Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell-Pohl inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

For the first time in the history of the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame, two women have been voted into the same induction class.

The sport has two icons from Minnesota to thank for this.

Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell-Pohl brought shine to an emerging women's sport as teenagers before starring on the ice for the Gophers and Team USA.

The longtime teammates will both receive one of their sport's highest honors when they are inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Nov. 11 in Toronto.

“Hopefully this will be a regular occurrence from now on,” Darwitz told the Associated Press. “There are so many players from our generation and previous generations who have paved the way to get women's hockey to where it is today.”

The other five members of the induction class are former NHL standouts Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick and Shea Weber; former general manager David Poile; and former NHL executive Colin Campbell. The Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee voted Tuesday, with chairman Mike Gartner making the announcement.

“The Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these hockey legends as [honored] members,” Gartner said in the press release.

Darwitz (2018) and Wendell-Pohl (2019) have both been inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, and Darwitz was selected to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame in January.

Wendell-Pohl and Darwitz were teammates on the Gophers' 2004 and 2005 NCAA championship teams. Darwitz, who had played at Eagan High School, scored the winning goal against Harvard in the 2005 title game.

Darwitz played for Team USA at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games, winning two silver and one bronze medal.

As general manager, Darwitz just led PWHL Minnesota to a championship, but in a controversial decision, the PWHL league office opted not to bring her back to the team. Sources have explained that there was a power struggle between Darwitz and coach Ken Klee. Darwitz has not commented publicly on the decision.

Wendell-Pohl led Park Center to a state championship in 2000. With the Gophers, she won the 2005 Patty Kazmaier Award given to the nation's best player. Married to former Gophers standout and NHL player John Pohl, she was a 2002 Olympian, led the 2006 Olympic team and scored 106 goals in 147 games for Team USA, taking home six IIHF world championships.

Entering the room with Darwitz makes this honor extra special for Wendell-Pohl.

“It's crazy,” Wendell-Pohl said. “To think how far the game has come in such a short time… and the opportunities girls now have to play.”

Roenick's 1,216 points with Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Jose rank fourth among all U.S.-born players.

Datsyuk starred as “the Magic Man” during a 14-year career with Detroit, during which he excelled offensively and defensively, then also won Olympic gold with Russia in 2018 when NHL players were not participating.

“Of course I'm excited,” Datsyuk said. “Now I'm a happy boy. I'm happy.”

Weber, only 38, is still under contract. His rights are owned by the Utah Hockey Club, which relocated from Arizona and was formerly called the Coyotes, but became eligible because injuries ended his playing career in 2021 after helping Montreal reach the finals. The defenseman was a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada in 2010 and '14 and played 11 of his 16 NHL seasons with Nashville, serving as captain from 2010 to 2016.

Poile, who drafted and later traded Weber, has the most wins of any general manager in league history during his stints leading the Washington Capitals and the Predators. He follows his late father, fellow director Bud Poile, into the hallway.

Campbell, who served on the selection committee for more than a decade, has worked high up in the NHL office for more than two decades since coaching the New York Rangers. He said it was “a bit shocking” to get the call.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.