The Hockey Hall of Fame will announce its 2020 class of inductees this Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Fans will be able to watch the announcement live on the NHL Network, or on TSN, TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada.
How many people will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and who are some of the candidates? Let's break it down.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE HALL OF FAME?
There are three categories in the Hall of Fame: Players, builders, and referees or linesmen. The selection committee uses the following criteria when nominating candidates:
Players: Playing ability, sportsmanship, character and contributions to his or her team or teams and to the game of hockey in general.
Builders: Coaching, managerial or executive ability, or ability in another significant off-ice role, sportsmanship, character and contributions to his or her organization or organizations and to the game of hockey in general.
Referees or linesmen: Officiating ability, sportsmanship, character and contributions to his or her organization or organizations and to the game of hockey in general.
Players and referees or linesmen become eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after they have not played in a professional or international hockey game in three seasons. Builders may be active or inactive at the time of their induction.
There is no minimum number of individuals who must be inducted each year, but there is a maximum for each category. Up to four male players and two female players can be inducted in any given year. Only one referee or linesman can be inducted in any year. If no officials are to be inducted, then two builders may be inducted. If an official is chosen as one of the inductees, then only one builder can be inducted that year.
WHO MIGHT BE IN THE 2020 HALL OF FAME CLASS?
There are some big names among the eligible candidates for this year's Hall of Fame class. Here are some of the leading candidates:
Jarome Iginla
Year of Eligibility: First
Without a doubt, Iginla is a lock to be inducted this year.
He played more games (1,554), scored more goals (625), and recorded more assists (675) than any other player in his first year of eligibility this year. Among his accomplishments are two Olympic gold medals (he assisted on Sidney Crosby's game-winner for the latter), one World Championship gold medal, one World Cup gold medal, a World Junior Championship gold medal, two Memorial Cups, three First Team All-Star selections, one Second Team All-Star selections, two Maurice Richard Trophies, one Art Ross Trophy, one Lester B. Pearson (now Ted Lindsay) Award, one King Clancy Memorial Trophy, and one Mark Messier Leadership Award.
Marian Hossa
Year of Eligibility: First
Hossa is another strong candidate. He has the second-most points of any first-year eligible player with 1,134 (525 goals, 609 assists) in 1,309 games. He won three Stanley Cups in his career, and is a one-time Second Team All-Star.
Alexander Mogilny
Year of Eligibility: 11th
Mogilny was the first Soviet player to defect and join the NHL when he did so in 1989, paving the way for many more Russian players after him. He's a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club with a Stanley Cup, World Championship gold, and Olympic gold, and is one of six players to ever score more than 75 goals in one NHL season when he scored 76 to lead the league in goals in 1992-93. He won a Lady Byng later in his career.
Daniel Alfredsson
Year of Eligibility: Fourth
Alfredsson had a long 18-year career, and won both an Olympic gold and silver medal for Sweden. Like Iginla, he never won a Stanley Cup, but his individual contributions make up for that. He won a King Clancy Memorial Trophy and a Mark Messier Leadership Award in his career, as well as the Calder Memorial Trophy as a rookie.
Jennifer Botterill
Year of Eligibility: Seventh
Only Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford have skated in more games in the Olympics for Team Canada (26 each) than Botterill (21), and Wickenheiser and Hefford are already in the Hall of Fame. Botterill is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, one-time Olympic silver medalist, five-time World Championship gold medalist, and three-time World Championship silver medalist. She was twice named MVP at the World Championships.
Kim St-Pierre
Year of Eligibility: Fifth
St-Pierre, if chosen, would be the first female goaltender in the Hall of Fame. She recorded 15 shutouts and 24 wins for Canada in international play, and won three Olympic gold medals, five World Championship gold medals, and four World Championship silver medals. She won the CWHL championship in her final season.
Sergei Gonchar
Year of Eligibility: Third
Gonchar played in more games (1,301) and recorded more points (811) than any other Russian defenseman in NHL history. He won the Stanley Cup in 2009 with the Penguins, and won an Olympic silver medal, Olympic bronze medal, World Championship silver medal, and World Championship bronze medal. He never won a Norris Trophy, but finished fourth in the voting three times.
Patrik Elias
Year of Eligibility: Second
Elias' career includes two Stanley Cups and 1,025 points in 1,240 games with the Devils, and an Olympic bronze medal and two World Championship bronze medals for the Czech Republic.
Shane Doan
Year of Eligibility: First
Doan ranks 16th all time in games-played in the NHL with 1,540 games, all with the Jets/Coyotes organization. He never won a Stanley Cup, but his case is helped by his longevity and five World Championship medals.
WHO'S ELIGIBLE IN 2021?
A maximum of four male players can be inducted each year, and in 2021, two of them will surely be Sedins, as it will be three seasons since Henrik and Daniel Sedin retired. Henrik Zetterberg and Rick Nash also will both become eligible next year.
Caroline Ouellette, Canada's fifth all-time leading scorer in the Olympics, third all-time leading scorer in the World Championships, and a four-time CWHL champion, should be a lock for the women.
