Top Candidates For The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025
September 12, 2024 by Bill Burniece
There are two significant measuring sticks for professional athletes when it comes to defining their careers.
Hoisting a championship in the air after grinding through a hard-fought season is the ultimate team achievement.
As for an individual honor, hearing your name being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the absolute pinnacle for any athlete, celebrating their impact on the sport.
As hockey fans await the 2024 class to be inducted in November, it is not too early to look ahead at who could potentially join the illustrious list of names as part of the 2025 class.
With only four male players included each year, it will be a tough task for the committee to whittle down a star-studded roster of eligible NHL candidates.
Top Candidates
Zdeno Chara
He may have suited up for the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, and Washington Capitals, but the 6’9” defenseman from Slovakia will best be remembered for his time as the captain of the Boston Bruins.
Armed with one of the hardest shots in NHL history, Zdeno Chara helped the Bruins win the 2011 Stanley Cup title and led them to several more trips to the championship series.
A seven-time All-NHL recipient, Chara was often a contender for the Norris Trophy, which he won in 2009. “Big Z” finished his career playing 1,652 games, the most by a defenseman in league history.
Duncan Keith
One of the greatest defensemen in NHL history, Keith was a pillar for the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty throughout the 2010s, helping the team to three Stanley Cup titles.
For most of his seventeen NHL seasons, Keith proved to not only be an elite defender but also one of the best offensive blueliners in the league.
A two-time Norris Trophy winner and All-NHL member, a Conn Smythe winner, and four-time All-Star, Keith also found success on the international stage, helping Team Canada to gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games.
Joe Thornton
Tagged with the nickname “Jumbo Joe”, Thornton’s presence on the ice was fitting of his moniker.
Selected by the Boston Bruins with the first overall pick in the 1997 NHL Draft, the power forward would also suit up for the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers before finishing his career in 2022.
One of the best playmakers in NHL history, 1,109 of Thornton’s 1,539 points would come from setting up his teammates (ranking him seventh all-time).
While Thornton would come up short of winning Lord Stanley’s mug during his one trip to the finals with the Sharks, the burley forward earned both the Hart Memorial and Art Ross Trophy in 2006 and was named to four All-NHL teams. As a member of Team Canada, Thornton helped his country capture a gold medal in 2010, a pair of World Cup titles, and a World Junior Championship.
Carey Price
Ken Dryden, Jacques Plante, Patrick Roy. You can also add Carey Price’s name to the illustrious list of players who played between the pipes for the Montreal Canadiens.
Drafted 5th overall in 2005, Price played his entire career with the Habs, becoming the winningest goaltender in team history with 361 wins.
While a Stanley Cup would elude Price during his fifteen-year career, the Vancouver native did collect nearly every individual award possible for a goalie, including the Hart Trophy (just one of seven goalies in history).
Price would also find success on the international stage, helping Canada capture gold in the 2014 Olympics, 2016 World Cup, and 2007 World Juniors.
Honorable Mention
Dustin Brown
For eighteen seasons (2003-2022) the right winger from Ithaca, New York was a staple in the Los Angeles Kings lineup.
Selected 13th overall in the 2003 NHL Draft, Brown was the captain of the Kings during the club’s most successful era.
Known for his physical play, leadership, and knack for stepping up in big moments, Brown finished his career with 1,296 games played—the second most in Kings history—and 712 points.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion (2012, 2014), Brown would earn a trip to the 2009 All-Star Game and capture a silver (2010 Olympics) and bronze (2004 World Cup) with Team USA.
Ryan Getzlaf
From the time the Anaheim Ducks selected Getzlaf with the 19th pick in 2003, he quickly established himself as the heart and soul of the franchise for the next seventeen years.
Retiring as the team’s all-time regular season leader in games played, points, and assists as well as their playoff leader in goals, assists, and points, Getzlaf is not only one of the best players in the history of hockey in California but the entire NHL.
A member of the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup championship team, Getzlaf also earned an All-NHL Team honor and three trips to the All-Star Game.
Getzlaf would also find championship success on the international level winning gold with Team Canada in the 2016 World Cup, 2010 Olympics, and 2005 World Juniors.
Summary
As the selection committee deals with the difficult task of selecting a new class of inductees, the excitement surrounding the upcoming season on the ice continues to grow.
Thanks to a variety of Canadian betting apps, interest off the ice has become increasingly popular with fans looking to place a wager on a variety of hockey-related outcomes.
As fans analyze stats, awards, and team achievements, they often get a deeper appreciation for the legacies and impact on the league that each player left, making each a worthy contender for the Hockey Hall of Fame.
You might also like:
