Bergeron, Brind'Amour, Price among candidates for Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026

The Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee meets Monday to vote on the Class of 2026, with an announcement to follow in the afternoon. 

The list of candidates is long, led by a six-time Selke Trophy winner in his first year of eligibility, an Olympic gold-medal winning goalie in his second year of eligibility, and the fourth person to win the Stanley Cup as a captain and coach of the same franchise.

So, who are the top candidates to become Hall of Famers next year? 

Of note, the Hall of Fame bylaws allow the selection of four male and two female inductees per year. To be eligible, they can't have played in a professional or international hockey game in any of the three previous seasons. The Hall can elect up to two inductees in the Builder's category, or one if someone is elected in the referee or linesperson category.

Here are the top first-year candidates who are eligible for induction (alphabetically by last name) with information from their Hall of Fame resume:

Patrice Bergeron

• Center played his entire 20-year career with the Boston Bruins from 2003-23, scoring 1,040 points (427 goals, 613 assists in 1,294 games
• Won the Stanley Cup in 2011, and played in the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019
• Had 128 points (50 goals, 78 assists) in 170 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 23 games in the 2011 playoffs
• Record six-time winner of the Selke Trophy awarded annually to the best defensive forward in the NHL
• Winner of the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2020-21, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community in 2012-13, and the NHL Foundation Player Award in 2013-14
• Represented Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal each time
• Gold-medalist with Canada in the 2004 IIHF World Championship, 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship, 2012 Spengler Cup and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
• Leading scorer (13 points) and MVP of the 2005 World Juniors
• Hall of Fame comparable: Pavel Datsyuk

Phil Kessel

• Forward played for the Boston Bruins (2006-09), Toronto Maple Leafs (2009-15), Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-19), Arizona Coyotes (2019-22) and Vegas Golden Knights (2022-23) in a 17-year career
• Had 992 points (413 goals, 579 assists) in 1,286 games, including an NHL-record ironman streak of 1,064 games
• Three-time Stanley Cup champion (2016 and 2017 with the Penguins, 2023 with the Golden Knights)
• Winner of the Masterton Trophy in 2006-07 for perseverance and dedication to the game
• Represented the United States in the Olympics in 2010 and 2014, helping the U.S. earn a silver medal in 2010 and was named the best forward in the tournament in 2014, when he had five goals and eight points in six games
• Hall of Fame comparable: Joe Mullen

Eric Staal

• Played for the Carolina Hurricanes (2003-16), New York Rangers (2016), Minnesota Wild (2016-20), Buffalo Sabres (2020), Montreal Canadiens (2020-21) and Florida Panthers (2022-23)
• Won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006
• Had 1,063 points, including 455 goals, in 1,356 games
• Carolina's all-time leader in goals (322), assists (453) and points (775)
• Had his No. 12 retired by the Hurricanes on Jan. 12, 2025
• Played in the NHL All-Star Game six times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2020)
• Captain for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which did not include players active in the NHL at the time
• Hall of Fame comparable: Daniel Sedin

Here are the top candidates who have previously been eligible for induction:

Rod Brind'Amour

• Forward played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues (1989-91), Philadelphia Flyers (1991-2000) and Carolina Hurricanes (2000-10)
• Captain and Stanley Cup champion with the Hurricanes in 2006
• Two-time winner of the Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the best defensive forward in the NHL (2005-06, 2006-07)
• Had 1,184 points (452 goals, 732 assists) in 1,484 games
• Stanley Cup winning coach of the Hurricanes this season (Note: Coaches are honored in the Builder's category)
• Had his No. 17 retired by the Hurricanes on Feb. 18, 2011
• Hall of Fame comparable: Marian Hossa

