Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Tom Barrasso and forward Pierre Turgeon will officially be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023 on Monday night in Toronto.
The Sabres selected Barrasso with the fifth-overall pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft before posting a 26-12-3 record in 41 starts during the 1983-84 season. At just 19 years old, his performance garnered him recognition as the NHL’s top rookie and league’s best goaltender, receiving both the Calder and Vezina Trophies.
In 1984-85, he followed up his stellar rookie season with a league-best five shutouts and a 2.67 goals-against average and was awarded the Jennings Trophy as him and his goaltending partner Bob Sauve allowed the fewest number of goals against during the regular season.
Barrasso went on to play a few more seasons in Buffalo before he was traded to Pittsburgh, where he won back-to-back Stanley Cups as a member of the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. He currently ranks fifth among goaltenders in Sabres history in wins (124) and games (266).
Turgeon, the first-overall pick by the Sabres in 1987, recorded 323 points (122+201) in 322 games with the organization, including a career-best 106-point campaign in 1989-90 that ranks fourth in franchise history.
In October 1991, Turgeon was traded to the New York Islanders as part of an exchange that brought fellow Hall-of-Fame forward Pat LaFontaine to Buffalo. The forward amassed 1,327 points (515+812) in 1,294 career games for Buffalo, New York, Montreal, St. Louis, Dallas, and Colorado.
Both Barrasso and Turgeon received their honored member blazers from the Hockey Hall of Fame ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Hyundai Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic, which featured the inductees and other hockey stars, including former Sabres goaltenders Ryan Miller and Craig Anderson and forward Tim Connolly.
