There is 3 Goalies headline list of 7 to be inducted; Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, and Mike Vernon. The other inductees include Pierre Turgeon, Coach Ken Hitchcock, GM Pierre Lacroix, and women's inductee, Caroline Ouellette.
Henrik Lundqvist had posters of Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon on his wall, now he's entering the Hockey Hall of Fame with them. Lundqvist was elected in his first year of eligibility. Selected in the seventh round (No. 205) of the 2000 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers, Lundqvist played for the Rangers from 2005-20, helping them advance as far as the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy five times and won it in 2012 when he was voted the NHL's best goalie. The native of Are, Sweden, won 459 games, sixth in NHL history and most among goalies born in Europe. He had a .918 save percentage, tied for eighth among goalies who have played at least 300 games (Cory Schneider, Corey Crawford). Lundqvist also won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2006 Torino Olympics and a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Tom Barrasso had to wait longer for their election into the Hall of Fame. Selected in the first round (No. 5) in the 1983 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, Barrasso went from high school to the NHL. The Boston native won the Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year and the Vezina. Barrasso, who was a Vezina finalist four more times, helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. He won 369 games for the Sabres, Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis Blues from 1983-2003. At the time of his retirement, he ranked 12th in NHL history. Today he's tied for 20th with Pekka Rinne.
Selected in the third round (No. 56) of the 1981 NHL Draft by his hometown Calgary Flames, Mike Vernon was the runner-up to Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens for the Vezina in 1989, when he helped the Flames win the Cup. Vernon also won the Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy voted as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997. He won 385 games for the Flames, Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and Florida Panthers from 1982-2002. At the time of his retirement, he ranked seventh in NHL history. He ranks 16th today.
Ouellette is one of three female players who has won at least four Olympic gold medals, joining Canada women's national team teammates Hayley Wickenheiser (five) and Jayna Hefford (four). Wickenheiser and Hefford are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Ouellette won gold at the Olympics in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014, totaling 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 20 games. She won the gold six times at the IIHF Women's World Championship and earned silver at the other six tournaments she played in from 1999-2015. Ouellette also won the Clarkson Cup playing for the Canadiennes de Montreal in the Canadian Women's Hockey League four times and an NCAA Division I title at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Pierre Turgeon has the most points of any eligible player not in the Hall of Fame with 1,327 (515 goals, 812 assists) in 1,294 games with the Sabres, New York Islanders, Canadiens, Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He also had 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 109 playoff games. Hitchcock is the fourth-winningest coach in NHL history, with a record of 849-534-127 with 88 ties in 22 seasons with the Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Blues, and Edmonton Oilers. He guided Dallas to the Stanley Cup in 1999. Lacroix was GM of the Quebec Nordiques and Avalanche from 1994-2006. He built Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1996 and 2001.
Although some fans are critical of the selection committee for omitting players such as Alex Mogilny, Rod Brind'Amour, Curtis Joseph, and Patrik Elias, the players that go inducted certainly deserve their induction.
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