The Hockey Hall of Fame announced its armature class in 2020 on Wednesday. The 2020 Hockey Hall of Fame class includes: Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Doug Wilson, Kim St-Pierre, and Ken Holland.
Yes, this means that both Iginla and Hossa are members of the First Voting Hall of Fame. Kim St-Pierre represents the only woman included in this class (up to two can be added in each round), while Holland is included in the “builder” category.
Inevitably, people will argue snubs. Many will point to Daniel Alfredsson and Alexander Mogilny. There are plenty of women who deserve it, too, including Jennifer Botterill.
Both Iginla and Hossa arrive at the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first vote (2020)
Not surprising with Jarome Iginla
Iginla spent 1,219 of her 1,554 NHL games as a member of the Flames. After joining the league in 1996, “Iggy” scored 625 goals, recorded 1,300 points, won two Rocket Richard Trophies, the King Clancy, Art Ross, and the Ted Lindsay Award. The win was a six-time All-Star.
Iginla managed two 50-goal seasons and passed the 40-goal mark four times. The striker also distinguished himself before joining the NHL, winning two Memorial Cups with the WHL Kamloops Blazers. On the international scene, he represented Canada at various levels, winning two youth world championships, one world championship, one hockey world cup, and two Olympic gold medals. Iginla established Sidney Crosby’s “golden goal” in overtime during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Marian Hossa recognized as a two-way star
Hossa joins Iginla as a member of the First Voting Hockey Hall of Fame.
Hossa won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, and was a playoff accessory, becoming the first NHL player to reach three consecutive series of the Stanley Cup Final with three different teams. Therefore, you can also consider his playoff production (149 points in 205 games) while highlighting his praise from the regular season (525 goals and 1,134 points in 1,309 contests).
Hossa represented Slovakia at the World Championship eight times, at the Olympics four times, and played in two World Cup Hockey tournaments, one for his home country and one for Team Europe. In addition to those Stanley Cup victories, Hossa also won a Memorial Cup.
A blow against Hossa was the lack of individual awards, but success followed the two-way star.
[MORE: Who the PHT staff would have inducted into the 2020 HHOF]
Kim St-Pierre adds another deserving woman to HHOF
There are many gold medals in the St-Pierre trophy case.
Inside you will find three of the Olympic Games, five of the World Championship and one of the Four Nations Cup. The netminder played 83 times for Canada, helping them win 64 times with 29 shutouts. She earned top goalkeeper honors at the 2002 Olympics, as well as at the World Championships in 2001 and 2004. St-Pierre also won the Clarkson Cup twice with the CWHL Montreal Stars, and was named best goalkeeper for the league two seasons in a row.
Wilson and Lowe enter Hockey Hall of Fame after long waits
Doug Wilson an easy case
Wilson scored 237 goals, 827 defensive points, winning the 1982 Norris Trophy during his impressive and underrated career.
The current Sharks general manager was an eight-time All-Star, and he won the Canada Cup gold. His name has emerged in Hall of Fame discussions in recent years, even after being on the ballot for more than two decades. He played during an era dominated by Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque, but he examines his career and it was quite solid. He finished his career in the top 20 in points for a defender and top 10 in points per game.
[MORE: Hall of Fame waits for Lowe, Wilson come to an end]
A fun trivia piece through Sean McIndoe of The Athletic (sub required) reinforcing his case: “Here is the full list of players who won a Norris Trophy (peak) and finished in the top 25 of all time in defense (longevity)), but I haven’t been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Doug Wilson, and that’s it. “
As a side note, Wilson is putting together a decent Hockey Hall of Fame case with his GM job, alone.
Kevin Lowe’s best case: his trophy case
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal presented defensive defender Kevin Lowe’s Hall of Fame case: it was the “conscience” of the Gretzky-era Oilers. Overall, Lowe won five Stanley Cups with Edmonton, and then one more with the Rangers.
“You look at Kevin Stanley Cups, the leadership of our team, the respect of all the players … that would certainly give me all kinds of statistical and psychological information to be in the Hall,” said Glen Sather. “You don’t have to accumulate points to be a great player.
Lowe’s offensive statistics won’t impress, but people were surprised by his responsible play. It finally worked.
Lowe also served as a “builder” with the Oilers. However, many would agree that this is probably not the first point you would argue for by saying Lowe deserved to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Ken Holland completes the 2020 Hall of Fame class as a builder
The moment felt a little surprising for Holland to be listed as a builder. But, in the grand scheme of things, it was probably a matter of time.
The Detroit Red Wings won four Stanley Cups with the Netherlands in leading positions (one as assistant GM, three as GM). The Red Wings also won 10 Central Division titles with the Netherlands in the lead, not to mention four president trophies.
Holland can still add to his resume if he can lead Connor McDavid and the Oilers to additional glories as well.
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James O’Brien He is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Leave him a line at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
