Messier again leads way at Hall of Fame

Hockey Hall of Fame inductees (left to right) Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Jim Gregory, Mark Messier and Scott Stevens pose after receiving their rings at a ceremony for inductees in Toronto on Monday. AP

Messier, Ron Francis, Al Macinnis and Scott Stevens share a common bond, each having won the Stanley Cup.

The most successful of the Hall's newest members was Messier, the man at the center of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty which claimed five Stanley Cups, in the 1980s, before captaining the 1994 New York Rangers to their first championship in 54 years.

"It's a hard thing to measure, who is a better leader than the next guy," Messier told reporters.

"I look at all these guys here, who were unbelievable captains in their own right. It's almost impossible to measure."

A menacing presence who few dared to challenge, Messier combined toughness and skill to carve out one of the finest playing careers in the sport.

When he retired his trophy cabinet was jammed with individual honors, including two Hart Trophies as the NHL's Most Valuable Player and a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

He was a four-time first-team All-Star and has had his jersey retired by the Oilers and Rangers.

Nicknamed "the Moose", Messier finished his career with 1,887 points (694 goals, 1,193 assists), second only to his friend and former Oilers teammate Wayne Gretzky.

Francis was known as one of the game's true gentlemen in his 23 seasons as a player.

He twice helped the Pittsburgh Penguins to Stanley Cup titles and three times won the Lady Byng Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player.

After breaking into the league with the Hartford Whalers, Francis also had stints with the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs.

He finished his career second on the all-time assists list (1,249), third in all-time games played (1,731) and fourth all-time in points (1,798).

MacInnis, who had one of the hardest slap shots in the NHL, struck fear into the hearts of netminders throughout his 23 seasons.

His blistering shot produced 340 goals, helping the Calgary Flames to the 1989 Stanley Cup championship and Canada to the 2002 Olympics title.

"Never did I think my shot would end up giving me a chance to play in the NHL and give me the recognition for it," said MacInnis, winner of the league's hardest shot competition.

Stevens won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils and was also a Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP.

He is best remembered as one of the hardest and cleanest hitters in the game.

The four players, along with NHL executive Jim Gregory, received their Hall of Fame rings on Monday morning with induction ceremonies due to follow in the evening.

Agencies

(China Daily 11/14/2007 page22)