Since 2010, only nine women have been inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame despite 24 openings coming and going. Here are 10 women who should already be in the Hall.

As the June date to announce another cohort of inductees for the Hockey Hall of Fame approaches, it's again time to look at the women who belong in the Hall of Fame and continue to be excluded.

The Hockey Hall of Fame first inducted women in 2010 when the organization announced the selection of Angela James and Cammi Granato. Two positions were allotted for women to be inducted each year, meaning that by now, the Hall of Fame should have included 24 women.

Rather, this number sits at only nine, with no women being selected in numerous induction classes despite the fact there is an overwhelmingly larger number of worthy women waiting to be inducted. No woman has ever been inducted to the builder category.

Here is a look at 10 women who should already be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, two of whom will hopefully hear their names announced in 2023.

1. Fran Rider

Perhaps no injustice in the exclusion of women from the Hockey Hall of Fame is greater than the absence of Fran Rider. Without Rider, there would not have been a 1990 World Championships, nor would women have played at the 1998 Olympics. Long before that, Rider launched the Canadian national championships in 1982, and has been the stabilizing and driving force behind the Ontario Women's Hockey Association, and the push to have women's hockey sanctioned and supported both in Canada and globally. There are currently nine women in the Hockey Hall of Fame who all owe a portion of their career success to Rider. She belongs in the builder category, where she was inducted by the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2015, because Rider exemplifies what it means to build the game, including in the face of resistance from many of the men already enshrined in the Hall.

2. Caroline Ouellette

How Caroline Ouellette remains out of the Hall of Fame remains a mystery. She has won four Olympic gold medals and six World Championship gold. Playing for Canada from 1999 until 2018 Ouellette's national team career spanned decades, including a stint as national team captain. A former NCAA champion and All-American with Minnesota-Duluth, a two-time CWHL MVP with the Montreal Stars, and four-time Clarkson Cup champion, Ouellette's resume is padded beyond what men getting into the Hall could dream of achieving. In 79 Olympic and World Championship games, Ouellette recorded just under 100 points to make her one of the best forwards in national team history, and in addition to her gold, Ouellette has six World Championship silver medals. She will be inducted to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2023.

3. Jennifer Botterill

The only two-time Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the NCAA’s top player in history while at Harvard, Botterill's excellence has been on display at every level. She won three Olympic and five World Championship gold medals during her career with Canada, along with another four silver medals. The 2003-2004 World Championship MVP, Botterill also played for Toronto and Mississauga in the NWHL and CWHL, winning an NWHL title in 2004-2005. Internationally she is one of Canada’s all-time leading scorers.

4. Hilda Ranscombe

Watching the Hockey Hall of Fame recognize men's builders including Willie O'Ree and Herb Carnegie, it's time another historic hockey name was honored. That person is Hilda Ranscombe. Inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, Ranscombe captained the famed Preston Rivulettes, and was considered the best women's hockey player in the world throughout her career. Through the 1930s, Ranscombe dominated women’s hockey winning ten Ontario provincial championships and six national titles as the leading scorer of the Rivulettes. That number would have been higher if socioeconomic constraints had not limited the Rivulettes from travelling to play for additional titles. During her decade of dominance, the Rivulettes lost only twice. If not for Ranscombe, doors would have remained closed, and antiquated gender roles adhered to by many. 

5. Meghan Duggan

Olympic gold medallist, seven-time world champion, Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner, captain of Team USA, three-time NCAA champion, and Clarkson Cup champion. There is no level Meghan Duggan has not dominated, and her absence from then Hockey Hall of Fame cannot be attributed to a lack of accomplishment or greatness. If Duggan were a man, the Hall would have rolled out the red carpet years ago considering she has not played since 2018. The impact Duggan left at the NCAA, CWHL, NWHL, and international levels is difficult to match. 

6. Vicky Sunohara 

One of the original superstars of women's hockey in the 1990s, Sunohara won two Olympic gold medals and seven World Championship gold with Canada. Her early impact as a leading member of Canada’s first-ever World Championship and Olympic rosters is undeniable. One of the top players throughout her era, and in Canadian international history, Sunohara should be in the Hall. 

7. Cassie Campbell  

Cassie Campbell is one of the most recognizable names in hockey for a reason. Inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, Campbell broke the gender barrier for the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame as the first woman's hockey player. She won a pair of Olympic gold medals and was a six-time world champion while playing for her country. In 2012, Campbell was awarded the Order of Hockey in Canada, and in 2016, was given the Order of Canada. Since ending her career, Campbell has since served as a hockey broadcaster, working with Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet, and TSN. She is one of the most recognizable, and impactful women in the history of the sport, and deserves to be in the Hall one day.

8. Maria Rooth

Whether it's Maria Rooth or fellow Swede Erika Holst, the lack of European representation for women in the Hockey Hall of Fame is a point that needs rectifying. The first European, Riikka Sallinen was inducted last year. As the current generation retires, there will be a plethora of worthy names, but the historic drivers of the game also deserve their spot. Rooth has an Olympic silver and bronze, as well as two World Championship bronze medals on her resume. She was also named an All-Star at both tournaments. Rooth was also a three-time All-American with Minnesota-Duluth before spending a decade captaining Sweden's national team. Inducted to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2015, Rooth's place in the Hockey Hall of Fame is overdue.

9. Julie Chu

Nine gold for Chu. Do you need more? A four-time Olympic medallist and five-time World Championship gold winner, Chu also won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the NCAA’s best player while starring for Harvard, and was a four-time All-American. Following the NCAA, Chu won a pair of Clarkson Cup titles with the Montreal Stars and was the first-ever Asian American to compete for the USA’s women’s national team. Was also the 2007 USA Women's Hockey Player of the Year. Chu is deserving of her spot in the Hall of Fame.

10. Karyn Bye

Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2011, Bye is one of the all-time leading scorers in women’s international play representing the USA. A two-time USA Hockey Women 's Player of the Year Award, Bye was a force before women's hockey players got the media attention they receive today. She's her era's Hilary Knight, winning an Olympic gold medal and six World Championship silvers. She's one of the greatest American's ever to play the game.

Other candidates to consider: Natalie Darwitz, Erika Holst, Sami Jo Small, Monique Lamoureux-Morando, Carla MacLeod, Krissy Wendell, Dawn McGuire, Cindy Curley, Yekaterina Smolentseva.

Future First Ballot Hall of Famers

The future is even more secure for a group of surefire Hall of Fame members. Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, Jenni Hiirikoski, Brianna Decker, and Noora Raty who should all be first-year eligible inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame.