The Hockey Hall of Fame is a special place that honors people who have given their all to the world's greatest game and because of their efforts and natural talents managed to leave behind a legacy that will live forever in our hearts, minds and now on Yonge Street in Toronto.
The Hall, like the NHL, has become a place where the world's greatest are represented for all to see. There is a section of the hockey museum, the World of Hockey, dedicated just to international competition and its players and events from over the years. World of Hockey provides an unparalleled tribute to the worldwide sport, with an unrivaled collection of artifacts and media on display, including histories and exhibit materials from all 53 International Ice Hockey Federation member countries.
This year's Hall of Fame induction has an international flavor, as two world-class super stars, Jari Kurri and Viacheslav Fetisov, who traveled a long way in order to make a name for themselves in the NHL, will be honored, along with Mike Gartner, Dale Hawerchuk and Craig Patrick, on Monday night.
Kurri came to the NHL from his native Finland to play for the Edmonton Oilers in 1980-81, but the 20-year old forward, who spoke very little English, didn't think he would last for more than a year in the League.
2001 Hall of Fame Inductions
Editor's note: There's nothing more self-fulfilling to a hockey player than to be elected to the Hall of Fame. On Monday November 12, Four new members, Viacheslav Fetisov, Mike Gartner, Dale Hawerchuk and Jari Kurri, will be inducted into the Hall in the Player Category. Pittsburgh Penguin GM, Craig Patrick, will also enter the Hall, as he will be honored in the Builder Category.
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"My plan was to go over for one year and then come back to Finland and I ended up staying 17 years," he said. "Back than we didn't know much about the NHL."
The extremely talented two-way winger not only went on to win five Stanley Cups with the Oilers, but he also became the highest-scoring European-born player in NHL history, as he compiled 1,398 points (601 goals and 797 assists) in his career. More impressively, when he is inducted Monday night, Kurri will also become the first Finnish player ever inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"On a personal level this is probably the best achievement I have as a hockey player," Kurri said. "I didn't think I was going to stay for more than a year. But I remained healthy and had a chance to play with great players and great teams, great organizations and I'm very lucky to be in the Hall of Fame. They all gave me a chance to do well."
Fetisov, who was the first superstar from Russia to join the NHL, was given his chance to shine in the NHL by the New Jersey Devils in 1989. The rock-solid defenseman, who amassed 228 points, two Stanley Cup championships and two NHL All-Star berths in his illustrious career, believes that the League has come a long way in the last 20 years, becoming the portal for hockey players of all different backgrounds and homelands to compete.
"I think one of the reasons the League is very successful right now is because of the European players," Fetisov explained. "These players allow the NHL to extend the League and not lose the quality.
"The game has changed greatly since 20 years ago. Now the best players of the hockey world from different backgrounds, religions, nationalities and languages have a chance to play against each other for one goal and live in peace. It's truly an international League right now."
With the Winter Games right around the corner, prominence is given by the Hall to World and Olympic championships, including the UPS Olympic Champions display, which covers the glorious history of hockey at the Olympic Winter Games, up to a retrospective of Nagano '98.
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Fetisov believes that the League has come a long way in the last 20 years, becoming the portal for hockey players of all different backgrounds and homelands to compete.
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The World of Hockey displays cover the European leagues, the many current and historical international tournaments, the World Cup of Hockey, the Canada Cup as well as other significant worldwide hockey events. With the rapid growth and popularization of women's hockey, a Women's International Hockey display pays tribute to this aspect of the sport, including coverage of the Women's World Championships and the women's debut at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games at Nagano.
At the heart of the World of Hockey Zone is the IBM Global Game Encounter, an innovative, interactive, high-tech exhibit providing in-depth information about international hockey. The exhibit combines individual user kiosks accessing detailed international hockey data and photographic images, with an impressive large-format theatrical multimedia display that caters its audio/visual presentations to those areas in which users are collectively interested.
Hockey fans from all over, who not too far back could only witness world-class player performances at international events such as the Olympics, now have more options thanks to the Hall and the NHL. All fans have to do today is either just go to a local NHL arena or turn on their TV sets and watch world-wide super stars like Jaromir Jagr, Teemu Selanne, Mats Sundin or Pavel Bure perform their magic on the ice. If that doesn't bring them close enough to the action, they can take a trek to Canada and visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, where memorabilia and trophies, including the Stanley Cup, from all over the hockey globe are on display.
"The Hall has the capability to bring people from all over the world back in time, allowing them to relive their childhood memories," Peter Jagla, the Hall's producer of new media and E-business, explained. "We try to relay to all our visitors that this great place is as much their own, as it is the people who are enshrined here. We want to touch the hearts of every fan who walks through that door."
