Tuesday, November 13, 2007

A good fit for a famous hall


They received the traditional Hall of Fame blazers on Saturday night, slipping them on like a familiar jacket. Four players and one executive, all unanimous a choice with most likely nary a negative vote.

Monday night, Mark Messier, Al MacInnis, Ron Francis, Scott Stevens and long time executive Jim Gregory were enshrined in Toronto’s Historic Hall of Fame.

Each player was a key element to the leagues success in the eighties and early nineties, dominant in their positions, legendary by their leadership. They collectively make up the strongest class of entries to the hall in the fabled buildings history. Joined by Gregory, a man that most everyone in the NHL refers to as the nicest guy in the business, they were feted in the traditional ceremony, which aired live on TSN”s alternate channel. TSN with an NFL commitment on the regular channel has scheduled a rebroadcast for Wednesday night prior to that night’s hockey game.

Monday night’s speeches brought back memories for all of the many players, coaches, managers and owners that played important roles in their climb to success. Family and friends were mentioned frequently in the night’s speechmaking, emotional words sometimes taking their toll on the participants, who struggled to retain their composure in their most public moment in hockey.

The quintet make for a most deserving class of 2007, each a historical force in the modern era of the NHL.

The events surrounding the hall of Fame weekend and Monday nights induction ceremony have resulted in a wide range of reviews of careers and testimonials to greatness.

Some of them we have found and provide below:


Ottawa Sun--Hall of a Journey
New York Post--'GREAT' DAY FOR NHL

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