Julie Chu

• Forward and one of the most decorated U.S. women's players of all time
• Four-time Olympic medalist (silver in 2002, 2010 and 2014; bronze in 2006)
• Five-time gold medalist at the IIHF Women's World Championship (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013)
• Four-time silver medalist at the IIHF Women's World Championship (2001, 2004, 2007, 2012)
• Three-time All-American at Harvard University
• Finished her career at Harvard as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's hockey with 284 points (record surpassed in 2011)
• Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the top player in women's college hockey in 2006-07
• Two-time winner of the Clarkson Cup (2010, 2011)
• Clarkson Cup Most Valuable Player (2010)
• Hall of Fame comparable: Brianna Decker

Vincent Damphousse

• Forward played for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1986-91), Edmonton Oilers (1991-92), Montreal Canadiens (1992-99) and San Jose Sharks (1999-2004)
• Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens in 1993
• Tied for 44th all-time with 773 assists, the most of all eligible players not in the Hall of Fame
• Had 1,205 points (432 goals, 773 assists) in 1,378 games played
• Hall of Fame comparable: Pierre Turgeon

Meghan Duggan

• Captained the United States to an Olympic gold medal in 2018
• Silver-medalist and U.S. captain at the Olympics in 2010 and 2014
• Seven-time gold medal winner at the IIHF Women's World Championship (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• Silver medalist at the 2007 World Championship
• Played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin, winning the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2010-11
• Hall of Fame comparable: Natalie Darwitz

Patrik Elias

• Forward played his entire NHL career with the New Jersey Devils from 1995-2016
• Holds the Devils all-time records for goals (408), assists (617) and points (1,025) in the regular season, and goals (45), assists (80) and points (125) in the playoffs
• Two-time Stanley Cup champion (2000, 2003)
• Had his No. 26 retired by the Devils on Feb. 24, 2018
• Hall of Fame comparable: Marian Hossa

Theo Fleury

• Forward played for Calgary Flames (1988-99), Colorado Avalanche (1999), New York Rangers (1999-2002), and  Chicago Blackhawks (2002-03)
• Stanley Cup champion with the Flames in 1989
• Had 1,088 points (455 goals, 633 assists) in 1,084 games
• Hall of Fame comparable: Mark Recchi

Ryan Getzlaf

• Forward spent his entire 17-year career with the Anaheim Ducks (2005-22)
• Led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup championship in 2007
• Anaheim's all-time leader in regular season games played (1,157), assists (737) and points (1,019), and playoff games played (125), goals (37), assists (83) and points (120)
• Had the seventh most points and fifth most assists in the NHL from 2005-22
• Won Olympic gold with Canada in 2010 and 2014
• Won gold at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 and at the 2005 World Juniors
• Hall of Fame comparable: Daniel Alfredsson

Sergei Gonchar

• Defenseman played in the NHL for the Washington Capitals (1994-2004), Boston Bruins (2004), Pittsburgh Penguins (2005-10), Ottawa Senators (2010-13), Dallas Stars (2013-14) and Montreal Canadiens (2014-15)
• Won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009
• Had 811 points (220 goals, 591 assists) in 1,301 regular-season games
• Had 90 points (22 goals, 68 assists) in 141 playoff games
• Two-time Olympic medalist representing Russia (1998, Silver; 2002, Bronze)
• Hall of Fame comparable: Sergei Zubov

Curtis Joseph

• Goalie played for the St. Louis Blues (1989-95), Edmonton Oilers (1995-98), Toronto Maple Leafs (1998-2002, 2008-09), Detroit Red Wings (2002-04), Phoenix Coyotes (2005-07) and Calgary Flames (2007-08)
• Has 454 NHL wins, more than Hall of Fame goalies Terry Sawchuk (445), Jacques Plante (437), Tony Esposito (423), Glenn Hall (407), Grant Fuhr (403) and Dominik Hasek (389)
• King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner for the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community in 1999-2000
• Hall of Fame comparable: Tom Barrasso

