Doug Wilson, Kevin Lowe Prove It’s Never Too Late For Hockey Hall Of Fame Honor

It’s been 27 years since he retired as a NHL player, but Doug Wilson was finally selected for … [+] induction in the Hockey Hall of Fame. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Hang in there, Alexander Mogilny.

And Daniel Alfredsson, there’s no way your patience should be even the slightest bit thinner.

There’s no limit to the amount of time a player eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame can be considered by the selection committee. Doug Wilson and Kevin Lowe proved that Wednesday, when they were announced as part of the 2020 class of inductees along with fellow players Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa and Kim St. Pierre, and long-time executive Ken Holland.

Lowe retired from the NHL in 1998 after playing 1,254 games in the regular season. The defenseman also skated in 214 Stanley Cup playoff games, which was fifth all-time when he retired. He was on six Cup champion teams, and although he didn’t rack up a lot of statistics or individual awards, he was always considered a veteran rock of his championship teams, including the five Cup-winners in Edmonton.

“I’ve never seen myself as a Hall of Famer,” Lowe said during a Hockey Hall of Fame conference call. “For me, the Hall of Fame was Bobby Orr, Jean Beliveau, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier. Although I know there are players of my ilk in the Hall of Fame and it’s a place for everyone, I don’t want to say I was disappointed in the years I didn’t get selected, but I certainly understood you have to put up more points, win awards. 

“My dream was always to win Stanley Cups and the Hall of Fame was something I never dreamed about.”

After waiting 22 years, Lowe probably never thought that call would come.

Of course, that was a short wait compared to his fellow defenseman Wilson, who retired from playing in 1993. Wilson couldn’t bear to hear the words from Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny MacDonald, so the former Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks star made MacDonald talk to his wife, Kathy

“It was a pleasant shock. That’s an understatement,” Wilson said during the conference call.

The Hockey Hall of Fame committee’s decision-making process is a clandestine affair during which we never get to know whose name comes up or why certain players never seem to make the cut. It’s hard to fathom why it took so long for Wilson to earn enshrinement.

He played in 1,024 regular-season games and had 827 points. He was a First or Second NHL All-Star three times, playing in seven All-Star Games and won the Norris Trophy in 1982. One has to imagine that the lack of a Stanley Cup championship on his resume was the only thing holding him back, but we’ll never know.

All we know is that the committee finally honored Wilson on Wednesday and the current general manager of the Sharks reacted humbly

“I’m not even a Hall of Famer in my own house, so joining this club means the world to me,” he said. “I would like to thank all of the people who have been so good to me in this game.”

Being a Hall of Fame defenseman takes a high level of patience and persistence. Lowe and Wilson showed both qualities during and after their playing days. They set a standard on the ice and now they’ve set a standard for the likes of Mogilny, Alfredsson, Tom Barrasso, Rod Brind’Amour, Curtis Joseph, Julie Chu and the rest of the players who haven’t been honored yet. They just have to hang in there and the committee will get to them eventually.