Jaromir Jagr and Ryan Smyth will be among eight inductees into the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.
They will be honored at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia, from May 10-26, joining Natalie Darwitz, Kenny Jonsson, Igor Liba, Petteri Nummelin and Jaroslav Pouzar. Mel Davidson, a coach, assistant coach and general manager for Canada's women's national team, is going in as a builder.
Jagr, 51, played 24 seasons in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins (1991, 1992), won the Art Ross Trophy as the League's leading scorer five times (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), the Lester B. Pearson Award three times voted as most outstanding player by his peers (1999, 2000, 2006) and the 1999 Hart Trophy as most valuable player.
The Kladno, Czechia, native is second in NHL history with 1,921 points in 1,733 games, behind Wayne Gretzky (2,857) and fourth all-time with 766 goals, trailing Gretzky (894), Alex Ovechkin (830) and Gordie Howe (801). He's fifth in assists (1,155), last played in the NHL with the Flames in 2017-18 and is still competing professionally in Czechia as owner of his hometown Kladno Knights. He has four assists in nine games this season.
Internationally, Jagr played in five Olympic Games, winning gold in 1998 and bronze in 2006, and nine IIHF World Championships, winning gold in 2005 and 2010. He will be eligible for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame three years after retiring from professional hockey.
Smyth, 47, was named to the IIHF Hall in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented his induction until this year. The retired forward played 18 NHL seasons for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. The Banff, Alberta, native returned to Edmonton for his final three NHL seasons and had 842 points (386 goals, 456 assists) in 1,270 games. He competed at two Olympics (2002, 2006), winning gold in 2002, and won two gold medals (2003, '04) and a silver (2005) at Worlds.
Jonsson, 49, played 11 seasons as a defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Islanders. He had 267 points (63 goals, 204 assists) in 686 games, represented Sweden at three Olympic Games (1994, 2002, 2006), won gold in 1994 and 2006, and played in seven World Championships.
Pouzar, 71, played four seasons for the Oilers and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion (1984, 1985, 1987). The forward represented Czechoslovakia at two Olympic Games and six World Championships, winning gold in 1976 and 1977, silver in 1978, 1979 and 1981, and bronze in 1982.
Nummelin, 51, played three seasons for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. He had 45 points (nine goals, 36 assists) in 139 games. The native of Turku, Finland played in 15 World Championships and the 2006 Turin Olympics, winning silver. He won gold at the 1995 World Championship, sliver in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, and bronze in 2000 and 2006.
Liba, 63, played one season for the New York Rangers and Kings, finishing with 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in 37 games. The forward won silver at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics and bronze at the 1992 Albertville Olympics with Czechoslovakia. He played in six World Championships, winning gold in 1985, silver in 1982 and 1983, and bronze in 1987 and 1992.
Darwitz, 40, played for the United States in three Olympic Games, winning silver in 2002 and 2010, and bronze in 2006. The native of St. Paul, Minnesota, played in eight Women's World Championships, winning gold three times (2005, 2008, 2009) and silver five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007). She is the general manager of PWHL Minnesota in the Professional Women's Hockey League.
Davidson, an assistant with Canada when it won gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and coach for gold medal wins in 2006 and 2010. She was GM of the team that won gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
