THN.com/podcast. Henrik Lundqvist [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4ODI3NDg2MDkwMzcyODcx/usatsi_9872892.jpg] Henrik Lundqvist The Hockey Hall of Fame has announced [https://www.hhof.com/induction/induction2023/abouttheclass.html] five players and two builders as its induction class of 2023. Mike Gartner, the chair of the Hall of Fame selection committee, announced goalies Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, and Mike Vernon, players Caroline Ouellette and Pierre Turgeon, and builders Ken Hitchcock and Pierre Lacroix as the newest inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lundqvist is the flashiest name of the 2023 induction class. He played 15 seasons in the NHL, all for the New York Rangers (Lundqvist signed with the Washington Capitals in 2020, but health issues prevented him from playing a single game). In 887 career regular-season games, Lundqvist finished with an outstanding 459-310-96 record with 64 shutouts and a .918 save percentage. Lundqvist also won the Vezina Trophy once and finished in the top 10 in voting in 10 of his 15 seasons. Frankly, the only accolade missing from his resumé is a Stanley Cup. Barrasso is another terrific goaltender who now enters the Hall with 369 wins and 38 career shutouts. Barrasso is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and also took home the Vezina, Calder, and Jennings trophies throughout his esteemed career while earning a first-team all-rookie nod in 1983-84. Rounding out the list of netminders is Mike Vernon, another two-time Stanley Cup winner with a terrific history of success under his belt. In 782 games, Vernon finished his esteemed career with a 385-274-92 record along with 27 shutouts. The Calgary native captured the William Jennings trophy in 1995-96 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1996-97 while leading his hometown Flames to their first-ever Stanley Cup. The only female inductee of this class, Ouellette certainly earns her spot with a phenomenal career as one of Canada's top hockey players. The Montreal native barely has any room left in her trophy case for this prestigious honor, as Ouellette won four Olympic gold medals, six World Championship golds and six World Championship silvers throughout her run with Team Canada. Ouellette also dominated the first iteration of the NWHL and CWHL, consistently finishing with over a point per game throughout her time in both leagues. The Hall of Fame has two slots available for women but chose not to name a second into its inductee class once again. The only time two women were inducted at once was in 2010 when Cammi Granato and Angela James were the first to become Hall of Fame members. Turgeon rounds out the class of skaters as a decidedly worthy inductee, as well. In 1,294 career NHL games, Turgeon finished with a whopping 515 goals and 812 assists for 1,327 points while serving a mere 452 penalty minutes. That gentlemanly play earned him the Lady Byng Award in 1992-93 and went further to cement Turgeon as one of the more underrated players of his era. As for the builders, Hitchcock earns a nod for his extensive track record behind an NHL bench that spanned 23 years and included one Stanley Cup and one Jack Adams Award. Hitchcock also served as an assistant coach for the 2014 Canadian Olympic Men's Hockey Team that brought home the gold medal. Lacroix caps things off as one of the more decorated hockey executives of his era, serving as the architect for the Colorado Avalanche teams that won the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001. Lacroix began his tenure in an NHL front office with the Quebec Nordiques, ultimately moving with the club to Colorado upon their relocation and playing a central role in laying the foundation for the franchise. Lacroix passed away in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. The Hall of Fame celebrations will take place on Nov. 10 to Nov. 13, with the induction ceremony taking place on Nov. 13. Mike Stephens contributed to this report.
