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06-11-2003, 03:41 PM
Jun. 11, 2003. 03:43 PM
Hockey Hall welcomes four more
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
Goaltender Grant Fuhr and forward Pat LaFontaine were selected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
The two were named in the players' category while Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Illitch and Ottawa 67's head coach Brian Kilrea will enter the Hall as builders.
Fuhr, 40, was a backbone of four championship Edmonton Oilers teams of the 1980s, helped Canada win the Canada Cup tournament in 1987, and was the first team all-star goalie and Vezina Trophy winner in 1988.
"He was a great goalie, one of the best in the 80s," said Glen Sather, who coached Fuhr in Edmonton and is now GM of the Rangers. ``He played on an offensive team and had the ability to win games when the team had to win."
The native of Spruce Grove, Alta., was judged the 11th-best goalie in NHL history, and 70th-best player overall, by a panel of experts assembled by The Hockey News five years ago to pick the top 100 players of all time.
"He was a low-profile guy who just wanted to be part of the team," said Sather. "He was a great team guy.
"He was the last one to take credit for what he did and the first one to take blame for what he didn't do, and he didn't blame anybody else for making mistakes."
LaFontaine recorded 468 goals with 545 assists in 865 career games with the New York Islanders, Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres.
LaFontaine was an Islanders star throughout the 1980s before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 1991. He had his best season in 1992-93, scoring 53 goals and recording 95 assists. LaFontaine, who was plagued by concussions during his career, played his final NHL season with the New York Rangers in 1998. In his only season with the Rangers, he became the third American player to record 1,000 points. He was a five-time all-star and played for the United States in the 1984 and 1998 Olympics. He was also a member of 1996 World Cup championship team.
Kilrea reached 1,000 wins this season behind the Ottawa 67's bench, making him only the second hockey coach to surpass that mark next to the NHL's Scotty Bowman. The 68-year-old from Ottawa just finished his 26th season behind the 67's bench.
The Canadian Hockey League's coaching award was re-named the Brian Kilrea Trophy.
Illitch, whose empire also includes baseball's Detroit Tigers and the Little Caesars pizza chain, purchased the Red Wings in 1982. They went on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998. They also captured the NHL championship in 2002.
Guy Carbonneau, Dino Ciccarelli, Glenn Anderson and Brian Bellows were among other players eligible for induction.
Jim Gregory chairs the selection committee. Members are Al Arbour, Scotty Bowman, Ed Chynoweth, John Davidson, Mike Emrick, Red Fisher, Emile Francis, Dick Irvin, Stan Mikita, Richard Patrick, Marty Pavelich, Pat Quinn, Bert Raymond, Serge Savard, Frank Selke, Harry Sinden and Frank Udvari.
Bowman was named to the committee April 2 when Cliff Fletcher's term expired.
Hockey Hall welcomes four more
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
Goaltender Grant Fuhr and forward Pat LaFontaine were selected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
The two were named in the players' category while Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Illitch and Ottawa 67's head coach Brian Kilrea will enter the Hall as builders.
Fuhr, 40, was a backbone of four championship Edmonton Oilers teams of the 1980s, helped Canada win the Canada Cup tournament in 1987, and was the first team all-star goalie and Vezina Trophy winner in 1988.
"He was a great goalie, one of the best in the 80s," said Glen Sather, who coached Fuhr in Edmonton and is now GM of the Rangers. ``He played on an offensive team and had the ability to win games when the team had to win."
The native of Spruce Grove, Alta., was judged the 11th-best goalie in NHL history, and 70th-best player overall, by a panel of experts assembled by The Hockey News five years ago to pick the top 100 players of all time.
"He was a low-profile guy who just wanted to be part of the team," said Sather. "He was a great team guy.
"He was the last one to take credit for what he did and the first one to take blame for what he didn't do, and he didn't blame anybody else for making mistakes."
LaFontaine recorded 468 goals with 545 assists in 865 career games with the New York Islanders, Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres.
LaFontaine was an Islanders star throughout the 1980s before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 1991. He had his best season in 1992-93, scoring 53 goals and recording 95 assists. LaFontaine, who was plagued by concussions during his career, played his final NHL season with the New York Rangers in 1998. In his only season with the Rangers, he became the third American player to record 1,000 points. He was a five-time all-star and played for the United States in the 1984 and 1998 Olympics. He was also a member of 1996 World Cup championship team.
Kilrea reached 1,000 wins this season behind the Ottawa 67's bench, making him only the second hockey coach to surpass that mark next to the NHL's Scotty Bowman. The 68-year-old from Ottawa just finished his 26th season behind the 67's bench.
The Canadian Hockey League's coaching award was re-named the Brian Kilrea Trophy.
Illitch, whose empire also includes baseball's Detroit Tigers and the Little Caesars pizza chain, purchased the Red Wings in 1982. They went on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998. They also captured the NHL championship in 2002.
Guy Carbonneau, Dino Ciccarelli, Glenn Anderson and Brian Bellows were among other players eligible for induction.
Jim Gregory chairs the selection committee. Members are Al Arbour, Scotty Bowman, Ed Chynoweth, John Davidson, Mike Emrick, Red Fisher, Emile Francis, Dick Irvin, Stan Mikita, Richard Patrick, Marty Pavelich, Pat Quinn, Bert Raymond, Serge Savard, Frank Selke, Harry Sinden and Frank Udvari.
Bowman was named to the committee April 2 when Cliff Fletcher's term expired.