On Friday, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced its “monster” class for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin, Teppo Numminen, Paul Henderson, Danielle Goyette, Gord Miller and Jan-Ake Edvinsson will be enshrined on May 19, 2013 -- the same day gold medals will be awarded at the 77th IIHF World Championships in Stockholm.
Forsberg is the most decorated of all the entrants, becoming both the youngest player to enter the Triple Gold Club (World Championships, Olympics, Stanley Cup) and the only player ever to achieve the “double TGC”.
Of course, Foppa wouldn’t have achieved international success without Sundin, his Team Sweden running mate (the pair won Olympic gold together in ’06). Sundin also holds the distinction of being the first European player to ever be selected No. 1 overall at the NHL Entry Draft, when the Quebec Nordiques selected him in 1989.
Numminen played in four different Olympics -- winning three medals -- and will become part of the first father-son pair of inductees in IIHF history. Teppo’s father, Kalevi, was inducted as a builder in 2011.
Henderson’s contribution to the international game is iconic -- he scored the Summit Series-clinching goal in 1972 as Canada defeated the Soviet Union. Henderson also played in the ’74 Summit Series and was twice inducted in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame -- in ’95 as an individual and in 2005 along with all players from the ’72 team.
Goyette, who represented Canada internationally in three Olympics and nine World Championships, was Canada’s flag-bearer at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Calgary. She scored an eye-popping 218 points in 171 games for Team Canada over the course of her career.
Miller is the 2013 recipient of the Paul Loicq Award, given for outstanding contribution to international hockey. miller has been the voice of the IIFH World Junior tournament for 18 years.
Edvinsson served as the IIHF’s highest executive for 21 years and is regarded as the “architect” of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
