2019 Hall of Fame Class May Be a Chance to Recognize Holdovers

June 25, 2019 Off By Jordan Stoopler

Much focus has been paid to the future of the NHL with this past weekend’s entry draft from Vancouver. In the coming days, attention will be given to today’s stars as many prepare to change teams via trade or free agency.

However, the hockey world is not neglecting to acknowledge its past as the 18 members comprising the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee (see list below) will meet in Toronto to select the 2019 class of inductees Tuesday.

Honoured Members in the Player, Builder and Referee/Linesman categories may be selected, under the condition that all Players and/or Referee or Linesman been retired from action for a minimum of three seasons. Up to four male players and two women can be inducted.

While in year’s past, there has been at least one clear-cut selection headlining the induction class, the 2019 group does not have one bona-fide superstar leading the way, at least amongst NHL alumni.

Long-time Team Canada forward and captain Hayley Wickenheiser will surely earn induction into the Hall. She would become the seventh female inducted, and rightfully so.

“Wick” scored 168 goals and collected 211 assists with Team Canada, good for 379 points in just 276 games.

Wickenheiser donned the Maple Leaf sweater for 22 years (1994-2016), winning four Olympic gold medals and one silver. In both the 2002 and 2006 Olympic games, Wickenheiser was bestowed the honour of tournament MVP, following a Canada gold medal win.

The Saskatchewan native also excelled in the IIHF World Hockey Championships, winning 13 additional medals, including seven gold.

Wickenheiser may have some company, in the form of Team Canada netminder Kim St. Pierre or fellow forward Jennifer Botterill. Should either join Wickenheiser into the Hall this year, it would mark the first time two female players were inducted the same year since 2010, when Cammi Granato and Angela James became the first female duo to enter the Hall.

Amongst NHL talent, perhaps the most note-worthy and decorated player newly eligible for enshrinement is Vincent Lecavalier. The former Tampa Bay Lightning captain checks off many boxes typically required for selection into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning in 2004. He also earned a gold medal at the World Cup of Hockey while playing for Canada that same season. Three years later, he won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy as the top goal-scorer that season with 52 tallies. He also earned the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2008 for his leadership and humanitarian contributions.

Lecavalier’s career ended after 1,212 games, in which he collected 421 goals and 528 assists for a total of 949 points. While his totals fall just short of the 500 goal threshold and 1,000 point plateau, a case can be made for his induction.

Amongst the other new eligible players, only one other has scored over 400 goals (Patrik Elias) and only two have exceeded 1,000 points (Brad Richards, 932 and Elias, 1,025).

As a result, it is likely that the majority of this year’s class will be made up of players returning onto the ballot following at least one year of rejection. One of these holdovers is longtime Ottawa Senator Daniel Alfredsson.

“Alfie” had 1,157 points (444 goals, 713 assists) in 1,246 games spanning 18 seasons primarily spent in the Canadian capital. While he never won a Stanley Cup, losing in the finals to the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, Alfredsson does have an Olympic gold medal earned representing his native Sweden at the 2006 Torino Olympics, to go along with a silver medal in 2014. Alfredsson also was the recipient of the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 1996.

Some of the other potential candidates include Alexander Mogilny, who scored 473 goals and collected 1,032 points, as well as gold medals in the Olympics, World Hockey Championships and World Juniors. Defenceman Sergei Zubov also deserves consideration, thanks to his 2 Stanley Cup championships and Olympic Gold Medal, to go along with 771 points from the back-end.

In goal, Curtis Joseph may finally be recognized for his career that sees him fifth all-time in goaltender wins with 454. Joseph recorded seven 30-win seasons, although has never won a Stanley Cup or major individual trophy.

It also will be interesting to see if either of the five players to score 500 goals still outside the Hall finally make their way in as Honoured Members. Keith Tkachuk (538), Pat Verbeek (522), Pierre Turgeon (515), Jeremy Roenick (513) and Peter Bondra (503) are the only eligible members of the select group of 45 not currently enshrined (there are five others either still active or not yet eligible for induction).

The official 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame induction class will be announced on Tuesday at 3:00 PM EST. It can be seen on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada. The inductees will enter the Hall in a special ceremony on November 18th.