The Hockey Hall of Fame immortalized six new names on Tuesday with the announcement of its 2018 class, and this year's inductees are headlined not only by no-brainers but those who have long deserved a permanent place in NHL history.
The longtime New Jersey Devils goalie was considered the lock of the 2018 class in his first year of eligibility, and his resume explains why. Originally the 20th overall pick of the 1990 NHL Draft, Brodeur made his debut on the big stage a year later and never looked back, racking up the most wins (691) and shutouts (125) in league history. A four-time Vezina Trophy winner and three-time Hart Trophy nominee whose defense led the Devils to five Eastern Conference titles and a trio of Stanley Cup wins, he'll go down as one of the most steady goalies to ever play the game.
An underdog who went undrafted and was discarded by the Calgary Flames before catching on with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 5-foot-8 right winger finished his career as Tampa's all-time leader in points (953), assists (588), game-winning goals (64) and postseason points (68), helping the Lightning win it all in 2004. Productive well into his 30s, even earning the Art Ross Trophy at age 37 in 2013-14, St. Louis was regularly regarded as one of the NHL's best sports with three Lady Byng Memorial Trophies and posted six different 30-goal seasons in Tampa Bay before finishing with the New York Rangers.
Alexander Yakushev
One of the stars for the Soviet Union during Russia's bout with Canada in the famous Cold War-era 1972 Summit Series, Yakushev led his team with seven goals during those spotlighted exhibitions and later coached both the Kontinental Hockey League's Spartak Moscow and the Soviet national team. A former referee who worked prestigious events like the 1991 Canada Cup, he's considered among Russia's top historic hockey figures, taking the title of Soviet scoring champion in 1969.
Inducted as a "builder" of hockey history, the 82-year-old O'Ree has been deserving of this for a long time. A winger in the Boston Bruins organization from 1957-1979, he didn't light up the stat sheet with just 45 games of NHL experience. But aside from overcoming one-eye blindness to last more than 20 years in the pros, he was also the Jackie Robinson of hockey, breaking the league's color barrier in 1958 as the first black player to suit up in the NHL.
On top of tearing down the sport's color barrier and enduring the challenges that came with it, O'Ree has also served as the NHL's Diversity Ambassador for the past two decades. The league has enlisted him to spread a message that they've so often preached as a brand in recent years: "Hockey is for everyone."
O'Ree finally gets the call to the Hall of Fame.
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Gary Bettman, NHL commissioner
The second of two "builders" in the 2018 class, Bettman has been the NHL's commissioner since 1993. The 66-year-old New York native has been a controversial figurehead for the league, overseeing the 2004-05 NHL lockout and two additional work stoppages, all while enduring critics who allege he's mismanaged the league's worldwide appeal. But he's also headlined the addition of seven teams to the NHL, including the 2017-18 Stanley Cup-contending Vegas Golden Knights, not to mention league-wide revenue increases.
Jayna Hefford, Brampton Thunder
The only female inductee of the 2018 class, Hefford finished her career in the National Women's Hockey League as the NWHL's all-time leading goal-scorer with 252 for the Brampton Thunder, then starred for the same team in the Canadian Women's Hockey League in between roles on five different women's ice hockey teams at the Winter Olympics. A Team Canada winger, she helped her country capture four gold medals (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) in addition to a silver at the 1998 Games.
