The man who helped create a period of success for the Detroit Red Wings is headed to hockey's pantheon.
Former Wings general manager Ken Holland, who is now with the Edmonton Oilers, was among six luminaries announced Wednesday as part of the 2020 class at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Holland was inducted in the builders' category. Going in as players are former Calgary Flames superstar Jarome Iginla, Slovakian-born forward Marian Hossa, defencemen Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson, and Team Canada women's goalie Kim St-Pierre.
"The Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these hockey legends as Honoured Members," said Hall of Fame Chairman Lanny McDonald in a statement. "Their contributions to the game of hockey are well documented and their election to the Hockey Hall of Fame is richly deserved."
Holland served as general manager of the Red Wings from 1997 to 2019. During that time, he built powerhouse teams that won three Stanley Cups and maintained a playoff streak that lasted 25 seasons. The Wings won 1,044 combined regular-season and playoff games during his tenure, more than any other NHL team.
Iginla scored 625 career goals for 1,300 points from 1996 to 2017, the first 15 with the Flames. Iginla also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and the Los Angeles Kings. He was also a three-time First Team All-Star and played for Team Canada in three Winter Olympics, winning gold medals in two of them. Iginla is the fourth black player to be awarded induction.
Hossa began his career with the Ottawa Senators, before moving on to Pittsburgh, Detroit, then the Chicago Blackhawks, where he won three Stanley Cups. Between 1996 and 2017, the winger scored 525 NHL goals for 1,134 points.
Lowe was part of the Edmonton Oilers' 1980s dynasty. Drafted by the Oilers in 1979, he won five Stanley Cups with them and picked up a sixth with the New York Rangers. From 1979 to 1998, Lowe scored 84 goals for 431 points and had 1,498 penalty minutes. He returned to the Oilers in 1999 as their head coach, running the bench for one season and guiding Edmonton to a first-round playoff exit.
Wilson was an offensive-minded blueliner over a career spanning 1977 to 1993, the first 14 seasons with Chicago, the rest with the San Jose Sharks. He scored 237 goals for 827 points and had 830 career penalty minutes. Since 2003, Wilson has been the Sharks' general manager.
St-Pierre grew up playing on boys' teams in Quebec, before backstopping the women's team at McGill University in Montreal. As the primary goalie for Team Canada's women's team, St. Pierre won three Olympic gold medals and five Women's World Championship gold medals. In October 2008, St-Pierre made history by serving as a practice goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, filling in for an ailing Carey Price.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for November 18 in Toronto.