Daniel Alfredsson, Jere Lehtinen, Rob Blake and Chris Chelios were announced as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame class of 2018, while Philippe Lacarriere and Bob Nadin were voted in as builders by the federation’s Historical Committee.
“This is our 22nd year of inducting those who have given so much to the game, and you’d be hard pressed to find a more deserving group of Players and Builders,” IIHF president Rene Fasel said in a press release Friday morning.
The induction ceremony will take place in May in Copenhagen, Denmark during the 2018 world championships.
A sixth-round pick of the Senators in 1994, Alfredsson spent 17 seasons in Ottawa before playing one year with the Detroit Red Wings prior to his retirement in 2014.
The Gothenburg, Sweden native was passed over in his first year of eligibility for the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) earlier this year but with 444 goals and 713 assists in 1,246 career NHL games it’s possible he will one day get inducted into the more well-known Hall too.
Alfredsson is one of only five Swedish players to register 1,000 points in the NHL—Mats Sundin, Nicklas Lidstrom and the Sedin twins are the others—and was a staple on Sweden’s national team for two decades. The 44-year-old won an Olympic gold medal in 2006, a silver in 2014 and suited up in seven world championships and two world cups.
Lehtinen was one of the more underappreciated talents of his era, winning three Selke Trophies and one Stanley Cup during his 14-season NHL career spent exclusively with the Dallas Stars. The Stars honoured Lehtinen in November by retiring his jersey and raising his No. 26 to the rafters seven years after he stepped away from NHL competition.
The Espoo, Finland native represented his country at five Olympic tournaments and won a medal four times (silver in 2006, bronze in 1994, 1998 and 2010). He currently serves as general manager of Finland’s national program.
Blake earned a spot in the HHOF in 2014 for his many accomplishments in his 20-year NHL career. The 1998 Norris Trophy winner’s 777 career points rank 19th in NHL history among defencemen.
The current GM of the Los Angeles Kings became the 11th member of the Triple Gold club in 2002 when he won Olympic gold with Canada at the Salt Lake City Games—he won world championship gold in both 1994 and 1997 and hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001.
Chelios has played more games than any blueliner in NHL history and was inducted into the HHOF in 2013. The three-time Norris Trophy recipient was a key member on the 1996 World Cup-winning Team USA, and won an Olympic silver medal in 2002.
“Chris is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Team USA jersey,” executive director of USA Hockey, Pat Kelleher, stated. “His remarkable skill, tenacity, and leadership shined for our teams for four decades, and he is tremendously deserving to be included in the IIHF Hall of Fame.”
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