TORONTO -- Nicklas Lidstrom said there is an old saying in Sweden that, when translated to English, means, "Things never turn out the way you imagined."

Lidstrom said that is reflective of his hockey career.

Lidstrom said he grew up like most kids shooting pucks in the backyard, playing at the local rink and dreaming of scoring the big goal in the championship game.

"But for all the dreams I had playing hockey as a child, I never imagined a night like this," Lidstrom said. "As kids who learn to fall in love with the game all the way through to being a professional, you play with one thing in mind: To win. Win the medal, win the Cup, win the series, the game. …every night you try your best to win, but you can't win this. You can't win the Hall of Fame. It's an honor that we have no control over and one I could never imagine as a kid shooting pucks in the driveway."

TORONTO -- Sergei Fedorov accepted his Hockey Hall of Fame plaque from fellow Russian and honored member Igor Larionov on Monday. When he got to the podium to deliver his speech, he put on his glasses and spoke slowly, as if he was making sure to appreciate every second he had in the spotlight.

"In my wildest dreams I would never expect something like [this]," Fedorov said in his opening remarks. "I never believed and thought something like [this] would happen to me. It's such an honor to be here tonight, to speak in front of you. I've been so fortunate."

He started by thanking the Hall of Fame Selection Committee for inducting him. He thanked his family, including his mother, Natalia, who was in the crowd, filming the speech on her iPhone. Fedorov mentioned that his wife, Corrina, could not be in attendance because she is expecting their first child.

Fedorov then went into some details on his career and what led him to the Hall of Fame. Here are three highlights of Fedorov's speech:

TORONTO -- Chris Pronger accepted his Hockey Hall of Fame plaque from a former teammate, fellow Hall of Fame defenseman and mentor.

Al MacInnis handed Pronger his plaque and then heard his name as one of the dozens of people Pronger thanked in his thorough yet quick speech that was as much about opportunity and belief as it was about honoring the people who helped get him to the Hall.

"I was given an opportunity in Dryden, Ontario, and from there was born a passion for the game," Pronger said. "I loved it and it was all I thought about growing up."

TORONTO -- Phil Housley was presented his Hockey Hall of Fame plaque by Pat LaFontaine, his United States teammate from the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, on Monday.

Housley's acceptance speech covered his hockey roots in South St. Paul, Minn., to his lengthy pro career to his tight-knit family.

He waited 12½ seasons since his last NHL game to gain entrance into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The wait was worth it.

At the end of his speech, he reached into a plastic bag and pulled out his round and renowned Jofa helmet.

"I know I took a lot of grief over the years for this helmet, but I thought I would bring it out one final time," Housley said, holding the relic high. "I'd like to thank Jofa. You're going into the Hall of Fame."

TORONTO -- After Carolina Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis bestowed his boss Peter Karmanos Jr. with his Hockey Hall of Fame plaque, among the people the Hurricanes owner thanked were all the hockey moms, a group which included his wife, Danialle.

"I would like to thank her for her support and wisdom," said Karmanos, who lost his first wife Barbara to breast cancer in 1989. "Danialle, I can't tell you how much you mean to me. I love you very much and I don't know where I'd be without you."

Here are three other highlights from the 72-year-old Karmanos' speech:

TORONTO -- An improbable hockey journey for Angela Ruggiero, which began inauspiciously as a 7-year-old throw-in on a youth team in California, concluded Monday night with her induction as an Honored Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Despite all the accolades that have come her way as a collegiate player at Harvard University and as a member of the United States National Team, Ruggiero still was having trouble believing she was on the stage at the hockey hall of Fame, receiving her induction plaque from Cammi Granato, a teammate on the national team and a Honored member of the Hall of Fame herself.

"Wow, this is amazing," Ruggiero said.

TORONTO -- During his 15 years as the chairman and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Bill Hay handed out 61 plaques to honored inductees.

Not one of them, he said, ever read what was written on their plaque.

So when Hay received his plaque from chairman John Davidson as part of the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2015, the first thing he did was read it to the audience.

The plaque highlighted his long career as a player and builder. One year after helping Colorado College win the NCAA championship in 1960, he joined the Chicago Blackhawks and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that season.

TORONTO-- Chris Pronger's old junior coach Dick Todd believes that his former player will one day make a good general manager in the NHL because of his knowledge and passion for hockey.

Pronger played two seasons for Todd and the Peterborough Petes, winning an Ontario Hockey League championship in 1992-93.

Todd witnessed Pronger's knowledge of the past one day when the Petes stopped at Don Cherry's restaurant in Oshawa, Ontario for a team dinner.

"There was a picture of the Boston Bruins there from the 1960s," Todd said. "He told me, 'I bet I can name every player on that Bruins team without looking at the label and you can't.' We went over and challenged each other. If I remember correctly both of us were able to get everyone, but one player."

TORONTO -- If you're a goalie and want to stop Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin's one-timer, former Soviet Union national team goalie and Hockey Hall of Fame member Vladislav Tretiak has a trick you should maybe try.

"If I play today against Ovechkin, I play more high because he shoots one-timer all the time," Tretiak said prior to the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony Monday.

Tretiak said his trick for trying to stop Ovechkin is the same one he thought of after Bobby Hull scored three goals against him in Game 4 of the 1974 Summit Series in Vancouver.

"Bobby Hull play unbelievable, he scored against me [three] goals in Canada, and I think how do you stop the puck because he shot it one-time all the time, the hardest shot," Tretiak said. "I think my reaction, impossible to stop the puck. But I also think maybe if I move two meters out more I could do it.

"Sometimes it's impossible because sometimes the goalie moves and the hardest shot, it's impossible to stop the puck."

TORONTO -- Carolina Hurricanes scout Sheldon Ferguson received a surprise phone call a few weeks ago.

On the other end was Chris Pronger, who invited his old friend to the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Monday evening.

"I was so happy to get the call," Ferguson said. "There are many things to like about Chris and one of his traits is he's very loyal to his friends."

That friendship took a brief break when Ferguson's Hurricanes got the better of Pronger and the Edmonton Oilers in the seven-game 2006 Stanley Cup final.