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Deep Blue Sea: Doug Wilson to be inducted into HHOF

Doug Wilson will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday, plus a successful Eichel surgery and waiver-wire news to start your weekend.

By Katherine Pitré
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Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Inductees (from left to right rear) Ken Holland, Kim St-Pierre, Kevin Lowe, Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa and Doug Wilson take part in a ceremonial face-off between Sean Monahan #23 of the Calgary Flames and John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena on November 12, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images

After 24 years of eligibility and a pandemic pause, San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson will finally be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, Nov. 15. Despite the wait, it seemed to be destiny; after all, Wilson wore the sweater number 24 throughout his career.

Doug Wilson is accompanied by Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre, and Ken Holland in the 2020 HHOF Induction Class.

Though Sharks fans have come to know him best as general manger, a role he’s held since 2003, but he had a 16-year flourishing NHL career before headlining the Sharks’ front office. Wilson was selected sixth overall in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, were he spent the majority of his career, playing 14 seasons and posting 779 points over 938 games for the franchise. His goals (225) and assists (779) are franchise records for defensemen, and he holds top-10 spots for games played (9th), assists (4th) and points (7th). In Chicago, his legacy lives on, as he was inducted into the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

He also won the Norris Memorial Trophy for the league’s best defender in the 1981-82 season while with Chicago. Shortly after, Wilson was traded to San Jose ahead of the Sharks’ inaugural season, where he spent his final two seasons as the franchise’s first-ever captain, retiring in 1993. He was also, notably, one of the last players to play in the NHL without a helmet.

Among all NHL defensemen, Doug Wilson ranks 12th with goals (237), 15th in points (827), and 18th in assists (590), throughout 1,024 regular-season games.

He was named general manager of the Sharks in 2003, and he’s held the position ever since, making him the second-longest tenured GM in the league.

When speaking about his induction into the Hall of Fame, Wilson said, “It was just such a privilege to play in this League, and for something like this to happen was beyond my wildest dreams ... I just look at it as, I was so fortunate to play in this League and with the guys that I did and have the experiences that I did. That’s just how I viewed the game and my journey.”

News & Notes

  • Sharks GM Doug Wilson reflects on journey to Hall of Fame as a star defenseman [The San Francisco Chronicle]
  • Down Goes Brown: Every Hockey Hall of Fame induction class, ranked [The Athletic]
  • San Jose Sharks: Six observations after six COVID-affected games [The Mercury News]
  • Sharks’ Karlsson says his wife, two-year-old daughter also contracted COVID [The Mercury News]

Blood in the Water

  • Coburn retires from NHL after 16 seasons [NHL.com]
  • Ovechkin passes Hull for fourth in all-time NHL goals with No. 742 [TSN]
  • The Capitals’ Zach Fucale shuts out Red Wings in his NHL debut [The Washington Post]
  • Vancouver Canucks’ Tucker Poolman suspended 2 games for high sticking [ESPN]
  • Instant analysis: Flyers waive Nic Aube-Kubel [Philly Sports Network]
  • Eichel disk surgery successful, Golden Knights say [NHL.com]
  • Stars’ Comeau, Kero, Preds’ Grimaldi placed on waivers [TSN]
  • Staal’s agent in touch with 3-4 teams as centre eyes return [TSN]

Scores & Recaps

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On the Schedule

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