2006-07 Anaheim Ducks Teemu Selanne Jersey

Teemu Selanne was originally drafted by the Winnipeg Jets 10th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He played his first professional hockey for Jokerit Helsinki of the Finnish SM-liiga. where he would lead the team in scoring in both 1990-91 and then again in 1991-92, a season in which he lead the league in goal scoring by a full ten goals more than the next closest player.

A move to the NHL followed for 1992-93, and in spectacular fashion, as Selanne set the hockey world on it's ear with an astounding 76 goals in his rookie season, the all-time NHL rookie record and a mark that still ranks as tied for fifth for Most Goals in a Season for all players. Selanne's 56 assists gave him 132 points for fifth place in the overall league scoring race and a natural choice for the Calder Trophy.

Selanne during his memorable rookie season

Selanne had originally requested to wear #8, but with that being taken by Randy Carlyle, he opted for the #13 as a rookie, changing to #8 when it became available after Carlyle's retirement at the end of the season.

A torn Achillies tendon limited him to 51 games in his second season which contributed to the Jets failing to make the playoffs. He would finish with 25 goals and 54 points in the 51 games.

During the NHL lockout of 1994, Selanne would return to Jokerit Helsinki, along with Jari Kurri, and help Jokerit win the 1995 European Cup.

Selanne, lower right, celebrates Jokerit's Euopean Cup title

Upon his return to the NHL he would collect 48 points in 45 games.

The 1995-96 season would be one of change for Selanne. After playing 51 games in Winnipeg, scoring 72 points, he would be traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a salary dump by the financially struggling Jets during their final season in Winnipeg. The trade had little affect on Selanne's scoring, as he immediately clicked with new teammate Paul Kariya, scoring 36 points in the final 28 games of the season in Anaheim, giving him a total of 108 for the season.

The mighty duo of Kariya and Selanne

1996-97 would see Selanne reach the 50 goal mark for the second time, pumping in 51 goals and 109 points in 78 games, good for second in league scoring. The following season would see another 52 goals, tied for first in the NHL.

47 goals in 1998-99 gave Selanne the outright goal scoring title and his 107 points were good for second overall in points once more.

After another season with the Mighty Ducks in 1999-00, Selanne would be again traded, this time 366 miles down Interstate 5 to the San Jose Sharks. His next two seasons with the Sharks would see his offensive production decline, with point totals of 54 and then 64 points.

Now a free agent, Selanne and former teammate Kariya packaged themselves together in a cut-rate deal in an effort to win a Stanley Cup. The pair joined the Colorado Avalanche, a perennial cup contender at the time. Unfortunately, a rather dismal season instead followed, with Selanne managing just 32 points in 78 games, 22 points lower than his lowest previous season total.

Plans to compete once again for Jokerit Helsinki during the lockout season of 2004-05 were scuttled by knee surgery and Selanne then signed to return to the Mighty Ducks for 2005-06. A rejuvenated Selanne surprised his critics by scoring 40 goals and 50 assists for a 90 point season, his highest total since 1999. He was also awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2006.

Selanne had a fine season on his return to Anaheim in 2005-06

Proving the previous year was no fluke, another even stronger season would follow as Selanne scored 48 goals, third most in the NHL, and 94 points. It was during that 2006-07 season that Selanne would hit the 500 goal mark on this date by scoring on Jose Theodore of the Colorado Avalanche with a wrist shot at 14:54 of the second period.

Selanne scoring his 500th goal on this date in 2006

Interestingly, Selanne's coach at the time was Carlyle, the player who had already taken Selanne's preferred #8 on his arrival in Winnipeg 14 years earlier. Selanne was the second Finnish-born NHL player to reach 500 goals after his former Jokerit teammate Kurri.

Selanne and the Ducks would cap off the 2006-07 by winning their first Stanley Cup by defeating the Ottawa Senators in five games. It was during that season's playoffs that Selanne would score his 30th playoff point and set a new franchise record.

