Selanne and Kariya lead seven stars
Hall of Fame class of 2017 formally inducted in Toronto
They were introduced Monday night as the Lennon and McCartney of the NHL.
After they pleased, pleased, pleased so many fans in Anaheim and elsewhere, the long and winding road brought Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya to Toronto and into the Hockey Hall of Fame together.
“My brother in this life and the next,” Kariya said of Selanne as he took his turn at the podium receiving his plaque. The Finnish Flash and the Quiet One were the highlights of the seven-person class of 2017, with Dave Andreychuk, Mark Recchi, Danielle Goyette, builder Jeremy Jacobs and family members of absent coaching legend Clare Drake.
Selanne said he once thought the NHL “was too far” for him to reach, but he scored 684 goals, the most by anyone from Finland. He did work the national blue-and-white colours into his tux for the occasion.
One of the league’s friendliest players, Selanne missed no one in his speech, from the people of Winnipeg to teammate Teppo Numminen, who translated travel itineraries for the rookie so he wouldn’t miss a bus or plane in his 76-goal season.
Former Ducks GM Jack Ferreira was also singled out for arranging his trade from Manitoba.
“It was minus 28 when I was traded, plus 28 when I arrived in Anaheim,” Selanne said with a laugh. “So thank you.”
He and Kariya both saluted linemate Steve Rucchin, whom they joked did all the forechecking and corner work to make them look good. Kariya, his career shortened by head trauma, managed 989 points in 989 regular-season games.
The tears came quickly for Julian Andreychuk as soon as Dave mentioned the sacrifices of his steelworker parents from Hamilton, who were in the crowd.
“I began playing at seven years old — that’s starting out late these days,” quipped Andreychuk, who used his stick skills and large frame to stay in the league for more than 20 years, long enough to captain the Tampa Bay Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup and score a record 274 power-play goals.
Recchi, a native of Kamloops, B.C., won Cups with three different NHL teams, and is just one of 11 men to have that distinction.
Also honoured Monday were Cam Cole of Postmedia News, the recipient of the Elmer Ferguson Award for hockey writing excellence, and the late broadcaster Dave Strader, named Foster Hewitt Award winner.