The Hockey Hall of Fame

Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...

 was established in 1943 and is located in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is a hall of fame

Hall of Fame

A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...

 and museum dedicated to the history of ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

. Originally, there were two categories for induction, players and builders, and in 1961, a third category for on-ice officials

Official (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. There are two categories of officials, on-ice officials, who are the referees and linesmen that enforce the rules during game play, and off-ice officials, who have an...

 was introduced. In 2010, a subcategory was established for female players. In 1988, a "veteran player category" was established in order to "provide a vehicle for players who may have been overlooked and whose chances for election would be limited when placed on the same ballot with contemporary players." Eleven players were inducted into the category, but in 2000 the board of directors eliminated it and those inductees are now considered to be in the player category.

For a person to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, they must be nominated by an elected 18-person selection committee which consists of Hockey Hall of Fame members and media personalities. Each committee member is allowed to nominate one person in each category per year, and candidates must receive the support of 75% of the members of the committee that are present, or a minimum of ten votes. In any given year, there can be a maximum of four male players, two female players, and a combined two in the builders and on-ice officials categories. For a player, referee, or linesman to be nominated, the person must have been retired for a minimum three years. Builders may be "active or inactive". The induction ceremony is held at the current Hall of Fame building and was first broadcast by The Sports Network

The Sports Network

The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...

 in 1994.

The Hockey Hall of Fame also displays "Media honourees", who have been awarded the "Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award

Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award

The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is an award given "in recognition of distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honour to journalism and to hockey". Recipients are selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association and gain automatic entrance into the Hockey...

," which is awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to "distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honour to journalism and to hockey", or the "Foster Hewitt Memorial Award

Foster Hewitt Memorial Award

The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an award named after Foster Hewitt and presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to members of the radio and television industry who make outstanding contributions to their profession and the game of ice hockey during their broadcasting career...

," which is awarded by the NHL Broadcasters' Association to "members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting." However, the media honourees are not considered full inductees, and are not included in this list. The winners are announced and honoured at different times than the other honourees. Foster Hewitt

Foster Hewitt

Foster William Hewitt, OC was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for Hockey Night in Canada. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.-Early life and career:...

 is the only media honouree inducted in his own right into the Hall, as a builder.

As of 2011, there are 251 players (including two women), 100 builders and 15 on-ice officials in the Hall of Fame. Fourteen of the honourees have been inducted posthumously.

Players

The Player category has been in existence since the beginning of the Hall of Fame and the first players were inducted in 1945. Since then, 238 players have been inducted. For a person to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player, they must have been retired for a minimum of three years and must be nominated by an elected 18-person selection committee. The waiting period was waived for ten players deemed exceptionally notable: Dit Clapper

Dit Clapper

Aubrey Victor "Dit" Clapper was a Canadian Hall of Fame ice hockey player....

 (1947), Maurice Richard

Maurice Richard

Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...

 (1961), Ted Lindsay

Ted Lindsay

Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay is a former professional ice hockey player, a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League . He scored over 800 points in his Hockey Hall of Fame career, won the Art Ross Trophy in 1950, and won the Stanley Cup four times...

 (1966), Red Kelly

Red Kelly

Leonard Patrick "Red" Kelly, CM is a retired Canadian ice hockey player in the NHL. He played on more Stanley Cup winning teams than any player who never played for the Montreal Canadiens, and is the only player to be part of two of the nine dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history...

 (1969), Terry Sawchuk

Terry Sawchuk

Terrance Gordon Sawchuk was a Ukrainian-Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers.-Early life and playing career:Sawchuk was born and raised...

 (1971), Jean Beliveau

Jean Béliveau

Jean Arthur "Le Gros Bill" Béliveau, is a former professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup 10 times, and as an executive he was part of another seven championship teams, the most Stanley...

 (1972), Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe

Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...

 (1972), Bobby Orr

Bobby Orr

Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...

 (1979), Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...

 (1997) and Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 (1999). Following Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

's retirement, it was announced that the waiting period would no longer be waived for any player except under "certain humanitarian circumstances".

