Hockey Hall of Fame will not have a class of 2021

The Hockey Hall of Fame announced Friday there will be no new inductees in 2021, and the class of 2020 will be honoured in a ceremony that year instead.

The 2020 inductees were scheduled to be inducted Nov. 16 in Toronto, but the ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald said in a release that the Hall's board of directors made the decision in a Thursday teleconference.

McDonald said the 2020 class deserves the same experience as previous classes, where inductees interact over several days with family, friends, former teammates and fans.

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McDonald said after the decision to postpone the 2020 event that the HHOF would not consider a virtual induction ceremony.

The 2020 class was announced in June and features forward Jarome Iginla, winger Marian Hossa, defencemen Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson, Canadian women's goaltender Kim St. Pierre and longtime general manager Ken Holland.