Tough questions facing five new Hockey Hall of Fame candidates
As your friendly neighborhood Hockey Hall of Fame aficionado, I’m thrilled to declare it Hall of Fame season.
With the Class of 2024 set to be named on Tuesday, June 25th, we’re inside two weeks from discovering who will be honored with induction this Fall. There are five fresh NHL faces on the ballot and each comes with a compelling question about the Hall and its future.
The ultra-classified election proceedings are designed to leave us guessing. Aside from detailing the mechanics of the process, the HHOF is a covert operation. No list of candidates. One sentence in a by-law that identifies criteria for selection. Vote counts kept secret.
The good news? It’s fun to speculate.
I’ve spent the last two seasons publicly curating an equitable standard to act as a starting point for HHOF discussions. With the PPS System now accessible, it’s time to dive into five fascinating newcomers to the 2024 ballot — Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Miller, and Pekka Rinne. What will this year’s decisions reveal about the Hall’s evolution?
1. Pavel Datsyuk
The Tough Question: How will the Hall handle Russian players?
PPS Score: 279 (+44 vs. Standard)
PPS Tier: Qualified
High Noon: #7
Public Polling: 91%
Career Matches: Paul Kariya; Henrik Zetterberg; Daniel Alfredsson
All Opposed: Playing during low-scoring times and multiple lockouts, Datsyuk fell short of 1,000 games and points. Through age 27, he had just three goals in 42 playoff games, taking time to shake the playoff ghost label.
All in Favor: A three-time Selke winner, Datsyuk doubled as an era-adjusted 85-point player over his full career. He added 279 points in Russia’s top professional league. A physics-defying magician, Hart Trophy finalist, four-time Byng winner, and Triple Gold Club member, his candidacy checks every box.
The Tough Answer: Playing parallel to Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Kane, Thornton, the Sedins, etc. left less airspace for the understated two-way artist. But if Datsyuk doesn’t scream Hall of Fame talent, who does?
The elephant in the plaque room is his passport. Russian teams are banned from international play through at least the 2024-25 hockey calendar. The HHOF is yet to make a public statement on the issue, an understandable move for a not-for-profit museum seeking to avoid politics.
But now the Selection Committee has to take a stance on a Russian candidate. Dodging the issue by passing on long-time snubs Alexander Mogilny or Sergei Gonchar? That was easy to do the last two years. Datsyuk is different. He’s a clear Hall of Famer and everyone knows it — he polled at 91%.
Will the Committee simply ignore the matter entirely and vote in Datsyuk based on his play? Or should the HHOF as a public institution deny an infamously propagandist nation its global platform? Either way, the Datsyuk decision will make a statement.
2. Shea Weber
The Tough Question: Will the Hall start electing defensemen equitably?
PPS Score: 274 (+5 vs. Standard)
PPS Tier: Borderline/Above
High Noon: #3
Public Polling: 46%
Career Matches: Rob Blake; Doug Wilson; Eric Desjardins
All Opposed: Weber’s critics will note he never won two big prizes — the Norris Trophy and the Stanley Cup. His only appearance beyond the second round arrived on his last legs at age 35.
All in Favor: The booming two-way presence finished top 10 in Norris voting nine consecutive times — an impressive feat of excellence and consistency. He was 3-for-3 in best-on-best international play, anchoring Canada’s lethal blueline in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, plus the 2016 World Cup.
The Tough Answer: Of the 100 post-expansion NHL inductees, just 24 are defensemen. Positionally, they represent one-third of the ice, suggesting we’re short about nine. By electing Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, and Mike Vernon in 2023, the Committee brought goaltending representation back into proportion. Yet defensemen remain in the dark.
With only long-time holdovers Sergei Gonchar (298) and Gary Suter (277) topping Weber in PPS, his case is among the very best of eligible blueliners. Highly credentialled contemporaries Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith join a stacked ballot in 2025. So, prioritizing the deserving Weber this cycle would be wise, even though it’s his first year of eligibility.
Over his 16-year career, Weber scored more goals (224) than any other defenseman while maintaining a sterling reputation offensively, defensively, and off the ice. That’s a Hall of Famer, folks. Fans often obsess about respected but fringe forward candidates like Bernie Nicholls or Steve Larmer. Weber is a titan available at a position inadequately represented in the HHOF’s history. Elect the man.
3. Patrick Marleau
The Tough Question: Does the all-time games record merit induction?