Selanne reaches the pinnacle and gets to raise the Stanley Cup

He would skip the first half of the following season and return to the Ducks in late January to compete in the final 26 games of the Ducks schedule followed by an early playoff exit. 2008-09 saw Selanne continue to be a productive player, with 54 points in 65 games after missing time due to an injury, with 2009-10 being a virtual repeat, as Selanne was again limited to 48 points in just 54 games, causing some to suggest his career was in decline.

Selanne, however, had other ideas and a 31 goal, 80 point season in 2010-11 was his best since 2007. He backed that up with a full 82 games in 2011-12 which saw him score 26 goals and 66 points.

He would play two additional seasons in Anaheim before retiring from the NHL with his final career totals being 1,451 games played with 684 goals and 1,457 points for greater than a point per game average for his entire NHL career.

He currently holds the NHL records for single season goals and points by a rookie, goals by a Finnish born player and is the Anaheim Ducks career leader in games played, goals, assists and points and club single season records for goals (52) and points (109) as well as the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise leader in single season goals (76) and points (132). He scored an additional 44 goals and 88 playoff points and won the Calder, Richard and Masterton trophies during his career in addition to the Stanley Cup during his 21 year career.

Today's featured jersey is a 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks Teemu Selanne jersey as worn when Selanne scored his 500th career goal.

After starting life in 1993-94 as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim under the ownership of the Disney Corporation, the franchise was sold and renamed to the more conventional Anaheim Ducks for 2006-07. Along with the name change, the team used the opportunity to move away from the eggplant and jade colors of the past and adopt a new scheme of black, gold, orange and white.

Today's featured jersey was worn for only one season until the change to the Reebok Edge jerseys, but the same design carried over and remained in use through the 2013-14 season until being replaced by the team's alternate jersey which was introduced back in 2010-11.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1992-93 Winnipeg Jets Teemu Selanne jersey from his record setting rookie season.

This jersey features the Stanley Cup Centennial patch worn by all the players during the season, only with the unique borderless version worn only by Winnipeg, as all the other teams had a bold, white outline around their patches. The borderless version is presumably from the latter part of the 1992-93 season, as in photos of Selanne with the borderless patch, he is now wearing the assistant captains' "A", while photos of Selanne with the bordered variation of the patch are without the "A".

Additionally, this jersey has the "Goals for Kids" patch worn on the left shoulder of the Jets jerseys in recognition of the teams charity program.

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Here is video of Selanne breaking the rookie goal scoring record, followed by his assault on the rookie point record.

Here, Jets fans angrily react to Selanne's trade to the Mighty Ducks, already knowing they are going to lose their club at the end of the season.

Next, Selanne takes the Stanley Cup to Helsinki and shares it with 40,000 of his closest friends.

Next is a touching story about Selanne scoring a hat trick for a terminally ill friend.

For further viewing, we recommend Teemu Selanne - The New Boss Parts 1, 2 and 3 about his arrival on the NHL scene, essentially the long version of the first entry in today's video section.

1966-67 Seattle Totems Guyle Fielder Jersey

Quite likely the best player you've never heard of, Guyle Fielder was born on this date in 1930. Fielder currently ranks as the third leading scorer in professional hockey history with 1,929 points, behind only better known legends Wayne Gretzky (2,967) and Gordie Howe (2,358).

Fielder began his playing days with first the Prince Albert Mintos in 1947-48 and later with the Lethbridge Native Sons in 1949-50, where he demonstrated his offensive skills by scoring 47 goals and 105 points in only 39 games. He followed that up in 1950-51 with 44 goals and 101 points in 37 games, which led to him making his NHL debut with the Chicago Black Hawks, with whom he played 3 games.

The 1949-50 Lethbridge Native Sons

He spent the next season wit the New Westminster Royals of the Pacific Coast Hockey League, racking up another 25 goals and 75 points to win the league's Rookie of the Year award. For the 1952-53 season, Fielder played the majority of his season with the St. Louis Flyers of the American Hockey League, leading the team with 83 points and winning AHL Rookie of the Year honors, his second consecutive such honor. He also made three appearances for the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League and joined the Detroit Red Wings for four games during the NHL playoffs.

