ESPN named Washington Capitals Russian forward Alexandra Ovechkina one of two active hockey players who can become members of the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately after retiring.
Canadian Wayne Gretzky played his last NHL game in 1999, after which the selection committee announced that he would be the 10th player in league history not to wait three years after retirement to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The committee was concerned that eliminating the waiting period without reason would create a “god class.” It was then decided that the “quarantine” would only be lifted in “certain humanitarian circumstances”.
“If the exemption were still in effect, Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin would be among the best players of their generation,” the report states.
Ovechkin, 38, is the second-highest scorer in league history with 826 goals. According to this indicator, he is second only to Gretzky (894).
ESPN
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
