Updated: Mar 22
1- Carey Price
When we think about the best goaltenders of all time in the NHL we all think about the obvious choices, Brodeur, Lundqvist and Roy, but one name that should be included in the list of the greatest goalies in the history of the game is without a doubt Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. Price has no question had an unbelievable career with the Canadiens, including winning the Vezina trophy in the 2014/15 season, and the Hart memorial trophy in the same season, being only the 6th goalie to ever win the MVP award, and only the fourth ever to win both awards in the same season. But it doesn't stop there. Price is the winningest goalie in Canadiens history with 361 wins in his career in Montreal, and also has multiple gold medals representing Canada in the Olympics, and World Championships. Although Price has a shaky end to his NHL career, the former 5th overall selection in the 2005 draft definitely deserves a spot in the Hockey Hall Of Fame, and has without a doubt earned his spot in one of the most prestigious groups in the world of Hockey.
2- ‘Jumbo’ Joe Thornton
Now what would the Hockey Hall Of Fame be without the 14th all time point scorer in the NHL ‘Jumbo’ Joe Thornton. Jumbo Joe played an astonishing 24 seasons in the NHL, playing for 4 teams during his career, but was one of the greatest players to never win the Stanley. Despite never winning the big prize, Jumbo still has some pretty good achievements under his belt which could help him wiggle his way into the HHOF. For example, he won the Art Ross, and the Hart trophy in the same season, whilst playing for two different teams during the 2005/06 season, after being traded from the Bruins to the Sharks, which is a pretty good achievement to keep his form after moving across the country, which in his case was one of the best things to happen to him. He holds the record for both the all time assists record and all time leader in plus minus with 745 assist and a plus minus of +174 for the San Jose Sharks, marking his name in the history books in San Jose. With a total of 1,539 all time points, an 1,109 assist during his 25 year career, Jumbo Joe has 100% earned a spot in the Hall Of Fame, and we could definitely see his named called in 2025, a player who was not only loved, but will always be remembered in the history of the game.
3- Duncan Keith
Now for me, Duncan Keith is a lock, I mean how can’t he be. He was a top line defenseman with almost 25 minutes of ice time each game across 3 Stanley Cup winning teams from 2009-2015. Keith was the epitome of the perfect defenseman. Not a point scorer, but could always guarantee a positive plus minus, and solid forechecking and backchecking in every game. Keith who was drafted in 2002 has quite the resume, and argues a pretty good case as to why he deserves a spot in the HHOF. Starting off with the fact he won three Stanley Cups in Chicago, including scoring important goals during the finals such as his opener in game six versus Tampa Bay in 2015, he was one of the key reasons the Blackhawks were able to maintain their cup winning dynasty for 6 years, and was a key player in order for the Hawks to stay competitors for the cup. But not only did he win three Stanley Cups, he’s also a Conn Smythe winner, two time Norris winner, 4 time all star, two time Winter Olympic gold medalist, and most impressive of all, first team all decade team for the 2010s. It's safe to say Keith could be a lock for the 2025 Hockey Hall Of Fame with a resume, unlike anyone else. There’s a chance Keith could solidify his place in the Hall Of Fame with simply his three Stanley Cups, and one Conn Smythe, but his other amazing career achievements are nothing to look past. Keith is arguably a household name when it comes to defensemen in the 2010s, being named one of the NHL’s 100 greatest players of all time, so it's safe to say we are going to see the three time Stanley Cup champion in the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 2025.
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