Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 could include Lundqvist
Goalie ranks sixth all-time in wins; Mogilny, Zetterberg among those to be considered
Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Daniel Alfredsson, Roberto Luongo, Riikka Sallinen and Herb Carnegie now have their plaques hanging in the Esso Great Hall, forever enshrined among hockey's all-time greats.
The Class of 2023 is next. It won't be voted on until June when the Hall of Fame's 18-member selection committee will meet. Candidates must receive at least 75 percent of the votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
A maximum of four male players, two female players, two builders or one builder and one referee or linesman may be inducted in a single year.
Here are many of the potential candidates for the Class of 2023 in alphabetical order, including three in their first year of eligibility in the player category:
FIRST-YEAR ELIGIBLE
Corey Crawford
Crawford, a goalie, was a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks (2013, 2015). He is third in Blackhawks history in wins (260) and regular-season games played (488), first in save percentage (.918) and second in goals-against average (2.45) among goalies who appeared in at least 100 games. He is also first in Blackhawks history in Stanley Cup Playoff wins (52), GAA (2.38), and save percentage (.918). Crawford twice won the William M. Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goalie(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it (2013 with teammate Ray Emery, 2015 shared it with Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price).
Henrik Lundqvist
Lundqvist is arguably the closest to being a lock among the first-year eligible candidates in 2023. The former New York Rangers goalie is sixth in NHL history in wins (459), ninth in games played (887), and 17th in shutouts (64). His 459 wins are also the most by a Europe-born goalie in League history and among goalies who have appeared in at least 300 games, Lundqvist is eighth in save percentage (.918) and tied for 20th in goals-against average (2.43). He helped the Rangers get to the Eastern Conference Final three times (2012, 2014 and 2015), advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie in 2011-12 and finished in the top six of voting in each of his first 10 seasons. Lundqvist had a 2.30 GAA and .921 save percentage in 130 career playoff games. The best comparable to Lundqvist is Luongo, who appeared in 157 more regular-season games and had 30 more wins and 13 more shutouts, but a higher GAA (2.52) and a similar save percentage (.919). Neither won the Stanley Cup, but both won an Olympic gold medal; Lundqvist won with Sweden at the 2006 Torino Olympics and got the silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He also won a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championship and silver medals in 2003 and 2004.
Justin Williams
Williams, known affectionately as "Mr. Game 7," was one of the most clutch players in the NHL in the past quarter-century. He did most of his damage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning the Stanley Cup three times with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. He was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the playoffs in 2014, when he had 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 26 games, including five points (two goals, three assists) in three Game 7 wins. The forward had 102 points (41 goals, 61 assists) in 162 playoff games, including eight game-winning goals. His teams went 8-1 in Game 7s, and he has the most points (15) and is tied for the most goals (seven) in NHL Game 7s. Williams finished his career with 797 points (320 goals, 477 assists) in 1,264 regular season games.
OTHER PREVIOUSLY ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES
Jennifer BotterillEligible since 2014
Botterill won gold with Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, 2006 Torino Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics, after taking home silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. She also won gold at the IIHF Women's World Championship five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007) and was named MVP of the 2001 and 2004 tournaments. The forward had 174 points (65 goals, 109 assists) in 184 games over 14 years with Canada's National Women's Team, including 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 40 games at the World Championships. Botterill had 340 points (157 goals, 183 assists) in 113 games at Harvard University and is the only two-time winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, awarded annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey (2001, 2003).
Rod Brind'AmourEligible since 2013
Brind'Amour won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. Now the Hurricanes coach and Jack Adams Award winner as the League's coach of the year in 2020-21, he finished his NHL career with 1,184 points (452 goals, 732 assists) in 1,484 games. Considered one of the best defensive forwards of his generation, he won the Selke Trophy in 2006 and 2007.
Karen Bye-DietzEligible since 2005
Bye-Dietz was part of the United States women's team that won a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. The forward also helped the United States win silver at six IIHF Women's World Championships (1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001). She is a member of the IIHF Hall of Fame (2011), the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame (2014), and the University of New Hampshire Hall of Fame (1998).
Meghan DugganEligible since 2022
Duggan's crowning achievement on the ice came at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where she was the captain of the United States gold-medal-winning women's team. She was also the captain at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Olympics when the U.S. won silver. Duggan won seven gold medals and earned a silver at the IIHF Women's World Championship, including as captain in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The forward played six seasons of professional hockey, including four with the Boston Blades (2011-15), winning the Clarkson Cup (Canadian Women's Hockey League championship) in 2013 and 2015. She also played one season with the Buffalo Beauts (2015-16) and her final pro season with the Boston Pride (2016-17). A standout at the University of Wisconsin, she helped the Badgers to three NCAA Division I national championships (2007, 2009, 2011) and had 238 points (108 goals, 130 assists) in 159 games.
Patrik EliasEligible since 2019
Elias holds the New Jersey Devils records for goals (408), assists (617), points (1,025), shots on goal (3,287), power-play goals (113), power-play points (333), short-handed points (33), game-winning goals (80) and overtime goals (16). The forward also has the most goals (45), assists (80), points (125), power-play goals (21), power-play points (52) and shots on goal (444) in Devils postseason history and won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2000 and 2003.
