The Hockey Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame dedicated to the history of ice hockey. It was founded in 1943 and is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally, there were two induction categories: players and builders, but in 1961, a third category for on-ice officials was added. Female players were given their own subcategory in 2010. A "veteran player category" was created in 1988 to "offer a vehicle for players who may have been missed and whose chances of election would be limited if placed on the same ballot as contemporary players." Eleven players were admitted into the category, however it was eliminated in 2000 by the board of directors, and those inductees are now deemed to be in the player category.
Hockey's Hall of Fame
To be admitted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, a person must be nominated by an 18-person selection committee comprised of Hockey Hall of Fame members and media celebrities. Each committee member may propose one person in each category per year, and nominees must be supported by 75% of the committee members present, or a minimum of ten votes. There can be a maximum of four male players, two female players, and a combined two in the builders and on-ice officials categories in any given year. To be nominated, a player, referee, or linesman must have been retired for at least three years. Builders might be either "active" or "inactive." The present Hall of Fame building hosts the induction ceremony, which was initially aired by The Sports Network in 1994.
The Hockey Hall of Fame also displays "Media honorees," who have received the "Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award" from the Professional Hockey Writers' Association for "distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honor to journalism and to hockey," or the "Foster Hewitt Memorial Award" from the NHL Broadcasters' Association for "members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to hockey." The media honorees, on the other hand, are not regarded complete inductees and are not featured in this list. The winners are revealed and honored separately from the other honorees. Foster Hewitt is the only media honoree who has also been elected into the Hall of Fame as a builder.
The Hockey Hall of Fame now has 293 players (including nine women), 113 builders, and 16 on-ice officials. Posthumous inductions have been made for 17 honorees.