PPS Score: 227 (-8 vs. Standard)
PPS Tier: Borderline/Below
High Noon: #12
Public Polling: 57%
Career Matches: Dave Andreychuk; Mike Gartner; Eric Staal
All Opposed: Without a Stanley Cup, year-end all-star nod, top-eight MVP finish, 15-point playoff year, or a 90-point season, Marleau was never elite but rather the definition of very good for very long.
All in Favor: By playing the most games in NHL history (1,779) — including 910 consecutively — Marleau is hockey’s most enduring and dedicated warrior. Adjusting for era, the Sharks’ unassuming leader has 637 career goals to pair with two Olympic gold medals.
The Tough Answer: By averaging 3.7 male players of the maximum four in the last 12 cycles, it’s long been set as a ‘Big Hall’ — at least for male players. While fans or media may create their own standard of what the HHOF should be, generations of Selection Committees have leaned inclusive with their choices. Arbitrarily tightening the threshold today is both illogical and bad for business.
If starting the HHOF from scratch, would Marleau make my Hall? Nope. He rarely moved the needle in 23 seasons. Statistically, Marleau peaked as the #12 NHL forward, which feels right. PPS agrees he fell a little short, a compiler of counting stats if there ever was one.
No, playing a long time should not make you a Hall of Famer. Matt Cullen, Shane Doan, and Glen Wesley are all top 30 in career games played. But a borderline candidate holding an all-time record in durability will resonate with the Committee, 10 of the 18 members having long playing careers at the highest level. While there should be no rush to induct Marleau, the HHOF precedent says there is a place for him.
4. Ryan Miller
5. Pekka Rinne
The Tough Question: Does the three-goaltender Class of 2023 change the standard?
Ryan Miller
PPS Score: 314 (+3 vs. Standard)
PPS Tier: Borderline/Above
High Noon: #3
Public Polling: 26%
Career Matches: Sean Burke, Carey Price, Tom Barrasso
All Opposed: Miller’s run at the top of the NHL was brief. Outside of his signature 2009-10 year, he earned Vezina votes just once in 18 seasons. The Michigan-born puck stopper won only 28 playoff games.
All in Favor: Reputationally, Miller was the best goalie in the world at one time. In a six-month stretch, he convincingly won a Vezina, finished fourth in MVP voting, and nearly stole USA a gold medal as Olympic MVP. A Hobey Baker Award winner, Miller retired with 391 NHL wins, achieved largely on middling teams.
Pekka Rinne
PPS Score: 287 (-24 vs. Standard)
PPS Tier: Hall of Very Good
High Noon: #6
Public Polling: 42%
Career Matches: Andy Moog, Mike Richter, Miikka Kiprusoff
All Opposed: The Finnish-born Rinne had an inconsistent career, mixing mediocre seasons with brilliant ones. Absent a Cup, international title, or notable career marks, his case doesn’t pop among his generation.
All in Favor: A four-time Vezina finalist that won the award at 35, Rinne was the driving force propping up average Nashville rosters for a decade-plus. He led the Preds to the 2017 Cup Final and retired with the King Clancy Trophy for humanitarian contributions.
The Tough Answer: By electing three goaltenders last year, the HHOF restored long-time imbalance at the position. Lundqvist (PPS of 344) was an easy first-time selection. But Barrasso (311), a respectable choice, and Vernon (261) collectively dropped the Post-Expansion goalie standard slightly from 317 to 311. In doing so, it inherently opens the door for more goaltender candidates.
On the flip side, the Committee may have had their goalie fill, letting the position marinate for a while. PPS prefers Miller’s longer career and steadier peak (i.e., best seven-year stretch), but Vezina voting and public polling are in Rinne’s favor. Neither, however, is an overly compelling or weak candidate.
Price and Tuukka Rask are eligible in 2025. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick are likely to follow in 2028, with Sergei Bobrovsky not long after. Do Miller or Rinne shine from that pack? Certainly not. Neither is a better option than holdover Curtis Joseph (454 wins), either.
By electing three goalies in one swoop, sure, you can more easily massage your Chris Osgood or Mike Richter arguments. But the Committee would be wise to pause on Miller and Rinne, letting the next half-decade recalibrate the modern puck-stopping standard given the intriguing cases ahead.
Follow @AdjustedHockey on X; Data from Hockey-Reference.com, NHL.com;
Public Polling was conducted in June 2023 (sample: 1,688 responses)