As of 2010, a maximum of four players can be inducted in one year but the greatest number of players ever inducted in a year was 27, in 1962. They were inducted because the Hall of Fame was trying to induct many pre-NHL era players. 221 of the player inductees are Canadian-born, while only 10 European-born players have been inducted. The NHL team with the most player inductees is the Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, with 56. Seventy-six defencemen

Defenceman (ice hockey)

Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...

 are in the Hall of Fame, more than any other current position, while only 35 goaltender

Goaltender

In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

s have been inducted.

In 1988, a "veteran player category" was established in order to "provide a vehicle for players who may have been overlooked and whose chances for election would be limited when placed on the same ballot with contemporary players." Eleven players were inducted into the category, but in 2000, the board of directors eliminated it, and now those inductees are considered to be in the player category.

Positions key

C

Centre Centre (ice hockey) The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...

LW

Left Wing Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

D

Defence Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...

RW

Right Wing Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

G

Goaltender Goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

R

Rover Rover (ice hockey) In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ice hockey consisted of seven positions. Along with the goaltender, two defencemen, and three forwards who remain today, a Rover was also part of the team. Unlike all the others, the rover did not have a set position, and roamed the ice at will, going...

F

Forward Forward (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...

Year	Name	Position
1945		C
1945		F
1945		C-R
1945		G
1945		D-LW
1945		C-R
1945		C
1945		LW/RW
1945		D
1945		D
1945		D
1945		G
1947		D-RW
1947		LW/RW
1947		C
1947		D-G-R
1947		D
1947		C-D-R
1950		RW
1950		D
1950		D
1950		D-R
1950		D-R
1950		C
1950		D
1950		C-R
1952		D
1952		RW
1952		D-LW
1952		D
1952		C-R
1958		C
1958		D
1958		D
1958		G
1958		D
1958		C
1958		C
1958		D
1958		LW
1958		C
1958		D
1958		C
1958		G
1958		D
1958		G
1959		C
1959		LW
1959		G
1960		D
1960		D
1960		C-LW-R
1961		C
1961		RW
1961		D
1961		G
1961		D
1961		G-RW
1961		R
1961		RW
1961		C
1961		C
1961		R
1962		RW
1962		D
1962		C-LW
1962		RW
1962		LW
1962		RW
1962		F
1962		G
1962		F
1962		G
1962		RW
1962		D-LW
1962		R
1962		C
1962		C-D-LW
1962		D-R-RW
1962		D
1962		LW
1962		D
1962		RW
1962		D-RW
1962		C
1962		C
1962		C
1962		G-R
1962		R
1962		D
1963		C-D
1963		C
1963		D
1964		LW
1964		G
1964		D-LW
1964		D
1965		C
1965		G
1965		F
1965		D
1965		D-LW
1965		C-D
1965		RW
1965		C-RW
1965		C-R
1965		F
1966		C
1966		LW
1966		D
1966		G
1966		C
1966		C
1966		LW
1966		D
1966		D
1967		G
1967		D
1967		C
1968		C
1969		C-LW
1969		RW
1969		C-D
1969		G
1970		RW
1970		D
1970		D
1971		LW
1971		LW
1971		G
1971		C
1972		C
1972		RW
1972		G
1972		RW
1972		C-D-RW
1973		D
1973		G
1973		C-R-LW
1974		C-D
1974		D
1974		C
1974		LW
1975		RW
1975		LW
1975		RW
1975		G
1975		D
1976		G
1976		D
1977		C-LW
1977		D
1978		RW
1978		G
1978		D
1979		D
1979		D
1979		C
1980		G
1980		C-LW
1980		G
1981		LW
1981		LW
1981		D
1982		RW
1982		RW
1982		C
1983		G
1983		LW
1983		C
1984		C
1984		C
1984		G
1985		G
1985		LW
1985		C
1986		D
1986		C
1986		D
1987		C
1987		G
1987

