the deciding game. Miller finished that tournament with a 5-1 record, a 1.30 GAA and .946 save percentage. For his efforts, Miller was named Most Valuable Player.
Miller is already in one hall of fame, having been inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.
Pekka Rinne
The other of the two goaltenders with first-time eligibility and solid cases for induction, Pekka Rinne hopes to become just the fourth Finnish player — and first Finnish goalie — behind Jari Kurri (2001), Teemu Selanne (2017) and Riikka Sallinen (2022) to be enshrined in Toronto.
A native of Kempele, Rinne was originally selected with the 258th overall selection of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators and made his NHL debut in 2006 before emerging as the team’s starter during the 2008-2009 season.
Rinne would go on to make 683 appearances over 15 NHL seasons, all with the Predators, and finished his career with a record of 369-213-75, a goals-against average of 2.43 and a .917 save percentage. During the 2017-2018 season, Rinne went 42-13-4 with a 2.31 GAA and .927 save percentage to win the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender. Rinne was named an All-Star on four occasions.
On the international stage, Rinne represented Finland at four IIHF World Championships and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, winning a silver medal at the 2014 worlds in Belarus.
While winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player to his team almost always correlates to eventual Hockey Hall of Fame induction (only three eligible Hart winners are not in the Hall of Fame), the same cannot be said of the Vezina, though it greatly increases a player’s chances. Roughly 70 per cent of eligible Vezina winners are in the Hall. Rinne’s 369 career wins are tied for 20th all-time with Barrasso, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday night.
Shea Weber hasn’t actually retired as an active competitor (he’s still being paid by the Arizona Coyotes), but for all intents and purposes his career is over due to injuries.
But because he hasn’t appeared in an NHL or international game since 2021, the Sicamous, B.C. native is eligible for induction in 2024 thanks to the same bylaw that got Chris Pronger elected in 2015. According to a new bylaw adopted that year, official retirement was not required for the three-year waiting period to kick in making Weber eligible.
Weber’s candidacy is a strong one. Originally taken with the 49th overall selection of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft out of the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets with whom he won the 2004 Memorial Cup.
Weber would go on to appear in 1,038 games over 16 seasons with the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens. For his career, the rugged defenceman recorded 224 goals and 365 assists. Weber’s 589 points are 47th all-time amongst defencemen.
A seven-time All-Star, Weber was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman on three occasions. In 2016, he claimed the Mark Messier Leadership Award, given to a player who best exemplifies leadership and is awarded by Messier himself through the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Weber’s international contributions greatly bolster his credentials. Representing Canada on a number of occasions, Weber won gold at the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championships in the US, the 2007 IIHF World Championships in Russia, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.
Other first-time eligible players: David Backes, Mikko Koivu, Travis Zajac and Niklas Hjalmarsson