Grading the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2024 Class

Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Gartner, Selection Committee Chair, named the Hockey Hall of Fame’s seven newest members from the familiar podium at Toronto’s Yonge & Front Street.

You could be excused for missing Tuesday afternoon’s Class of 2024 announcement, however.

Just 16 hours earlier, Commissioner Gary Bettman handed the Stanley Cup to Florida’s Aleksander Barkov, launching a frenzied hockey week. A thrilling Game 7, the Hall of Fame announcement, NHL Awards, NHL Entry Draft, and free agency opening in a single week. Throw in some significant trades, and you’ll be cooking with gas.

Fortunately, we’re here to interpret an intriguing announcement day.

The list of eligible Hall of Fame candidates was a group largely viewed as lacking depth in traditional, no-doubt options. Yet, the Selection Committee delivered some strong inductees on Tuesday. But it didn’t come without some controversial choices. We’re grading the new members and bringing key takeaways from the uber-secret election proceedings.

Male Players (three inducted; maximum of four)

Pavel Datsyuk, Forward

Year of Eligibility: 1st
PPS Score: 277 (+44 vs. Standard; 2nd among eligible forwards)
Polling: 93% (1st among eligible Male Players)
High Noon: #6

The Credentials: As outlined last week, Datsyuk’s on-ice case was crystal clear. Whether the eye test, the stats test, the hardware test, or the defying physics test, No. 13 in red was easy to elect.

What We Learned: If there was any thought that the Hall would get political, Datsyuk’s selection slams that door shut. Irrespective of the ongoing carnage in Ukraine, the Hall of Fame – unlike its long-time partner, the IIHF – is now wide open to Russian players.

Grade: A. Datsyuk was the #1 choice in public polling, #2 to John LeClair statistically in PPS, and only long-time oversight Alexander Mogilny got more HHOF attention on social media over the last year.

Shea Weber, Defenseman

Year of Eligibility: 1st
PPS Score: 269 (+5 vs. Standard; 3rd among eligible defensemen)
Polling: 36% (7th among eligible Male Players)
High Noon: #3

The Credentials: Weber scored more goals (224) than all other defenders throughout his career. He finished top 10 in Norris voting nine times straight, a remarkable achievement in sustained elite play. Weber was a key figure in each of his three best-on-best international events – all wins.

What We Learned: The Hall is increasingly uninterested in Stanley Cup rings. By electing Weber, Roenick, Henrik Lundqvist, Pierre Turgeon, Daniel Alfredsson, Roberto Luongo, the Sedins, Jarome Iginla, and Doug Wilson, 10 of the last 15 NHL player inductees did not lift the Cup. In a 32-team league, this is a logical trend. Unless you’d prefer the championship stylings of Chris Kunitz or Niklas Hjalmarsson in your HHOF?

Grade: B-plus. While not the flashiest choice, the Hall has long been too hard on defensemen. First ballot or not, electing a player irrefutably one of the best at his position for a decade was the right move.

Jeremy Roenick, Forward

Year of Eligibility: 13th
PPS Score: 259 (+24 vs. Standard; 8th among eligible forwards)
Polling: 40% (6th among eligible Male Players)
High Noon: #7

The Credentials: At first glance, Roenick’s candidacy may seem light – a big mouth that never won the big games or the big awards. That’s accurate. But J.R. managed to do something quietly – adjusted for era, he scored 30+ goals nine times and had 10 point-per-game seasons. Not convinced? Of his top eight eligible career matches, seven are Hall of Famers: Daniel Sedin, Jean Ratelle, Alfredsson, Gilbert Perreault, Martin St. Louis, Turgeon, and Luc Robitaille; only Patrik Elias remains in purgatory.

