TORONTO — If there is one thread that ties the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, it might be the sheer improbability of their paths to the hallowed Hall.
Of course, breathing the rarefied air fewer than four percent of the game’s all-time roster has shared is reserved for only a select few, but this class faced some of the longest odds before their inductions on Monday night in downtown Toronto.
Generational goaltender Carey Price hailed from Ulkatcho First Nation in Anahim Lake, B.C.
“Growing up in a remote community, there was a very slim chance of this happening without a relentless desire and opportunity,” Price said in his induction speech on Monday.
For Cindy Curley, her path to playing competitive hockey ended at Providence College — until the creation of the women’s world championship.
“I’m often called a pioneer,” Curley said. “But I’d like to think I just grew up with hockey.”
Builder inductee Brian Burke didn’t play hockey until he moved to Minnesota as a teenager and got hooked on the State of Hockey’s historic high school tournament.
“Nobody starts playing hockey at 13 in Minnesota and says I’m going to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, unless you’re an idiot,” Burke said. “Not a god damn chance you think about it. Life is funny.”
Patrice Bergeron burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old rookie but the player the Boston Bruins chose over Joe Thornton to build around also faced a career crossroads in his 20s when he missed nearly an entire season with multiple concussions.
Keith Tkachuk referred to himself as "just a Boston kid through and through" who broke his ankle in his 1989-90 NHL Draft year, but the belief from Boston-based scout Joe Yannetti was enough for the Winnipeg Jets to take a chance on him at 19th overall in 1990.
Nineteenth overall is a far cry from 258th, where Pekka Rinne was selected by the Nashville Predators in the eighth round in 2004 — a round that doesn’t even exist in the NHL Draft anymore. Somehow, Rinne became just the fourth Finnish-born player inducted into the Hall, joining Jarri Kurri, Teemu Selanne and 2022 inductee Riikka Sallinen.
“I’d be lying if I told you I saw this coming,” Rinne said, sharing that he considered quitting hockey to focus on Finnish baseball as a 16-year-old after a rough season in a second-tier junior league.
“I was big and uncoordinated. I had big dreams, but the NHL seemed a long way off,” Rinne said. “You don’t have to be the most highly touted prospect; you don’t have to have everything figured out when you’re young,” Rinne said. “Your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. There will be setbacks; there will be moments that you doubt yourself. What matters is that you love what you do.”
So, how did those paths culminate in hockey’s crowning career achievement? Or as Tkachuk framed it: "Maybe the first time a Tkachuk has received a warm welcome in Toronto."
The message from Burke was concise and rang true with each inductee: “Hard, hard work. Never stop believing in yourself. And lots and lots of help along the way.”
As Burke spoke, the camera panned inside Brookfield Place and captured a tear welling in the eye of Lou Lamoriello, the steely-eyed Hall of Fame builder who mentored Burke and pushed him to Harvard Law School — which kickstarted his player agent, managerial and league executive careers.
There was no shortage of tears on one of hockey’s most emotional nights on the calendar. Burke paid tribute to the late Pat Quinn, whom he called a "mountain of a man with a brain to match," saying Quinn taught him how to build a team with "functional hostility."
Tkachuk spoke of fallen teammates Pavol Demitra, Brad McCrimmon and Troy Murray. He stopped to compose himself when talking about his children, sons Brady and Matthew, and daughter Taryn — whom he quipped might have the most hockey knowledge of the three.
After putting on his skates for the first time, Bergeron said: "I learned hockey is about people."
Because Hall of Fame induction night isn’t just a celebration of the honourees, it’s a monument of gratitude for everyone who was part of the journey. Minnesota Wild general manager and Team USA teammate Bill Guerin said he wishes everyone in the hockey world could grasp the unwritten enormity of Tkachuk’s generosity.
“This is the Hockey Hall of Fame and everyone is focused on the goals, the assists, the points, the penalty minutes,” Guerin said on the red carpet. “To me, it’s his generosity, how many people he’s taken care of and cared for. He is a larger-than-life personality and a larger-than-life heart. There are not many people outside of the game that would know how he’s impacted people’s lives.”
Jon Cooper left the Tampa Bay Lightning to fly to Toronto to celebrate Burke, who mentored him as a young Tier II junior coach in USA Hockey — someone so far off the NHL or international hockey radar — when there was absolutely no benefit to him.
“All of my coming up years, I spent in USA Hockey coaching select festival teams volunteering my time, and Burkie was instrumental,” said Cooper, now the NHL’s longest-tenured coach and perhaps a future Hall of Famer himself.
The crowd was dotted with current NHL players there to support Bergeron, Price and Rinne. Bergeron paid tribute to one of his favourite teammates in Brad Marchand, now with the Florida Panthers. Members of the Nashville Predators, including Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi, had a plane waiting to take them to Los Angeles after the ceremony to get ready to face the Kings on Tuesday night.
"They would do anything for 'Pekks,' that’s how much he meant to them as a teammate,” said Predators director of team services Brandon Walker. “They wouldn’t miss it.”
There was sacrifice made by everyone, most notably the families of the Class of 2026. Price said prophetically: "As the parent of a young family, I now realize what the biggest sacrifice of many was — it was time."
With his dad, Price commuted five hours each way from Anaheim Lake to Williams Lake to play minor hockey, sometimes flying in a bush plane to cut down on time on the road. It was gruelling — and it came at a cost.
"Time," Price said, pausing. "Time spent apart between a mother and a son. Time spent apart between a father and a daughter."
For one night, and now forever, it all seemed worth it.
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