Opinion: Using the 2 spots allocated to women’s hockey should be the standard for the Hockey Hall of Fame

Despite having two spots per class available for women’s hockey in the Hockey Hall of Fame those two spots have only been used once and it’s time for the selection committee to step up and induct more women.

Being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious honours in the sport yet the selection committee hasn’t done enough to give many women’s hockey players their due.

The Hockey Hall of Fame allows for up to two women to be inducted into the hall each year, a number that has only been hit once back in 2010 when Angela James and Cammi Granato were the first two women’s hockey players to be inducted.

James and Granato are two of the nine women who’ve been inducted. The other seven are Geraldine Heaney, Angela Ruggiero, Danielle Goyette, Jayna Hefford, Hayley Wickenheiser, Kim St-Pierre, and Riikka Sallinen. All nine are worthy names but there should be more than just these nine incredible players.

The selection committee cannot repeat mistakes of years past and not utilize both of the slots available for women to be inducted. If the selection committee chose to use the two spots for women each year there’d be 24 women in the hall of fame and since Granato and James went in there have been four years where there wasn’t a woman inducted, despite there being at least one deserving candidate in each of those four years.

As we gear up for the 2023 class to be announced on June 21 there are plenty of women who are slam dunk candidates that should be in. The likes of Caroline Ouellette, Julie Chu, Meghan Duggan, Maria Rooth, Jenny Potter, Jennifer Botterill, Natalie Darwitz, Cassie Campbell, and Vicky Sunohara are just some of the notable names that aren’t in and this list will grow as more players become eligible.

This list will keep getting longer if the selection committee doesn’t get their priorities straight. When Meghan Agosta and Shannon Szabados officially hang them up they should get the call. Then there’s the dilemma with active players like Marie-Philip Poulin, Noora Räty, Jenni Hiirikoski, and Hilary Knight deserving to be first ballot Hall of Famers and are in the latter stages of their careers.

The hall of fame debates in sports are always fascinating and with proper investment in women’s hockey we’ll be able to have these debates. However, when the players being left out are egregious snubs these debates aren’t something we can have as fans because it’s not due to a lack of opportunities or on ice performance that many of these women aren’t in the Hockey Hall of Fame but rather the performance of the selection committee when it comes to the voting process.

Ouellette should’ve been a first ballot inductee last year. The former Team Canada captain won four Olympic gold medals, six World Championships, two CWHL MVP’s, and four Clarkson Cup’s. The IIHF Hall of Fame shouldn’t be the only one she’s inducted to this season. Ouellette is the biggest snub from the Hall of Fame but many of these women should’ve been inducted years ago. Botterill has been eligible since 2014 and should have gotten in then, especially when every class since then hasn’t used both spots that are allocated to women.

Duggan dominated at every level she’s played at and captained Team USA to an Olympic gold medal in 2018. Campbell and Sunohara were some of Team Canada’s best players and trailblazers for women’s hockey. Sallinen will be the first of many Europeans to get into the Hall of Fame with many deserving candidates who are both eligible or are active players.

There’s an abundance of deserving candidates for the Hockey Hall of Fame in women’s hockey.

Using the two spots should be the standard for the selection committee. Too many women who have been snubbed from the hall that should be showcasing the greatness across all aspects of hockey.