Last year, it was Joe Sakic, Adam Oates, Pavel Bure, and Mats Sundin that were welcomed to the Hockey Hall of Fame, with Brendan Shanahan the notable omission.
Tomorrow in Toronto, Shanahan will get another chance when the selection committee meets to decide this year’s crop of inductees.
Induction-eligible for the first time: defensemen Chris Chelios and Scott Niedermayer, both of whom are expected to get the nod.
Less certain among the first-timers: Rob Blake, Paul Kariya, Rod Brind’Amour, Keith Tkachuk, and Sergei Zubov.
Click here for the full list of first-timers, along with other eligible players that have yet to be inducted, including Phil Housley, Dave Andreychuk, and Tom Barrasso.
For what it’s worth, this would be my ballot: Shanahan, Chelios, Niedermayer and Brind’Amour.
Why Brind’Amour? Scored 1,184 points, played 1,484 games, won a Stanley Cup in 2006 when he captained the Hurricanes, and -- the kicker -- was awarded the Selke twice.