The members of the Class of 2026 received their rings Saturday and will receive their jackets Sunday at the Hockey Hall of Fame Game between the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, NHLN, MSGSN).
They will give speeches at their induction Monday (8 p.m. ET; TSN4, TSN5, NHLN).
But where else will you hear stuff like this?
“Wow,” Tkachuk said, thinking of his rivals. “That list is pretty long.”
The fans laughed.
Tkachuk was a power forward for the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers from 1991-2010. He’s one of three players in NHL history with 500 goals, 1,000 points and 2,000 penalty minutes, with Brendan Shanahan and Pat Verbeek.
“Ironically,” TSN host Gino Reda said, “you’re at the top of other people’s lists.”
The fans laughed again.
Tkachuk singled out defenseman Chris Chelios, a U.S. teammate and an NHL opponent. He called Chelios one of his favorite players and a dear friend “at times he wasn’t on the ice.”
“He played the game so hard,” Tkachuk said. “You knew he was committed, and you knew it was going to be a tough night every single night. But I have so much respect for that man, the godfather of USA Hockey.”
Tkachuk wouldn’t be afraid to pop Chelios in the chops.
“He would do the same to me,” Tkachuk said, drawing more laughter.
Rinne, usually reserved and polite, let his guard down when talking about Rick Nash.
As a goalie for the Nashville Predators from 2005-21, Rinne often faced the forward, who played in the same division, the Central, for the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2002-12. Nash also played for the New York Rangers from 2012-18 and the Boston Bruins in 2017-18.
“Rick Nash was one of those guys that always seemed to score against me, and it just (ticked) me off,” Rinne said.
The fans laughed.
Nash had 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 24 games against Rinne, including two game-winning goals.
“It just got into my head,” Rinne said. “You know, getting ready for the game, I’m like, ‘Just don’t let him score.’ And then (it was) just the fact that he was a big, speedy guy, and he would always crash the net, so you kind of had to keep your head up. But yeah, he always seemed to be one of those guys that got one by me.”
Price, also usually reserved and polite, looked straight a Bergeron and said, “I think everybody knows that little rat in Boston.”
The fans howled and cheered.
Of course, Price meant Bergeron’s former Bruins teammate, Brad Marchand.
Price, a goalie, played for the Montreal Canadiens from 2007-22; Marchand, a pesky forward, played for the Bruins from 2009-25 before joining the Florida Panthers. Marchand had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 34 games against Price, including one game-winning goal.
“He’s just one of those guys that you just love to have on your team,” Price said. “He’s a guy that’ll go through a wall for you. But if you’re on the other side of the puck, you know he’s going to bring it every night. He was always one of those guys that was just always chirping or sticking it to guys.
“I think he learned over time that it didn’t work with me, and he started to leave me alone. But early in my career, he was always one of those guys that you knew was going to be in your ear all night.”
Curley, a women’s hockey pioneer from the United States, mentioned practicing against Cammi Granato and playing against a certain opponent.
“Playing against Angela James and Canada was nothing fun,” Curley said. “If you got by her, she was chasing you down, and she was really one of the toughest hockey players I faced in my career.”
Bergeron, a Bruins center from 2003-23, singled out Chris Pronger a towering, tough defenseman in the NHL from 1993-2012.
“Every time you headed for the boards, if you were coming out of the corner in one piece, you were pretty lucky,” Bergeron said.
The fans laughed.
“He’d always chop you, make sure he cross-checked you or his elbows were always up,” Bergeron said. “So, really hard to play against. Obviously, an amazing player, a Hall of Famer, but never easy and fun to play against him.”
NHL Stats contributed to this report