Claude Lemieux

• Forward played for the Montreal Canadiens (1983-90), New Jersey Devils (1990-95, 1999-2000), Colorado Avalanche (1995-1999), Phoenix Coyotes (2000-03), Dallas Stars (2003) and San Jose Sharks (2008-09)
• Four-time Stanley Cup champion (1986 with the Canadiens, 1995 and 2000 with the Devils, 1996 with the Avalanche)
• Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player of the playoffs in 1995
• Ninth all-time in goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (80)
• Tied for 27th all time in playoff points (158)
• Fifth all-time in playoff games played (234)
• Known as one of the fiercest postseason competitors in NHL history
• Played all or parts of 21 NHL seasons, and had 786 points (379 goals, 407 assists) in 1,215 games
• Hall of Fame comparable: Bob Pulford

Patrick Marleau

• Forward played for the San Jose Sharks (1997-2017, 2019-20, 2020-21), Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-19) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2020)
• NHL's all-time leader in games played with 1,779
• Is 25th all-time in goals with 566; the 24 players in front of him are either in the Hall of Fame or likely will be (Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos)
• Had his No. 12 retired by the Sharks on Feb. 25, 2023
• Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2010 and 2014
• Gold at the 2003 World Championship and 2004 World Cup of Hockey
• Hall of Fame comparable: Joe Thornton

Ryan Miller

• Goalie played for the Buffalo Sabres (2002-14), St. Louis Blues (2014), Vancouver Canucks (2014-17) and Anaheim Ducks (2017-21)
• Ranks 16th all-time in wins (391) and 20th in games played (796)
• Career 2.64 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and 44 shutouts
• Vezina Trophy winner as best goalie in the NHL in 2009-10, and NHL Foundation Player Award winner in 2009-10
• Silver medalist representing the United States at the 2010 Olympics
• Had his No. 30 retired by the Sabres on Jan. 19, 2023
• Hall of Fame comparable: Henrik Lundqvist

Bernie Nicholls

• Forward played for the Los Angeles Kings (1981-90), New York Rangers (1990-91), Edmonton Oilers (1991-93), New Jersey Devils (1993-94), Chicago Blackhawks (1994-96) and San Jose Sharks (1996-99)
• Has the most points (1,209) of eligible players not yet in the Hall of Fame
• One of four players in NHL history to score 70 goals and 150 points in the same season
• Had 475 goals and 734 assists in 1,127 games
• Hall of Fame comparable: Luc Robitaille

Carey Price

• Goalie played his entire 15-season NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens (2007-22)
• Montreal's all-time leader in wins with 361 in 712 games
• One of five goalies in NHL history to win the Vezina Trophy and the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player to his team in the same season (2014-15)
• Had a 2.51 GAA, .917 save percentage and 49 shutouts
• Helped Montreal reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021
• Olympic gold medalist representing Canada in 2014
• Backstopped Canada to a gold medal at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
• Led Canada to the gold medal at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship
• Hall of Fame comparable: Henrik Lundqvist

Tuukka Rask

• Goalie played his entire NHL career with the Boston Bruins (2007-22)
• Boston's all-time leader with 308 wins and 564 games played
• Had the best GAA (2.28) and second-best save percentage (.921) among goalies who played at least 200 games from 2009-22
• Finished career with 52 shutouts
• Won the Stanley Cup as the backup to Tim Thomas in 2011
• Led the Bruins back to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019 as the starter
• Went 57-46 with a 2.22 GAA and .925 save percentage in 104 playoff games
• Hall of Fame comparable: Tom Barrasso

Pekka Rinne

• Goalie played his entire 15-season career with the Nashville Predators (2008-21)
• Nashville's all-time leader in every major statistical category for goalies with 369 wins, a 2.43 GAA, .917 save percentage and 60 shutouts in 683 games
• Tied for seventh in GAA and tied for fifth in save percentage among goalies with 500 games played
• Won the Vezina Trophy as the League's best goalie in 2017-18, and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community in 2020-21
• Had his No. 35 retired by the Predators on Feb. 24, 2022
• Hall of Fame comparable: Henrik Lundqvist