Sergei GoncharEligible since 2018
Fellow Russia-born defenseman Sergei Zubov's induction in 2019 could pave the way for Gonchar, who finished his NHL career in 2015 with 811 points (220 goals, 591 assists) in 1,301 regular-season games, an average of 0.62 points per game. He is 16th among NHL defensemen in points, 10th in power-play points (427), and scored at least 50 points nine times. By comparison, Zubov is 20th among defensemen in points with 771 (152 goals, 619 assists) in 1,068 games, an average of 0.72 points per game. Gonchar won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
Curtis JosephEligible since 2012
Joseph, with 454 NHL wins, has more wins than Hall of Fame goalies Terry Sawchuk (445), Jacques Plante (437), Tony Esposito (423), Glenn Hall (407), Grant Fuhr (403) and Dominik Hasek (389). They each won the Stanley Cup at least once; Joseph never won the Stanley Cup. He never won the Vezina Trophy but was a finalist three times (1993, 1999, 2000).
Reggie LeachEligible since 1987
Leach was part of the Philadelphia Flyers' "LCB line" with Hockey Hall of Famers Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber. He had 666 points (381 goals, 285 assists) in 934 regular-season games, and 69 points (47 goals, 22 assists) in 94 Stanley Cup Playoff games, winning the Stanley Cup with the Flyers in 1975. The forward scored 30 or more goals in a season six times and 50 or more goals twice, including an NHL-best 61 in 1975-76. Leach won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs in 1976 with 24 points (19 goals, five assists) in 16 games, and remains the only non-goalie to win the award playing for the team that lost in the Stanley Cup Final when the Montreal Canadiens swept Philadelphia.
Alexander MaltsevEligible since 1987
Like Boris Mikhailov (candidacy below), Maltsev won gold at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics and 1976 Innsbruck Olympics. The forward is a nine-time IIHF World Championship gold medal winner and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999. He had 202 points (102 goals, 100 assists) in 151 games with the Soviet national senior team and played for Dynamo Moscow in the Soviet League from 1967-84, scoring 329 goals in 530 games.
Boris MikhailovEligible since 1984
Aleksander Yakushev's induction in 2018 should pave the way for Mikhailov. The 78-year-old was the right wing on the Soviet national team's top line with Valeri Kharlamov and Vladimir Petrov. The captain from 1972-80, he won a gold medal at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics and 1976 Innsbruck Olympics and helped the Soviets win the IIHF World Championship eight times. Mikhailov was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000.
Alexander MogilnyEligible since 2009
With Paul Kariya inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017, it stands to reason Mogilny should be there, too. A forward, Mogilny played 990 NHL games, one more than Kariya, and scored 71 more goals (473-402) and 43 more points (1,032-989). Mogilny won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000; Kariya never won the Cup. They each won a gold medal at the Olympics (Mogilny with the Soviet Union at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, Kariya with Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics), the IIHF World Championship (Mogilny 1989, Kariya 1994), and the IIHF World Junior Championship (Mogilny 1989, Kariya 1993).
Chris OsgoodEligible since 2014
Osgood is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998, 2008), and was the starting goalie in 1998 and 2008. He also led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009, losing in seven games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is 13th in League history in regular season wins (401) and ninth in playoff wins (74).
Caroline OuelletteEligible since 2022
Ouellette is one of three women who have won four Olympic gold medals, joining Canada's National Women's Team teammates Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford, who are each in the Hockey Hall of Fame. She won gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, 2006 Torino Olympics, 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics, scoring 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 20 games combined. Ouellette also won gold six times at the IIHF Women's World Championship and earned silver at the other six tournaments she played in from 1999-2015. The forward also won the Clarkson Cup with Montreal of the Canadian Women's Hockey League four times and an NCAA Division I title at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2003.
David Poile
The Nashville Predators general manager would go into the Hall of Fame in the builder's category and join his father, Bud Poile who was the first GM of the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks. David Poile has been at the helm as a general manager for 40 years, starting in 1982 with the Washington Capitals and holding that role for 15 seasons before he was hired to build the Predators from scratch. Poile is the only person who has been a GM for at least 3,000 regular-season games; next is Glen Sather with 2,700. Poile is set to become the first GM to 1,500 wins; next is Lou Lamoriello with 1,373. His teams have made the playoffs in 29 of his 38 seasons as a GM, including 14 straight in Washington. Nashville went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 and has made the playoffs in 15 of the past 18 seasons.
Jeremy RoenickEligible since 2012
Roenick has the second most points (1,216) and the fourth most goals (513) among eligible players not in the Hall of Fame. But Roenick never won the Stanley Cup or a major NHL award. He also never won a gold medal on the international level with the United States, but he got silver at the 1991 Canada Cup and the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Keith TkachukEligible since 2013
Tkachuk has the most goals of any Hall of Fame-eligible player with 538, which ranks 33rd in NHL history. He also has 527 assists for 1,065 points in 1,201 games. The forward won a gold medal with the United States at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey but never won the Stanley Cup or a major NHL award.
Pierre TurgeonEligible since 2010
Turgeon has the most points of any eligible player not in the Hall of Fame with 1,327 (515 goals, 812 assists) in 1,294 games. He also has 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 109 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Turgeon never won the Stanley Cup, and his only major individual award was the Lady Byng Trophy for skill/sportsmanship in 1992-93.
Henrik ZetterbergEligible since 2022
Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2008, when he scored 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) to lead the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship. He scored 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in the 2009 playoffs when the Red Wings fell one win short of going back-to-back. Zetterberg is fifth in Red Wings history in goals (337), assists (623) and points (960), with Hall of Famers Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio and Nicklas Lidstrom ahead of him. He is also fifth in Red Wings history in playoff points (120) despite being 10th in games played (137). The forward, who was selected by Detroit in the seventh round (No. 210) of the 1999 NHL Draft, also won gold with Sweden at the 2006 Torino Olympics and the 2006 IIHF World Championship, making him a member of the IIHF's Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, World Championship gold).
