gold star for USAHOF

2009 Hockey Inductees

The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2009 could easily be considered one of the best ever. With four first ballot (and warranted) inductees and a General Manager who earned his slot, this is a year that Hall of Fame followers can only dream of on an annual basis.
You would think that as the son of Hockey Hall of Fame legend, Bobby Hull, that the shoes would be impossible to fill, but Brett Hull not only had a Hall of Fame career on his own, he even managed to eclipse some of his father’s career numbers.
Although many think of Mark Messier in reference to the 1994 New York Rangers team that brought the Stanley Cup back to Broadway after a length absence, it was Brian Leetch who was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner that year. Overall, Brian Leetch was considered one of the top two way Defenceman of the 1990’s and his strong play was rewarded by two Norris Trophies…
Think about this for a second. Before Lou Lamiorello took over as the General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, the franchise (which was in Kansas City and Colorado before) had never had a winning record. That changed in Lou’s first year in 1987, and the building of a winner continued. The Devils not only won games, but they won three Stanley Cup Championships, primarily…
Luc Robitaille spent nineteen seasons in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, but it was his tenure in Los Angeles years before where he had his greatest success. For a six year stretch, Robitaille was considered the games top Left Wing, and he would hit the 100 point mark four times as a member…
Easily one of the greatest Detroit Red Wings of all time, Steve Yzerman spent his entire 22 year career in Motown and amassed a whopping 1,755 points for them. Yzerman was a godsend to the struggling Red Wings, who were an awful team in the early 80’s, and slowly became a power under Yzerman’s leadership. That was not a misnomer, as he would become the…