1953-54 was a repeat of the previous season, as Fielder led the Seattle Bombers of the WHL with 83 points and competed in the NHL postseason with a pair of games for the Boston Bruins. He returned to the New Westminster Royals for all of 1954-55, this time with a team leading 87 points.

His next stop was with the Seattle Americans of the WHL for two seasons, leading the team with 79 points in 1955-56 and leading the entire league with 122 points in 1956-57, which broke the single season professional scoring record.

The 1956-57 Seattle Americans

He was back in the NHL at the start of the 1957-58 season, his second stint with the Red Wings. He was released after six games at his own request due to limited playing time, and returned to Seattle where he picked right up where he left off, leading the WHL in scoring once again with 111 points despite giving the competition and eight game head start.

Guyle Fielder's only hockey card, a 1957-58 Topps Red Wings card

A new ownership group purchased the Seattle WHL club and renamed them the Totems beginning with the 1958-59 season and Fielder would remain a fixture with the club for the next 11 seasons, displaying amazing durability and consistency, playing out of 767 out of 780 games from 1958 to 1969, over 98% of the possible games. Offensively, Fielder led the Totems in scoring 9 times in those 11 seasons with 9 seasons of over 90 points and two over 100. His "down" seasons were 73 points in 69 games and 70 in 70, meaning his lowest average was a point per game for over a decade!

Guyle Fielder while with the Totems

In addition to his scoring titles, Fielder was also a five time WHL First Team All-Star five times with the Totems (in addition to the three previous times with the Bombers and Americans), three times the league's Most Gentlemanly Player and a six time WHL Most Valuable Player.

His time with Seattle finally came to an end when he retired, only to return for the next season, when he joined the expansion Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1969 to play for a former teammate who was the Golden Eagles coach. While his point totals dropped with the change to the last place Golden Eagles, Fielder still led the club in points with 66 and came second on the club the following season with 61.

In 1971-72, Fielder played 30 games with Salt Lake before being traded to the Portland Buckaroos for the final 40 games of the year during which he scored 49 points. Despite being drafted by the Houston Aeros of the fledgling WHA, Fielder chose to remain with Portland for the final season of his career, scoring a final 11 goals and 58 points in 70 games, only the second time in his 20 year career he averaged less than a point per game.

In addition to his personal awards, Fielder was also a member of championship teams in the WHL on three occasions, capturing the Lester Patrick Cup in 1959, 1967 and 1968 all with the Totems.

The WHL Champion 1967-68 Seattle Totems

Fielder would retire with 1,487 games played, 438 goals, 1,491 assists and 1,929 points, which was also the professional record at the time of his retirement. He still holds the record for most minor league assists, points and games played despite having retired nearly 40 years ago. Amazingly, despite his indisputable offensive talent, his career record also shows 9 NHL games without registering a point.

For more information on the history of Seattle hockey, we recommend SeattleHockey.net.

Today's featured jersey is a 1967-68 Seattle Totems Guyle Fielder jersey. The Totems would begin life in 1958 wearing red, white and blue sweaters before changing to green for the 1966-67 campaign.

Bonus Jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1950-51 Lethbridge Native Sons Guyle Fielder jersey. This fantastic looking jersey features the Lethbridge script not only as part of the main crest, but also above the numbers on the back where names would become standard a quarter century later.

This jersey, with it's multiple arm and waist stripes is a true classic from a bygone era when hockey sweaters and football jerseys were much closer in style.

Of note, the "6" in the crest of the Native Sons jersey stands for the six First Nations tribes who inhabited the Lethbridge area of Alberta.

Today's video selection is a tribute to Guyle Fielder.

  

  

1973-74 Chicago Black Hawks Tony Esposito Jersey

While not as numerous as the Sutters or Plagers, as flashy as the Bures, identical as the Sedins, offensively gifted as as a pair as the Richards, as highly paid as the Staals or as clandestine as the Stastnys, no other pair of brothers are as accomplished as the Esposito brothers.

