Top Female Candidates For Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame has been inducting female hockey players since 2010, yet somehow only five players have been so honoured:

• 2010 - Angela James (Canada)
• 2010 - Cammi Granato (USA)
• 2013 - Geraldine Heaney (Canada)
• 2015 - Angela Ruggeiro (USA)
• 2017 - Danielle Goyette (Canada)

The same group of NHL-centric hockey experts decides the women's fate, even though they are not usually all that knowledgeable on the women's game. There should be a separate committee for the women, but that's for another article. 

Let's look at some of the top female candidates for enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Jennifer Botterill
Eligible Since: 2014
NCAA Stats: 113GP - 157G - 183A - 340P / 3.01PPG
Team Canada Stats: 61GP - 30G - 44A - 74P / 1.21PPG
N/CWHL Stats: 164GP - 128G - 144A - 308P / 1.88PPG
Awards: Olympic Silver (1998), Olympic Gold (2002, 06, 10) World Championship Gold (1999, 200, 1, 04, 07), World Championship Silver (2005, 08, 09)

Jennifer Botterill was a key member of every team she played on and was always an offensive leader.  She averaged 3 points per game in the NCAA, almost 2 points per game in league play, and over a point in international play. As a star player for Harvard University, she was the only player to win the Patty Kazmaier Award, NCAA women’s hockey MVP, twice.

Jayna Hefford
Eligible Since: 2017
CIS Stats: 12GP - 23G - 11A - 34P / 2.83PPG
Team Canada Stats: 86GP - 53G - 60A - 113P / 1.31PPG
N/CWHL Stats: 329GP - 352G - 284A - 636P / 1.93PPG
Awards: World Championship Gold (1997, 99, 2000, 01, 04, 07, 12), Olympic Silver (1998), Olympic Gold (2002, 06, 10, 14), World Championship Silver (2005, 08, 09, 11, 13)

With Hayley Wickenheiser and Florence Schelling not yet eligible for consideration, Jayna Hefford has probably the strongest resume among the ladies.  A player for the Brampton Thunder since 1998, Hefford has been a mainstay in the original NWHL, the CWHL and Hockey Canada. Her all-time points total in the original NWHL is almost 300 points above her nearest competitor. Add in her international career which was highlighted with one of the most famous goals in Canadian Olympic hockey history, and it's amazing she was inducted last year.

Karyn Bye-Dietz
Eligible Since: 2005
Team USA Stats: 51GP - 47G - 37A - 84P / 1.65PPG
Awards: World Championships Silver (1992, 94, 97, 99, 2000, 01), Olympic Gold (1998), Olympic Silver (2002), IIHF Hall of Fame (2011), USA Hockey Hall of Fame (2014)

An IIHF Hall of Fame member since 2011, Bye-Dietz was an early star for USA Hockey’s women’s team, sharing the scoring lead with Hall of Famer Cammi Granato in 1998 as they won the gold medal. She has been working with the Minnesota Wild in retirement. 

Manon Rheaume
Eligible Since: 2012
IIHF Stats: 30GP - 1.65GAA - .903sv%
Awards: World Championship Gold (1992, 94), Olympic Silver (1998)

Most well known for playing pre-season games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992/93, Rheaume spent her life trying to play at the highest tier possible. She became the first woman to play Major Junior hockey, playing a game with the QMJHL’s Trois-Rivières Draveurs. After exhibition games with the Lightning Rheaume played 24 games for several IHL teams, and stopped playing in minor men’s leagues in 1997, but continued to play in exhibition games and tended net for women’s teams, going to the Clarkson Cup with Minnesota in 2009 before falling to Montreal.

Kim Martin Hasson
Eligible Since: 2018
NCAA Stats: 99GP - 1.53GAA - 0.942sv%
Team Sweden Stats: 129GP - 2.65GAA - 0.917sv%
Awards: Olympic Bronze (2002), World Championship Bronze (2005, 07), Swedish player of the year (2004), Olympic Silver (2006), Olympic Best Goaltender (2006), NCAA Championship (2008), SDHL Champion (2014, 2015)

Kim Martin Hasson was the goalie for the Swedish women’s Olympic team that won silver in 2006, the only European women‘s hockey team to win an Olympic medal better than bronze. Four years earlier, at the age of 16, she led Sweden to their first bronze medal. 

Maria Rooth
Eligible Since: 2013
NCAA Stats: 124GP - 119G - 113A - 132Pts / 1.07 PPG
Team Sweden Stats: 181GP - 80G - 83A - 166Pts / 0.92 PPG
Awards: NCAA Championship (2001, 02, 03), Olympic Bronze (2002), World Championship Bronze (2005, 07), Swedish player of the year (2005), Olympic Silver (2006), SDHL Champion (2009)

Maria Rooth was the top scorer for Sweden’s “Mirakel” team in 2006, leading her team in both goals and assists. She still holds the University of Minnesota-Duluth‘s all-time record for goals scored. She’s already a member of the IIHF Hall of Fame.