The Women; Hockey Hall of Fame, Class of 2024

The Hockey Hall of Fame has announced its induction class for 2024. Located in Toronto, the Hall was created in 1943, with the goal of celebrating and memorializing the sport of hockey. Players, builders, and referees are able to be elected for nomination, and is voted on by the Selection Committee. This class features two builders, and five players with two being women. The pair are the first female duo to be elected since 2010.

Natalie Darwitz has been a key figure in the growth of women’s hockey throughout her career, both as a player and an executive. Her resume is extensive, winning seven silver medals and three gold in various World Championships, two gold and eight silver at the Four Nations Cup and is a three time Olympian (2002, 2006, 2010) — all representing the United States. She also played three seasons at the University of Minnesota, where she was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier award, for the NCAA Top Female Collegiate Player each year. She was also an All-American and awarded the Bob Allen - Women’s Player of the Year presented by USA Hockey in 2004-05. She played two seasons with the Minnesota Whitecaps in the Western Women’s Hockey League. Following the 2010 Olympics, she retired from playing and turned to coaching, both at the high school and collegiate level. In 2023, she was named the General Manager of the PWHL Minnesota franchise, where she built the team that would win the inaugural Walter Cup championship. Her playing career earned her the nomination, but her contribution to the game in all facets is what makes her memorable. Darwitz’s impact on women’s hockey continues to inspire and solidifies her legacy as a pioneer. Krissy Wendell-Pohl

(Photo by Phillip MacCallum, HHOF-IIHF) 

Krissy Wendell-Pohl is the second woman in the 2024 HHOF class to be elected. The Minnesota native began her career with a Ms. Hockey Award and a Minnesota state championship, which was only the beginning. In 2017, Wendell-Pohl was inducted into the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame. She then played three seasons of collegiate hockey with the University of Minnesota, where she was All-American each season, and concluded her career winning the Patty Kazmaier Award for the top female player in college hockey. The Gophers won the NCAA national championship in 2003-04 and 2004-05. She would go on to play in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and the Western Women’s Hockey League (WWHL). In addition to her lengthly college resume, Wendell-Pohl represented the United States in multiple facets. In 147 games, she scored 247 points, while winning five silver medals and one gold in six IIHF Women’s World Championships. Krissy also represented the United States at two Olympic Games, winning silver in 2002, and captaining the team to the bronze at the 2006 games. Krissy Wendell-Pohl also won the Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year (2001), USA Hockey’s Bob Johnson Award for International Excellence (2000, 2005) and was inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

(Photo by Brian Bahr, Getty Images, Tribune News Service)

With the creation and success of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), there is no doubt that the numbers of women elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame will surely rise. The future is bright for women in hockey!