The Hockey Hall of Fame announced that 7 new members will be inducted this fall including 3 goaltenders, and a few players who have been waiting years to hear their names finally called.
The class is headlined by a trio of netminders which includes former Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, and Mike Vernon. Lundqvist, 41, was elected in his first year of eligibility, after wrapping up a stellar career in which he set or broke virtually every goaltending record in the history of the New York Rangers.
A former 7th round selection, the Swedish goalkeeper ranks 6th all time in career wins at the NHL level, and posted a 2.43 GAA, .918 SV%, and 64 shutouts across 15 seasons. An irregular heartbeat, discovered in a medical examination when he signed a 1 year deal with Washington, prematurely ended his career.
Joining him is Tom Barrasso who helped backstop the Pittsburgh Penguins to back to back Stanley Cups in the early 90’s. A Calder, and Vezina trophy winner, the Boston native finished with 369 wins and holds the NHL record for most assists by a goaltender with 48. He also holds the league record for most consecutive playoff wins with 14.
Finally, 60 year old Mike Vernon, who helped guide Calgary to their lone Stanley Cup championship in 1989, completes a goalie heavy class for 2023. With 385 career wins, and 5 All-Star appearances, Vernon would go on to have a 19 year career with the Flames, Red Wings, Sharks and Panthers, capturing a second Cup in 1997.
Rounding out the class is an icon of women’s hockey in Caroline Ouellette. The 44 year old has won virtually every piece of hardware available during her playing career, including 4 Olympic Gold medals, and 6 IIHF World Championships. Ouellette has already been inducted into the IIHF hall of fame, and can now see her plaque enshrined in Toronto as well.
Pierre Turgeon was able to shake the dubious title of “highest scoring player not in the hall of fame” on Wednesday after his long awaited call finally came. A 4x All-Star, Turgeon captured the Lady Byng trophy in 1993, after a stellar 19 season career with 6 different clubs. With 515 goals and 812 assists across 1294 games, many felt Turgeon’s omission was one of the more egregious ones that the Hall had to rectify.
And finally in the builders category Ken Hitchcock and Pierre Lacroix will see their names added to the hallowed halls this fall as well.
One name that wasn’t called was that of Russian superstar Alexander Mogilny. With 1032pts in 990 games, and 473 goals on his resume, the 6x All-Star was someone many in the hockey community were keeping an eye on this week.
His story of defecting from Russia is legendary, and he’s one of only 30 members to ever gain entry to the “Triple Gold Club” (an Olympic Gold, IIHF Gold, and Stanley Cup), a feat which usually is a good indicator that you’re destined for the hall.
However with the Russia/Ukraine conflict still ongoing, and the IIHF continuing its sanctions against Russia, many believed that the deck may have been stacked against Mogilny when it came time for voters to cast their ballots.
The class of 2023 will be inducted on November 13th at a ceremony in Toronto.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Anna Enriquez. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.