Player Category

Glenn Anderson and Igor Larionov were the former players inducted into the Hall. Anderson hails from Canada and was a fan favorite in Edmonton, Toronto, New York Rangers and St. Louis. He was part of the Oilers dynasty with Gretzky, Messier, Fuhr, Mac Tavish, etc. In 1994 he reunited with Messier in NYC to win the Stanley Cup one last time.

From a kid who complained about having to get up early to practice, Anderson transformed into one of the finest players on a star laden team. Along with his NHL accomplishments, Anderson was part of Team Canada’s National Team. He concluded his playing days in Europe.

Igor Larionov was considered one of the world’s best players long before he skated onto a NHL rink. Debuting in the league at the age of 29 Larionov already had 29 gold medals from international competition. He added three Stanley Cups to that total with the Detroit Red Wings. More importantly, Larionov opened the door for drafting Russian players.

Larionov overcame the language barriers and the stigma of being a Russian when many still considered them the enemy. Likewise, he had to transition to the faster, more physical style of play in the smaller NHL rinks. His impressive pro career proved that Russian players could make it in the NHL. Like any other trailblazer, Larionov’s greatest accomplishment was opening the door for others to follow. However, even today it is hard to find another player from any country with his level of skill.

Builder Category

This category is for someone who helped the game to grow and prosper and inductee Ed Chynoweth is deserving of this accolade. Chynoweth founded the Canadian Hockey League and was the President of the Western Hockey League. The standard of excellence Chynoweth established in the CHL/WHL is reflected in the fact that over 60% of the NHL players drafted from the ‘90’s to present came through their system. Chynoweth died on April 22, 2008.

Foster Hewitt Memorial Award

This is awarded to announcers and Mike Emrick was the recipient. Emrick is currently employed by the NJ Devils and the NBC/Versus Networks. Emrick has spent 21 years of his career working for the Devils and has won numerous broadcast awards including Sports Emmys. Prior to the Devils Emrick also worked for the Flyers and the Maple Leafs. He brings a keen sense of intellect, dry humor and total understanding of the game to his broadcasts. More importantly, he instills those elements in a way that makes a sometimes complex game simple for even the most casual of fans.

It will be difficult to find four people who have contributed more overall to the greatest game on ice. They all deserve their enshrinement.