Nov 14, 2023, 12:54 AM ET
The Hockey Hall of Fame got an infusion of goaltenders on Monday with the induction of Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon.
The ceremony in Toronto also included players Pierre Turgeon and Caroline Ouellette, coach Ken Hitchcock and late executive/agent Pierre Lacroix.
For Vernon, the call to the Hall was a long time coming.
“To have this happen 21 years after I finished my NHL career, this means more to me and my family than you could possibly know,” Vernon said. “Mom, you asked me once if I was ever going to go into the Hall of Fame? Well, I made it.”
Vernon played for 19 years, mostly for the Calgary Flames while also spending time with the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers. He finished with a .889 save percentage and a 3.00 goals-against average in 782 career games, captured two Stanley Cups and won the 1997 Conn Smythe Trophy after helping Detroit earn a championship.
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Lundqvist, 41, was elected in his first year of eligibility. In a 15-season career, all with the New York Rangers, he appeared in 887 games, posting a .918 save percentage and 2.43 GAA. His 23,509 saves rank eighth most all-time. He captured the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie in 2011-12.
“My dad told me, my brother and my sister, ‘Dream big, it’ll inspire you to work harder,'” Lundqvist said. “I’ll never forget that. But to be honest, I never saw this.”
Barrasso, 58, helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win consecutive Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. He won both the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) and the Vezina Trophy in 1983-84. He spent 12 seasons with the Penguins, six with the Buffalo Sabres and had short stints with the Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues.
Barrasso also was part of the United States’ silver-medal-winning team at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
“Being an Olympian is truly a highlight of my lifetime, and I put it right beside my two Stanley Cups,” Barrasso…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/38894345/henrik-lundqvist-3-goalies-inducted-hockey-hall-fame-class-2023
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Publish date : 2023-11-14 06:02:14
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