The Hockey Hall of Fame prides itself on rewarding trailblazers, so fans of the sport can marvel at their accomplishments.

For a former player or builder to be selected to the Hall of Fame, fourteen out of the eighteen selection committee members have to be in agreement.

There is no follow up with the media, no questions taken, no reason for why they make the decisions they do – their choices are final and that’s that. Due to a confidentiality agreement, opposition from the outside is prohibited, allowing the committee to avoid accountability.

For many years, a resounding argument around the sport was that three-time coach-of-the-year Pat Burns deserved to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while he was still alive to accept the honor.

Consistently, the selection committee would deny Burns and his family to bask in his accomplishments, taking away a perfect bookend to a marvelous career. This became an ongoing saga.

When Burns’ health took a turn for the worst, there was a collective hope that the Hall would finally grant him his place. Alas, the committee passed yet again, and it wasn’t until after Burns passed away due to colon cancer that the Hall of Fame finally inducted the decorated coach.

Like Burns before him, Alexander Mogilny continues to be shunned by the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

Tensions regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine notwithstanding, Mogilny has been passed on for far too long.

Here is a Stanley Cup champion who put up 473 goals – among them the 1992-93 season, where the sniper tallied 76 goals in 77 games on a middling Buffalo Sabres team.

Mogilny is one of six members of the 75-goal club and the Hall of Fame continues to say, “No, thank you, and we won’t be taking any questions.”

A great question might be: “How can the Hall of Fame ignore the very reason greats such as Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Bure, and Pavel Datsyuk were able to play in the NHL?”

That all starts with a very young and scared Mogilny.

If Russian participation in the NHL is the chicken, Mogilny is undoubtedly the egg from which it grew.

Now 54 years old, Mogilny remains the fourth-highest Russian-born scorer in NHL history. He went on to captain the Sabres, the first Russian player to do so.  

Over 16 seasons, he acquired personal hardware and accolades, including a Lady Byng trophy for his play during the 2002-03 season. His stellar and commanding play lead to a remarkable career, which the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee continues to ignore.

Mogilny has been eligible for the Hall since 2009 – marking 14 years that the Hall has elected against his inclusion among their ranks.

There are players in the Hall of Fame who did not win a Stanley Cup or achieve personal accolades, so what makes Mogilny especially worthy to be counted alongside them?

While it’s important to consider how hockey can be made better for the future, it’s equally as important to recognize the trailblazers who brought the sport to where it is today.

Mogilny was vital in the changing landscape of the NHL.

For his entire career, Mogilny donned the number 89, in honor of the year he defected, as well as his draft position. Not only did he become a great player and leader, but his dramatic story played a crucial part in hockey history, forever altering the make-up of the NHL.

To ignore the backstory, awards, and statistics hinders the sport and denies its history.

Every category that is important for the Hall of Fame is checked off in his case and the time to give Mogilny his credit is long overdue. It took Pat Burns a very long time to be inducted – far longer than it should have.

One can only hope that Mogilny doesn’t suffer the same fate.

When it is time for Mogilny to be called to the Hall, hopefully he is able to relish in his glory once more, after all the sacrifices he made, both on and especially off the ice.