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Doug Wilson elected to Hockey Hall of Fame

On Wednesday afternoon, the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee announced the 2020 inductees and among them is Sharks general manager Doug Wilson. Wilson will be inducted during a ceremony tentatively scheduled for Nov. 16 in Toronto, Ontario, along with Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla, Kevin Lowe and Kim St-Pierre as players, and Ken Holland as a builder.

Though Sharks fans have become familiar with Wilson as general manager since 2003, older fans remember him as the team’s first-ever captain, coming over from the Chicago Blackhawks (who drafted Wilson sixth overall in 1977) prior to San Jose’s inaugural season. He spent just two seasons with the Sharks — compared to the 14 seasons with the Blackhawks — but made San Jose his home in retirement and executive career.

His achievements as a player are significant, winning the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defender in 1982 (along with four nominations), participating in eight All-Star Games (once with the Sharks) and totaling 827 points (237 goals, 590 assists) in 1024 NHL games. As Sean McIndoe of The Athletic pointed out earlier this week, Wilson was the only player to both win a Norris Trophy and finish in the top 25 all-time in defenseman scoring and not yet be in the Hall of Fame.

That’s not to say that Wilson hadn’t been recognized for his career prior to now. He’s been inducted to three regional Halls of Fame previously. His hometown Ottawa 67s of the Canadian Hockey League retired his No. 7 sweater and inducted him into the Ottawa Hall of Fame in 1998. The following year, he was inducted into the Chicago Hall of Fame for his illustrious career with the Blackhawks. His work in San Jose, primarily as the general manager, was commemorated with an induction in 2016.

You can read the full release here.

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