}
| D
|-
| 1988
|
| G
|-
| 1988
|
| RW
|-
| 1988
|
| C
|-
| 1988
|
| D
|-
| 1989
|
| LW
|-
| 1989
|
| C
|-
| 1989
|
| G
|-
| 1990
|
| LW
|-
| 1990
|
| D
|-
| 1990
|
| C
|-
| 1991
|
| RW
|-
| 1991
|
| D
|-
| 1991
|
| C-LW
|-
| 1991
|
| C
|-
| 1992
|
| C
|-
| 1992
|
| LW
|-
| 1992
|
| LW
|-
| 1992
|
| RW
|-
| 1993
|
| D
|-
| 1993
|
| C
|-
| 1993
|
| LW
|-
| 1993
|
| G
|-
| 1994
|
| D
|-
| 1994
|
| LW
|-
| 1995
|
| LW
|-
| 1995
|
| D
|-
| 1996
|
| RW
|-
| 1996
|
| D
|-
| 1997
|
| C
|-
| 1997
|
| C
|-
| 1998
|
| LW
|-
| 1998
|
| LW
|-
| 1998
|
| C
|-
| 1999
|
| C
|-
| 2000
|
| RW
|-
| 2000
|
| C
|-
| 2001
|
| D
|-
| 2001
|
| RW
|-
| 2001
|
| C
|-
| 2001
|
| RW
|-
| 2002
|
| C
|-
| 2002
|
| LW
|-
| 2002
|
| D
|-
| 2003
|
| G
|-
| 2003
|
| C
|-
| 2004
|
| D
|-
| 2004
|
| D
|-
| 2004
|
| D
|-
| 2005
|
| LW
|-
| 2005
|
| RW
|-
| 2006
|
| LW
|-
| 2006
|
| G
|-
| 2007
|
| C
|-
| 2007
|
| D
|-
| 2007
|
| D
|-
| 2007
|
| C
|-
| 2008
|
| RW
|-
| 2008
|
| C
|-
| 2009
|
|RW
|-
| 2009
|
|D
|-
| 2009
|
|LW
|-
| 2009
|
|C
|-
| 2010
|
|RW
|-
| 2010
|
|C
|-
| 2010
|
|C
|-
| 2011
|
|G
|-
| 2011
|
|C
|-
| 2011
|
|D
|-
| 2011
|
|C
|}

* Indicates that the three-year waiting period was waived for a player who was deemed to be especially notable.

A. Player was inducted into the Veteran Player category. In 2000, it was merged with the Player category.

Builders

The Builder category has been in existence since the beginning of the Hall of Fame and the first builders were inducted in 1945. A builder is a person who has contributed to the development of the game of hockey, and as the name refers, one who has built the game forward. Since then, 98 builders have been inducted. For a person to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, they may be "active or inactive" and must be nominated by an elected 18-person selection committee. As of 2007, a maximum of two builders can be inducted in one year.

Year	Name
1945
1945
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
1958
1960
1960
1960
1961
1961
1961
1962
1962
1962
1962
1962
1962
1963
1963
1963
1964
1964
1965
1965
1966
1968
1968
1969
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1974
1974
1974
1975
1975
1976
1976
1976
1977
1977
1977
1978
1978
1978
1979
1980
1982
1983
1984
1984
1985
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1992
1992
1993
1993
1993
1994
1995
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2003
2004
2005
2006
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2010

Former members

On March 30, 1993, it was announced that Gil Stein

Gil Stein (sports administrator)

Gilbert Stein is an American lawyer, law instructor and former professional ice hockey executive. Stein served with the National Hockey League as vice-president and legal counsel for nearly 15 years before becoming the fifth and last president of the NHL in 1992...

, who at the time was the president of the National Hockey League, had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. There were immediate allegations that he had engineered his election through manipulation of the hall's board of directors and by telling them to change the rules for selection. Two lawyers, hired by the league to lead an investigation, recommended that Stein's selection be overturned, although it was soon revealed that Stein had previously decided to turn down the induction.

In 1989, Alan Eagleson

Alan Eagleson

Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, convicted felon in two countries, former politician, hockey agent and promoter...

 was inducted as a builder, but he would resign from the Hall in 1998 after pleading guilty of mail fraud and embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars. His resignation came shortly before a vote was held to expel him.

On-ice officials

The On-ice official category has been in existence since 1961 and since then fifteen have been inducted. For an official to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, they must be retired for a minimum of three years and must be nominated by an elected 18-person selection committee. As of 2007, a maximum of one on-ice official can be inducted in one year.

Year	Name
1961
1961
1961
1962
1963
1964
1967
1973
1981
1987
1988
1991
1993
1999
2008