There is so much that can be said about Mario Lemieux, that a fewparagraphs just don’t seem to cut it.  Putting it simply, Mario Lemieux is one of the greatest scorers in the history of hockey who seemed to have infinite ways to fool goaltenders.  As such, he was one of the most exciting players in the league and challenged Wayne Gretzky as the top player in the game.  It can be argued (and we will) that Mario’s presence in Pittsburgh saved that franchise from relocation in the 80’s.  

It seemed fitting that the year after Al Arbour got inducted, that the Head Coach of the next great dynasty would get in.  

One of the best two way players of all time, Bryan Trottier did not always get his due; despite winning six Stanley Cups as a player.  Trottier was an offensively gifted playmaker who once won the Art Ross Trophy (he won the Hart the same year) was also a keen defensive strategist and became known throughout the National Hockey League as one of the most complete players in the game.  

Borje Salming not only was the first Swedish player to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, but was the man who paved the way for Swedish players to enter the National Hockey League and prove that the Scandinavian nation belonged on the world stage.   Salming would join the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1973 and he immediately made an impact on their blue line.  The Swedish Defenceman would be named to six post season All Star teams, but most importantly he shattered the myth that players from Sweden could be tough enough to hang in the elite professional league.  Every player in Sweden who looks across the Atlantic Ocean with dreams of the National Hockey League owes a debt to Borje Salming.