The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 has been announced and it’s the year of the goaltender. Netminders Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, and Mike Vernon have all been selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, as announced on Wednesday. They are joined by former NHL center Pierre Turgeon and Canadian women’s hockey star Caroline Ouellette, as well as coach Ken Hitchcock and the late Pierre Lacroix, who built two Stanley Cup champions with the Colorado Avalanche.
Lundqvist was a first-year-eligible Hall candidate. He played his entire career with the New York Rangers and signed a free agent contract with the Washington Capitals in 2020 but did not play for them due to a heart condition. Lundqvist is sixth in NHL career wins (459), ninth in games played (887) and 11th in career save percentage (.918). He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender in 2011-12 and was a finalist for the award a total of five times. He was also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2011-12. Lundqvist’s international success was also a factor in his selection. He led Team Sweden to Olympic men’s hockey gold in the 2006 Turin Games and silver in the 2014 Sochi Games. He won gold at the IIHF world championship in 2017 and bronze at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Barrasso has been eligible since 2006. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. In 1983-84, he was the rookie of the year and won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender with the Buffalo Sabres. His 369 wins is 20th all time.
Vernon has been eligible since 2005. He led two teams to the Stanley Cup: the Calgary Flames in 1989 and the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, when Vernon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His 385 NHL wins rank 16th all time.
Other Inductees
Turgeon has been eligible since 2010. He played 1,294 games in the NHL with six teams, the majority of them with the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues. His 515 career goals rank 40th all time, and his 1,327 career points rank 34th. Turgeon never won an international hockey medal, never won the Stanley Cup and won only a single individual award in the NHL: the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play in 1992-93.
Ouellette was in her second year of eligibility. The forward is one of only five athletes to win a gold medal in four consecutive Winter Olympics, helping the Canadian women to the top of the podium in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, along with Olympic silver in 1998. She won six gold medals in the IIHF women’s world championship.
Hitchcock is fourth in career NHL wins with 849 and seventh in games coached with 1,598. Hitchcock led the 1998-99 Dallas Stars to their first Stanley Cup championship and then won the Western Conference again the next season. Hitchcock also coached the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers. He also served as an assistant coach for the 2014 Canadian Olympic national team, which won gold.
Lacroix passed away in 2020. He was the president and general manager of the Quebec Nordiques and then followed them when they relocated to Colorado. His bold moves as Avalanche GM, including the acquisitions of Hall of Famers Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake, led to Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001.
The induction celebration is scheduled for Nov. 13 at the Hall of Fame in Toronto. Among the players who didn’t make the cut this season were winger Alexander Mogilny; centers Rod Brind’Amour, Patrik Elias, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, Henrik Zetterberg; defenseman Sergei Gonchar; goalie Curtis Joseph; and women’s players Meghan Duggan and Jennifer Botterill.
The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is one that celebrates the best of the best in the sport of hockey. The goaltenders, Lundqvist, Barrasso, and Vernon, have all shown their skill and dedication to the game throughout their careers. The other inductees, Turgeon, Ouellette, Hitchcock, and Lacroix, have also made significant contributions to the sport and are deserving of this honor. The induction ceremony will be a celebration of their accomplishments and a reminder of the impact they have had on the sport of hockey.
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