Datsyuk, Roenick, Weber part of Hockey HOF class

2 months ago 4
  • Greg Wyshynski, ESPNJun 25, 2024, 04:21 PM ET

    Close

      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN's senior NHL writer.

Former NHL stars Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick and Shea Weber were part of the seven-person 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame class announced Tuesday.

Datsyuk and Weber were both in their first years of eligibility.

Rounding out the class were Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell-Pohl, while Colin Campbell and David Poile were selected in the Builders category.

Datsyuk was a star for the Detroit Red Wings, winning the Stanley Cup twice. His magical stickhandling ability and defensive acumen -- he won the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward three times -- made him a player that a generation of NHLers emulated. He was a four-time Lady Byng Trophy winner for gentlemanly play and a five-time Olympian, winning gold for Russia in 2018.

Weber was a towering defenseman for the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens during his 16-year NHL career. While he never won the Norris Trophy, he was a three-time finalist for the award. He won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2014-15. Weber never won the Stanley Cup but won Olympic gold for Canada in 2010 and '14, as well as championships in junior hockey and international play.

Roenick has been eligible since 2012. He had a 20-year NHL career, but was mostly known for his superstar seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1988-96, when he had 595 points in 524 games. He also played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.

Roenick never won the Stanley Cup nor an individual award, but was the personification of "Fame" during his career while amassing 513 goals, 42nd all-time in the NHL and fourth among U.S. players. He won Olympic silver in 2002.

With Darwitz and Wendell-Pohl, the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee selected two women's players in the same year for the first time since Cammi Granato and Angela James in 2010. Both played internationally for the U.S. and were members of the University of Minnesota national championship team in 2005. Wendell-Pohl represented the U.S. at the 2002 and 2006 Olympics Games, serving as captain in the latter. Darwitz played in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games.

Two individuals were selected in the Builders category: Campbell, NHL senior vice president of hockey operations who had a massive impact on the league's rules and disciplinary process; and Poile, the winningest general manager in NHL history with the Washington Capitals and the Predators.

All seven will be inducted Nov. 11.

Among the first-year eligible players not selected were Patrick Marleau, who had 566 career goals in an NHL best 1,779 games, and goalies Ryan Miller and Pekka Rinne. Among the players still waiting for their Hockey Hall of Fame call are Alexander Mogilny, a Triple Gold Club member and the first Soviet player to defect to North America in 1989; Jennifer Botterill, who helped Team Canada win Olympic gold in 2002, 2006 and 2010 and five IIHF World Championships, capturing MVP in that tournament twice; and Meghan Duggan, who won seven IIHF World Championship gold medals and captained the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team to gold in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

Read Entire Article