To be known as a Hall of Famer is a pretty big deal. It means you were the absolute best at what you did in your given profession. To be getting the call for such a thing in hockey means you were hands down one of the best to ever lace up a pair of ice skates. The Hockey Hall of Fame announced that they will be adding five new players and a builder into their hallowed halls. The builder is Ken holland, while, Kim St Pierre, Doug Wilson, Kevin Lowe, Marian Hossa and Jarome Iginlia are going into the players category. Induction into the Hall is supposed to take place on November 16th in Toronto, but due to the ongoing virus, no word on when it will actually happen.
We'll start this with Ken Holland going into the builders category. Holland is currently the General Manager and the President of Hockey Operations for the Edmonton Oilers, a position he got in May of last year. Holland is most know for the work he did with turning the Detroit Red Wings into a powerhouse in the 1990s. For 22 years, Holland built the Wings into a dominating team, winning three cups in that process, four if you cont the fact he was assistant GM for the first title in 1997. While Holland was running the Wings, he oversaw a team that won more regular-season and playoff games than any NHL team at 1,044 victories. Holland sits fifth in league history with 962 regular-season wins as GM. He knew how to build winning teams and keep them together. Hopefully he can do the same thing in Edmonton around McDavid and Draisaitl.
Now onto the players. Kim St Pierre made a huge name for herself in the nets on an international level. She backstopped Canada to two gold medals and five women's world championships. In those international games, St-Pierre had a 1.17 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage playing for Canada. when she retired from international competition in 2013, she recorded 15 shutouts and 24 wins. Those are numbers you only ever really dream about putting up. She did that and then some, helping Canada become a true power in the Women's game.
Doug Wilson is getting induction into the Hall this year, his 24th year of eligibility. Wilson played in the league from 1977 to 1993, all with the Blackhawks (except his final two years in the league which were with the Sharks). Wilson registered 827 points in 1,024 games in the league, with his best year coming in 1982, a year which saw him rack up 39 goals 46 assists for 85 points in 76 games. That performance, along with his overall defensive play that season, was good enough to snag him the Norris Trophy as the leagues top defenseman. On the Hawks all time charts for blue liners, Wilson sits tops in goals (225), assists (554), points (779), power-play goals (80), power-play points (355), shorthanded goals (nine) and game-winning goals (22). He co uld do a little bit of everything on the back end of the Hawks.
While Wilson could score, Kevin Lowe was known more for his defensive prowess. Lowe played in the NHL from 19790 to 1998 with the Oilers and Rangers. Having played in 1,254 games, scoring 431 points. he could move the puck pretty well, as his assist totals outmatched those of his goal scoring ability. But he was more known for his defensive play then anything else.His defensive ability made him the first "defensive defenseman" to be named into the Hall since Rob Langway in 2002. To show his durability in his career, during the two stints he had in Edmonton, Lowe had played more regular season and playoff games in an Oilers uniform than anyone in franchise history (1037 and 172).
Now we move to the Forwards. Marina Hossa gets the call on his first try. Hossa made it to the big leagues in 1997 and stayed through 2017, playing for the Senators, Thrashers, Penguins, Red Wings and finally the Hawks. He scored 1,134 points in 1,309 games. He hit 40 goals three times, with his highest point total hitting 100 in Atlanta in 1997. He got his three cups with the Hawks, the first coming in 2010, after making the finals for three years in a row with three different teams. What made Hossa so great was his hands. He could feather the pass and pick the corners from in close. Had a great shot and at times a bit of a flair for the dramatic. Pretty good skater too.
Finally, we have Jarome Iginla, who also gets in on his first try this year. Iggy played in the NHL from 1996 to 2017, playing for the Flames, Penguins, Bruins, Avs and Kings. He scored 1,300 points in 1,654 games. Lead the NHL in goals twice and on two different occasions hit the 50 goal mark. During his prime years, Iggy was seen as one of the top power forwards in this game. He could hit, fight when he needed to, and could come up with the big goals. He also had a knack for scoring some pretty goals too. During his time as Flames captain, he was known for leading by example, which is what makes him one of the all time greats.
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