Phil and Tony Esposito

Phil, the older by two years was a two time Stanley Cup champion, five time Art Ross Trophy, two time Hart Trophy, two time Lester Pearson Trophy and Lester Patrick Trophy winner. He was a 10 time NHL All-Star, had his #7 retired by the Boston Bruins and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984. Phil retired as the second leading scorer in NHL history and holder of the single season goal scoring record with 76.

Phil poses with the Stanley Cup in 1970

Tony Esposito, two years younger than Phil, played college hockey for the Michigan Tech University Huskies where he was a three time All-American and backstopped the Huskies to the 1965 NCAA championship.

Tony with the MacNaughton Cup

He first played in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens when both Gump Worsely and Rogie Vachon were injured and saw action in 13 games, including giving up a pair of goals to his brother Phil during his very first game!

Tony during his early days trying to crack the Canadiens linuep

After being returned to the minors, he was called up during the playoffs when Worsley was again hurt and was part of the Canadiens Stanley Cup winning team.

The Canadiens, deep in goaltending, left Esposito unprotected in the waiver draft, where he was claimed by the Chicago Black Hawks, where he immediately set a modern NHL record with 15 shutouts, still and NHL rookie record, and a career high 38 wins on the way to being named the winner of the Calder Trophy as well as his first Vezina Trophy.

During his second season, he would guide the Black Hawks to the Stanley Cup Finals. The following season of 1971-72 saw Esposito earn his second Vezina Trophy on the basis of nine shutouts and a goals against average (GAA) of 1.77.

Prior to the start of the 1972-73 season, Esposito was named to Team Canada and was the first goalie to defeat the Soviet Union. He finished the Summit Series with a win in Game 2, a tie in Game 3, a loss in Game 5 and a victory in Game 7, as Team Canada, led offensively and emotionally by his brother Phil came back to defeat the Soviets 4-3-1 in the dramatic Game 8.

Esposito defending Canada's goal against Valeri Kharlamov

The Black Hawks, despite the departure of Bobby Hull to the WHA, returned to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1972 as Tony posted a 32-17-7 record, one of eight seasons with 30 wins or more.

1973-74 saw "Tony O" hit double digits in shutouts for the second time in his career with ten on his way to a 2.04 GAA and another Vezina Trophy, one of just eight goalies to win the Vezina catching right-handed.

Over the course of the next seven seasons, Esposito would continue his consistent play, appearing in between 66 and 69 games and winning between 24 and 31 times, as the Black Hawks won several division titles but failed to find playoff success.

In 1981, he became a naturalized American citizen and competed in goal for the United States in the 1981 Canada Cup.

The final three seasons of his career saw his number of games played decline from 52 to 39 to 18 in his final season of 1983-84, but he would record his sixth playoff shutout on this date, his birthday, in 1982 with a 2-0 win over rivals the St. Louis Blues.

Esposito, who originally wore #29 with Montreal, was the first NHL goalie to officially wear the #35, which was assigned to him in training camp due to the traditional goalie numbers 1 and 30 already being assigned. Following a shutout in his first ever exhibition game, he stuck with 35, making it an iconic number for goaltenders for decades to come.

Aside from becoming known for his #35, Esposito is also instantly recognized for his immediately recognizable goalie mask and stance. His mask would later have the addition of protective bars on the front, a precursor to today's hybrid mask worn by nearly all goaltenders at all levels.

Esposito retired in 1985 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and saw his #35 retired by the Blackhawks on this date later that same year, November 20, 1988.

Today's featured jersey is a 1973-74 Chicago Black Hawks Tony Esposito jersey as worn the year in which he won his second Vezina Trophy. This jersey sports the now iconic #35, pioneered by Esposito and adopted by goaltenders all throughout the 1970's, 80's and 90's such as Tom Barasso, John Sebastian-Giguere, Nikolai Khabibulin (who originally wore #53 when he joined the Blackhawks), Henrik Lundqvist, Andy Moog, Evgeni Nabokov, Mike Richter, Tommy Salo, Tim Thomas and Marty Turco among many others.

