True Olympic flavour in 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame class
On Monday night in Toronto three-time Olympian Rob Blake will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in a class that has a true Olympic flavour.
The Canadian defenceman represented his country at Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002 and Turin 2006. It was in Salt Lake City that Blake became an Olympic gold medallist.
Joining Blake in the Hall are double Olympic champion (1994, 2006) Peter Forsberg of Sweden, 1998 gold and 2006 bronze medallist for the Czech Republic Dominik Hasek, and 2002 silver medallist, American Mike Modano.
The Olympic theme continues in the form of Hall inductee referee Bill McCreary, who officiated the 2002 men’s Olympic ice hockey gold medal final, where Blake and his Canadian teammates emerged victorious over Modano and the host United States. McCreary officiated the 2010 men’s final as well.
Posthumously inducted to the Hall on Monday is NHL head coach Pat Burns. His wife Line Burns will accept the honour. Although Burns doesn’t have any Olympic ties, the 2003 Stanley Cup champion (as head coach with New Jersey) incidentally did coach the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec junior league in the 1980s.
So to be exact, it’s an all Olympic/Olympiques theme this year at the Hall.
