Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports
The Hockey Hall of Fame added former Calgary Flames star captain Jarome Iginla and longtime NHLer and broadcaster Ed Olczyk to its selection committee on Tuesday.
The new appointees replace Mike Gartner and David Branch, who have both served their full 15-year terms. Gartner will also transition to chair of the board in June 2025.
Having Iginla and Olczyk could be the difference between former NHL star sniper Alexander Mogilny getting into the Hockey Hall of Fame or being left and snubbed on the sidelines once again.
Hockey Hall of Fame announces new appointments to the Selection Committee.
Jarome Iginla & Eddie Olczyk join starting with the 2025 election proceedings.
Ron Francis will become Chair and Mike Gartner will become Chair of the Board.
Learn more ⬇️ https://t.co/S1Iiw4kypc
— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) November 12, 2024
Unlike most HHOF selection committee members, Iginla and Olczyk played against Mogilny over the years – and Mogilny piled up the points against them.
Olczyk and Mogilny faced off 26 times over their lengthy careers. Olczyk, who won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994, had six goals and 12 points against Mogilny’s clubs. Mogilny, who won the Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000 and the Lady Byng Trophy in 2002-03, had 14 goals and 28 points against Olczyk. That’s quite an impression to make on the ice.
Iginla had more games played, goals, assists, and points than Mogilny, but their stats against each other are almost as close as they get. Mogilny had 12 goals and 24 points in 23 games against Iginla, while the latter had 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points.
That experience could be enough to persuade Olczyk and Iginla not only to get behind Mogilny as an HHOF inductee but also to convince their fellow selection committee members to vote the same way.
As we’ve noted, the HHOF’s selection process is shrouded in mystery, and the selection committee is under no regulation to reveal its voting philosophy or full results. But when you have selection committee members who’ve gone nose-to-nose against each other, it might be the force needed to push a potential inductee across the finish line regarding the voting process.
Mogilny has been eligible for the HHOF for years now, and no authority figure has really explained why the Hall of Fame hasn’t honored him. That lack of transparency probably won’t change anytime soon, but at least Mogilny has more voters from his generation debating and discussing his direct impact on them when they were on the ice.
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From this writer’s perspective, Mogilny’s metrics should convince selection committee members to give him enough voting support for Hall of Fame induction. But the eye test from Olczyk and Iginla could and should underscore Mogilny’s all-around impact on the game.
There’s no guarantee Mogilny will get in, of course, but the arrival of more recent hockey figures in the voting process may be enough to get Mogilny into the hallowed halls of the HHOF.
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News Summary:
- Could Adding Iginla And Olczyk To The HHOF Selection Committee Help Mogilny's Case?
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.