10 Current NHL Players Who Are Locks for the Hockey Hall of Fame

Hockey players don't talk about the Hall of Fame while they are still in uniform.

Unless your name is Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, players don't make assumptions that they will end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. It's just too big a jump for any active player.

This year, Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Adam Oates and Pavel Bure will all be inducted based on their spectacular achievements and consistent careers. In the end, consistency is the key factor. It's not about one or two memorable achievements. It's about doing it the right way year after year.

Here's a look at 10 current players who are locks to make the Hall of Fame once they hang up their skates.

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils

This is an absolute lock. Brodeur sealed his Hall of Fame status years ago due to his many statistical achievements. Brodeur is the NHL's all-time leader in wins by a goalie (656), shutouts (119) and games played (1,191). He is the active leader in goals against with a mark of 2.23.

Brodeur has backstopped the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cup championships and has been a first or second-team All-NHL goalie eight times in his career.

Brodeur has been the steadiest of performers for New Jersey boss Lou Lamoriello and his ability to come up with the big game when his team has needed it most has been his calling card.

Critics have been ready to write Brodeur off because he has passed his 40th birthday, but he proved the naysayers wrong last spring when he led the Devils to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals against the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings. Along the way, he led the Devils to wins over the Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers and a very satisfying triumph over the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brodeur's inclusion is in the Hall is guaranteed. His comparables are Ken Dryden, Glenn Hall and Johnny Bower. He's among the greatest who has ever played the game at his position.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

When healthy, Sidney Crosby is the best player in the game. He is not the best goal scorer, but he is skilled in that area. He is not the best skater, but he has has incredible balance and is highly skilled in that area. He is an absolutely brilliant passer and could be the best in the league in that area.

Crosby has been fully healthy in four of his seven seasons and he has topped the 100-point mark in each of those years. In the three seasons he has not been fully healthy, Crosby has not topped the 100-point mark.

Crosby is not as talented as Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux were in their prime. He may be right below that level at the center position. He plays with maximum effort at all times and that rubs off on his teammates. They know that when Crosby is healthy and in the lineup, the Penguins have a good chance to win nearly every night.

Crosby, of course, has had significant health issues. He suffered concussive hits in back-to-back games against Washington and Tampa Bay midway through the 2010-11 season and did not return to form until the final months of the 2011-12 season. The upcoming season is vital for Crosby to get back to the no-doubt Hall of Fame status he displayed prior to his concussion-related issues.

Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks

Selanne has been one of the most consistent goal scorers in NHL history. As he prepares for his 20th season in the NHL, Selanne has scored 663 goals, making him the 12th-leading scorer in NHL history. He is just behind Jaromir Jagr and just ahead of Brendan Shanahan.

Selanne has an array of moves around the net and has shown the ability to deke out any goaltender in one-on-one situations. However, his main asset has been his brilliant shooting touch. He's got a hard slapper that he can get away quickly, but it's his wrist shot that has done most of the damage. Not only does he fire it quickly, it's nearly always to the open corners in the top of the net.

Selanne is an underrated skater who knows how to use his quickness to buy a little bit of time and space that allows him to capitalize on his scoring opportunities.

Jaromir Jagr, Dallas Stars

Jagr returned from a four-year NHL absence and had a successful season with the Philadelphia Flyers. At this point in his career, Jagr is no longer the fleet-footed and dominant skater that he was in his prime years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he is a savvy veteran who knows how to use his big body and can still play key moments in the game and score goals.

Jagr played much of his career playing with Mario Lemieux, but he emerged from Le Magnifique's shadow to lead the NHL in scoring four times. When Jagr had the puck on his stick in clutch situations, there was an unstoppable characteristic to his play. He was going to keep going towards the net and create his own scoring opportunity if none of his teammates were open.

Jagr's best season was probably the 1995-96 season when he scored 62 goals and 87 assists for 149 points, which was second in the league to Lemieux's 161 points.

Jagr has become something of a hired gun in his most recent seasons, playing for Washington, the New York Rangers and then playing four years in the Russian KHL before signing with the Flyers and the Stars the last two seasons. However, the work he did early in his career makes him a clear Hall of Famer.

Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames

When you think of Jarome Iginla, you think of a man who has the strength and power to assert himself near the goal.

However, there's a lot more to Iginla's game besides imposing strength. He's got the subtlety to get a step on the defense and use his body to screen off the defense so he can get off his wicked wrist shot and send it to one of the four corners of the net.

Iginla has scored 516 goals in 16 NHL seasons. In addition to his ability to put the puck in the net, Iginla sees the ice well and makes stellar passes. He has recorded 567 assists. Perhaps his most memorable moment is making the pass to Sidney Crosby in the 2010 gold medal game in the Winter Olympics that led to Canada's gold medal moment in overtime.

