The 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Tonight is the 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for this year's inductees, Sergei Fedorov, Phil Housely, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger and Angela Rugiero. Also going into the hall tonight will be Bill Hay and Peter Karmanos Jr., both in the builder category.

Here then is our tribute to the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2015.

1992-93 Detroit Red Wings Sergei Fedorov Jersey ≈ 1997, 1998 and 2002 Stanley Cup Champion 19994 Hart Trophy 1994 Pearson Award 1994 and 1996 Selke Trophy ≈ Holds the record for Most Career Overtime Points First European Trained Hart Trophy Winner First Russian with 1,000 NHL Points Holds the record for Most Goals by a Russian-born NHL Player (483) ≈

1989 World Junior Gold Medal 1989, 1990 and 2008 World Championship Gold Medal 2010 World Championship Silver Medal 1998 Olympic Silver Medal 2002 Olympic Bronze Medal ≈ Six time NHL All-Star
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1989-90 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley Jersey ≈

1998 Stanley Cup Finalist

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1996 World Cup of Hockey Champion Played in 6 World Championships and 2 Canada Cups for the United States ≈ Member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (2004) ≈ Retired as the record holder for Most Career Points by an American Player (1,232)

Currently ranks second all-time and first among defensemen
Retired as the record holder for Most Games by an American Player (1,495)
Currently ranks third all-time
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Went directly from high school hockey to the NHL
and never played a game in the minors
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Seven time NHL All-Star

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1997-98 Detroit Red Wings Nicklas Lidström Jersey

≈ 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008 Stanley Cup Champion 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 Norris Trophy 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy ≈ 2006 Olympic Gold Medal 1991 World Championship Gold Medal 2004 World Championship Silver Medal 1994 World Championship Bronze Medal Triple Gold Club Member Member of the IIHF Hall of Fame (2014) ≈

First European Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy winner
First European-trained captain of a Stanley Cup winner
First European-born and trained defenseman with 1,000 NHL career points
Holds NHL record for Most Games Played by a European-born Player (1,564)
≈

Holds Detroit Red Wings records for Most Career Goals (264), Assists (878), Points (1,142) and Games Played  (1,564) by a Defenseman and Best Career Plus/Minus (+450) Jersey #5 Retired by Detroit on March 6, 2014 ≈ 12 time NHL All-Star
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1993-94 Hartford Whalers Chris Pronger Jersey

≈ 2007 Stanley Cup Champion 2000 Hart Trophy 2000 Norris Trophy ≈ 2002 and 2010 Olympic Gold Medal 1993 World Junior Gold Medal 1997 World Championship Gold Medal Member of the Triple Gold Club ≈

Led NHL in Plus/Minus in 1998 (+47) and 2000 (+52) ≈ Six Time NHL All-Star
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Angela Ruggiero won a gold medal at the 1998 Olympics as the youngest member of the team. She also won a silver medal at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and a bronze at the 2006 Olympics  while being named Top Defenseman in 2002 and 2006. She was the Kazmaier Award winner as the top player in NCAA Women's Hockey in 2004, won a national championship with Harvard in 1999 and was a four time NCAA All-American. She won World Championship gold in 2005 (where she scored the championship winning goal in a shootout), 2008, 2009 and 2011 as well as six silver medals  while being named Top Defenseman four times. She holds the record for Most Career Games for the United States (256) and was named Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. She will be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame later this year.

Bill Hay played eight NHL seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks beginning in 1959-60. That season he was named the Calder Trophy winner and played in the 1960 NHL All-Star Game. He also appeared in the 1961 All-Star Game and, playing on a line with Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, won the 1961 Stanley Cup. He is being inducted in the Builder category for his post-playing career work as President and CEO of the Calgary Flames, President and COO of Hockey Canada and was on the Hockey Hall of Fame's Board of Directors and served at the Hall's Chairman and CEO for 15 years.

