Hasek, Modano, Forsberg, Blake, Pat Burns elected to Hall of Fame

Dominik Hasek, Peter Forsberg, Mike Modano, Bob Blake and Pat Burns have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame with Hasek, Forsberg and Modano getting in on the first ballot.

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Hasek was one of the best goaltenders during his time in the NHL although he was a late bloomer as Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur garnered much of the attention, records and Stanley Cups. However, Hasek blossomed with the Buffalo Sabres in the mid-late 90s when he was virtually unstoppable. He led the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Final but lost to Modano’s Dallas Stars.

Hasek was a two-time Hart Trophy winner, won six Vezina Trophy’s as the league’s top goalie, added two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and won gold for the Czech Republic in the 1998 Olympics.

Modano was the No. 1 pick of the Minnesota North State in 1988 and is revered as one of the top American hockey players of all-time with 561 goals and 813 assists, both totals are more than any other American in the history of the sport. He was a seven-time All-Star, won the Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and was a valuable member on the USA international teams.

Forsberg was one of the best players to come from Sweden but had his career cut short as a result of injury. The He played in 708 games over 14 NHL seasons with the Nordiques/Avalanche, Flyers and Predators compiling 249 goals and 636 assists for 885 points and a 1.25 points-per-game average which ranks eighth all-time. He won two Stanley Cups, two Olympic Gold Medals and one Hart Trophy.

Blake gets in after a two-year wait on the ballot and the former Norris Trophy winning defensemen is the second former Avalanche player to be voted into the Hall. Blake played the bulk of his career with the Los Angeles Kings, but was a valuable addition to the Avs when they won the Cup in 2000-2001 and finished with 240 goals and 537 assists in 1,270 career games. He also played for the San Jose Sharks and is the current assistant general manager for the Stanley Cup Champion LA Kings.

Burns is inducted posthumously along with referee Bill McCreary on the builders side. Burns coached 1,019 games over 14 seasons between 1988 and 2004 with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils. Burns retired in 2005 after being diagnosed with cancer which later claimed his life in 2010.

He has a career record of 501-353-151-14 and won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2013.

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