The New Jersey Devils have had many elite players come through since their arrival in 1982. That was especially true in the nine-year span that saw them win 3 Stanley Cups. Those days were built on goaltending and defense, but they had plenty of forwards who were capable of putting up big offensive numbers.

One of them, Patrik Elias, is the only forward to have his number retired by the organization. Elias was there for the second and third championships, and he had 403 goals with 617 assists for 1025 points in 1240 games played. None of that offense was at the expense of defense, which made him the perfect offensive star for that era of Devils hockey. 

On Monday, the league is going to announce its Class of 2026 for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Patrik Elias is one of the most notable forwards eligible who isn’t in. He has been on the ballot for a long time now, and this year is the year to make it happen. 

Patrice Bergeron is a lock to headline the class, and other greats like Phil Kessel, Henrik Zetterberg, Rod Brind’Amour, and Eric Staal are available, but Elias is deserving to go in 2026 after many years of waiting.

Elias isn’t only someone who represents the Devils, he is also one of the greatest Czech-born players of all time. Jaromir Jagr is the gold standard when it comes to Czechia, but Elias is in the conversation. Lots of kids from that country would cite him as a reason they became hockey players. 

There are some truly elite players retiring and going to be Hall of Famers within the next couple of years, so now is the best chance for Elias to get in without it being too crowded. The results will be revealed on Monday at 2 PM. In the United States, it can be seen on NHL Network, and in Canada, on TSN. 

UPDATE:

Patrik Elias will not be a part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class. Instead, the inductees are:

Brian Burke (builder)

Patrice Bergeron

Cindy Curley

Carey Price

Pekka Rinne

Keith Tkachuk

This is an incredibly strong Hall of Fame class, despite Patrik Elias not being there. He will have to wait another year to see if he is finally enshrined. 

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