While Iginla has been with the Flames throughout his career, it might be nice to see him finish with another team that has a chance to raise the Stanley Cup. It does not seem like he will have that opportunity with the Flames.

Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers

Just because a player is big, strong and mean does not make him immune to injuries, particularly the problems associated with head shots and concussions.

Pronger missed the majority of the 2011-12 season after being diagnosed with a concussion and as the 2012-13 season approaches, there is no timetable for his return. Like Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins, Pronger's career may be over.

However, he has not been forced to retire just yet and therefore qualifies for this list. When Pronger was at his best, he was an intimidating presence on the ice who was looking to punish his opponent and make plays. Pronger excelled at the defensive aspects of the game and he wielded his stick as if he were a prison guard trying to keep unruly inmates in line.

That approach has not made him a popular player -- but it allowed him to become a difference maker. Pronger is a five-time all-star and he won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 1999-2000. He also won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman that season. Pronger keyed the Anaheim Ducks' Stanley Cup run in 2007.

Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

On first blush, it might seem that calling Datsyuk a sure-fire Hall of Famer is a bit of a reach. He has never scored more than 32 goals in a season and he has never eclipsed the 100-point mark. Datsyuk has scored 718 points in 732 games. That's excellent, but it does not rank with the great players in the game's history.

Now watch Datsyuk play on a game-in and game-out basis. His skill level is so high that he may take your breath away. He will certainly do that many times per season. When it comes to thinking ahead in the game and making the play that will lead to an outstanding scoring opportunity, nobody does it better than Datsyuk.

Datsyuk probably has better moves with the puck on his stick than any other player in the game. He is one of the best defensive players as well, and there is nothing he can't do on the ice. Datsyuk played on the 2002 and 2008 championship teams for the Red Wings and he has dominated the Lady Byng (gentlemanly play) and Selke (defensive forward) Awards.

Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Chara may be an imposing physical specimen at 6'9" and 255 pounds, but he is a self-made player who has improved dramatically since Mike Milbury made him a third-round pick with the New York Islanders in 1996.

Chara was an awkward and slowish player who often looked like he didn't belong on the ice with the best players in the game. However, Chara has worked tremendously hard to get stronger, more powerful and build his skill level throughout his career.

Chara is well-known for having the hardest shot in the league because he wins that contest at the Skills Competition so often. However, that talent show doesn't come close to telling the story of the contributions that Chara makes regularly. He is a dominating physical presence who can punish opponents in the defensive zone. He can also carry the puck, pass it to open teammates and blow the puck past opposing goaltenders.

As good as he is on the ice, he is even better in the locker room. He is the Bruins' captain, he has been a 1st- or 2nd-team All-Star six times and he helped carry the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup. He won the Norris Trophy following the 2008-09 season.

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

There was a time when Stamkos was looked at as a bit timid and slow in his development. That was the opinion of Tampa Bay head coach Barry Melrose (source: CBC.ca) when he stepped out of the ESPN analyst's chair to become the Lightning's bench boss.

That opinion helped lose the job for Melrose after a very short time. Stamkos was neither timid nor slow in his development. He is a remarkable talent who has exceeded the 50-goal mark in two of his four seasons.

Stamkos has great talent, but his offseason training regimen allows him to take the ice in top shape every season. As a result, he is a little bit quicker, stronger and faster than his opponents.

Stamkos scored a league-high 60 goals last season and he is an unstoppable force in the offensive zone. His quick release confounds the best goalies and he has the grit to make plays in the dirty areas in front of the net.

Stamkos is not just a one-way player. This was proven in Game 7 of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals when he took a Bruins slap shot flush in the shield on the front of his helmet. Though his nose was broken and he left the ice a bloody mess, Stamkos returned with a cage mask and was a factor for the Lightning until the end of that bitter defeat.

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

While Henrik Lundqvist has not led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup, his consistency in the net has given head coach John Tortorella the kind of security that comes when you know you have one of the two or three best goalies in the league guarding your net.

Tortorella and the rest of the Rangers can take chances every night to make the offensive play. They know that if they leave the Ranger defense just a little bit exposed, Lundqvist is going to bail them out on most nights.

Lundqvist is a technical master in goal. He plays the angles extremely well and he combines that with stellar reflexes. Lundqvist is a three-time NHL all-star and he won the Vezina Award as the league's best goalie in 2011-12. Lundqvist has twice had 10 or more shutouts in a season and he appears to be on track to rank with the best goalies in history.