We start with the builder's category and the only new member in the form of Brian Burke. Burke began his career in professional hockey in 1987 as vice president and director of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks. He held that role until 1992 when he took over as GM of the Hartford Whalers, lasting there for a year before moving to the NHL offices as senior vice president and director of hockey operations for the league. It was a position he held until 1998, when he ended up back in Vancouver as the GM of the Canucks. He then went on to become team president for the Ducks, Maple Leafs, Flames and Penguins. Some of the moves that Burke made during his career have drawn some ire from fans, but more often than not, Burke did an admirable job of being able to build and run teams.
Now starting with the players category, we have to look at Cindy Curley. She helped put women's hockey on the map in the US. She starred at Providence College from 1981 to 1985, winning back to back national titles in 1984 and 1985. During her time there, she scored 110 goals and 115 assists for 225 points. She joined the US national team in 1987 after a successful tryout for the team. She had a big impact on the global stage during the inaugural 1990 IIHF Women's Hockey Championships. She also won silver in 1992, 1994 and 1996. Knee troubles cut her career short, but doing what she did in not only college but at the national level, helped put women's hockey on the map before it truly went global.
Coming from the NHL level, we have to start with Keith Tkachuk, who after 15 years, finally got his induction. He w3as drafted by the Winnipeg Jets 19th overall in the 1990 draft and made the jump to the big club in 1991. He played in Winnipeg until 1996, when he moved with the franchise to Arizona. He stayed with the Coyotes until halfway through the 2000-01 season, when he was traded to the Blues. He played in St Louis until 2007 when he spent half a season in Atlanta. He then went back to St Louis for his final three years, retiring in 2010. Tkachuck played 1,201 games, scoring 538 goals, 527 assists and 1,065 points, to go along with 2,219 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he played 89 games, scoring 28 goals, 28 assists for 56 points and 176 penalty minutes. Keith played in five all star games during his career and made his legacy as one of the top power forwards in the history of the game. Before his induction, Tkachuk had the 2nd most goals of anybody not already in the hall (behind only the 566 scored by Patrick Marleau). He could hit, he could score goals and was a very hard man to move from in front of the net. HE played almost with a sense of a bull in a China shop.
Another big name, getting in on his first year on the ballot, was at the opposite end of the spectrum in Patrice Bergeron. Picked 45th overall in 2003 by the Boston Bruins, Bergeron joined the team that first season, and became a fixture in Boston after the lockout in 2006. He spent his entire career in Boston, retiring in 20923. While in Boston, he played 1,294 games, scoring 427 goals, 613 assists for 1,040 points and just 494 points. Come playoff time, Bergeron played in 170 games, scoring 50 goals and 78 assists for 128 points. Bergeron played in three all star games, won the Mark Messier leadership award in 2021, the Stanley Cup in 2011 and a six time winner of the Selke Trophy for the best defensive forward in the game. That's what made Bergron successful during his career. Not only was he a great leader, having been Bruins captain for the final two years of his career. He had the offensive skill to be a top six forward in Boston and was one of the elite defensive forwards the sport has seen.
Going from forwards we go to the goal, where we have two netminders getting induction. First is Carey Price, who was taken 5th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2005. Price joined the team that first year out of the lockout and played all 15 years of his NHL career in Montreal. He played in 712 games in Montreal, winning 361 times, with a career .917 save percentage and a2.51 lifetime goals against average. During his career, Price was a seven time all star, winning the Jennings Trophy, Vezina Trophy and most importantly of all the Hart Trophy in 2015. Playing internationally for Canada, he won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the World Cup of Hockey 2016 and the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship. He had such q1uick movements in the nets he was hard to be able to really get a read on what he was going to be able to do.
A guy that he inspired was fellow hall inductee Pekka Rinne. Rinne was drafted by the Predators 258th overall in 2004. He joined the Preds in 2008 and played his entire 13 year career in Nashville, retiring in 2021. He played 683 games, collecting 369 wins, had a .917 save percentage and 2.43 goals against. He was a four time all star and winner of the Vezina Trophy in 2018. He is tied for seventh in NHL history in GAA and tied for fifth in save percentage among goalies with 500 games played. Rinne may not have been as technically sound as a guy like Price, but what got him to the level he did was his athletic ability. He had made some pretty athletic saves during the course of his career that are highlight material.
So, what say you. Did the hall get this right? Any big snubs left out this year?
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