Classy Play Led Turgeon to Hockey Hall of Fame

Class is typically a term associated with Pierre Turgeon.

The former Islanders center played with plenty of it on the ice and carried himself with grace off it.

“In the genre of a lot of these French superstars like Jean Béliveau and Maurice Richard, they just carry themselves with a certain elegance and some kind of French-Canadian mystique,” Pat Flatley said of Turgeon. “He definitely had that.”

Class took on a different meaning for Turgeon this past fall, as he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2023.

“It was an incredible night,” said Turgeon, adding that he had goosebumps giving his speech. “When you go through the process, you just want to slow it down as much as you can, so you can embrace it. I tried to do that, but even then, it's just goes way too fast, but it's a great feeling.”

Turgeon certainly had Hall of Fame numbers, as he recorded 1,327 points (515G, 812A) in 1,294 games, ranking 34^th all-time among the NHL’s all-time scoring leaders. He retired after the 2006-07 season so a call to the Hall has been a long time coming.

“I had goosebumps about it because he deserves it so much,” said Benoit Hogue, who Turgeon invited to induction weekend. “He such a nice guy and a great player and it's finally done and over now. He's there forever.”

Turgeon’s 19-year NHL career included stops with Buffalo, the Islanders, Montreal, St. Louis, Dallas and Colorado and while lot of teams can claim Turgeon as their own, the Islanders hold the distinction of getting Turgeon at his most terrific.

In four seasons with the Isles, Turgeon recorded 340 points (147G, 193A) in 255 games. His 1.333 points per game are second in franchise history, trailing only Mike Bossy’s 1.497. That included a career-high 58-goal, 132-point season in 1992-93, making him the Islanders’ most recent 50-goal scorer.

“You combine [his diligence] with his natural abilities,” Flatley said. “The guy can shoot the puck, he had vision beyond vision and was very tough in the corners with one on one battles. He wasn't a perimeter guy. He got into the meat and potatoes, and he was very well respected by his teammates and was a great player.”

He did it all while playing a clean game, taking home the Lady Byng Trophy in 1993 for gentlemanly play. That’s another word that seems to follow Turgeon around.

“You can spend two minutes here with him and you can see what a gentleman he is and how respectful he is,” former Rangers forward Adam Graves said. “I had the opportunity and the privilege of playing against him and respecting him as a player. He's brilliant, smart and sees the ice well, but truly one of those almost like old school gentlemen.”

Brad Dalgarno knew Turgeon well as a road roommate and vouched for Turgeon’s easy-going nature.

“We almost had like a married couple routine,” Dalgarno said of his old road roommate. “We are both quite low key. There was nothing better than after a game going to the hotel and get a double devil ice cream and brownie dessert. That was our late-night treat.”

In Dalgarno’s mind, Turgeon’s good nature betrayed his competitiveness, but in true Turgeon fashion, his drive stemmed from wanting to better himself.

“He has this innate sense of himself and applies that to compete at things,” Dalgarno said. “And I don't mean competing, like he's got some desire to beat people, I think he just wants to compete and challenge himself. And he did that at every level.”

Mick Vukota played a much different role on the Islanders than Turgeon, but the former enforcer said Turgeon had a way of making all his teammates feel as valued as the team’s scoring leader.

“He made me feel as important as anybody else on that team just says a lot about the person that how he treats people,” Vukota said. He just treats everybody with kindness and respect and yet, his game, his level of talent is just surreal.”

Hogue spent the first eight years of his career with Turgeon, as the two played four years together in Buffalo before being traded to the Islanders in 1991. They later played together in Dallas and Hogue was invited by Turgeon to attend his Hall of Fame induction. That gesture meant a lot of Hogue, who was beyond proud of his francophone friend.

“He's a genuinely classy guy and has never said a bad word about anybody,” Hogue said. “He takes the time to talk to fans and to do anything and that's what makes him Pierre Turgeon.”

Turgeon was inducted into the Hall of Fame in November and over the weekend, his achievement was recognized by Islanders fans during the team’s alumni weekend. The Hall of Famers in attendance came out for a ceremonial puck drop and Turgeon was at the center of it, flanked by Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin and Pat LaFontaine.

“I love coming back and seeing the Islanders family and just being out there with Patty and Trots, and Potvin it’s unbelievable that I could say I’m in the Hall of Fame with them,” Turgeon said. “It very cool to hear that crowd and feel that crowd on the ice. It was a great experience for sure.”