Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2014 Announced

The Hockey Hall of Fame. A special place in Toronto that celebrates the best players in the history of the game of hockey. Established in 1943, the Hall of Fame serves as a museum and a hall of fame, a dedication to all things great about the game of hockey. To be elected to the Hall, you have to be a cut above the rest, do something for the game, either as a builder, an official or a player, that nobody else can do. For a person to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, they must be nominated by an elected 18-person selection committee which consists of Hockey Hall of Fame members and media personalities. This year, the induction ceremony will take place November 17th, and will see the enshrinement of Goaltender Dominik Hasek of the Czech Republic and Swedish center Peter Forsberg were joined by American center Mike Modano, along with defenseman Rob Blake, coach Pat Burns and referee Bill McCreary.

Burns was elected in the builder category. He spent parts of 14 seasons as a coach in the NHL, winning the Jack Adams Award with three teams and capturing the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003. He also reached the Cup Final in 1989 with the Montreal Canadiens and got the Toronto Maple Leafs to back-to-back conference finals in 1993 and 1994. Burns died November 19, 2010.

McCreary was inducted in the referee/linesman category. He officiated 1,737 regular-season games and an NHL-record 292 playoff games from 1984 to 2011. He also worked 44 Stanley Cup Final games, also a record. He worked in three Olympics (1998, 2002 and 2010), including the gold-medal game in each competition, and the 1991 and 1994 Canada Cups.

First up in the player category will be Dominik Hasek, who is considered one of the greatest goalies in the history of the game. Hasek won the Vezina Trophy six times in his 16-year NHL career, which is tied for the second-most of all time behind Jacques Plante. He's also the only goaltender to win the Hart Trophy more than once, earning League MVP honors in 1996-97 and 1997-98 with the Buffalo Sabres.

 He won 389 games, 11th in League history, and led the NHL in save percentage six times. Hasek did not win the Stanley Cup until later in his career (twice with the Detroit Red Wings), but he punctuated his prime by helping the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the first time NHL players participated.

When the Dominator played, he did things in the goal that most people can't do unless it's in say a video game. He made saves that he really had no business making at all. Hasek, at times, seemed to get a bit of a bad break. He stood out during his time in Buffalo, those were hands down his best years. The only problem is, he played on teams that at times weren't very good. Sure he was a key piece of the team that went all the way to the finals in 1999, before losing to the Dallas Stars, but for the most part, he was on average to good teams at best in Western New York. Had he been able to win a Stanley Cup with the Sabres, I would put him up in the argument as one of the greatest netminders to ever play the game, but sadly that wasn't able to happen. Still the Dominator is one of the greatest goalies to ever strap on the pads and tend goal.

Next up, we have one of the shiftiest forwards to ever play the game, Peter Forsberg. Originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers, Forsberg became part of the massive package used to acquire the rights to Eric Lindros from the Quebec Nordiques in 1992, and Forsberg went on to be one of the best players of his generation while winning the Stanley Cup twice with Colorado.

Forsberg won the Calder Trophy in 1994-95, the Hart Trophy in 2002-03 and the Cup in 1996 and 2001. His career was cut short by injuries, but he finished with 249 goals and 885 points in 708 career games. His 1.25 points-per-game average is eighth all-time, and his 0.90 assists per game rank fifth.

 He's also 11th all-time in points per game during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, having totaled 171 points in 151 playoff games.

Here's a guy in Forsberg who could do things with the puck that most guys could only dream about. He had a wicked shot, but it's something he didn't really use much, scoring 249 goals. With the way he played, he could have scored so many more. He was one of the more underrated centers in the game, playing with and against guys like Joe Sakic, Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux. Forsberg was a superb playmaker, who know how to dish out the physical play as well as the puck. He was a true superstar, and during the early 200's I would consider probably the best player on the planet at that time. It's a shame injuries had cut his career a little short, he could have been something more than great. He really was an incredible hockey player and so much fun to watch.

Next up on the list, is the greatest American born scorer and player in NHL history, Mike Modano. Modano finished his playing career with 561 goals and 1,374 points, His 1,499 games played, all but 40 with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise, are the most by a U.S.-born forward. A seven-time all-star, Modano was the face of the franchise when it moved to Texas, and he remains an icon in both places. He helped the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999, and he leads all American players with 146 playoff points.

There were so many things that Modano did well, that he couldn't be really knocked during his career. When he first broke into the league, he was mainly a scoring threat, a one dimensional player. By the time the team moved to Dallas, he was given a new coach, and really changed his game, becoming a better all around hockey player. He was a proven leader, as was evident by pulling the Stars together during their 1999 championship season. Hands down one of, if not the flat out tops, the best players to ever come from America. He never scored fancy goals, but he always found a way to score a big goal or make a big play when it was needed. He was the face of the Stars franchise and the face of USA hockey for a long long time. He also had a big impact off the ice in Dallas, helping expand the game in the state of Texas.

The final name added to the hall of fame in the players category is former defenseman Rob Blake. Blake had 240 goals and 777 points in 1,270 games with the Los Angeles Kings, Colorado and San Jose Sharks. He won the Norris Trophy in 1997-98 and the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Avalanche. He recently won the Cup a second time as an executive with the Kings and also won gold with Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. The other three players are all being inducted in their first year of eligibility. Blake was in his second year.

Blake was in no way the flashiest defenseman in the NHL, but boy was he a rock solid defender. He never had an offensive upside of a guy like Scott Neidermeyer, Al McInnis or Zedeno Chara. Blake was an all around solid hockey player, he had a heavy shot, pretty good vision to make a pass and was a pretty good skater. But what really helped keep him in the big leagues was his physical players. Blake was one of the hardest hitting blueliners of the 20th century. Guys would be knocked loopy on hip checks from Blake, he was that great a hitter. Rob Blake was an underrated blueliner but man could he really go from the back end. A solid all around hockey player very deserving of his induction.

So there you have it, the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2014!