This was the first season for the numbers to have red trim. Names would not arrive on the backs of the jerseys until 1977-78.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a Team Canada 1972 Tony
Esposito jersey as worn during the Summit Series, an eight game exhibition series which featured the best Canadian professionals against the best of the
Soviet Union for the first time, as prior to the Summit Series, the best Canadians were not allowed to compete in the amateur only Olympics or World
Championships.

These heavily patriotic jerseys for were only worn for the Summit Series with
their overszed maple leaf design covering the lower portion of the jersey, while the later Canada Cup jerseys, first worn in 1976, had a similar but different
diagonally bisected maple leaf design.

Player names were not worn on the back, and in their place all members of the roster had "CANADA" emblazoned across their backs just in case the Soviets
forgot who they were up against!

Extra bonus jersey: Today's extra bonus jersey is a 1974 NHL All-Star Game Tony Esposito jersey from the fifth of five consecutive and six total All-Star Games Esposito would play in, which was played in Chicago in front of Esposito's home fans.

This was the first year for this new style which would remain in use through 1981, but was replaced by a more simple style in 1979 for the two game Challenge Cup Series against the Soviet Union.

Today's video section begins with a tribute to Tony Esposito by the Chicago Black Hawks from "Tony Esposito Night" in Chicago on March 19, 2008 as the Blackhawks honored Tony and welcomed him back into the Black Hawks family.

Here is the ceremony, in two parts, to honor Esposito on "Tony Esposito Night".

1972-73 Chicago Black Hawks Dennis Hull Jersey

Playing his career in the shadow of his older brother and teammate Bobby Hull, Dennis Hull was born on this date in 1944.

Dennis and Bobby Hull

Hull played junior hockey with the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey League beginning in the 1960-61 season and gave no indication of what was to follow with two seasons of 10 and 18 points. The team became sponsored by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1962 and thus became the St. Catharines Black Hawks. In 1962-63 Hull raised his point total to 48 before impressing the following season with 48 goals and 97 points, doubling his total from the previous season.

He made the Chicago roster in 1964-65 and saw action in 55 games, scoring 10 goals as a rookie. The club determined he needed some additional seasoning in 1965-66, and Hull was sent to the minors for 40 games with the St. Louis Braves. He also played 25 games with Chicago that season, but his lone goal raised cause for concern.

Those fears were calmed in 1966-67 when he played in all 70 games, scoring 25 goals and 42 points. Two seasons later Hull registered his first 30 goal season. The only problem for Dennis was that Bobby was in his 12th season for the Black Hawks, had ten seasons of 30 goals or more and scored an NHL record 58 goals that same season. Such was life for Dennis Hull in the NHL.

Dennis had a very good 1970-71 season, setting a career high in goals with 40 and nearly catching Bobby, who had 44 while now having been paired with Pit Martin and Jim Pappin on the "MPH Line", which came from the trio's last initials. The team also excelled, making a playoff run that would take them to the first Stanley Cup Finals in Dennis' career.

For their final season as teammates, Dennis had his third 30 goal season and set a new personal best with 69 points. For 1972-73, the hockey world was turned on it's ear with the arrival of the World Hockey Association, who made Bobby their marquee attraction by signing him away from the Black Hawks by virtue of a million dollar contract.

This defection resulted in Bobby being blacklisted from the Team Canada roster for the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union, despite his undoubted offensive capabilities. Dennis though, was still a member of the NHL and became part of Team Canada, at the urging of his brother following Dennis' thoughts of boycotting the series in support of Bobby. Dennis was paired with New York Ranger teammates Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, and scored two goals and four points in the four games he played in.

With the 50 goal scorer Bobby now out of the lineup, everyone feared what the impact would be on the Black Hawks, but the MPH Line stepped up to fill the void, and all three players hitting at least 90 points and raising their previous season total by a minimum of 21 which saw Dennis Hull score 39 goals and set a career high with 90 points. That season, Chicago would again return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in Hull's career.

