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This Hall of Fame Class is an Example for All of Us. |
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Ek's Note....Just a quick sojourn from rumors this morning, but the Rumor Chart is coming in the next 24 hours! So get ready for the roller coaster!
I couldn’t be more lucky to do this on a daily basis. I love this sport and honestly can’t believe that every day I get to wake up and write about it. That I also get to be a small part of the behind the scenes in this sport is something anyone who covers hockey should truly cherish. Every time I sit in a media room or get onto an NHL bus, or sit at a press conference at the Stanley Cup Final, I try to remember how lucky I am. Every moment matters.
And yet, sometimes ANY job can feel like a job. Stupid things are frustrating and seasons can feel a bit repetitive...even monotonous...But this sport always finds a way to drag me back in.
Whenever I start to feel this way I land on something beyond amazing...And last night that was what happened when I turned on the Hall of Fame Ceremonies. Two years ago I was lucky enough to attend when my good friend Kevin Allen won the award for hockey journalist and was nice enough to invite my wife and me to Toronto. It was a weekend I will never forget, and whenever I hear people at the podium thank those who set up the weekend activities I know why they do. The Hall does it right and treats its inductees like the hockey royalty they are.
On its inside, this hockey world is smaller than you’d think, and way less judgemental and exclusionary than the real world. Last night was the perfect example of how diverse, inclusive, and humble the hockey world can be. It is totally unique among sports.
During the ceremony on Monday night we saw Marty Brodeur, my choice for best goalie ever, at his most purest and real. I have been fortunate enough to sit next to Marty in a locker room after a game and talk to him. One thing about Marty that I always loved was how smart a hockey player he is...His knowledge of EVERYTHING goes far beyond that of your everyday goalie. Marty could tell you exactly what was going wrong with his Devil’s power play and what would have to be done to the salary cap to sign the player they needed to help kill the power play….And Marty would look right at you when he talked to you. I remember talking to him when Kovalchuk was on his way out in NJ...something no one was aware of at the time, but looking back at it Marty knew everything that was going on. He was in the inner circle set up by Lou. That circle never gets the credit it deserves for those NJ Cups. Lou trusted Marty, Stevens, Niedermayer, Gionta, Madden and Elias with everything in NJ. Brodeur was the only goalie I can remember who decide when he would start…so he always always started.
I met Marty St Louis a while ago after covering the All-Star Game in Atlanta. After the game a mutual friend invited me to go out with Marty and Tim Thomas. I was blown away by how humble and unassuming Thomas and St Louis were. Even though they were both super stars, the two former University of Vermont standouts acted like they were just two more guys hanging at a bar. And in street clothes neither Marty or Timmy looked at all like pro athletes. Both found their way to the NHL by their hard work and wits alone. Marty wasn’t drafted and Timmy was drafted 217th overall by??….(answer later)
Then strolls up Willie O’Ree. Does it get any more classy? It was well past time for this great and humble man to be put into the Hall…The term “Builder” couldn’t be more perfect, because Willie has built and builds everything around him every day.
When Gary Bettman, who also was inducted last night, got the call that he was going into the Hall, his first question was, “Did Willie Get in?” And that tells you all you need to know about this man, who also joked that getting into the Hall proves definitively that this was NOT a popularity contest...fans really got to see a little bit of what makes Bettman such a perfect commissioner. He loves this sport as much as the fans do and was legit blown away and surprised by the honour. But seriously, who has built this sport more than Gary Bettman? In 1993 when he took over the NHL was a $400Million a year business…Now it a $4BILLION business...and it's better than ever.
Those four legends of this sport would have been enough, but the NHL went above and beyond this year by inducting two more former players whose importance can’t be understated and yet I am pretty sure the vast majority of hockey fans out there (maybe not those coming to hockeybuzz.com on a Wednesday) aren’t very aware of.
First off there was Jayna Hefford. A living legend in women’s hockey and Canadian hockey in general. 4 Olympic Golds. There are only five athletes in the history of the world to win gold medals in four consecutive Olympics. She also won 7 World Championships...many as the captain of Team Canada. Only two other women have scored more or played more games for Team Canada. She played her club hockey with mostly NWHL/ CWHL Brampton where she averaged over--get this--a GOAL per game, scoring 438 goals in 419 games! The MVP for the CWHL is now named after her...And she is currently the Commisioner of the CWHL.
But listening to her talk...told you all you needed to know. She is a huge proponent of women’s hockey and is out there supporting girls with the same dream that she had...to play in the NHL someday. She was so well spoken at the induction ceremony that you couldn’t help but see how inspirational she is to girls playing hockey everywhere. Also she has been a big proponent of LGBT rights and in seeing how happy her partner and their daughter were for her you couldn’t help but feel hopeful indeed.
Finally, the Hall’s recognition of Russian legend Alexander Yakushev reminds us how this is the HOCKEY Hall of Fame, not the the NHL Hall…I was really young when Yakushev was dominating in Russia, and I was under 10 when the Summit Series took place, but listening to him speak about his life and how thankful he was for the recognition and how friendly he has become with many of the players from Team Canada way back then shows how times and attitudes have changed.
To many people this may not seem a big deal, but Russia and American relations on 1977 WERE a big deal. And he grew up and played in a time where getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2018 was virtually unthinkable…Talking to an old friend who does remember Alexander Yakushev as a player he was essentially Evgeni Malkin at a time when everyone else was basically a lot shorter and not nearly as strong.
So this year’s Hockey Hall of Fame night was truly all that is good about this sport and the people associated with it. It really shows how if the real world were a little more like the hockey world we’d all be better for it.
Oh and by the way. Tim Thomas was drafted 217th by the Quebec Nordiques...He was I believe the last player playing in the NHL who was drafted by the Nords...for now.
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