One of the latest drives for the Penguins has been to restart and put an emphasis on their Hall of Fame. Last year, a three-year class of inductees
was announced for 2025-27. In 2025 the Pens inducted Francis, Kevin Stevens, Scotty Bowman, and Eddie Johnston. This year, it's been announced that Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford and Jack McGregor will be celebrated before a game in November.
Thus, there is no question about who will be in next year's 2027 class. It will be Tom Barrasso, Jaromir Jagr, Chris Kunitz and Ray Shero joining the group.
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Past inductees of the Pens Hall are: Syl Apps, Les Binkley, Dave Burrows, Paul Coffey, Rick Kehoe, Mario Lemieux, Joe Mullen, Jean Provonost, Mark Recchi, Ulf Samuelsson as players. In the builders wing, there is Badger Bob Johnson, Craig Patrick and Jack Riley already in. Finally, a contributors wing for off-ice figures exists where Dr. Charles Burke, A.T. Caggiano, Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., Elaine Heufelder, Mike Lange, Vince Lascheid and Frank Scuilli are honored in addition to the new 2025-27 classes named above.
Who should be next after that?
The additions of Fleury and Kunitz punch a hole into entry being opened for players in the post-lockout era. There certainly is a lot to celebrate with three Stanley Cups and no shortage of candidates to consider for 2028 and beyond.
Phil Kessel– While Kessel only played four seasons in Pittsburgh, he was a driving force in two Stanley Cups. He's also a legend, so duh, he has a great case for enshrinement. Given how popular he remains, it's a no-brainer.
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Patric Hornqvist– It might not be as immediate as 2028, but Hornqvist is the perfect candidate for a team hall of fame. Six seasons, two Cups and a personality that everyone loved and he fits right into the franchise lore as a warrior and winner.
Sergei Gonchar– Probably the best 2009 candidate around now that Fleury and Kunitz are in and before naturally Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are up for the honors one day.
Alexei Kovalev– Kovalev scored 354 points in 365 games with Pittsburgh in the dead puck era. He wasn't a lifer and didn't win a Cup, but the vibes would be off the charts to induct a very popular player for a certain generation of Pens fans.
Martin Straka– With 442 points, Straka is the leading scorer among eligible players in franchise history who aren't yet in the team's HOF. Like Kovalev, this would be a hit for nostalgia for the Millennial era fans. Didn't win a Cup though, so there's that.
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Darius Kasparaitis– If Ulfie is in there, why not Kaspar? Like the above, there's no Cup success so it's not a shoo-in pick but the Game 7 OT goal lives on forever.
Ron Schock– Still among the top-20 in franchise scoring, Schock is a good pre-Mario candidate for the franchise that does tend to put a little shine on their first generation of players.
Dan Bylsma– All the Cup winning coaches and general managers are gaining entry, Bylsma has earned a place in Pens' lore for 2009.
Either way, it'll be exciting to see what direction the team goes in the years ahead. Eventually, I'd assume most if not all listed above will gradually trickle in as the team continues to honor their past.
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Players like Bryan Rust and even Jake Guentzel have good cases in the distant future when they're playing days are done. Every Cup-winning coach is in there, and Mike Sullivan has more than anyone so he too will likely one day be involved whenever his coaching career wraps up. The team's HOF is a nice gesture to honor the players that aren't quite up for a jersey retirement but still held key figures worth remembering during their ceremony and then at the arena to be able to revisit history.
"There's a lot of history, a lot of tradition here," Crosby said last year to put a bow on things. "We're pretty fortunate, the players who have come through here, the championships and everything else. I think it's pretty cool to see who's represented the team, who's part of this organization, and obviously, celebrate that, too."