The 1972-73 Chicago Blackhawks

In 1973-74, Hull would play in 74 games, his eighth consecutive season of 70 games or more, a streak broken the following season when he played in "just" 69 games. He followed that with playing 80 and then 75 in his final two seasons with the Black Hawks. In all, he would play 824 games out of a possible 848 games once he established himself as a regular with the club 11 seasons earlier, a rate of 97% for the model of reliability and consistency he, and the MPH Line, provided the Black Hawks.

Hull was acquired by the Detroit Red Wings for the 1977-78 season, his final one before retiring as a player.

His final NHL totals are 959 games played with 3030 goals and 351 assists for 654 points and he would appear in six NHL All-Star Games, including the 1974 version with linemates Martin and Pappin.

Known for his outgoing personality and sense of humor, he wrote a book entitled (in reference to his nephew and Bobby's offensively gifted son Brett Hull) "The Third Best Hull - I would have been fourth best but they wouldn't let my sister Maxine play."

Bobby, Brett and Dennis Hull

Today's featured jersey is a 1972-73 Chicago Black Hawks Dennis Hull jersey as worn during Hull's career year when he played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series and then went on to the best season of his NHL career with 90 points.

The Black Hawks adopted this jersey style in 1955 and it has become an icon in the world of hockey, remaining essentially unchanged for over 55 years.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Today's video section begins with highlights of the MPH Line in action.

Hull has gone on to a career as a public and motivational speaker, and here he is telling some of his humorous stories.

Here are highlights of Game 6 of the 1972 Summit Series, in which Hulls scores a goal for Team Canada.

Finally, a pair of intertwined interviews from WGN TV in Chicago, hosted by long time Cubs announcer Jack Brickhouse. Bobby clearly got the better background for his interview...

  

  

  

1926-27 Detroit Cougars Eric Brolin Jersey

It was on this date in 1926 that the Detroit Cougars would play in their first NHL game, losing 2-0 to the Boston Bruins at the Border Cities Arena in Windsor, Ontario where the Cougars would play their home games during their first season since they had no home arena in Detroit at the time.

When the Western Canada Hockey League folded after the 1925-26 season, a deal was made so the new Detroit expansion NHL club bought the rights to the players of one of the most successful of the WCHL teams, the 1925 Stanley Cup champion Victoria Cougars.

The 1925 Stanley Cup champion Victoria Cougars

The new Detroit club was named the Cougars in honor of the Victoria club from where it's roster originated. The Cougars played a 44 game schedule, finishing last in the American Division of the 10 team league with a 12-28-4 record. John Sheppard would lead the team in scoring with 21 points in 43 games.

1926-27 Detroit Cougars team

For the following season of 1927-28, the Detroit Olympia would become the Cougars new home, where they would play for the next 52 years, until December of 1979. That same season, Jack Adams would take over as coach in Detroit and spend the next 36 years as either the coach or general manager of the club. The Cougars would finish the season with a 19-19-6 record for fourth place in the American Division. George Hay would lead the team with 35 points in 42 games, tied for third in the league.

The Detroit Cougars in 1928

he 1928-29 Cougars would finish with a similar 19-16-9 record but make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time, losing out to the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-2 in a two game total goals series. Carson Cooper would lead the Cougars in scoring with 27 points in 43 games to finish third in the league.

The final season for the name Cougars, 1929-30, would see Detroit post a 14-24-5 record and miss out on the playoffs. Cooper would again lead the team in scoring, this time with 36 points in 44 games played.

Before the start of the next season, the Detroit club would change it's name from its original choice of Cougars to Falcons, brining an end to the first era of of the franchise and hoping to change it's luck. The name Falcons would last but two seasons until a change in ownership led to the adaptation of the Red Wings name.