Peter Karmanos Jr. founded the Compuware Hockey organization, which fielded teams from Junior "A" down to recreational hockey. Program graduates include Pat Lafontaine, Mike Modano, Eric Lindros and Kevin Hatcher. His Detroit Compuware Ambassadors became the first Ontario Hockey League team outside of Ontario. The team is currently known as the Plymouth Whalers. He also is the owner of the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. Karmonos purchased the Hartford Whalers in 1994 and moved the club to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1997. The team was renamed the Carolina Hurricanes and won the Stanley Cup in 2006. In 1998, Karmonos was named the recipient of the Lester Patrick Award for Outstanding Service to Hockey in the United States.

The 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast on the NHL Network in the United States starting at 7:00 PM Eastern time and on TSN 4 in Canada at 8:00 PM Eastern tonight.

Third String Goalie 6th Anniversary - 1992-93 Winnipeg Jets Phil Housley Jersey

Today is the sixth anniversary of Third String Goalie. To date we have made 1915 posts, are followed by 85 people here on blogger, by 301 on our Facebook page, and 915 of the most intelligent people on Twitter.

We've written about jerseys from Alaska to Japan and from Finland to South Africa, including jerseys from the United States, Canada, Iceland, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria, Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Poland, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Japan.

In addition to the countries we've written about, we've also had visitors from 198 different countries and territories, which still shocks us to no end, often wondering what someone from someplace like Malawi or Iran was expecting to find when they arrived here?

We've written about the oldest hockey sweater in existence, brand new releases and sweaters never actually used. we've covered jerseys we love and those we do not.

We've also gone astray a time or two with unexpected stories we felt worth sharing and we sincerely hope you've enjoyed the ride.

As a small token of our appreciation for your readership, all readers who email us their mailing address will receive a Third String Goalie refrigerator magnet for free!

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Also, we are pleased to announce we are having an Anniversary Sale in the Third String Goalie Online Shop Sale!

Prices have never been lower and we have t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, clothing for kids, tote bags, home and office, mugs and even buttons all featuring our vintage Third String Goalie logo.

Click the image below for The Third String Goalie Online Shop Third String Goalie Branded Goods proudly featuring the Patron Saint of Goaltenders Georges Vezina. 

In honor of our 6th anniversary, we have chosen to feature one of our favorite players to have worn the number 6.

Phil Housley is one of the rare NHL players who never played a single game in the minors. He was drafted 6th overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft out of South St. Paul High School by the Buffalo Sabres.

He was a model of dependability for Buffalo, playing no less than 72 games, scoring a minimum of 15 goals, with a high of 31 in 1983-84, and totaling between 62 and 81 points for each of his eight seasons with the Sabres, with his best season being his last of 1989-90. Additionally, Buffalo made the playoffs in six of his eight seasons with the Sabres.

A 1989-90 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley jersey, worn during his highest scoring season with the Sabres

He was sent to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that saw Dale Hawerchuk go to Buffalo and spent three seasons in Winnipeg cranking out the exact same kind of numbers he had for the Sabres, with each season being better than the last. His final season with the Jets saw him set career highs with 79 assists and 97 points, assisting on many of the dynamic rookie Teemu Selanne's record 76 goals.

He was traded to the St. Louis Blues for the 1993-94 season, but his time there was brief, appearing in only 26 games due to injuries before once more being traded, this time to the Calgary Flames.

A 1993-94 St. Louis Blues Phil Housley jersey
from his short stay with the Blues

His first season with the Flames was then curtailed by the lockout of 1994-95 which limited him to 43 games once the season finally began in January. Prior to the resumption of the NHL season, Housley played in Switzerland for the Zurich Grasshoppers, scoring 6 goals and 14 points in just 10 games.

A 1994-95 Zurich Grasshoppers Phil Housley jersey from his
time in Europe during the 1994 NHL lockout.
photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Housley scored 52 points in 59 games in 1995-96 for the Flames before a late season trade sent him to the New Jersey Devils for the final 22 games of the season.

He then signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals for the 1996-97 season, during which he would play in his 1000th game. It was during the following season of 1997-98 that he would record the 1,000th point of his career. Housley would go on to set the unfortunate record of playing the most games in NHL history without ever winning the Stanley Cup at 1,495. The closest Housley came to winning the cap was when the Capitals advanced to the 1998 finals.

Housley would wear #96 while playing for the Capitals

He made a return to Calgary for the next three seasons from 1998-99 through 2000-01 with a best of 55 points in 1999-00.