What We Learned: The Hall went out on a limb to elect a divisive character. A big personality. A player that fans looked for on the ice. The object of Vince Vaughn’s Super Nintendo dreams in Swingers. A relentless warrior who endured 1,363 games chasing a Cup to the end. While that’s all true, Roenick was fired from NBC Sports in 2020 for inappropriate sexual comments about co-workers. So, the Hall could have easily passed as they had a dozen times previously.

Grade: B-minus. While Roenick’s media dismissal gives pause, it seems more the immature rantings of a famously ignorant man than a move that ends a hockey life. On the ice, you can argue that the HHOF should induct fewer players. But the Hall is built big. 8% of players before expansion were inducted, and the Committee regularly uses its maximum male player slots. Roenick’s play exceeds the standard.

Female Players (maximum two inducted)

Krissy Wendell-Pohl, Forward

Year of Eligibility: 13th
Polling: 21% (14th among eligible Female Players)

The Credentials: Of any player with at least five IIHF World Championships played, Wendell-Pohl is the greatest per-game scorer in history. Her 59 points in 29 games played is a knee-buckling 167-point pace over 82 games. A three-time finalist and the 2005 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award, Wendell-Pohl won five of six World Championship appearances, plus an Olympic gold medal.

Natalie Darwitz, Forward

Year of Eligibility: 12th
Polling: 40% (10th among eligible Female Players)

The Credentials: Darwitz’s World Championship performance is similarly stellar. A four-time event all-star in eight appearances, her 119-point pace sits eighth all-time in the tournament. In 15 games at the Olympic level, Darwitz scored 14 times. Like teammate Wendell-Pohl, Darwitz was both a three-time Kazmaier finalist in college and retired as Team U.S.A’s captain.

What We Learned: The Selection Committee is finally electing the many qualified, eligible female players. Two women were elected for the first time since its inaugural class of 2010. It only took 14 years. Whether a problematic election process or the fact only two women sit on an 18-person Committee, this was a win. While clearing the backlog sounds impersonal, this needs to happen. The Committee can do this for a few more years and still only elect women who are considered among the best handful in the world in their prime.

Grade: A-plus. No notes.

Builders (maximum of two inducted)

David Poile, Executive

The Credentials: With an unfathomable 44 years as a hockey executive, Poile is the winningest general manager in NHL history (1,519 games). While the Stanley Cup eluded him, he is one of the most respected executives in hockey, having churned out consistently competitive teams and earning regular international posts with Team U.S.A.

What We Learned: The Selection Committee is open to inducting one of its own members. Of course, no measurable standard is available for the Builder category. Based on the criteria, Poile is a sturdy choice. There is no debate needed on the 74-year-old, nor is his induction nefarious in the slightest. But it begs the question that why have a possible candidate sit on the Committee? Ask an existing Hall of Famer or someone with no chance at nomination.

Colin Campbell, Coach/Executive

The Credentials: Campbell’s career is both long and accomplished. The clumsy handling of a callous e-mail scandal over a decade ago should not detract from Campbell’s steadfast service to hockey. He was a Cup-winning assistant coach (’94 Rangers) and a dedicated NHL lieutenant for decades at the forefront of many major advancements, most notably the post-lockout rule changes.

What We Learned: There is seemingly no end to the number of builders elected. There are now 119 elected Builders, a fairly ridiculous count given the NHL had six or fewer teams for half of its history. Off-ice executives are critical, but the Committee has never been shy about electing them. Without a single Builder from the women’s game inducted (Fran Rider? Cassie Campbell-Pascall?), the Committee’s arbitrary Builder choices often draw confusion.

Grade: C.

Closing Thoughts

In a year absent easy choices, the Selection Committee made some difficult ones. They are the ones that uphold the standards in the Male Player category and rightfully reward gifted trailblazers in the Female Player category. The Builder category is both highly subjective and oversaturated. And while no one goes to the Hall to see the Builders’ plaques, the individuals rewarded were unabashedly devoted to the game.

Follow @AdjustedHockey on X; Data from Hockey-Reference.com, NHL.com