Three-time Stanley Cup winner Guy Carbonneau, four-time Olympic gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser, Vaclav Nedomansky, Sergei Zubov, Jerry York and Jim Rutherford were selected into the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2019, announced the NHL on Wednesday.
Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens holds the flame during the pre-game ceremony prior to the game against the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre, October 15, 2015. /VCG Photo
In his 19 NHL seasons, Carbonneau played in total 1,318 games for three teams: the Montreal Canadiens, the St. Louis Blues and the Dallas Stars. The Canadian center had 663 points under his name — 260 goals and 403 assists. In 1986 and 1993, Carbonneau helped Montreal win two Stanley Cup titles and in 1999 he did it again with Dallas.
"I was lucky enough with all the coaches I had, I knew I was always on the good side of the offense. I think the NHL was a different level; fortunately for me when (Canadiens coach) Jacques Lemaire came in, I think he saw the potential of (me) becoming one of those players," said Carbonneau to TSN.
Hayley Wickenheiser holds the Canadian national flag to celebrate winning the gold medal of women's ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, February 20, 2014. /VCG Photo
Wickenheiser stood at the Olympic victory rostrum five times and received the gold medal in four of them (2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014). She was also the MVP in Salt Lake City in 2002 and in Torino in 2006. Moreover, the Canadian center also had seven IIHF World Championships titles under her name. Not to mention she leads in points (377), goals (168) and assists (211) in the history of the Canadian female national ice hockey team.
"I think when you win seven world championships as one of the key players and captain and win four Olympic gold medals and have a storied career both on the women's side and play on the men's side in Finland, that should tell you in itself where she was looked upon and revered by the rest of the hockey world," said Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald of Wickenheiser.
Vaclav Nedomansky of the NHL's St.Louis Blues /VCG Photo
Nedomansky is a real traveler in the ice hockey world as he played over 1,000 games in four leagues. Before he joined the Detroit Red Wings, he could drop 30-plus goals in nine seasons. Nedomansky played for three teams — the Red Wings, the New York Rangers and the Blues — and claimed 278 points (122 goals and 156 assists) in 421 games. He also played for Czechoslovakia at the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics in Grenoble and Sapporo respectively, winning the silver medal in 1968.
Sergei Zubov of the NHL's Dallas Stars /VCG Photo
Zubov won the Stanley Cup twice in a career that spanned 16 seasons, the first time with the Rangers in 1994 and the second time with the Stars in 1999 when he was teammates with Carbonneau. In 1992 at the Winter Olympics in Albertville, Zubov helped the United Team of former Soviet states win gold in ice hockey. He played in total 1,068 games for the Rangers the Stars and the Pittsburgh Penguins, getting 771 points (152 goals and 619 assists).
"I was 18 years old when I traveled with the national team, we had a tournament up in Canada and I had a chance to walk in the Hall of Fame. Back then I couldn't even think of or dream that one day I would have a chance to be part of it," said Zubov.
Head coach Jerry York of the Boston College Eagles /VCG Photo
Longtime coach York of Boston College has spent 47 years teaching college students ice hockey — seven years at the Clarkson University, 15 years at the Bowling Green State University and 25 years at Boston College — and continues to do so. He has 1,067 victories in college hockey world — the most anywhere — and is one of the three coaches who led two different universities to win the national title in the NCAA history: with Bowling Green in 1984 and with Boston College in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
"My very first recruit when I started in the early '70s was Dave Taylor. But Bowling Green, George McPhee, Rob Blake. At B.C., we've had Brian Gionta, Brooks Orpik, Marty Reasoner, Johnny Gaudreau. So a host of them. They certainly make you a better coach when you have those players," said York.
General manager Jim Rutherford of the Pittsburgh Penguins holds the championship trophy after his team win the 2017 Stanley Cup, June 11, 2017. /VCG Photo
Rutherford is the only general manager who helped multiple teams win the Stanley Cup since the 1967-78 season (the NHL expansion era). In 2006, he brought the championship to the Carolina Hurricanes; in 2016 and 2017, he helped the Penguins defend their title. In 2016, Rutherford was named the NHL General Manager of the Year.
"I started my career in Beeton (Ontario), 50 miles north of the Hall of Fame, never dreaming that I would once be in it. I've traveled lots of miles in hockey and met so many great people along the way," said Rutherford.
The induction ceremony for the 2019 Class will take place on November 18.