HHOF - Facts & Figures

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Facts & Figures


Honoured Members by the Numbers

illustration - Hockey Hall of Fame Induction facts and figures

The Toronto organization boasts the most Honoured Members with 62 – pictured are Inductees Teeder Kennedy, Turk Broda and Syl Apps.

Honoured Members Who Had The Induction Period Waived

The Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors eliminated the right of the Selection Committee to waive the mandatory three-year waiting period for Induction in the Player Category (except under certain humanitarian circumstances) in 1999, after Wayne Gretzky received such an honour.

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Wayne Gretzky dons his Honoured Member blazer.

Honoured Members Who Returned to the NHL as Players

1979 – Gordie Howe was inducted in 1972. He came out of retirement for the 1973–74 WHA season to play alongside his two sons, Marty and Mark. Gordie was a two–time WHA First Team All-Star and WHA MVP (1974) before returning to the NHL for one last season (1979–80) as a member of the Hartford Whalers.

1988 – Guy Lafleur was inducted in 1988. Guy played three additional seasons in the NHL, one with the Rangers and two with Nordiques, and tallied 52 goals over that period.

2000 – Mario Lemieux was inducted in 1997. Upon returning to the NHL, Mario won the Lester Patrick Trophy (2001), Olympic Gold Medal (2002), and averaged over one and a half points per game (more than any other player during that period).

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Gordie Howe flanked by sons Marty and Mark.

Honoured Members Elected in the Veteran Player Category

The Veteran Player Category was established in 1988 to provide a vehicle for players who may have been overlooked and whose chances for election would be limited when placed on the same ballot with contemporary players. Since its inception, 11 players have been elected in the Veteran Player Category, all of who are now deemed to be Honoured Members in the Player Category. On March 28, 2000, the Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors eliminated the Veteran Player Category.

*inducted posthumously

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Bobby Bauer, Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart were united in the Hockey Hall of Fame after Bauer and Dumart were inducted through the Veteran Player Category.

Honoured Members Elected in the Player Category Who Had Their Careers Tragically Cut Short & Inducted Posthumously

Hobey Baker (inducted in 1945) served as a US pilot during World War I. He survived the War but crashed and died while testing a new plane on December 21, 1918 at the age of 26.

Jack Darragh (inducted in 1962) succumbed to peritonitis in the summer of 1924 at the age of 33.

Scotty Davidson (inducted in 1950) enlisted for military service after World War I broke out in 1914 and was killed in Belgium on June 6, 1915. Davidson was 25.

Chuck Gardiner (inducted in 1945) died of a brain tumour at the height of his career on June 13, 1934 at the age of 29.

Joe Hall (inducted in 1961) and almost all of his teammates fell ill during the 1919 Stanley Cup Final, with a number of them requiring hospitalization. Everyone recovered except for Hall who contracted pneumonia as a result of the flu and died in hospital on April 5, 1919. He was 37.

Tim Horton (inducted in 1977) was killed in the morning of February 21, 1974, in a single-car crash while driving home to Buffalo after a game against Toronto in which he was named the game's third star. Horton was 44.

Valeri Kharlamov (inducted in 2005) was killed, along with his wife, in a tragic car accident on the highway between St. Petersburg and Moscow on August 27, 1981. Kharlamov was 33 years of age.

Howie Morenz (inducted in 1945) suffered a broken leg in a home game against the Black Hawks on January 28, 1937. It was generally agreed that the injury would end his career at the age of 34. A few weeks later, on March 8, the hockey world was stunned by the news of Morenz's death, brought on by complications related to his injury.

Terry Sawchuk (inducted in 1971) fell awkwardly on teammate Ron Stewart after some playful wrestling at a bar in New York. Sawchuk had to be rushed to hospital, where his gall bladder was removed, and just a month later he died from internal injuries at the age of 40.

Hod Stuart (inducted in 1945) traveled to Brockville, Ontario in the early summer of 1907 to oversee the construction of the Belleville Drill Shed, a job his father's company was contracted for. During a break from work, Stuart suffered a fatal injury when he struck his head on rocks while diving into the unfamiliar waters at the Bay of Quinte.

Georges Vezina (inducted in 1945) experienced great fatigue through training camp workouts prior to the 1925–26 season. Despite a high fever, he performed admirably in the Canadiens' season opener versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Vezina eventually was forced to retire from the game after being diagnosed with advanced tuberculosis. He passed away on March 27, 1926 at the age of 39.

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Aurele Joliat mourns the loss of teammate Howie Morenz.

Female Honoured Members

On March 31, 2009, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced that its by–laws had been amended to establish a new voting procedure in the player category that allows for an annual limit applicable to female candidates given the consensus among the Board that female candidates ought not to compete with male candidates for limited places of Honoured Membership. Since that time ten female players have achieved Honoured Member status.

In a milestone 2010 ceremony, Cammi Granato and Angela James were the first two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In a milestone 2010 ceremony, Cammi Granato and Angela James were the first two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Formal Induction Venues

The first formal induction took place on Saturday, September 5, 1959. Thirty–one of the thirty–four living members of the Hockey Hall of Fame attended a luncheon in the Queen Elizabeth Building at the CNE. Each was presented with the official HHOF crest.

September 5, 1959 Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto
September 8, 1960
August 26, 1961
August 25, 1962
August 24, 1963
August 29, 1964
August 28, 1965
August 27, 1966
September 2, 1967
June 11, 1968
August 21, 1969
August 27, 1970
August 26, 1971
August 24, 1972
August 23, 1973
August 22, 1974
August 28, 1975 Royal York Hotel, Toronto
August 26, 1976
August 25, 1977
September 13, 1978
September 12, 1979
September 8, 1980 Hotel Toronto
September 15, 1981 Westin Hotel, Toronto
September 8, 1982 Royal York Hotel, Toronto
September 22, 1983 Toronto Hilton
September 25, 1984 Royal York Hotel, Toronto
September 12, 1985 The Sheraton Centre, Toronto
September 10, 1986 Hotel Vancouver
June 15, 1987 Westin Hotel Renaissance Ballroom, Detroit, MI
September 7, 1988 Metro Convention Centre, Toronto
October 3, 1989 Metro Convention Centre, Toronto
September 24, 1990 Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto
September 23, 1991 Ottawa Congress Centre
September 21, 1992 Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
November 16, 1993 Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto
November 15, 1994
November 21, 1995
November 25, 1996
November 17, 1997
November 16, 1998
November 22, 1999
November 13, 2000
November 21, 2001
November 4, 2002
November 3, 2003
November 8, 2004
November 7, 2005
November 13, 2006
November 12, 2007
November 10, 2008
November 9, 2009
November 8, 2010
November 14, 2011
November 12, 2012
November 11, 2013
November 17, 2014
November 9, 2015
November 14, 2016
November 13, 2017
November 12, 2018
November 18, 2019
November 15, 2021 Meridian Hall, Toronto
November 14, 2022
November 13, 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto
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The first formal induction took place in 1959. All but Donald Bain, Frank Patrick and Senator Donat Raymond of the 34 living Honoured Members were present.