Housley's next stop was with the Chicago Blackhawks for 2001-02 and 57 games of the 2002-03 season before he was traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his eighth and final team, where he would play in just a single regular season game and three playoff games, again wearing #96, to bring an end his 21 year career.

A 2002-03 Chicago Blackhawks Phil Housley alternate jersey
photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

When Housley retired in 2003, he held the record for most games played by an American, as well as the record for most career points by an American, no mean feat considering he spent the majority of his career playing defense, although he did spend some time skating at forward as well. His final statistical totals were 1,495 games played, 338 goals and 894 assists for 1,232 points.

Internationally, Housley played for the United States at the World Championships in 1982, 1986, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

A 2005 United States National Team Phil Housley jersey which sports Bauhaus sponsor patches on the shoulders, a unique element of jerseys worn during the World Championships
photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

He was a part of both the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments as well as being on the winning team at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and winning a silver medal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

A 1996 United States National Team Phil Housley jersey as worn during the United States championship at the first World Cup of Hockey
photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

He was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2007 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

In 2013 Housley coached the United States to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia.

Today's featured jersey is a 1992-93 Winnipeg Jets Phil Housley jersey as worn during Housley's finest season when he scored 79 assists and 97 points.

The Jets adopted this style jersey for the 1990-91 season and would wear it through the rest of their time in Winnipeg before the franchise was sold and relocated to Phoenix.

In today's video secion, Housely plays for the United States in the 1984 Canada Cup versus Dominik Hasek and Czechoslovakia and gets an assist with a blast from the point.

Once more Housely gets an assist with a blast from the point versus Hasek, only this time while playing for the Capitals and wearing the unfamiliar #96.

1989-90 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley Jersey

Phil Housley is one of the rare NHL players who never played a single game in the minors. He was drafted 6th overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft out of South St. Paul High School by the Buffalo Sabres.

He was a model of dependability for Buffalo, playing no less than 72 games, scoring a minimum of 15 goals, with a high of 31 in 1983-84, and totaling between 62 and 81 points for each of his eight seasons with the Sabres.

He was sent to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that saw Dale Hawerchuk go to Buffalo and spent three seasons in Winnipeg cranking out the exact same kind of numbers he had for the Sabres.

He was traded to the St. Louis Blues for the 1993-94 season, but his time there was brief, appearing in only 26 games in St. Louis before once more being traded, this time to the Calgary Flames, who would then send him to the New Jersey Devils in 1995-96.

He then signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals for the 1996-97 season, in which he would play in his 1000th game on this date in 1996. Housley would go on to set the unfortunate record of playing the most games in history without ever winning the Stanley Cup with 1,495. The closest Housley came to winning the cap was the following season with the Capitals when they made the 1998 finals.

He made a return to Calgary for the next three seasons followed by two as a Chicago Blackhawk who traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his eight and final team, where he would play in just a single regular season game and three playoff games to end his 21 year career.

When Housley retired in 2003, he held the record for most games played by an American, as well as the record for most career points by an American, no mean feat considering he spent the majority of his career playing defense, although he did skate at forward as well. His final statistical totals were 1495 games played, 338 goals and 894 assists for 1232 points.

He was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2007 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Today's featured jersey is a 1989-90 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley jersey. The Sabres wore this style from their inaugural 1970-71 season through the 1995-96 season. Naturally, there were a few variations along the way which will allow collectors to date various jerseys, as the Sabres began life with lace up collars and no names on the back. Names arrived in 1977, shoulder logos and v-nick collars in 1978 and much bolder arm and waist striping in 1983.

After a change to an entirely new identity package in 1996, including new team colors of black and red, the Sabres classic jersey returned as an alternate jersey in 2006 and an updated version appear again as an alternate in 2008, which then became the team's primary jersey in 2010.

Bonus jersey:  Today's bonus jersey is a 2005 United States National Team Phil Housley jersey. Internationally, Housley played for the United States in the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups, the World Championships in 1982, 1986, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2003 and captured a gold medal in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

This style jersey made it's debut at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and was used during the World Juniors, World Championships, Olympics and 2004 World Cup, remaining in use through the 2005 World Junior Tournament.