Today's featured jersey is a 1926-27 Detroit Cougars Eric Brolin jersey worn by the expansion Cougars during their first season in the NHL. The Cougars name lasted just four seasons, but the team wore a new style sweater for every one of those four years, offering no clues as to what was to come, as the Red Wings name was introduced in 1932 and their red jerseys have now remained unchanged for over 80 years!

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings Nicklas Lidström jersey worn for the Winter Classic on January 1, 2009 at Wrigley Field in Chicago when the Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4. This jersey is based on the style that Detroit wore in during the franchise's first season of 1926-27 when they were known by their original name of the Detroit Cougars.

Our video section begins with a preview of the 2009 Winter Classic, during which the Red Wings wore jerseys inspired by the original Cougars jerseys.

  

  

The 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Tonight is the 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for this year's inductees, Rob Blake, Peter Forsberg, Dominik Hasek and Mike Modano, and outstanding class of excellent players. Also going into the hall tonight will be the long overdue inclusion of head coach Pat Burns and referee Bill McCreary.

Here then is our tribute to the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

2001-02 Colorado Avalanche Rob Blake jersey ≈ 2001 Stanley Cup Champion 1998 Norris Trophy ≈

1994 and 1997 World Championship Gold Medal 2002 Olympic Gold Medal Member of the Triple Gold Club ≈ Six time NHL All-Star

1996-97 Colorado Avalanche Peter Forsberg Jersey ≈ 1996 and 2001 Stanley Cup Champion 1995 Calder Trophy 2003 Art Ross Trophy 2003 Hart Trophy ≈ 1992 and 1998 World Championship Gold Medal 1994 and 2006 Olympic Gold Medal Member of the Triple Gold Club ≈ Seven time NHL All-Star

≈

Holds the IIHF record for Most Points in a World Junior Tournament with 31
Holds the IIHF record for Most Points in a World Junior Game with 10

1998 Czech Republic National Team Dominik Hasek Jersey

≈ 2002 and 2008 Stanley Cup Champion 1994, 2001 and 2008 Jennings Trophy 1997 and 1998 Pearson Award 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001 Vezina Trophy ≈ 1998 Olympic Gold Medal 1998 Olympics Best Goaltender 1983 World Championship Silver Medal 1987 and 1989 World Championship Best Goaltender 1982, 1983 and 1985 World Junior Silver Medal 1983 World Junior Best Goaltender ≈ 1987, 1989, 1990, 1997 and 1998 Czechoslovak First League MVP 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 Czechoslovak First League Best Goaltender ≈

Holds NHL records for Highest Career Save Percentage and Most Games Played by a European Born Goaltender and Most Saves in a Shutout with 70
≈

Holds Buffalo Sabres records for Most All-Time Games, Most Wins, Most Shutouts and Lowest Career Goals against Average, Most Shutouts in a Single Season, Lowest Single Season Goals Against Average

1998-99 Dallas Stars Mike Modano Jersey

≈ 1999 Stanley Cup Champion ≈ 1996 World Cup of Hockey Champion 2002 Olympic Silver Medal Seven time NHL All-Star

≈

Holds NHL records for Most Career Goals by a American, Most Career Points by an American and Most Career Playoff Points by an American ≈ Holds Dallas Stars franchise records for Most Career Regular Games Played, Most Career Playoff Games, Most Career Regular Season Assists, Most Career Playoff Assists, Most Career Regular Season Points and Most Career Playoff Points

Pat Burns coached 1,019 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, winning the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year with Montreal, Toronto and Boston, each in his first year with those clubs and the only one to ever win it three times. Burns then won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2003.

Bill McCreary was an NHL referee from 1984 through 2011, worked 1,737 regular season games, 297 playoff games, the 1994 NHL All-Star Game, Wayne Gretzky's final game, 15 Stanley Cup Finals, the 2005 Spengler Cup in Switzerland, the 1991 Canada Cup and the 1998, 2002 and 2010 Olympics.

The 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast on TSN 2 in Canada and the NHL Network in the United States starting at 7:00 PM Eastern time tonight.