‘I made it’: HHOF welcomes seven new inductees with emotional ceremony

TORONTO — Coco Lacroix had tears in her eyes as she briefly addressed the crowd at the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony on behalf of her husband, Pierre, and then she looked up toward the sky and brought her hands together.  

“Your dream came true, my love,” Coco said, eyes skyward, speaking to her husband. “I’m so happy.” 

It was the most emotional moment in a night full of them on Monday, as the Hockey Hall of Fame welcomed seven new members. Lacroix was inducted posthumously to the builder’s category, along with the fourth-winningest coach in NHL history, Ken Hitchcock. Four-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Caroline Ouellette was among five players inducted, along with Pierre Turgeon, the highest-scoring NHL player who wasn’t included in the Hall of Fame (until Monday), along with a trio of goaltenders in Tom Barrasso, Henrik Lundqvist and Mike Vernon. 

It was Lacroix’s 19-year-old grandson, Max, who spoke on his papa’s behalf. Max absolutely held the crowd’s attention as he described the man he called “our beloved patriarch,” who passed away three years ago at the age of 70. Lacroix started as a player agent, but he wanted to win a Stanley Cup, and once he was hired as the GM of the Nordiques and then continued with the franchise in Colorado, Lacroix made winning happen quickly, capturing two Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001 with the team he built. 

Max called his Papa “a rare breed,” noting his love of Montreal smoked meat, his ability to barbecue a mean steak, and the fact Lacroix always turned M&Ms upside down so they’d be W’s, for wins. “Papa was truly my best friend and we shared a special bond,” said Max, who also did a short section of his speech in French. “I’m so honoured to be standing on one of the most prestigious stages in hockey just telling the world how proud I am of my best friend, and I thank you all for this moment.”  

Barrasso, who started in the NHL as an 18-year-old right out of high school, winning the Calder and Vezina trophies that season, and later adding two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, thanked the hockey people who got him there, such as Scotty Bowman, who drafted and took a chance on him.

His most poignant moments came when he thanked his parents who adopted him and “knew nothing about hockey,” as he put it, but “became hockey people.” Barrasso also thanked the oncologist and surgeon who helped save his daughter Ashley after she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer at age two, and given a 15 per cent chance to live. Ashley was sitting and smiling in the crowd with tears in her eyes on Monday. She’s now 35 years old. 

Turgeon was the first player inducted during a ceremony that lasted two-and-a-half hours. The former No. 1 overall pick spoke both French and English and said he was inspired by his brother, Sylvain, who was drafted second overall.  

Turgeon thanked his wife, Elisabeth, and their children Dominic and Alexandra, who were in the crowd, and then he mentioned Dec. 23, 2010, “the hardest day of our life.” That’s when the Turgeons got the news that their daughter, Elizabeth, Alexandra’s twin sister, had been killed in a car accident at the age of 18. “I’m grateful for the support from family, friends and the world of hockey,” Turgeon said. “What a great world to be a part of. We miss you, Liz.”

There wasn’t a dry eye among the Turgeon family members in attendance. 

Lundqvist, the winningest European-born goalie in NHL history and the only goalie to win at least 20 games in 13 straight seasons, also started to choke up as he thanked his parents, and his twin brother, Joel, and sister, Gabriela, who also had tears in their eyes in the crowd. 

“Hockey was something that guided me through life, gave me purpose, and I feel lucky I found something so strong, so much passion for something at an early age — and it’s given me so much more than I could ever imagine,” Lundqvist said, to close out his speech. “Thank you for this huge honour and for all the memories that I’ll bring with me for the rest of my life.” 

While a young Lundqvist wondered whether he’d ever be noticed as a great player in his small town of Åre, Sweden, Ouellette spoke of her attempt to convince her parents to let her play hockey as a young girl growing up in Montreal, idolizing the Canadiens. “My dad had never seen a girl play hockey,” she said, and it was two years after she first asked that her mom brought her to the store to buy skates.

Ouellette, who has won multiple times on every stage available to her, said the recognition from the Hall of Fame “still feels like a dream.” At the start of the ceremony, she and her wife Julie Chu sat in the front row with their two young daughters, Liv and Tessa, who were colouring books with markers. Ouellette mentioned that Chu was “also an Olympian, but with Team USA. But she’s wonderful, I promise,” which got the crowd laughing.

The pair are now coaching at Concordia University, and their oldest, Liv, has started playing hockey. 

“I hope that I can have a lifetime in (hockey), Ouellette said. “It would make me the happiest.” 

Hitchcock spoke of his introduction to the sport, joining his dad as he took care of the ice, scraping and edging, and how he idolized coaches growing up instead of players. But Hitchcock, who was known as a tough coach, also wanted to make a point about players. 

“I believe that you get a do-over once in a while, and I’m gonna take this do-over now, and that is about the players who played for me. I was a demanding coach, I was relentless and I was very proud of being that,” Hitchcock said. “But I really admired the players. I was in awe of the players. I was in awe of their ability to sacrifice, their ability to commit and buy into what I was trying to sell. ... I’m gonna say this right now: I love the players. I love you guys, I think the world of you.” 

It was an emotional one on Monday night, to be sure, at the Hockey Hall of Fame, which will add seven new plaques to its great hall, joining all the other greats in there already. 

“Mum, you asked me once if I was ever going to go in the Hall of Fame,” Vernon said, addressing his mother, who’s no longer alive. “Well,” he said, pumping his fist upward, “I made it.”