This jersey sports Bauhaus sponsor patches on the shoulders, which is a unique element of jerseys worn during the World Championships.

In today's video secion, Housely plays for the United States in the 1984 Canada Cup versus Dominik Hasek and Czechoslovakia and gets an assist with a blast from the point.

Once more Housely gets an assist with a blast from the point versus Hasek, only this time while playing for the Capitals and wearing the unfamiliar #96.

2005 United States National Team Phil Housley Jersey

Phil Housley is one of the rare NHL players who never played a single game in the minors. He was drafted 6th overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft out of South St. Paul High School by the Buffalo Sabres.

He was a model of dependability for Buffalo, playing no less than 72 games, scoring a minimum of 15 goals, with a high of 31 in 1983-84, and totaling between 62 and 81 points for each of his eight seasons with the Sabres.

He was sent to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that saw Dale Hawerchuk go to Buffalo and spent three seasons in Winnipeg cranking out the exact same kind of numbers he had for the Sabres.

He was traded to the St. Louis Blues for the 1993-94 season, but his time there was brief, appearing in only 26 games in St. Louis before once more being traded, this time to the Calgary Flames, who would then send him to the New Jersey Devils in 1995-96.

He then signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals for the 1996-97 season, in which he would play in his 1000th game on this date in 1996. Housley would go on to set the unfortunate record of playing the most games in history without ever winning the Stanley Cup with 1,495. The closest Housley came to winning the cap was the following season with the Capitals when they made the 1998 finals.

He made a return to Calgary for the next three seasons followed by two as a Chicago Blackhawk who traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his eight and final team, where he would play in just a single regular season game and three playoff games to end his 21 year career.

When Housley retired in 2003, he held the record for most games played by an American, as well as the record for most career points by an American, no mean feat considering he spent the majority of his career playing defense, although he did skate at forward as well. His final statistical totals were 1495 games played, 338 goals and 894 assists for 1232 points.

He was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2007 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Today's featured jersey is a 2005 United States National Team Phil Housley jersey. Internationally, Housley played for the United States in the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups, the World Championships in 1982, 1986, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2003 and captured a gold medal in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

This style jersey made it's debut at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and was used during the World Juniors, World Championships, Olympics and 2004 World Cup, remaining in use through the 2005 World Junior Tournament.

This jersey sports Bauhaus sponsor patches on the shoulders, which is a unique element of jerseys worn during the World Championships.

Here is the rock solid Housely absorbing a blow from Sergei Fedorov and quickly skating away while Fedorov is shaken by the collision.

Here Housely plays for the United States in the 1984 Canada Cup versus Dominik Hasek and Czechoslovakia and gets an assist with a blast from the point.

Once more Housely gets an assist with a blast from the point versus Hasek, only this time while playing for the Capitals and wearing the unfamiliar #96.

1988-89 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley Jersey

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft will be held in St. Paul, Minnesota today. As the final part of our countdown to the draft, we are going to take a look today at the greatest Minnesotan ever selected in the history of the NHL draft.

Phil Housley is one of the rare NHL players who never played a single game in the minors. He was drafted 6th overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft out of South St. Paul High School by the Buffalo Sabres.

He was a model of dependability for Buffalo, playing no less than 72 games, scoring a minimum of 15 goals, with a high of 31 in 1983-84, and totaling between 62 and 81 points for each of his eight seasons with the Sabres.

He was sent to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that saw Dale Hawerchuk go to Buffalo and spent three seasons in Winnipeg cranking out the exact same kind of numbers he had for the Sabres, which included leading the Jets in scoring in both 1990-91 and 1991-92. While he did not lead the Jets in scoring in 1992-93, thanks to the arrival of rookie sensation Teemu Selanne, the high scoring Finn helped Housley to reach a career best 97 points thanks to 18 goals and 79 assists, which ranked seventh in the league and first among defensemen, ahead of even the likes of Paul Coffey.

Housley was then traded to the St. Louis Blues for the 1993-94 season, but was limited to just 26 games in St. Louis before once more being dealt in the offseason, this time to the Calgary Flames. He would play all of the abbreviated 1994-95 season and then 59 games of the 1995-96 season before being shipped to the New Jersey Devils for the final 22 games of the season.

