The Hockey Hall of Fame completed its annual ceremonies in November, inducting a seven-strong Class of 2024. Former center Jeremy Roenick was among five enshrined in the Player Category. A 20-year NHL veteran, he played from 1988-2009, notably with the Chicago Blackhawks (1988-1996), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2001, 2006-2007) and Philadelphia Flyers (2001-2004). Roebuck was a nine-time NHL All-Star (1991-1994, 1999, 2000, 2002-2004) and is one of 48 NHL players to score at least 500 goals (513). Also inducted as players were Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber and United States Olympians Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell. Colin Campbell and David Poile were inducted in the Builder Category.
With a bow put on the 2024 class, attention now turns to a star-studded list of first-year eligible Class of 2025 candidates.
Defenseman Duncan Keith, who enjoyed a 17-year NHL career, all but one with the Chicago Blackhawks (2005-2021), is at the forefront of the conversation. Named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history in 2017, Keith was a member of three Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks clubs in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Keith twice won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the top blueliner in hockey (2010, 2014) and was a four-time NHL All-Star (2008, 2011, 2015, 2017). A member of the NHL 2010s All-Decade First Team, Keith was the 2015 Conn Smythe winner as postseason MVP, having scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Blackhawks in the six-game series. Over the Blackhawks’ 23 playoff games, he contributed 21 points. In 1,256 career NHL games, 1,192 of which were spent in Chicago, Keith scored 106 goals with 520 assists. Internationally, Keith represented Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, winning a pair of gold medals.
Carey Price played his entire NHL career from 2007-2022 with the Montreal Canadiens and is the club’s all-time leader in wins by a goalie with 361. Price played in 712 NHL games, compiling a 2.51 career goals-against average and .917 save percentage. In 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Price was named an NHL-All Star. His 2014-2015 campaign was one to remember when Price went 44-16-6, leading the NHL in wins. His 1.96 goals-against average and .933 save percentage were also best in the NHL. For his efforts, Price won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie and the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP. Additionally, Price was the Ted Lindsay Award recipient, having produced the best regular-season performance, while also winning the William M. Jennings Trophy. In NHL history, no goaltender before or since has captured all four awards in a single season. Price and the Canadiens appeared in one Stanley Cup Final, losing in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Price was the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner in 2022, recognizing his sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication to hockey. Representing Canada on the international stage, Price won a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Joe Thornton played from 1997-2022, spending 14 seasons with the San Jose Sharks (2005-2020) and seven with the Boston Bruins (1997-2005). He ranks sixth all-time in NHL history with 1,714 career games played and is one of only 16 to eclipse 1,500 career points (1,539).
He is the Sharks’ all-time leader in assists (745). In 2005-2006, Thornton was traded by Boston to San Jose. That year, he scored a total of 29 goals with 96 assists, winning the Art Ross Trophy for most points in the NHL as well as the Hart Memorial Trophy for league MVP.
Thornton remains the only player in NHL history to capture a scoring title and MVP honors while playing for two different teams in a year. In 2006-2007, he had another 100-point campaign (114) in his first full season with the Sharks. Thornton was named to six NHL All-Star Games (2002-2004, 2007-2009) in his career. Thornton guided San Jose to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015-2016, the Sharks’ first appearance as a franchise, where they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The first overall draft pick by Boston in the 1997 NHL Draft, Thornton enjoyed a long international career playing for Canada, winning a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in addition to two World Cup of Hockey championships in 2004 and 2016.
Zdeno Chara is a former NHL defenseman who played 24 seasons from 1996-2022, mainly with the Boston Bruins (2006-2020) but also the New York Islanders (1997-2001, 2021-2022), Ottawa Senators (2001-2006) and Washington Capitals (2020-2021). Chara ranks seventh in NHL history with 1,680 games played and is first all-time among defenseman, scoring 209 goals with 471 assists. Chara served as captain of the Bruins for the entirety of his tenure, guiding Boston to a Stanley Cup championship in 2011. The Bruins also appeared in the 2013 and 2019 Stanley Cup Finals with Chara. For the 2008-2009 campaign, Chara scored 19 goals with 31 assists in 80 games, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. Chara was a Norris Trophy finalist five other times in his career. In 2003, 2007-2009, 2011 and 2012, Chara was named an NHL All-Star. Chara enjoyed a long international career, representing his native Slovakia at seven IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships as well as the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Tuukka Rask is a former goaltender who spent his entire career from 2004-2022 with the Boston Bruins. A key part of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, Rask also helped the Bruins to the 2013 and 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. He is the owner of several Bruins franchise records, including games played (564) and wins (308) in addition to playoff games played (104) and wins (57). In 2013-2014, Rask went 36-15-6 with a 2.04 goals-against average and .930 save percentage, winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender. He also earned NHL First All-Star Team honors for the year. A two-time NHL All-Star (2017, 2020), Rask ranks in the top 10 in NHL history among goalies with at least 250 games played in several statistical categories, including save percentage (fourth, .921) and goals against average (third, 2.28). The 2019-20 campaign saw Rask go 26-8-6 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. That year, he won the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL. Internationally, Rask won a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics representing Finland.
Jason Spezza played 19 NHL seasons between 2002-2022 at center with the Ottawa Senators (2002-2014), Dallas Stars (2014-2019) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2019-2022). In 1,248 career games played, Spezza scored 363 goals with 632 assists. Of his 995 career points, 687 came with the Senators, making him Ottawa’s second-leading scorer all-time. In 2007-2008, Spezza scored 34 goals with 58 assists for a career-high of 92 points, earning an NHL All-Star selection for the first time. The previous year, he set an Ottawa franchise record for single-season assists with 71. Spezza was again named to the All-Star Team in 2011-2012, having contributed 34 goals and 50 assists for Ottawa. That year, he was named an alternate captain of the Senators, finishing fourth in the NHL in scoring. Spezza assumed the full captaincy of the Senators for the 2013-2014 campaign. Internationally, Spezza represented Canada at four IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships. Following his playing career, Spezza worked in the front office for both the Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Also eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame for the first time is Ryan Getzlaf, who played his entire 17-year career from 2005-2022 with the Anaheim Ducks, finishing as the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (1,157) and points (1,019). Dustin Brown, former winger with the Los Angeles Kings from 2003-2022 and a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2010, 2012), is another player newly eligible. In addition to the aforementioned list of first-year eligible candidates, the Hockey Hall of Fame has several additional worthy options who still seek induction such as Jennifer Botterill, Rod Brind’Amour, Meghan Duggan, Patrik Elias, Sergei Gonchar and Curtis Joseph. Patrick Marleau, Ryan Miller, Alexander Mogilny, Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk, Justin Williams and Henrik Zetterberg also remain eligible.
