According to The Athletic's Peter Baugh, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have earned a spot on the prestigious 'Tier 1' list for active NHL players' Hockey Hall of Fame cases.To be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, a player becomes eligible three years after retiring from any professional league. He must then earn at least 14 out of 18 votes from the selection committee.Baugh's evaluation focused on players who have logged a minimum of five NHL seasons, appeared in a 2023-24 game, and are under contract for the 2024-25 season."They could retire today and make it," Baugh wrote.The Pittsburgh Penguins captain has won three Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies and two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada.Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals captain broke Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goal record last season. He has won the Stanley Cup once and the Hart Trophy three times.Baugh's Tier 1 list also features a star-studded group of active players, including Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, Anze Kopitar, Steven Stamkos, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman and Drew Doughty.Among goaltenders, Sergei Bobrovsky, Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy are included in the list.Hall of Fame selections are determined by an 18-member committee. It is made up of executives, media members and former players.Peter Baugh's parameters for selecting ‘Tier 1’ list for active NHL players’ Hall of FamePeter Baugh's parameters include only players who have completed at least five NHL seasons, which means up-and-coming talents like Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard aren't part of it, at least not yet.It focuses solely on players who are under contract for the upcoming season. Baugh noted that’s the reason why Jonathan Toews, who signed with the Winnipeg Jets, is included, while recently retired players like Joe Pavelski and inactive veterans like Nicklas Backstrom are not.To add more clarity and detail, a few new tiers have been introduced:#1. Tier 1.5 (new): Almost there, if not already a lock.#2. Tier 2: Right on the cusp#3. Tier 2.5 (new): Crossing the blue lineOthers included Tier 3, Tier 4 and Tier 5.Players are organized by position, starting with forwards, then defensemen and goalies, with rankings based on career points or wins.Any changes in a player’s tier from the previous year are italicized and listed at the bottom of their respective category.Do you think Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and locks for the Hockey Hall of Fame? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.