Last month, the Hockey Hall of Fame unveiled its class of 2024, which consisted of five players — three in the male player category, two in the female player category — and two builders. Two of the male players, Pavel Datsyuk and Shea Weber, went in during their first year of eligibility. Jeremy Roenick had been eligible since 2012, or three years after he played his last official game as a professional with the 2008-09 San Jose Sharks. That’s a distinction that’s unique to the HHOF, because it takes into account players who continue to play professionally around the world, even after their NHL careers conclude.

So, for example, Datsyuk played five years in Russia after leaving the Detroit Red Wings following the 2015-16 season, which is why he wasn’t eligible for selection until this year. Jaromir Jagr, the NHL’s second all-time leading scorer, hasn’t played a game in the NHL since 2017-18, but he continues to play a handful of games every year for Kladno, the team he owns in Czechia. If Jagr finally stops playing this year, he’ll become eligible in 2027 — and he’ll be about as sure a thing as there is to a guaranteed first-ballot inductee.

That’s the thing about Hall of Fame debates. They generally aren’t too controversial at the top end.

GO DEEPER

How…

By: Eric Duhatschek, Hailey Salvian, Max Bultman and Lukas Weese

On Tuesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame revealed the newest members that will be enshrined among the sport’s legends. Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber, Jeremy Roenick, Krissy Wendell-Pohl, Natalie Darwitz, Colin Campbell and David Poile make up the 2024 class to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this November.

Of the seven names, five were players and two were builders. It is the first time since 2010 that two women are being inducted into the same Hockey Hall of Fame class.

Datsyuk played 14 NHL seasons, all with the Detroit Red Wings. During his career, he recorded 314 goals and 604 assists. Nicknamed the “Magic Man,” Datsyuk will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Shea Weber played 16 years in the NHL, 11 with the Nashville Predators and five with the Montreal Canadiens. Playing 1,038 career games, Weber tallied 224 goals and 365 assists. Weber, a two-time first-team All-Star, won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014 along with world championship gold in 2007.

Jeremy Roenick played for 20 seasons in the NHL and was a member of five different teams. Drafted No. 8 in 1988, Roenick began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks (1988 to 1996), before…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — For years, Luke Kunin watched as his girlfriend, then fiancée, then wife, Sophia, supported his career.

She was a shoulder to lean on when things got tough in Minnesota. Moved to Nashville when he was traded there. Was a constant during the toughest season of his pro career — last year with the San Jose Sharks, when he tore his ACL.

So Kunin can’t wait to walk into Xcel Energy Center — the arena where he began his NHL career as a Minnesota Wild rookie seven years ago — on Saturday with the shoe on the other foot. The 1 p.m. CDT game will be his first time watching Sophia play at the highest level in person, as she’ll take the ice with Minnesota’s Professional Women’s Hockey League team to face Boston in its regular-season finale ahead of next month’s playoffs.

“I’ll get to see what it’s all about,” Luke said. “I’ve watched her games on the internet all year — as much as I can with our schedule — but I think of all the things she’s sacrificed for me over the years so I can live out my dream. I can’t wait to be there to support her and watch her live her dream.”

Luke and Sophia Kunin’s relationship has helped them come through so much to arrive at this point. Meeting as teenagers. Watching each other excel in hockey….

Joonas Donskoi is retiring from the NHL after seven seasons, he announced via social media Sunday.

“After suffering multiple concussions over my career I’ve decided to retire from professional hockey,” Donskoi said in his statement. “It is extremely hard to let go of something you have put your whole life into, but at this point I know it’s the right decision for my own well being and future.”

Donskoi was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL Draft, later making his professional debut during the 2015-16 season. The forward spent his first four years with the Sharks, tallying 283 of his 474 career games, 45 goals and 77 assists.

The 31-year-old then played two years with the Colorado Avalanche and one final season with the Seattle Kraken. Donskoi missed all of last season after suffering his seventh concussion during a Kraken’s preseason game.

“Thank you San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken,” Donskoi said. “It was an honor to be part of these three world class organizations, cities and fanbases. To all my teammates, coaches, trainers, doctors, front offices, and fans: thank you for the best years of my life.”

He  ended his statement saying, “Thank you to my wife, Devin, I don’t know where I’d be without…