Players Who Returned To The NHL After Being Inducted Into The Hockey Hall Of Fame

"One of the more interesting stories to come out of the world of professional sports this week was Philip Rivers coming out of retirement to sign as a quarterback on the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts. Rivers retired from the NFL after the 2020 season. He's 44 years old. He is literally a grandfather. Yet he just signed a professional football contract."

"Cool story, right? One of the more interesting tidbits to come out is that Rivers is currently a semifinalist to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If he gets elevated to the active roster for the Colts, he is no longer eligible this year and has to wait another five year (the hall's standard period of waiting)."

"The Hockey Hall of Fame has a similar waiting period of a slightly shorter three years. There have been notable exceptions, such as Wayne Gretzky being inducted immediately post retirement, but it got us thinking. Are there any hockey players who returned to the NHL after being inducted into the Hall of Fame? According to the Hall's official site there's a very small handful."

"So here are the three legends who returned to the NHL ice after enshrinement. If you have more than a passing knowledge of hockey history these names probably aren't any of a surprise. Gordie Howe He should be the most obvious one. Mr. Hockey retired with the only franchise he had ever known up to that point, The Detroit Red Wings, in 1971 with nearly every imaginable NHL scoring record. He was elected to the Hall in 1972 after having the waiting period waived."

Philip Rivers came out of retirement to join the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad at age 44, despite being a grandfather and a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist. Elevation to the active roster would remove his Hall of Fame eligibility for the current year and impose a five-year waiting period. The Hockey Hall of Fame imposes a three-year waiting period with rare immediate exceptions like Wayne Gretzky. A very small number of Hockey Hall inductees returned to play in the NHL after enshrinement. Only three players fit that criterion, with Gordie Howe among the most prominent.

Read at Puck Prose