Jason Spezza

• Forward played for the Ottawa Senators (2002-14), Dallas Stars (2014-19) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2019-22)
• Had 995 points (363 goals, 632 assists) in 1,248 games, including 687 points (251 goals, 436 assists) in 686 games with the Senators
• Ottawa's second all-time leading scorer behind Hall of Fame forward Daniel Alfredsson (1,108 points in 1,178 games)
• Won gold with Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Championship
• Hall of Fame comparable: Daniel Alfredsson

Shannon Szabados

• Two-time Olympic gold winner with Canada (2010, 2014)
• Named top goaltender at the 2010 Olympics
• Olympic silver medalist in 2018, when she was named the top goalie of the tournament
• Played college hockey on the men's team at MacEwan University in Alberta
• Trailblazer as the first female to compete in the Brick Novice Tournament in Edmonton, and the first female goalie to compete in the Western Hockey League, the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the Southern Professional Hockey League
• Hall of Fame comparable: Kim St-Pierre

Tim Thomas

• Played 426 games with the Boston Bruins (2002-12), Florida Panthers (2013-14) and Dallas Stars (2014)
• Was 214-145-49 with a 2.52 GAA, .920 save percentage and 31 shutouts in 426 games
• Won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs with the Bruins in 2011, when he went 16-9 with a 1.98 GAA, .940 save percentage and four shutouts in 25 games
• Two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy (2008-09, 2010-11)
• Won the William Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL (2008-09)
• Among goalies who played in at least 200 games from 2006-12 he was tied for the best save percentage in the NHL (.922), ninth in GAA (2.44), eighth in wins (181), fifth in shutouts (30) and 10th in games played (336)
• Hall of Fame comparable: Mike Vernon

Keith Tkachuk

• Forward played for the Winnipeg Jets (1991-96), Phoenix Coyotes (1996-2001), St. Louis Blues (2001-07, 2007-10), Atlanta Thrashers (2007)
• His 538 goals are second most of all eligible players not already in the Hall of Fame behind Patrick Marleau
• Had 1,065 points in 1,201 games
• Gold medal representing the United States at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey
• Hall of Fame comparable: Jeremy Roenick

Justin Williams

• Forward played for the Philadelphia Flyers (2000-04), Carolina Hurricanes (2004-09, 2017-20), Los Angeles Kings (2009-15) and Washington Capitals (2015-17)
• Three-time Stanley Cup champion with Carolina in 2006 and Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014
• Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2014
• Had 102 points (41 goals, 61 assists) in 162 playoff games, including eight game-winning goals
• His teams went 8-1 in Game 7s
• Had 797 points (320 goals, 477 assists) in 1,264 regular season games
• Hall of Fame comparable: Bernie Federko

Henrik Zetterberg

• Forward played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings (2002-18)
• Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2008
• Fifth in Red Wings history in goals (337), assists (623) and points (960)
• Won the NHL Foundation Player award in 2012-13 and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2014-15
• Won gold with Sweden at the 2006 Olympics and the 2006 World Championship
• IIHF Triple Gold Club member
• Hall of Fame comparable: Pavel Datsyuk

Here is one candidate for the Builder's category:

Fran Rider

• Organized the World Women's Hockey Tournament in 1987, which was a predecessor to the IIHF Women's World Championship beginning in 1990, which she also helped organize
• Actively pushed for women's hockey to be included in the Olympics, which happened in 1998
• First female builder to receive the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2017
• Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2015
• Received the Order of Canada in 2015
• First recipient of Hockey Canada's Female Breakthrough Award in 1998
• First executive director of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association, which debuted in 1975. Seven years later, she became the president and CEO of the OWHA, which joined Hockey Canada, allowing Rider to join Hockey Canada's Female Council
• Hall of Fame comparable: None