Hockey Hall of Fame announces 2009 Class

Steve Yzerman's greatest accomplishment in captaining the
Detroit Red Wings to the 2002 Stanley Cup might have been managing
all the egos on that star-studded roster.
The talent of that team was never more evident than Tuesday,
when three members were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille will be inducted alongside
Brian Leetch and New Jersey Devils president Lou Lamoriello on Nov.
9.
"I think the biggest thing for me of having a guy like Stevie
as a leader was the way he handled stuff around us," Robitaille
said on a conference call. "We've got literally 20 big egos in the
room. Everybody played a role on their teams for years, and they
had to understand their roles and the common goal. I take that into
the rest of my career and whatever else I do."
The maximum of four players was elected this year. Lamoriello
was chosen in the builder category. All four players were eligible
for the first time.
Yzerman ranks sixth all-time in points with 1,755. He played 22
seasons with Detroit and was the longest-serving captain in league
history, holding the title from 1986-2006.
He won three Stanley Cups and a gold medal with Canada in the
2002 Olympics.
"Even now when I go back home in the summers, it's really
something that's really important to Canadian hockey fans and
Canadians in general that we were able to win that medal," Yzerman
said.
Hull's 741 goals trail only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe, and
his 24 career playoff game-winning goals are tied with Gretzky for
the most in NHL history. He scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for
the Dallas Stars in the third overtime of Game 6 of the 1999
finals.
He played 19 NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames, St. Louis
Blues, Stars, Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes. Hull received the Hart
Trophy as league MVP in 1991.
His father, Bobby, is already in the Hall.
"It is hard to put into words what this means to me, especially
since I'm joining my father in the Hockey Hall of Fame," Hull, who
was traveling for his job in the Stars' front office during the
announcement, said in a statement.
Hull, Leetch and Lamoriello have a history together, too. Leetch
and Hull played on the gold medal-winning 1996 U.S. World Cup team
for which Lamoriello was the general manager.
"For sure, Brett and I were part of a group that were old
enough to remember 1980 and to be spurred on by that from a country
standpoint," Leetch said.
Leetch became the first American-born player to earn the Conn
Smythe Trophy after leading the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup
in 1994. He also twice won the Norris Trophy as the league's top
defenseman.
He was driving Tuesday, receiving text messages from friends and
family asking if he'd heard anything, when he saw a Toronto area
code on an incoming call. Leetch's first reaction was relief. He
pulled his car over to the side of the road and had to sit there
for 15 minutes, letting the news sink in.
Robitaille played 19 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings,
Pittsburgh Penguins, Rangers and Red Wings. His 668 goals and 1,394
points are the most by a left wing. He received the Calder Trophy
as the league's top rookie in 1987.
Lamoriello has served as the Devils' president since 1987 and
has taken over twice as the team's coach, in 2005-06 and 2007. New
Jersey has won the Stanley Cup three times under his leadership. He
said he was stunned to receive a call from the Hall on Tuesday.
A player must be retired for three seasons before becoming
eligible to enter the Hall. At least 14 of the Hall's 18-member
selection committee must vote for a player for him to be elected.