FILE--Carolina Hurricanes' Ron Francis (10) waves to the crowd at the Entertainment and Sports Arena as he is honoured at center ice prior to the start of the Hurricanes game with the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday, Jan 29, 2002. Mark Messier will be a slam dunk when the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee meets Thursday. Messier heads a formidable group of players eligible for the first time including Francis, Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis, Adam Oates, Igor Larionov and Claude Lemieux. .(CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/AP /Karl DeBlaker)