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 

While the odds are not in favor of the following players to make the cut this year, their contributions to their respective teams and the league should not go unappreciated. 

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.  

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.  

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Philadelphia Eagles will be inducting LeSean Jackson into their franchise Hall of Fame.

The event will officially occur on November 3, when the Eagles host the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Playing for the Eagles from 2009 to 2014, the Running Back rushed for 6,792 Yards, caught 300 Receptions for 2,282 Yards, and had 54 Touchdowns from Scrimmage.  A two-time First Team All-Pro, McCoy led the NFL in Rushing Yards (1,607) in 2013 and Rushing Touchdowns (17) in 2011.  He would later play for Buffalo (2015-18), and won Super Bowls with Kansas City (2019) and Tampa Bay (2020) to close off his career.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate LeSean Jackson for his impending honor.

1966 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you to all who participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are still determining what that is, we acted like the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the first 18 years thus far.

For “1966,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1959. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters will be asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next after, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

Please note that a significant change occurred “years ago,” allowing voters to submit less than the allotted spots. 

31 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates they have been removed from future ballots

This is for the “Senior Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates that they will be removed from the ballot permanently.

We also had a vote to see if you wanted to change the entrant parameters.

You voted with over 80 percent to keep as is with the Top Five entering providing they get 50% of the final vote.

Next week, we will announce the Semi-Finalists for the 1966 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

2025 Pre-Season Rank #68, 2024: Pre-Season Rank: #121.  Peak Period: 2021-25*

Standing at 6'5” and 330 pounds, Penei Sewell can state that going into 2025, he is the most athletic and explosive Tackle in the game of football.  One of the rare Linemen that is dominant on the run and pass, his power and speed have made him and many around him All-Pros.  Only a five-year veteran, Sewell has already been named a First Team All-Pro three times, with a four-year Pro Bowl streak.  Who is to say he can't do the same think in the next five years?

*Sewell has only played five seasons.