He then signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals for the 1996-97 season, during which he would play in his 1000th game. His second season with the Capitals would see Housley make his only appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.

He made a return to Calgary for the next three seasons followed by two as a Chicago Blackhawk who traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his eighth and final team, where he would play in just a single regular season game and three playoff games to end his 21 year career.

Internationally, Housley played for the United States in the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments, the World Championships for the United States in 1982, 1986, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2003 and was a member of the championship winning Team USA at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

When Housley retired in 2003, he held the record for most games played by not only a native Minnesotan, but an American, as well as the record for most career points by an American, a feat made even more impressive considering he spent the majority of his career playing defense, although he did skate at forward at times as well. His final statistical totals were 1,495 games played, 338 goals and 894 assists for 1,232 points.

He was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2007 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Today's featured jersey is a 1988-89 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley jersey. This classic Sabres jersey style would remain in use through the 1995-96 season until replaced by an all new look for Buffalo when the team's colors changed to red, black and white.

It was brought back as an alternate jersey in 2006-07 and was the basis for a new, modernized alternate in 2008-09 before being promoted to the team's primary jersey in 2010-11, much to the delight of the fans.

Bonus Jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 2003 Team USA Phil Housley jersey as worn during Housley's final appearance for the United States National Team and his final competitive hockey before his retirement.

This style USA jersey was introduced for the 2001 World Championships and was used through the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

This jersey sports Bauhaus sponsor patches on the shoulders, which is a unique element of jerseys worn during the World Championships.

Here is the rock solid Housley absorbing a blow from Sergei Fedorov and quickly skating away while Fedorov is shaken by the collision.

Here Housley plays for the United States in the 1984 Canada Cup versus Dominik Hasek and Czechoslovakia and gets an assist with a blast from the point.

Once more Housley gets an assist with a blast from the point versus Hasek, only this time while playing for the Capitals and wearing the unfamiliar #96.

1983-84 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley Jersey

Phil Housley is one of the rare NHL players who never played a single game in the minors. He was drafted 6th overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft out of South St. Paul High School by the Buffalo Sabres.

He was a model of dependability for Buffalo, playing no less than 72 games, scoring a minimum of 15 goals, with a high of 31 in 1983-84, and totaling between 62 and 81 points for each of his eight seasons with the Sabres.

He was sent to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that saw Dale Hawerchuk go to Buffalo and spent three seasons in Winnipeg cranking out the exact same kind of numbers he had for the Sabres. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues for the 1993-94 season, but his time there was brief, appearing in only 26 games in St. Louis before once more being traded, this time to the Calgary Flames, who would then send him to the New Jersey Devils in 1995-96.

He then signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals for the 1996-97 season, in which he would play in his 1000th game on this date in 1996. Housley would go on to set the unfortunate record of playing the most games in history without ever winning the Stanley Cup with 1,495. The closest Housley came to winning the cap was the following season with the Capitals when they made the 1998 finals.

He made a return to Calgary for the next three seasons followed by two as a Chicago Blackhawk who traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his eight and final team, where he would play in just a single regular season game and three playoff games to end his 21 year career.

Internationally, he played for the United States in the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups, the World Championships in 1982, 1986, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2003 and captured a gold medal in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

When Housley retired in 2003, he held the record for most games played by an American, as well as the record for most career points by an American, no mean feat considering he spent the majority of his career playing defense, although he did skate at forward as well. His final statistical totals were 1495 games played, 338 goals and 894 assists for 1232 points.

He was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2007 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Today's featured jersey is a game worn CCM 1983-84 Buffalo Sabres Phil Housley jersey in the Sabres classic blue and yellow colors. It sold at auction for $1,026 in February of 2009.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Here is the rock solid Housely absorbing a blow from Sergei Fedorov and quickly skating away while Fedorov is shaken by the collision.

Here Housely plays for the United States in the 1984 Canada Cup versus Dominik Hasek and Czechoslovakia and gets an assist with a blast from the point.

Once more Housely gets an assist with a blast from the point versus Hasek, only this time while playing for the Capitals and wearing the unfamiliar #96.